Lizzo Faces New Lawsuit Alleging Racial & Sexual Harassment By Tour Wardrobe Designer
21.09.2023 - 20:39
/ deadline.com
Lizzo has been named in yet another lawsuit alleging the Grammy winner oversaw a “hostile, sexually and racially charged” work environment. The suit was brought by Asha Daniels, a wardrobe designer who worked on Lizzo’s 2023 tour.
The suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, was brought the same day that Lizzo is set to receive the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award from the Black Music Action Coalition. It names Melissa Jefferson, professionally known as Lizzo, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), her wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura and her tour manager Carlina Gugliotta.
In the suit (read it here), Daniels alleges racial and sexual harassment, disability discrimination, illegal retaliatory termination and assault, among other things.
Lizzo spokesman Stefan Friedman released the following statement to Deadline in response to the latest lawsuit:
“As Lizzo receives a Humanitarian Award tonight from the Black Music Action Coalition for the incredible charitable work she has done to lift up all people, an ambulance-chasing lawyer tries to sully this honor by recruiting someone to file a bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit who, wait for it, never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo.
We will pay this as much attention as it deserves. None.”
It follows a similar lawsuit filed in August by three of Lizzo’s former touring dancers.
In that suit, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez allege that they were body-shamed, put through a self-described “excruciating” audition for their own jobs after they were accused of drinking on the clock and held to prohibitive “soft hold” retainers.
In the current lawsuit, “There was a group chat of over 30+ people from the BGBT team, which