Lizzo hit with another harassment lawsuit
Written by ABC Audio All Rights Reserved on September 21, 2023
A month after three former dancers filed a lawsuit against Lizzo, the pop star is facing another lawsuit.
The latest complaint, filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday and obtained by ABC News, lists Asha Daniels, Lizzo’s former tour wardrobe designer, as the plaintiff. She alleges racial and sexual harassment, disability discrimination, illegal retaliatory termination and assault, among other things.
The filing comes the day Lizzo is set to receive the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at this year’s Black Music Action Coalition gala.
“The timing of this award’s announcement stinks of an architected PR stunt by Lizzo’s team aimed at trying to repair the damage done to her brand. It won’t work,” attorney Ron Zambrano said.
He added, “With Lizzo’s attack on the other plaintiffs, we’ve heard from more than two dozen former Lizzo employees sharing similar stories of abuse and harassment who could be potential new plaintiffs. This is not going away.”
Daniels, a professional fashion designer, joined Lizzo’s team as the wardrobe designer for the dancers who were part of the singer’s 2023 tour. She was tapped by Lizzo’s wardrobe manager, Amanda Nomura, who was also named in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit states Daniels “was looking forward to working with Lizzo and her team because of the values Lizzo portrays in public.”
Daniels’ suit shares similarities with the complaint filed by Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, which alleges sexual, religious and racial harassment; disability discrimination; and assault and false imprisonment.
Stefan Friedman, a spokesperson for Lizzo, responded to the new lawsuit Thursday, calling it a “bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit” from someone who “never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo.”
“We will pay this as much attention as it deserves. None,” Friedman said.
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