Lizzo Responds to Lawsuit Claims: "I Was Never in the Wrong" and Stresses Consensual Nature of Events
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Lizzo recently spoke out regarding the sexual harassment lawsuit brought against her by three former dancers, providing insight into an alleged incident that occurred at a venue known as Bananenbar in Amsterdam. The Grammy Award-winning artist, aged 36, discussed the events of that night for the first time during her appearance on the Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast on Thursday, December 19.
Lizzo details the happenings of the night
During the podcast, she mentioned that she visited the bar, which features "exotic performers," by herself. Lizzo explained that one of her dancers, whom she referred to as a close "friend," was attending a birthday dinner for one of the background singers. The dancer inquired about her plans for the evening, expressing that they allegedly had "nowhere to go." In response, Lizzo stated, “I was like, 'What? It's your birthday. You in Amsterdam. You got nowhere to go, come through.’”
Lizzo asserted that she was unaware of who would join her after extending the invitation. She remarked, “They were like, 17 of us wanna come. I was like, 'Oh, OK. Pull up.' That's my nature,” as reported by People.
The singer further elaborated, “Everybody came through. We had a great time. There were moments because the performer is very consensual, but she's also performing. So she'll ask you. She'll be like, 'Would you like to do this? Would you like to do that?' If you say 'Yes,' you do it. If you say 'No,' she's like, 'OK.' Moves on."
Lizzo highlighted that this dynamic “was happening all night.” She added, “There were moments where there was some wild stuff that happened, but everybody had a great time.”
Lizzo emphasises everything was ‘consensual’
Lizzo clarified that there was “no mandatory invitation” to attend the event and noted that only two of the three dancers mentioned in the lawsuit were present at the club. She emphasized, “I have to stress how consensual it was because this bar has been like this since 1945. If they were doing things non-consensually, they would have been sued."
The attorney representing the plaintiffs—Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis, and Noella Rodriguez—in the lawsuit, Rom Zambrano, stated to People, “Lizzo demonstrates a complete lack of understanding regarding how these young women, who are at the beginning of their careers, might feel compelled to accept an invitation from their globally recognized boss, who seldom interacts with them. There exists a significant power imbalance in the employer-employee relationship that Lizzo fails to recognize.” This statement was made on Thursday.
He further asserted, “We fully support the allegations presented in the lawsuit and are ready to substantiate all claims in court, with Lizzo testifying under oath before a jury of her peers, rather than disseminating misleading information and excuses for her lack of accountability on a podcast.”
The sexual harassment lawsuit against Lizzo, initiated by three former dancers, encompasses a variety of serious accusations, including sexual, religious, and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault, and false imprisonment. The comprehensive complaint alleges that the Grammy-winning artist fostered a hostile work environment. Nevertheless, she has categorically denied all allegations against her.
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