Lizzie’s bid to have the sexual harassment lawsuit against her dismissed was denied.
On Friday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled that a case brought by several former Grammy-winning dancers alleging sexual harassment in the workplace will proceed, PEOPLE can confirm.
The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed on August 1, 2023, in which Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez claimed they were abused, mistreated, discriminated against and faced numerous workplace violations while working for the musician (35) (real named Melissa Jefferson ) and her Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc.
Lizzo calls for designer’s harassment lawsuit to be dismissed, calls it ‘meritless’ and ‘vile’
Los Angeles attorney Ron Zambrano is representing the three women.
“We are very pleased with the judge’s decision and absolutely consider it a victory,” Zambrano said in a statement to PEOPLE.
Lizzo in New York in May 2022.
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
He added that Judge Mark H. Epstein “dismissed several charges,” including allegations that Davis was fat-shamed, nude photo shoots and dancers being forced to be “on hold” while not on tour.
“However, all other claims remain, including sexual, religious and racial discrimination, sexual harassment, humiliating visits to Bananabar in Amsterdam and Crazy Horse in Paris, false imprisonment and assault. The ruling also rightly signals that Lizzo – or any celebrity – is not insulated from this kind of reprehensible behavior just because she’s famous. We now look forward to discovery and preparing the case for trial, spokesman Stefan Friedman told Lizza. Party tonight“We are pleased that Judge Epstein wisely threw out all or part of the plaintiffs’ four causes of action. Lizzo is grateful to the judge for seeing through most of the noise and recognizing who she is – a strong woman who exists to lift others up and spread positivity. We plan to appeal the all the elements that the judge decided to keep in the lawsuit and we are confident that we will win.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
PEOPLE reached out to Lizzo’s attorney for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
The 34-page court document mentions Amsterdam’s famous Banananbar red light district.
Prosecutors previously spoke about an incident last year in which Lizzo allegedly insisted that members of her tour team join her at a venue that displayed nude dancers.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(979x185:981x187)/lizzo-042323-2000-c2cc6009cd7347d1957b1c9fad7016f5.jpg)
Lizzo performs in London in March 2023 Jim Dyson/Getty Former Lizzo dancers say they are not backing down from accusations: ‘We were treated badly’ (Exclusive)
Last year, the singer tried to dismiss the lawsuit by invoking California’s anti-SLAPP statute (known as “strategic anti-public participation lawsuits”), which is related to lawsuits that threaten free speech.
“It is dangerous for the court to engage, brazenly, in a constitutionally protected activity,” Judge Epstein said. “But it is equally dangerous to turn a blind eye to allegations of discrimination or other forms of misconduct simply because they occur in a speech-related environment.”
The singer and her dance captain Shirlene Quigley will still face other allegations of sexual harassment, as well as allegations of racial and religious discrimination – prosecutors also claimed they were forced to participate in prayer circles.
Davis and Williams began working with Lizzo in 2021 for the Amazon reality show, Watch out for the Big Grrrls. Rodriguez was also hired in 2021 after appearing in the music video for the singer’s hit “Rumors,” but quit in 2022.
In August 2023, Lizzo shared a a long statement on social networks denying the “outrageous” allegations.
“My work ethic, morals and respect have been called into question. My character was criticized. I usually choose not to respond to false accusations, but as incredible as they sound, they are too outrageous to ignore,” she said in part.
Calling out “sensationalized stories,” Lizzo said the plaintiffs had previously been “told that their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”
“I’m not the villain that people and the media portrayed me as,” she added.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education