TV mogul Nigel Lythgoe was “devastated” last night after being hit with a sex assault lawsuit by fellow American Idol judge Paula Abdul.
Briton Lythgoe, 74, dubbed “Nasty Nigel” for his put-downs on his shows Pop Idol and American Idol, is accused of “multiple assaults” by double Grammy award-winning singer Ms Abdul, 61.
In papers filed at Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, she claims that Lythgoe “insulted and belittled her” and called her a “has-been” when he hired her for American Idol in 2002.
She alleges Lythgoe, who is reportedly worth £120 million, “sexually assaulted her in a hotel lift” and, at a 2014 meeting at his house, allegedly “forced himself on top of her and attempted to kiss her”.
Father-of-two Lythgoe declined to comment last night.
But a close friend said: “This has come out of the blue. Nigel is devastated. This lawsuit does not describe the Nigel we have all worked with for decades. He’s flirty but an ultimate professional.”
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“There are many men in Hollywood with reputations for being leches but Nigel is not one of them. He’ll vigorously defend himself.”
Ms Abdul is seeking damages, likely to run into millions of pounds, for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence.
She claims the first assault was in the “early 2000s” when she and Lythgoe were on American Idol.
She was a judge between 2002 and 2009. When she entered a hotel lift he allegedly “shoved her against the wall, then grabbed her genitals and breasts and began shoving his tongue down her throat”.
She says she “fled in tears” but declined to file a police report “for fear that Lythgoe would have her fired from American Idol”.
The second alleged assault was at Lythgoe’s £22 million Hollywood home in 2014 when they were judges on So You Think You Can Dance, the hit US show hosted by Britain’s Cat Deeley.
Court papers claim Lythgoe “forced himself on top of her while she was seated on his couch and attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent power couple”.
She also claims she saw another alleged assault next year against one of her assistants, named only as ‘April’.
“Lythgoe approached Abdul and April from behind, pressed himself up against April and began to grope her. April did not consent,” the lawsuit alleges.
Abdul adds she was paid less than male judges on American Idol and suffered “constant taunts, bullying, humiliation and harassment”.
Lythgoe is claimed to have “taunted her” by calling seven years after the first alleged assault saying they should celebrate “because it has been seven years and the statute of limitations has run out”.
Along with Simon Cowell and Simon Fuller, Lythgoe is one of the most successful British exports to Hollywood.
He owns a £20 million vineyard in California, a villa in Barbados and a sprawling mansion in the Hollywood Hills.
He was awarded an OBE in 2015. He has two children with ex-wife Bonnie and has dated Priscilla Presley and Raquel Welch.
He now dates actress Lisa LoCicero, 53. A close friend said: “This lawsuit is bull****. Nigel can be flirty but he never steps over the line. He is always surrounded by beautiful women but he has mostly been in committed relationships.
“He has stayed friends with his exes like Priscilla. I have never seen him act with anything other than respect towards women. He’s an old school British gentleman.”
Another associate said: “He has always considered Paula a friend but he didn’t fancy her. He saved her career with American Idol so for her to repay him by filing this frivolous and hurtful lawsuit is shocking and painful for him.”
The claim was filed under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act which allows alleged victims of sexual assault to file lawsuits even if the statute of limitations has expired.
She seeks damages from production companies 19 Entertainment, Freemantle Media North America, American Idol Productions and Dance Nation Productions.
Representatives for Ms Abdul and the production companies were approached for comment.