Calling it “meritless and salacious,” last week Lizzo’s attorneys filed a motion countering a harassment and misconduct lawsuit brought by a former employee,
Working as a wardrobe designer on Lizzo’s 2023 tour, and helping to design outfits for the superstar rapper’s “Big Grrrl” dancers, the lawsuit was brought by Asha Daniels accused the musician and her team of racial and sexual harassment, disability discrimination, illegal retaliatory termination, and assault.
In last week’s filing, Lizzo’s lawyer, Martin Singer, called Daniels a “disgruntled” employee who “refused to comply with instructions… failed to perform the spark that she assigned and, eventually, just played hooky and refused to show up for work.” Singer claimed Daniels was “terminated after abandoning her post on the day of a concert” in Paris.
In addition to rebuffing Daniels’ allegations, the filing argued that Daniels had little legal ground to bring her claim in California as the singer’s attorney claim neither Daniels, nor her claims, have any connection to the state, as she is a New York resident, who was employed by a Delaware corporation in Europe.
A lawyer for Daniels, Ron Zambrano, responded to the filing with the following statement:
“This motion was expected and is yet another Hail Mary by Lizzo’s team to try to shift blame to the victims, as she has done to the three other plaintiffs who have sued her for similar allegations of harassment, disability discrimination and retaliatory termination. Lizzo and her lawyers can continue trying to rationalize her illegal and wretched conduct but we remain committed to seeking justice for our clients, and look forward to our day in court where Lizzo can explain her behavior in a public forum.”
Filing the lawsuit in September, Daniels alleged that she was “forced to endure sexual harassment by Lizzo’s management” in the form of a 30-person group text that “included graphic and disturbing images of male genitalia.” Additionally there were several allegations leveled against Lizzo’s wardrobe manager, Amanda Nomura (also named as a defendant), which included making “racist and fat phobic comments” about the backup dancers, and rolling “a heavy clothing rack over Daniels’ foot” and “causing serious pain.”
In addition to Daniels a similar sexual harassment and hostile workplace environment lawsuit was filed by three of the musician’s former dancers in November. Though Lizzo has denied the claims, the lawsuit had its first hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Lizzo’s lawyers have also moved to dismiss the suit, though the judge has yet to issue a ruling.
Since allegations against the Grammy award winner start, it was revealed that 14 dancers, who’d worked with the Lizzo, received a separate settlement in connection to the 2022 documentary, Love Lizzo.
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Raph_PH