Paula Abdul Settles With ‘Idol’ but Is Still Heading to Trial With Nigel Lythgoe
‘ONE REMAINING DEFENDANT’
Details were not disclosed surrounding the settlement with the 61-year-old and production companies for the hit show, but she will still face Nigel Lythgoe in court.
Paula Abdul might have tentatively settled her lawsuit with the production companies of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, but the singer will still be heading to court. According to a Rolling Stone report, Abdul, 61, will take her accusations against producer Nigel Lythgoe to trial in July 2025. Abdul initially filed her bombshell lawsuit in Dec. 2023, accusing Lythgoe of sexual assaulting her on numerous occasions throughout her tenure as a judge on the hit shows. She also sued over claims of sexual harassment and negligence. Lythgoe has denied the allegations, telling TMZ at the time: “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.” At a hearing Tuesday morning, Rolling Stone reports Abdul’s lawyer, Douglas L. Johnson, confirmed to a judge that, “The parties went to mediation, and the corporate defendants settled out. The one remaining defendant left in the case is Nigel Lythgoe.” Abdul agreed to a settlement with FremantleMedia, American Idol Productions and related producers 19 Entertainment and Dance Nation Productions at a March 18 mediation, though details of the settlement were not disclosed. After Lythgoe’s lawyer did not object to a request to set a trial date, the judge marked it for July 28, 2025.
