Former ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Judge Nigel Lythgoe Accused Of Sexual Assault In Third Suit, Which Claims He Attacked Alleged Victim In 2016

Former So You Think You Can Dance judge Nigel Lythgoe has been accused of sexual assault in a third lawsuit against him in less than two months.

A lawsuit filed Feb. 17 claims that Lythgoe assaulted an alleged victim identified as Jane Doe in his car in 2016 while his chauffeur was driving.

“What should have been a quick two-minute ride ended up being a ten-to-fifteen minute sexual assault and battery in which plaintiff was trapped in Lythgoe’s vehicle,” the lawsuit reads, per Deadline.

The suit later states, “Lythgoe’s sexual assault and battery of plaintiff left her feeling horribly violated, shocked, guilty, humiliated, and embarrassed. Such mental anguish and emotional distress were severe and lasting to this day.”

Lythgoe has not responded to the accusations, but Jane Doe’s lawyer Melissa Eubanks put out a statement addressing the accusations he is currently facing.

“It is troubling to hear of yet another alleged incident of a woman being taken advantage of and abused by a prominent public figure,” Eubanks said. She and her colleagues are also representing Paula Abdul, who was first to sue Lythgoe for sexually assaulting her.

Abdul claimed that Lythgoe assaulted her in the early 2000s while both of them worked on American Idol, where he was a producer and she was a judge.

Lythgoe responded to the allegations at the time in a statement, saying, “To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement. For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear, and entirely platonic, friends and colleagues.”

Less than a week after Abdul came forward, two more women accused Lythgoe in a second lawsuit of sexually assaulting and harassing them during the 2003 competition series All American Girl.

The lawsuit states that Lythgoe “walked around the set and dressing rooms and openly swatted and groped [their] and other contestants’ buttocks” while employees did nothing to “condemn the action or prevent it from happening again.”

Lythgoe has since exited So You Think You Can Dance, where he was replaced by JoJo Siwa. His representatives did not return Decider’s request for comment.

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.