By Alys Davies & Thomas Mackintosh
(BBC) – Pop star Lizzo is being sued by three of her former dancers over claims including sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
The legal action includes accusations of sexual, religious and racial harassment, discrimination, assault and false imprisonment.
The singer is also accused of fat-shaming and pressuring a dancer to touch a performer’s breasts.
Lizzo and others who are accused have been approached for comment.
The singer has not yet responded publicly to the allegations made in the case, which remain to be tested in court.
Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez are the former dancers bringing the case against the singer, her dance captain and her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring (BGBT).
The legal action, filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, includes allegations the dancers were pressured into attending sex shows and interacting with the dancers between 2021 and 2023.
Among the claims against Lizzo – whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson – are that she “pressured Ms Davis to touch the breasts” of a performer in a nightclub in Amsterdam, and Ms Davis – after resisting – eventually acquiesced “fearing it may harm her future on the team” if she didn’t do so.
