Lizzo gate continues after singer files motion to dismiss

Photo Credit: Gus Philippas / CC by 2.0

Lizzo has filed a motion to dismiss the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by her former dancers. Lizzo says the dancers are only looking for a ‘quick pay day.’

The group filed the lawsuit against the singer back in August 2023, claiming she created a hostile work environment rife with sexual harassment. They detail instances in which they allege the singer goaded them into participating in a nude photo shoot and to interact with nude performers at an Amsterdam night club. The dancers also detail a 12-hour audition process they were forced to endure to keep their jobs.

In Lizzo’s motion to dismiss, she alleges that the dancers were lazy and often drunk on the job. “Plaintiffs missed flights, arrived late and hungover to rehearsals and drunk to performances, entered into consensual sexual relationships with male crew members on tour, and exhibited a rapid decline in the quality of their dancing and professionalism,” the new filing by Lizzo’s lawyers reads. It also alleges that the dancers conspired to make and disseminate an unauthorized recording of a creative meeting between Lizzo and the dance cast.

Lizzo’s new filing includes sworn statements from 18 current and former Lizzo employees testifying to her nature as a boss and the work environment on tour. Lizzo’s attorneys argue that the lawsuit should be dismissed under anti-SLAPP grounds. That’s rare for sexual harassment suits, as anti-SLAPP motions to dismiss are typically reserved for defamation cases.

“The complaint—and plaintiff’s carefully choreographed media blitz surrounding its filing—is a brazen attempt to silence defendants’ creative voices and weaponize their creative expression against them,” the filing continues. Lizzo has denied the allegations against her on social media.

“With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team. I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days. I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something that I am not.”