Nigel Lythgoe is slamming the "baseless" and "inflammatory" accusations from two female contestants on his unsuccessful ex-reality showAll American Girl, claiming there are several reasons he can poke holes in their allegations, including the heart attack he suffered before the alleged incidents occurred. In legal documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the embattled television mogul, 74, questioned the pair's motives behind the lawsuit, claiming the timing of their filing was "strategically planned to unjustifiably attack N.L.'s character, with careless disregard for the statutory authority making these allegations untimely."
As this outlet reported, the women filed a lawsuit against Lythgoe using "Jane Doe" pseudonyms in January. They alleged Lythgoe "openly swatted and groped" their butts on the short-lived 2003 competition show's set and dressing rooms before things allegedly escalated at his home on the way to the series' wrap party.
The So You Think You Can Dance executive produced the competition reality series, which he said was filmed between January 2003 and approximately May 2003. As Lythgoe pointed out, "Plaintiffs were contestants on the show, but neither one was the winner."
In the latest set of legal documents, Lythgoe informed the court that "In January 2003, four months prior to the incident alleged by the Plaintiffs, N.L. had hisfirst heart attack."
He said that due to the health emergency and other work commitments, he was "seldom on set of AAG." When he was, "he was not alone with the Plaintiffs" despite their claims that employees of the show "witnessed" his alleged "groping and swatting" of their and others' buttocks.
Lythgoe insisted that contrary to their accusations, "other contestants, members of the crew, and producers were present" when he was on the set and backstage — claiming another ex-contestant would vouch for him.
"A former contestant who was present in the dressing rooms as well as in all other group settings involving Plaintiffs from January through May 2003, will confirm that N.L. did not enter the dressing rooms and never swatted and/or groped anyone's buttocks," he said, adding producers and show-runners of AAG will back that up.
But their alleged false allegations didn't stop there — so claimed Lythgoe.
"There was no after party hosted by Roe Production Company involving the contestants following the completion of filming," he claimed, adding "there was no budget for a wrap party" because of the "tremendously disappointing show ratings" and failure to get picked up for a second season.
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Lythgoe insisted the show "had already finished filming" when the women alleged they had gotten into his car for a ride to the after-party and wound up at his house.
"N.L. was no longer their employer (to the extent he ever was), he was no longer their boss (to the extent he ever was), he was not in any position of power as it related to Plaintiffs. It thus stretches credulity that Plaintiffs, who claim they were groped and swatted onset during the show by N.L. would then choose to get into N.L.'s car (after a party that never occurred) rather than simply get a ride from any one of the other persons going back to the studio, as they allege," the legal documents read.
Lythgoe alleged their "twenty-plus-year-old" accusations of negligence, sexual assault/battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress should be questioned. He claimed their allegations "failed to comply with the strict requirements set forth in the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act" — the same law that allowed Paula Abdulto file her sexual assault lawsuit against him.
RadarOnline.com told you first — Lythgoe will face Abdul in court on August 25, 2025.