Lizzo Sued By Dancers For Hostile Working Conditions And Sexual, Religious And Racial Harassment

Lizzo is being sued by three of her former dancers on multiple counts, including sexual harassment and creating hostile working conditions. 

The three defendants named in the lawsuit are Lizzo, dance captain Shirlene Quigley and Lizzo’s production company Big Grrrl Big Touring (​​BGBT). This suit makes additional allegations of racial harassment, false imprisonment, religious harassment and interference with economic advantages. 

They are accusing the singer of pointing out one of the dancer’s weight gain and firing them, even though she is known for her body positivity stance. The comments about the dancer were allegedly made at the South by Southwest music festival after the group performed. Lizzo allegedly told Arianna Davis that she believed she was “less committed” to her job due to her weight gain. 

Crystal Williams was also fired after working with Lizzo on her reality TV show Watch Out for the Big Grrrls. She stated that she was let go under the pretenses of “budget cuts” but that no one else was fired. 

The third woman is Noelle Rodriguez, who resigned after her negative experiences. 

Additionally, Lizzo is being accused of allegedly coercing her dancers to touch a naked performer while at a club in Amsterdam and subjecting them to an unnecessarily harsh 12-hour rehearsal after she falsely accused them of drinking while working.

Davis is claiming that she declined Lizzo’s advances, which caused the singer to continue to pressure her by starting a chant. When Davis refused three more times, Lizzo became “more strident,” and she finally caved in and touched the performer. 

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday and also claims that Quigley, the captain of Lizzo’s dance team, attempted to proselytize to fellow performers and ridicule anyone who had premarital sex, including Davis. She spoke publicly about Davis’s virginity on social media and in interviews. 

Furthermore, she is being accused of speaking lewdly by sharing her own sexual fantasies and simulating oral sex. 

The three plaintiffs believe that Lizzo was aware of Quigley’s actions and the complaints against her. 

The false imprisonment accusations refer to an incident where Davis was not allowed to leave a room because security was searching her phone after she recorded a meeting with Lizzo, which she was later fired for. She claims that she recorded it due to an eye condition that she suffers from, where in stressful incidents, she becomes disoriented. 

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BGBT is included in the suit due to allegations that they did not respond despite multiple complaints made by the dancers. 

Ron Zambrano, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, released a statement saying, “The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing.” 

None of the defendants have spoken about the lawsuit publicly.