Lizzo dropped as defendant in harassment lawsuit, company still on the hook: Reports
Lizzo's name has been dropped from a harassment lawsuit that rocked the singer's reputation last year when it alleged a hostile work environment on her 2023 European tour, according to reports.
A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled Monday that both Lizzo and her tour manager Carlina Gugliotta could not be held personally responsible for the seven causes of action levied against them, Rolling Stone and the BBC report.
In the original suit, Asha Daniels, a stylist for the "Truth Hurts" singer, alleged a toxic work environment in which she was subjected to "racist and fatphobic" comments as well as sexual harassment. Big Grrrl Big Touring Company Inc., which managed Lizzo's tour, is still on the hook, however, and will remain a defendant as the rest of the case plays out, the outlets report.
U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha's ruling cited the fact that the suit identifies the touring and payroll companies as Daniels' employers, lifting individual responsibility from Lizzo, and that some of the tour stops took place in Europe where U.S. employment laws are not in effect, according to the outlets.
Daniels' suit, originally filed in 2023, dovetailed with a similar legal action taken by three backup dancers on the same tour who accused the singer of creating a hostile work environment in which there was sexual harassment and body shaming.
Lawyer for Lizzo's former stylist: 'We intend to prevail'
Ron Zambrano of West Coast Employment Lawyers, Daniels' attorney, released a statement to Paste BN clarifying the judge's ruling.
“The lawsuit is still very active and has not been dismissed. The ruling was not for lack of evidence, but rather on procedural jurisdictional grounds," he said. "It by no means absolves Lizzo of the egregious claims that occurred on her watch. All individually named defendants were dismissed because of the jurisdictional limits of Title VII and FLSA claims that no individual can be liable for those claims.
"Ergo, no individuals, be it Lizzo or the person sweeping the floor behind her, can be a defendant under the FLSA or Title VII. This is the reason Lizzo and her tour manager were dismissed from the case."
The ruling does not reflect "the merits of the claims," Zambrano said, adding, "The lawsuit still moves forward against Lizzo’s company, Big Grrl Touring, as to all claims except for the overtime allegation." This claim "was also dismissed for jurisdictional, not evidentiary reasons, given claims for unpaid overtime only apply for work done within the United States."
He concluded: "Lizzo and her tour manager will still be deposed in connection with the lawsuit, and we intend to prevail.”
Paste BN has reached out to Lizzo's lawyers for comment.
What has Lizzo said about the accusations against her?
Last year, Lizzo denied the allegations in a statement on Instagram, writing: "These last few days have been gut-wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized."
In response to claims made in the suit that she questioned a dancer's commitment to the tour with "thinly veiled concerns about (her) weight gain," Lizzo wrote, "I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight."
The singer has been a prominent face for the body positivity movement, exploring themes of acceptance in her music and calling out fat-phobic language.
Her public persona has taken a battering over the past few years amid the coinciding lawsuits and claims from a former documentary director that she was a "bully." Nahli Allison, who claimed she was hired to direct a documentary on the singer, wrote on Instagram after the dancers' lawsuit went public: "I was treated with such disrespect by her. I witnessed how arrogant, self-centered and unkind she is."
Seemingly in response to a rough year, the "Juicy" singer wrote on Instagram in April, "I'm getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet. All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it." She followed up later after fans were concerned she might be quitting the industry, saying she was merely venting frustrations.
Contributing: Naledi Ushe, Morgan Hines, Edward Segarra