A Los Angeles judge denied rapper Lizzo’s attempt to throw out a large part of a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit aimed at her by three of her former dancers.
Lizzo’s attorney attempted to convince a court that her comments to her employees and other parts of the allegations against her are protected under the First Amendment right to free speech and the lawsuit filed by the former employees should be gutted. But a judge did not see it that way, according to Deadline.
The entertainer was served with several lawsuits last year filed by three former dancers in one case, and a former employee in another, of sexual harassment, racism, and abuse — charges that Lizzo fully denies.
In a ruling released Friday, L.A. Superior Court Judge Mark Epstein agreed that courts should avoid getting involved in curtailing free speech, but he felt there was more going on in the suit than that.
“It is dangerous for the court to weigh in, ham-fisted, into constitutionally protected activity,” Judge Epstein wrote. “But it is equally dangerous to turn a blind eye to allegations of discrimination or other forms of misconduct merely because they take place in a speech-related environment.”
Still, Judge Epstein did agree to exclude the nude photoshoot created for Watch Out for the Big Grrrls which the accusers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez — said Lizzo forced them to participate under threats, thus violating their rights. The judge ruled that the photo shoot was protected under free speech and that it will not be included in the coming trial.
Regardless, Epstein did not agree with the Lizzo attorney’s claim that much of the other accusations should also be thrown out on free speech grounds.
“The fact that the alleged incidents take place in the entertainment or speech world is no shield of invulnerability or license to ignore law enacted for the protection of California’s citizens,” Epstein wrote.
In their suit, the three dancers claim that their status as virgins was mocked, that their religious beliefs were ridiculed, and that they were forced to participate in sex shows while on tour with Liizzo under threat of being fired. The lawsuit also alleges racial discrimination at the hands of Lizzo’s “all-white management team.”
While Lizzo’s team said they were pleased that the judge agreed to some of their requests, the bigger victory seems to have gone to the dancers who are alleging sexual harassment.
“We’re very pleased with the judge’s ruling, and we absolutely consider it a victory on balance,” the dancers’ attorney Ron Zambrano said. “He did dismiss a few allegations, including the meeting where Arianna was fat-shamed, the nude photo shoot and dancers being forced to be on ‘hold’ while not on tour. However, all the other claims remain, including sexual, religious, and racial discrimination, sexual harassment, the demeaning visits to the Bananenbar in Amsterdam and Crazy Horse in Paris, false imprisonment, and assault.”
“The ruling also rightfully signals that Lizzo — or any celebrity ,” Zambrano added, “is not insulated from this sort of reprehensible conduct merely because she is famous. We now look forward to conducting discovery and preparing the case for trial.”
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