Lizzo returns to Grammys months after poisonous office accusations

Platinum singer Lizzo made a uncommon public look on the Grammys Sunday, presenting an award earlier than hundreds in individual and hundreds of thousands on TV simply six months after a sexual harassment lawsuit was filed towards her.

The musical artist, whose full title is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, stated she denied ‘each allegation’ introduced towards her by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez in September.

On Sunday, the 35-year-old appeared on the ceremony to current Best R&B Song to SZA on the awards ceremony. 

The singer got here out to very large cheers and even danced to her personal tune, ‘About Damn Time,’ briefly earlier than presenting. 

She didn’t reference the controversy earlier than saying the award. Lizzo and SZA embraced upon the New Jersey singer successful the award.  

The Grammy-winning vocalist stated in response to the swimsuit that Davis, Williams and Rodriguez have been ‘responsible of unclean arms’ as that they had dedicated moral breaches regarding the lawsuit. 

In August, Davis, Williams and Rodriguez stated in a courtroom submitting that Lizzo pressured them to interact with nude performers at an Amsterdam membership; and shamed one in all them for her weight acquire earlier than firing her.

In the civil lawsuit filed August 1, the trio accused Lizzo of pressuring her dancers to bodily have interaction with intercourse employees at a membership in Amsterdam’s Red Light District this previous February whereas on tour within the space.  

The plaintiffs made quite a few fees together with sexual, non secular and racial harassment, incapacity discrimination, assault and false imprisonment. 

The authorized criticism seeks unspecified damages and names Lizzo, her manufacturing firm Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and Shirlene Quigley, captain of the performer’s dance group. 

The courtroom submitting claims that after performing a live performance in Amsterdam, Lizzo and her crew attended a sexually themed present at a membership within the metropolis’s infamous Red Light District the place ‘Lizzo started inviting solid members to take turns touching the nude performers.’ 

During the present, Lizzo led a chant pressuring Davis to the touch the breasts of one of many nude ladies performing on the membership, the submitting states.

The dancers stated they have been pressured to ‘take turns touching the nude performers, catching dildos launched from the performers’ vaginas, and consuming bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas.

‘Finally, the refrain grew to become overwhelming, and a mortified Ms. Davis acquiesced in an try and deliver an finish to the chants,’ the criticism states. 

It continued: ‘Plaintiffs have been aghast with how little regard Lizzo confirmed for the bodily autonomy of her workers and people round her, particularly within the presence of many individuals whom she employed.’

The About Damn Time songstress- who has additionally been sued by a former wardrobe assistant over poisonous office claims – stated in her response that the dancers suing her ‘ratified, acquiesced, condoned and/or permitted of the acts’ on the time they occurred.

The Good as Hell performer stated that contracts the dancers signed after they joined her tour have been ‘topic to arbitration,’ and gave them the prospect to ‘mediate in good religion’ earlier than going public with the swimsuit.

Lizzo’s authorized group stated that the artist’s enterprise had applied ‘anti-discrimination and anti-harassment insurance policies and criticism procedures’ that the dancers ‘failed’ to comply with by way of inner protocols.

Lizzo stated that there was no proof that the dancers suffered damages or losses as a result of singer’s actions.

A spokesperson for the singer, Stefan Friedman, stated that the artist would vigorously defend herself amid the allegations.

‘This is step one of a authorized course of during which Lizzo and her group will display that they’ve at all times practiced what they’ve preached,’ Friedman stated. ‘Whether it involves selling physique positivity, main a protected and supportive office or defending people from any sort of harassment.

‘Any and all claims on the contrary are ridiculous, and we stay up for proving so in a courtroom of regulation.’

The lawyer representing the dancers, Neama Rahmani, instructed DailyMail.com in a press release that ‘Lizzo’s reply merely consists of boilerplate objections that don’t have anything to do with the case.’

Rahmani stated that ‘the important thing takeaway’ of the latest authorized proceedings ‘is that Lizzo is agreeing to our purchasers’ demand for a jury trial.

‘We stay up for presenting our case in courtroom and letting a panel of her friends determine who’s telling the reality, Lizzo and her group who proceed to disgrace the victims or the plaintiffs and so many others who’ve come ahead sharing comparable tales of abuse and harassment.’  

In a rebuttal assertion she posted to Instagram final month, Lizzo referred to as the accusations ‘sensationalized’ and stated the dancers suing her ‘have already publicly admitted that they have been instructed their habits on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.’

She added: ‘Usually I select not to answer false allegations however these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed … I’m damage however I can’t let the great work I’ve achieved on the earth be overshadowed by this.’