Paula Abdul settles sexual assault lawsuit against “American Idol ”producer Nigel Lythgoe: 'Hard-fought personal battle'

Less than a year after Paula Abdul sued Nigel Lythgoe for sexual assault, the pair have agreed to reach a settlement.

The “Rush Rush” singer and reality TV judge, 62, and American Idol producer, 75, settled the case in an “unconditional” manner on Monday, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. A hearing tied to the case previously set for Jan. 21, 2025, as well as its August 2025 trial date, are both expected to be vacated once the request, which was filed on Nov. 12, is approved by a judge, the outlet reports.

“I am grateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me,” Abdul said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly about the settlement. “This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle. I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women, facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives.”

Representatives for Lythgoe did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment.

Related: JoJo Siwa replaces Nigel Lythgoe as So You Think You Can Dance judge after sexual assault lawsuits

Abdul sued Lythgoe alleging sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and negligence in a Dec. 29, 2023 lawsuit, claiming in part that Lythgoe sexually assaulted her during her time on American Idol in the early 2000s and again when she starred as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance. She also alleged that Lythgoe assaulted her assistant in 2015. 

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which allows survivors to take legal action even after the statute of limitations has expired. Abdul later submitted a revised lawsuit in October 2024, where she claimed that Lythgoe also assaulted her for a third time during the incident with her assistant in 2015, PEOPLE reports. 

Lythgoe denied the allegations made against him in a Dec. 30, 2023 statement to EW, calling them “false” and “deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for.” He added, "While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have.” 

His attorneys later filed a response in March denying Abdul’s allegations, which they called "pure fiction" and the "worst form of character assassination,” per PEOPLE. In response, Abdul’s team fired back at him in a statement to EW, calling his answer to her complaint “classic victim shaming.”

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“Mr. Lythgoe fails to appreciate that he held a position of power over Ms. Abdul. He was a producer on American Idol and SYTYCD and she was the talent,” Abdul’s lawyers continued. “He held the cards to her career in his hand and he knew it. It thus is no surprise that Ms. Abdul placated to his ego with positive messaging and seeming adoration. These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power.”

Their legal battle continued when Abdul filed her amended lawsuit against Lythgoe in October, with Lythgoe later submitting a response that argued that the timing surrounding her claims was “vague” and criticize how she “suddenly 'remembered' additional details” of the alleged incidents, per PEOPLE.

In documents obtained by the outlet, Lythgoe added that her recollection “stretches credulity that Abdul would supposedly remember witnessing her assistant allegedly being assaulted by Lythgoe in April 2015 and yet apparently ‘forget,’ until the filing of her FAC, that she also allegedly was assaulted at that same time — let alone be able to suddenly remember specific details of the alleged incident, as her FAC now alleges.”

In January, Lythgoe stepped down from his judging duties on So You Think You Can Dance after two anonymous women filed a separate sexual assault lawsuit against him in addition to Abdul's. A third lawsuit was filed in February and a fourth in March, with five women in total accusing Lythgoe of sexual assault.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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