The world was shocked when scathing allegations about Lizzo's behavior behind close doors came about. Three of her former dancers came forward and exposed her for fostering a toxic working environment, and sexual assault, among many others.
The first major hearing on the matter has transpired and Lizzo's lawyer argues on the singer's behalf.
Lizzo Lawyer Justifies Lewd Behavior In Amsterdam
Among the strangest accusations that the three former Lizzo dancers said in their lawsuit was that Lizzo had invited her dancers to a club in Amsterdam, Netherlands while on tour last February 2023.
Allegedly, she has urged them to "take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers' vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers' vaginas."
One of the three dancers even pointed out that she was coerced into touching a stripper's breast. Lizzo also did the same thing in Paris.
Lizzo's lawyer, Melissa Learner justified that Lizzo's outings were "protected by the First Amendment" because they furthered Lizzo's "explicit and expressed creative purposes." (via Rolling Stone)
She also mentioned that the dancers were aware that Lizzo thought of their performance as "lagging" which is why she devised the said outing to get a "new injection of creativity and some new inspiration."
Judge Mark Epstein was even shocked with the justifications that Learner has put forward - saying that the said activities "enable bonding" and "inspire cohesion and confidence" among the performers - reducing the complainant's issues to "team building."
"We're dealing with a concert tour. We're not dealing with an accounting firm...(but) I just want to know, are there any limits, and if so, what are they?" he asked Lerner, who likened the singer's performance to those of the strippers on the said club.
Ron Zambrano, the lawyer of the three dancers rhetorically asked the judge and the opposing party how forcing a dancer to touch another person's breast further Lizzo's creative pursuits.
"There has to be a line. There has to be a functional connection between the act and the furtherance of free speech."
Lizzo Denied Allegations
Lizzo has since denied the shocking allegations, calling them "ludicrous" and "absurd."
"My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous not to be addressed," Lizzo wrote in a statement.
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