American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe denies Paula Abduls 'shocking' sexual assault claims after s
PAULA Abdul has accused an American Idol producer of sexual assault - but he denied all claims against him.
Paula, 61, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County, California, on Friday, and Nigel Lythgoe, 74, has finally spoken out.
In a statement obtained by The U.S. Sun, Nigel said: "To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement.
"For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear - and entirely platonic - friends and colleagues."
The American Idol producer continued: "Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for."
He then claimed Paula is known for her "erratic behavior."
READ MORE AMERICAN IDOL
Nigel said: "While Paula’s history of erratic behavior is well known, I can’t pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue.
"But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have."
PAULA'S ALLEGATIONS
Paula claimed that Nigel sexually assaulted her multiple times during the time she was a judge on American Idol and the dance competition, So You Think You Can Dance.
In court documents obtained by TMZ, she alleges that Nigel first assaulted her in one of Idol's initial seasons, when they were on the road for regional auditions.
Most read in Entertainment
She claims that they were in an elevator at their hotel when he allegedly pushed her against the wall, grabbed her genitals and breasts, and tried to kiss her.
Paula tried to push him away from her, she said in the lawsuit, and when the elevator doors opened, she ran straight to her room.
Paula says that she called one of her reps to tell them about the alleged incident but ultimately decided to keep it quiet out of fear that Nigel would fire her from the show as retaliation.
INCIDENT #2
Paula claimed the second incident happened in 2015 after she signed on to be a judge on SYTCD, which Nigel also executive produced.
The lawsuit states that during Paula's two seasons on the show, Nigel invited her to his home to discuss business opportunities.
Believing that Nigel's intentions were strictly professional, Paula accepted the invitation.
She claims that when she was at his home, he forced himself on top of her while they were on the couch together, and tried to kiss her.
The television personality also said that Nigel kept telling her they'd make an "excellent power couple."
According to the documents, Paula pushed Nigel off and immediately left his house after she told him that she wasn't interested.
Read More on The US Sun
In the suit, Paula claims that Nigel was also inappropriate with her staff member.
She alleges that in 2015 when she was on SYTCD, she witnessed Nigel fondle one of her assistants.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEZqqupl6YvK57xKernqqklravucSnq2hxaWyEdoCPaJimnaKesKK6jKKbqKRdo7aosctmo7KsmJy8pnnPmqylmV2Wr6XBy2aqnrCllrlurdKsmK6kpGQ%3D