Paula Abdul, 42, settles sexual assault lawsuit against American Idol producer: ‘A hard-fought battle’

Paula Abdul has settled her lawsuit against American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe after alleging he had sexually assaulted her.

“I am grateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me,” Paula has now shared with fans in an emotional statement.

“This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle. I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives.”

The 62-year-old, who found fame in the 1980s as a popstar and dancer, and went on to judge the early seasons of American Idol, filed a notice of settlement of the case in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday December 12.

It has yet to be approved by a judge.

Nigel has always denied the allegations.

© Steve Granitz

Paula initially filed a lawsuit on Friday December 29 2023 against Nigel, now 75, and the show’s production companies. She alleged that British-born Nigel sexually assaulted her while they were in an elevator of a hotel they were both staying at during one of American Idol’s “initial seasons”.

“Lythgoe shoved Abdul against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat,” the complaint reads, according to Rolling Stone, who had seen the documents.

© FOX

“When the doors to the elevator for her door opened, Abdul ran out of the elevator and to her hotel room. Abdul quickly called one of her representatives in tears to inform them of the assault,” it continued.

The complaint also reports that in 2014 Nigel invited her to his home for what she believed was a professional dinner but, she alleges, that he “forced himself on top of Abdul while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple'”.

© John M. Heller

The suit added that Paula had never spoken out because of fear of retribution., and that her contracts on both American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance specified that she was “prohibited from publicly disclosing sensitive information” regarding the shows and their business affairs.

Nigel produced American Idol from 2002 to 2014 and So You Think You Can Dance from 2005 to 2014.

He found fame in the UK producing Saturday night entertainment shows including Gladiators and Blind Date, and in 2000 he became a judge on one of the first singing reality shows, Popstars, where he was nicknamed “Nasty Nigel” by the press and viewers.