Three former dancers accused Lizzo of body shaming and harassment in a lawsuit that was filed last month. Lizzo has asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to dismiss the case.
According to court documents that Page Six obtained on Thursday, the 35-year-old native of Detroit stated that she would prefer a jury trial if the proceedings are not dismissed.
Known by her full name, Melissa Viviane Jefferson, the musician stated that she refuted "each and every allegation" made by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez against her.
Defending Davis, Williams, and Rodriguez against the case, the Grammy-winning performer stated that they were 'guilty of dirty hands' because they had broken ethical rules.
In a court document filed last month, Davis, Williams, and Rodriguez said Lizzo had forced them to interact with naked dancers at an Amsterdam club and had humiliated one of them for gaining weight before terminating her.
The group filed a legal case on August 1st, alleging that Lizzo forced her dancers to have sexual relations with prostitutes at a Red Light District bar in Amsterdam during their February tour. The plaintiffs filed many accusations, alleging assault, false imprisonment, handicap discrimination, sexual, religious, and racial harassment. Lizzo, her production business Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and her dance squad captain, Shirlene Quigley, are named in the lawsuit, which also demands undisclosed damages.
After giving a concert in Amsterdam, according to the court document, Lizzo and her group went to a sexually suggestive event at a bar in the infamous Red Light District of the city, where "Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers."
According to the petition, Lizzo led a shout during the performance that demanded that Davis touch the breasts of one of the nude ladies dancing at the club.
A mortified Ms. Davis acquiesced in an attempt to put an end to the chants," the complaint claims, until the chorus finally became too loud.
The statement went on, saying, "Plaintiffs were appalled by how little respect Lizzo showed for the bodily autonomy of her workers and those in her immediate vicinity, particularly in the presence of numerous people she employed."
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It was stated in the singer's answer that the dancers suing her 'ratified, acquiesced, condoned and/or approved of the acts' at the time they occurred.
The About Damn Time singer is also being sued by a former wardrobe assistant over hazardous workplace accusations.
The dancers signed contracts that were "subject to arbitration" when they joined the Good as Hell tour, according to the performer, and they were given the option to "mediate in good faith" before making the lawsuit public.
Lizzo's legal team claimed that through internal processes, the dancers "failed" to go by "anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies and complaint procedures" that the artist's company had put in place. Lizzo asserted that there was no proof the dancers had sustained losses or harm as a result of the singer's behavior.
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