Lizzo is dealing with a brand new lawsuit from a former wardrobe designer on her tour who says she was subjected to fats shaming and racism whereas working for the Grammy award winner.
It comes after three of the pop star’s backing dancers sued her for sexual harassment, racial harassment and making a hostile work surroundings.
Lizzo denies all of the claims towards her, calling it a “sham lawsuit”.
Asha Daniels, a clothes designer, designed the wardrobe for the dancers who had been on Lizzo’s 2023 tour. She reported to Amanda Nomura, Lizzo’s wardrobe supervisor.
Daniels says she was the topic of “racist and fatphobic comments from Nomura”.
Her lawsuit alleges she heard Nomura “mock both Lizzo and Lizzo’s background dancers on multiple occasions. Nomura would imitate the dancers and Lizzo by doing an offensive stereotypical impression of a Black woman. Nomura would also refer to Black women on the tour as ‘dumb’, ‘useless’, and ‘fat’.”
Lizzo, whose given title is Melissa Jefferson, is called within the lawsuit alongside her manufacturing firm Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc (BGBT), Nomura, and her tour supervisor Carlina Gugliotta.
Lizzo accused of ‘condoning sexual office tradition’
The lawsuit says Daniels was pressured to endure sexual harassment by Lizzo’s administration, particularly in a single occasion being on a bunch textual content with greater than 30 members of the BGBT workforce that included graphic and disturbing photographs of male genitalia.
“Lizzo’s management found the image to be comical, further encouraging an unsafe, sexually charged workplace culture,” the lawsuit states. It provides it was “a culture that has been nurtured and condoned by Lizzo”.
Daniels additionally says she witnessed Nomura, the crew and Lizzo’s administration workforce overtly discussing hiring intercourse staff for lewd acts whereas on tour in Amsterdam, attending intercourse exhibits and shopping for onerous medicine.
She started work on Lizzo’s tour in February 2023.
Daniels says she was pressured to work 20-hour days, usually seven days every week and was continuously denied breaks, the lawsuit alleges.
According to the criticism, Daniels was instructed by Nomura to not have direct contact with Lizzo as a result of she could be jealous of her, and that if she did, she ought to “tone it down”.
Nomura particularly instructed Daniels to not gown attractively in entrance of Lizzo, based on the lawsuit.
Award for Lizzo ‘timed to restore harm to model’
Lizzo is ready to obtain the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award offered by the Black Music Action Coalition in the present day.
Daniels’ lawyer stated the timing is cynical.
“The timing of this award’s announcement stinks of an architected PR stunt by Lizzo’s team aimed at trying to repair the damage done to her brand,” stated Ron Zambrano, a associate at West Coast Employment Lawyers.
“It won’t work. With Lizzo’s attack on the other plaintiffs, we’ve heard from more than two dozen former Lizzo employees sharing similar stories of abuse and harassment who could be potential new plaintiffs. This is not going away.”
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Stefan Friedman, a spokesperson for Lizzo, stated: “As Lizzo receives a Humanitarian Award tonight from the Black Music Action Coalition for the incredible charitable work she has done to lift up all people, an ambulance-chasing lawyer tries to sully this honour by recruiting someone to file a bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit who, wait for it, never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo.
“We can pay this as a lot consideration because it deserves. None.”
Source: information.sky.com”