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Paula Abdul Fires Back at Nigel Lythgoe, Accuses Him of ‘Classic Victim Shaming’

Paula Abdul accused former American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance producer Nigel Lythgoe of "classic victim shaming."

A day after Nigel Lythgoe called Paula Abdul a “fabulist” in response to her sexual assault complaint against him, the former American Idol judge accused him of “classic victim shaming.” In a 22-page answer to Abdul’s lawsuit filed Tuesday, Lythgoe called her accusations “false, despicable, intolerable, and life-changing.” He also included excerpts from purported personal emails dating back to 2014 and 2015 in which Abdul allegedly expressed warm feelings toward him and called him “sweetheart.” This is in addition to a lawsuit filed in January from two Jane Does who claimed he forced himself on them while they were contestants on his 2003 reality game show All American Girl.

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