Lizzo's image has been tarnished by a scathing allegation that says she had sexually harassed her tour dancers, among many other things.
These were all brought to life when three of her dancers came forward and filed a lawsuit against her. Since then, many other workers have attested to her bad behavior behind the cameras.
As the Grammy-winning singer pleaded innocence on the matter, the judge paused the proceedings on her case.
Lizzo Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Paused
Billboard reports that Los Angeles judge Mark Epstein ordered the case "stayed" while Lizzo challenged his earlier ruling. He initially rejected Lizzo's decision to dismiss the lawsuit because it falls under California's Anti-SLAPP statute.
Now, Judge Epstein is pausing the case as he waits for Lizzo to file an appeal on his ruling-which is clearly part of the due process she is entitled to. Reportedly, the timeframe for the pause is long, and it is expected to last several months before it is opened again.
Epstein cleared Lizzo of the accusation that she fat-shamed one of her former dancers, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez, who filed the lawsuit.
In 2023, Lizzo argued that the whole lawsuit should be junked under California's anti-SLAPP statute, a law that makes it easier to end meritless lawsuits that threaten free speech quickly. The Grammy-winning singer's lawyer argued that the accusers are using the lawsuit to "silence" her.
Meanwhile, Judge Epstein begged to differ, pointing out that the anti-SLAPP statute does not apply to the case.
"It is dangerous for the court to weigh in, ham-fisted, into constitutionally protected activity," Judge Epstein wrote. "But it is equally dangerous to turn a blind eye to allegations of discrimination or other forms of misconduct merely because they take place in a speech-related environment."
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Lizzo Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Explained
Perhaps one of the strangest accusations that Lizzo's dancers experienced, which they listed in their lawsuit, was that the singer had invited all of her dancers to a club in Amsterdam, Netherlands, while on tour last February 2023.
Allegedly, she has urged them to "take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers' vaginas, and eating bananas protruding from the performers' vaginas."
Melissa Learner, Lizzo's lawyer, justified that Lizzo's outings with her dancers were "protected by the First Amendment" because they furthered Lizzo's "explicit and expressed creative purposes." (via Rolling Stone)
She also mentioned that the dancers knew that Lizzo thought of their performance as "lagging," so she devised the said outing to get a "new injection of creativity and some new inspiration."
READ ALSO: Lizzo's Presence at 2024 Grammys Sparks Outrage - Here's Why
