Lizzo is in legal trouble. The ‘About Damn Time’ singer’s former dancer accused her of weight-shamed, sexual and racial harassment. As per the court doc, the victims’ names are Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez. A woman named Melissa Viviane Jefferson filed a lawsuit against the singer and her production company, Lizzo’s dance team captain Shirlene Quigley, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. Davis and Williams were the contestants of Lizzo’s reality show. Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. Meanwhile, Rodriguez joined the team in May 2021.
The lawsuit accused the team of Lizzo treated their performers seems to go against everything
Jefferson’s attorney Ron Zambrano said in a statement, “The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing.”
Moreover, he alleges, “Ms. Quigley was not only vocal about her religious belief but took every opportunity to proselytize to any and all in her presence regardless of protestations. Ms. Quigley discovered that Ms. Davis was a virgin and Ms. Davis’ virginity became a topic of extreme importance to Ms. Quigley.”
Later on the lawsuit accused Quigley of Davis’ virginity publicly. Additionally, Davis and Williams were also forced to do a nude photoshoot that was “particularly distressing” for a woman.
“Ms. Davis broke down in tears on set while struggling to choose between a once in a lifetime career opportunity and putting her body on display against her will”, it claims. “This experience foreshadowed the sexually charged and uncomfortable environment Lizzo’s employees would be forced to endure.”
“The main event of the night was a club called Bananenbar, where patrons are allowed to interact with completely nude performers. While at Bananenbar, things quickly got out of hand,” the suit shared. “Lizzo began inviting cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas.”
“Lizzo then turned her attention to Ms. Davis and began pressuring Ms. Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club,” the suit claimed. “Lizzo began leading a chant goading Ms. Davis. Ms. Davis said three times, loud enough for all to hear, ‘I’m good,’ expressing her desire not to touch the performer.”
Moreover, Jefferson alleged the singer ordered a member of her security team to get on stage and sexually harassed him by pulling down his pants and hitting him with whips, screaming “Take it off!”
Later, she again invited the dancers to a nude bar “robbing them of the choice not to participate.”
Also the suit accused the BGBT management company, as it reads, “BGBT management treated the Black members of the dance team differently than other members. BGBT’s management team consisted entirely of white Europeans who often accused the Black members of the dance team of being lazy, unprofessional, and having bad attitudes.”
The suit claimed, “Only the dance cast — comprised of full-figured women of color — were ever spoken to in this manner giving Plaintiffs the impression that these comments were charged with racial and fat-phobic animus.”
“Lizzo’s and Ms. Scott’s questions about Ms. Davis’ commitment to the tour were thinly veiled concerns about Ms. Davis’ weight gain, which Lizzo had previously called attention to after noticing it at the South by Southwest music festival,” the suit alleged. “Although Lizzo and Ms. Scott never explicitly stated it, these questions, accompanied by Lizzo’s statements made after the South by Southwest music festival, gave Ms. Davis the impression that she needed to explain her weight gain and disclose intimate personal details about her life in order to keep her job.”
Later, she fired Davis and Williams to which Rodriguez was so disturbed that he resigned.
The suit claimed, “Lizzo aggressively approached Ms. Rodriquez, cracking her knuckles, balling her fists, and exclaiming, ‘You’re lucky. You’re so f**king lucky! Ms. Rodriguez feared that Lizzo intended to hit her and would have done so if one of the other dancers had not intervened. Neither security nor management did anything to de-escalate the situation. As Lizzo left the room, she raised both her middle fingers and yelled, ‘Bye, bitch!'”
However, the singer or the management company hasn’t responded to the claims.
Also Read: Bebe Rexha Parted Ways with Boyfriend Keyan Sayfari After Sharing Weight Gain Text
