Lawsuit by former dancers accuses Lizzo of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment

Lizzo has been sued by three former dancers who accuse the Grammy Award winner of sexual harassment and allege the singer and her production company created a hostile work environment.

The civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court contends Lizzo pressured one of the dancers to engage with nude performers at a club in Amsterdam and shamed another dancer for her weight gain before firing her.

Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez make numerous charges including sexual, religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment.

The legal complaint seeks unspecified damages and names Melissa Viviane Jefferson, known professionally as Lizzo, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and Shirlene Quigley, captain of the performer’s dance team.

Representatives for Lizzo didn't immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the lawsuit.

The court filing contends that after performing a concert in Amsterdam, Lizzo and her crew attended a sexually themed show at a club in the city's notorious Red Light District. During the show, Lizzo led a chant pressuring Davis to touch one of the nude women performing at the club, the filing states.

Lizzo, who routinely champions body positivity, is also accused of calling out Davis for her weight gain after accusing the dancer of not being committed to her role. Davis was fired in May for recording a meeting during which Lizzo had given out notes to dancers about their performances, according to the complaint.

Quigley, who served as a judge on the singer's reality show “Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” is accused in the lawsuit of pushing her Christian beliefs onto dancers. The court filing contends Quigley referred to Davis as a “non-believer" and told co-workers that “No job and no one will stop me from talking about the Lord.”

In addition, after discovering that Davis was a virgin, Quigley frequently discussed the subject, brought it up in interviews and even posted about it on social media, “broadcasting an intensely personal detail about Ms. Davis to the world," according to the lawsuit.