SZA; Lizzo.Photo:Frazer Harrison/Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty
Frazer Harrison/Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty
Over the past couple months,Lizzo’s faced multiple lawsuits stemming fromallegations of sexual and racial harassment and creating a hostile work environmentfor several dancers. The singer has filed her answer in the case formally denying the accusations, with her legal team recently calling the claims “ridiculous.”
SZA, a good friend and collaborator of Lizzo’s, declined to speak directly about the legal issues in a new cover story withRolling Stone, but she did open up about the “beautiful person” she believes the 35-year-old Grammy winner to be.
“I’m just saying, based on the values and the energy that I see in my friend, I just really think that she’s a beautiful person,” SZA, 33, told the outlet. “I just really pray that everybody recovers from this because everybody deserves to heal and feel safe and feel loved.”
SZA.Gianni Gallant
Gianni Gallant
The musician, who featured on a remix of Lizzo’s “Special” last year, continued, “I just really hope that everybody ends up feeling like that when this is all said and done. Because that’s the bottom line.”
In August, Lizzo’s former backup dancers —Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez—filed their initial lawsuitagainst the singer, claiming she pressured them into touching nude performers while at a club in Amsterdam and were body-shamed.
Lizzo shared alengthy statement on social mediain response, declaring that she is “not the villain” and that the allegations being made against her were “too outrageous” not to address.
Lizzo.David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
“There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world,” she said in the statement. “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.”
Last month, she washit with another lawsuitfrom fashion designer Asha Daniels, who alleged that while Lizzopreached body positivityand inclusion, her employees were forced to work in a “racist and sexualized” environment.
Lizzo.John Shearer/Getty Images
John Shearer/Getty Images
The documents claims that the dancers are “guilty of unclean hands with regard to the matters at issue in the complaint and are therefore barred from seeking recovery theron.” (Unclean hands means acting unethically.) Lizzo is also demanding a jury trial.
“This is the first step of a legal process in which Lizzo and her team will demonstrate that they have always practiced what they’ve preached – whether it comes to promoting body positivity, leading a safe and supportive workplace or protecting individuals from any kind of harassment," a spokesperson for Lizzo said in a statement at the time. “Any and all claims to the contrary are ridiculous, and we look forward to proving so in a court of law.”
Lizzo.Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
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Meanwhile, a spokesperson for her former dancers said Lizzo’s response “merely consists of boilerplate objections that have nothing to do with the case.”
“That said, the key takeaway is that Lizzo is agreeing to our clients’ demand for a jury trial,” the statement continued. “We look forward to presenting our case in court and letting a panel of her peers decide who is telling the truth.”
source: people.com
