In other related news, it has been revealed that 14 of Lizzo's dancers received a settlement for another dispute months prior to the sexual harassment and hostile work environment lawsuit.
- Aug 24, 2023
AceShowbiz - The lawyer for Lizzo's accusers is speaking out against the singer's legal team. In a new statement, Neama Rahmani, who represents dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, accuses Lizzo and her team of "victim shaming."
"Our clients aren't afraid of [Lizzo's lawyer Marty Singer] or his empty threats or his victim shaming," Rahmani told Deadline on Wednesday, August 23. "I've handled thousands of cases, including prosecuting drug cartels, so we have no plans to back down. Let's see if Singer can actually try a case in a courtroom instead of the media."
Rahmani's response came after Singer threatened to take "malicious prosecution" action earlier on the day. Singer noted that her clients' case is peppered with a "range of factual inaccuracies," adding that he has pictures of Lizzo and the dancers having a blast backstage at Paris' Crazy Horse cabaret. The plaintiffs claimed they were forced to attend and participate in sex shows there.
"These irrefutable photos and videos, along with additional substantial evidence, prove the glaring contradictions between what the plaintiffs claim in their bogus lawsuit and what is actually proven by the facts," Singer said.
"The lawsuit is a sham," Singer went on to say. Of the "About Damn Time" singer, he added, "Lizzo intends to sue for malicious prosecution after she prevails and these specious claims are dismissed. Clearly, even at this early stage of the process, their case has been irreparably damaged."
Meanwhile, Rahmani explained of her client looking happy in the pictures, "Of course, they wanted to keep their jobs. They had bills to pay just like everyone else but they finally had enough of the abuse. We stand by every claim in the lawsuit and look forward to trial. We've been hearing from other former employees sharing similar stories, and as seen in the Los Angeles Times article today about how Lizzo used intimate footage of her dancers without their approval in the 2022 HBO Max 'Love Lizzo' documentary, we're seeing even more of a pattern of just how much Lizzo thinks of those who work for her. Clearly, not very much."
Rahmani was referring to new report about 14 of Lizzo's dancers receiving a settlement for another dispute months prior to the sexual harassment and hostile work environment lawsuit. The said dispute was related to footage that was used in the artist's 2022 documentary, "Love, Lizzo".
The film featured an unauthorized video where the dancers intimately discuss how misogyny, racism and weight-shaming have affected them. Their manager, Slay Smiles, said that the documentary had "truly exploited these women and violated the emotional safety they had in those moments," adding that no contract was offered to the dancers for the footage.
Sources close to the dancers said they didn't know that the behind-the-scenes footage would be used in the documentary until a clearance producer emailed to offer each dancer $350 plus a 10 percent agency fee to appear. Alan Brunswick, a lawyer for Boardwalk Pictures, meanwhile, argued that the footage in the documentary "was captured openly" and with consent. "They all knew the cameras were there. I don't think the documentary was even contemplated at that point," he said.
According to Smiles, he had secured a total payout of $109,551 between $7,092 and $7,545 for each dancer. None of the dancers are involved in the more recent lawsuit. Of the dispute, Singer stressed that Lizzo "had nothing to do" with it and "knew nothing about it."
