It is an all-out battle between Paula Abduland former “American Idol” govt producer Nigel Lythgoe… and now she’s producing alleged texts from him, which she says present among the methods he sexually harassed her.
Paula’s lawyer, Melissa Eubanks, tells TMZ … Nigel is victim-shaming Paula and is cherry-picking from years of communications between them as he tries to discredit the allegations she introduced towards him in her sexual assault lawsuit in December.
As we first instructed you, Nigel’s authorized response to Paula’s swimsuit included alleged emails she despatched him … with Nigel claiming the emails gave off a pleasant and loving vibe between them … after the time Paula alleged he sexually assaulted her
Now, Paula’s firing again … as her lawyer says Nigel’s response fails to understand the ability dynamic of their relationship, the place Lythgoe was a strong exec/her boss and Paula labored beneath him as a choose on the truth competitors reveals he govt produced.
Abdul’s lawyer says … “He held the playing cards to her profession in his hand and he knew it.” The lawyer additionally goes on to name Nigel’s tactic traditional sufferer shaming.
What’s extra, Paula’s authorized group says these emails Nigel referenced in his docs have been simply Paula placating his ego with “constructive messaging and seeming adoration … defenses that many ladies like Ms. Abdul needed to undertake to cope with males who abuse their energy.”
Paula claims to have some receipts from Nigel too … saying she has textual content messages from him displaying quite a few cases of overt sexual harassment.
Abdul’s camp claims Nigel texted her on March 8, 2014, writing … “If you get again to LA will you please make like to me! Slowly and lovingly!” Paula says she did not reply and Nigel double texted, “I will take that as a YES then!”
One other alleged textual content, from April, 10, 2014, is a response to a message Paula despatched Nigel about “So You Assume You Can Dance” auditions in Las Vegas … to which Nigel allegedly responded, “I will come for those who promise an enormous moist kiss! With tongues! Is a small grope of the ass asking an excessive amount of?”
A couple of months later, in July 2014, Paula claims Nigel acknowledged he was being inappropriate when he allegedly texted her … “You’re keen on me like a relation I like you want a girlfriend. I may simply be your f****** cousin? Ha Ha.”
Keep in mind … Paula claims Nigel sexually assaulted her twice — the primary time throughout “one in all Idol’s preliminary classes” within the early 2000s, and once more sooner or later throughout her 2 seasons on ‘SYTYCD’ … a gig she began in 2015.
Paula’s lawyer additionally claims Nigel verbally assaulted Adbul on a number of events as properly … which she says “are proof of the frequent abusive habits that Ms. Abdul was subjected to throughout her time on American Idol and SYTYCD.”
Nigel’s group has not responded to our request for remark.
