A new lawsuit has been reportedly lodged against popular artist, Lizzo. Asra Daniels, who was employed as a wardrobe designer during Lizzo’s 2023 Special 2our, filed the lawsuit against Lizzo, her wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura, and tour manager Carlina Gugliotta in a Los Angeles court on September 21.
The lawsuit accuses Lizzo and her team of racial and sexual harassment, disability discrimination, illegal retaliatory termination, and assault. According to Rolling Stone, the lawsuit primarily targets Nomura, who Daniels alleges made racist and fatphobic remarks towards Lizzo’s dancers. The lawsuit also claims that Nomura referred to Black women on the tour as ‘dumb,’ ‘useless,’ and ‘fat.’
The lawsuit further alleges that Nomura threatened violence if her job was in jeopardy. It is claimed that Lizzo’s management was aware of this behavior, with Gugliotta even asking Daniels to secretly record Nomura, a request Daniels refused as it was potentially unlawful and unethical.
The lawsuit also includes allegations of Lizzo’s management sharing explicit images in a group text, and an incident where Nomura allegedly rolled a heavy clothing rack over Daniels’ foot, causing severe injury. Daniels was reportedly fired abruptly from the tour and claims to have suffered both mental and physical health issues as a result of her time working with Lizzo’s team.
This news comes as Lizzo is set to receive the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award from the Black Music Action Coalition. Ron Zambrano, the lawyer representing Daniels and three other former dancers of Lizzo, issued a statement criticizing the timing of the award announcement as a PR stunt by Lizzo’s team to repair her brand.
Stefan Friedman, a representative for Lizzo, defended the singer in a statement to Rolling Stone, dismissing the lawsuit as a publicity stunt by an ‘ambulance-chasing lawyer’ and stating that it would be given no attention.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist, while Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Source: uproxx.com