An attorney for the plaintiffs tells ET that more individuals have reached out with inquiries about the case.
In the wake of a lawsuit filed against Lizzo by three of her former backup dancers, at least six additional individuals have now come forward with more allegations against the singer, according to the plaintiffs' lawyer.
In court docs filed earlier this month and obtained by ET, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez filed a lawsuit against the 35-year-old GRAMMY winner, her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and Shirlene Quigley, the captain of her dance team. In their complaint, the former dancers say they faced sexual harassment, as well as religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment, among other allegations.
Davis, Williams and Rodriguez are asking the courts for damages, including unpaid wages, loss of earnings, deferred compensation, employment benefit, emotional distress, medical expenses and attorneys' fees.
"We have received at least six inquiries from other people with similar stories since we filed the complaint," Ron Zambrano, the plaintiffs’ attorney and a partner and Employment Litigation Chair at West Coast Employment Lawyers, told ET on Wednesday. "Noelle, Crystal and Arianna have bravely spoken out and shared their experiences, opening the door for others to feel empowered to do the same. Some of the claims we are reviewing involve allegations of a sexually charged environment and failure to pay employees and may be actionable, but it is too soon to say."
Zambrano tells ET the six individuals who have recently come forward toured with Lizzo and worked with her on her Amazon Studios reality show, Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.
ET has reached out to Lizzo's attorney, Marty Singer, for comment on the new inquiries.
Lizzo -- whose real name is Melissa Jefferson -- previously issued a statement on the lawsuit against her, calling the allegations "outrageous" and "sensationalized."
"These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing," she wrote on Aug. 3. "My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized," she said in part.
In an interview with ET last week, Davis, Williams and Rodriguez spoke about Lizzo's response to their claims.
"I think for me; it's just very interesting to be so open and genuine about the trauma that we experienced and to be open about the hurt that she caused us, for her to [respond back by] essentially gaslighting us," Williams said.
She continued, "She never acknowledged any of the claims [directly] that we have brought forward to the table. And so for it to be met with that, it just kind of solidifies the pattern that every time we bring up an issue, every time we advocate for ourselves, every time we speak up for ourselves, we're met with retaliation instead of 'OK, you experienced this. As an artist and what I represent, I don't want you to feel like I don't care about you. I don't want you to feel like I don't want to include you. I don't want you to feel like I'm body-shaming you. If this is what you're feeling, I might completely disagree with you, but I can at least try to hear you out to see how we can go moving forward.'"
"But we weren't met with that," Williams added. "We were constantly being gaslit, and she's constantly deflecting. So it just further proves our point and solidifies the claims that we're making."
A case management conference is scheduled for this case on Jan. 26, 2024.
Meanwhile, it was announced on Tuesday that the 2023 Made in America Music Festival, which was to be headlined by Lizzo and SZA, had been canceled.
"Due to severe circumstances outside of production control, the 2023 Made in America festival will no longer be taking place," the statement read. "This decision has been difficult and has not been made lightly nor without immense deliberation. Made in America has a legacy of delivering exceptional experiences for music fans and concert goers, and it is our commitment to always deliver a top-tier festival experience."
MIA Fest -- which has been held annually since 2012 -- was scheduled for Sept. 2-3. In addition to Lizzo and SZA, fans were expecting performances by Miguel, Latto, Ice Spice and more.
RELATED CONTENT:
