She also accuses him of sexually assaulted her again years later, around the time she worked on SYTYCD, this time at his home. Abdul alleges that Lythgoe had invited her to dinner at his house “to discuss other opportunities for the two to work together” but that toward the end of the evening, he forced himself on top of her while she was seated on his couch and “attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple.'”
The choreographer says in her filing that after both alleged incidents, she decided not to take action against Lythgoe out of fear of professional retaliation. Her lawsuit states that “in light of the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, Abdul is no longer willing to remain silent.”
Abdul is suing Lythgoe for sexual assault, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence and says she has suffered severe emotional distress, emotional anguish, fear, anxiety, humiliation, embarrassment and other physical and emotional injuries and damages from his alleged actions against her.
