Three former dancers who were a part of Lizzo's dance squad are suing her on the grounds that they were harassed and worked in a hostile environment. On Tuesday, a complaint was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, and CNN obtained access to it through an attorney representing the plaintiffs. The lawsuit names the individual, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and another person identified as the "dance cast captain" as defendants in the case.
Among the claims outlined in the suit, one of the three plaintiffs said she was encouraged by the singer to “take turns touching the nude performers” while out at a club in Amsterdam’s Red Light District while on tour in February.
The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff eventually "acquiesced" after repeatedly expressing her desire not to touch the performers out of fear of retaliation.
Another plaintiff claims that her commitment to her role on the dance team was questioned by the singer, who expressed “thinly veiled” concerns about the plaintiff’s “weight gain,” according to the lawsuit, resulting in the plaintiff feeling pressured to “explain her weight gain and disclose intimate personal details about her life in order to keep her job.”
Other claims are made throughout the complaint that alleges people employed by Lizzo subjected the plaintiffs to racial and religious discrimination, including an allegation that an accountant from BGBT’s primarily White management team discriminated against the Black dancers by scolding them for allegedly “unacceptable and disrespectful” behavior while on tour. The suit alleges that this comment from the accountant was “charged with “racial and fat-phobic animus.”
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Lizzo is well-known for her inspirational lyrics and for promoting body positivity in her music.
A spokesperson for Lizzo and Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. has been contacted by CNN for comment regarding the grievance.
