In September, not long after singer-rapper Lizzo’s former backup dancers took legal actions against her and certain team members, another lawsuit surfaced, this time from Asha Daniels. The designer had toured with Lizzo earlier in the year. Now, Lizzo's legal team has officially filed a motion to dismiss several claims made by the designer.
Asha filed a lawsuit against Lizzo, her production company, tour manager Carline Gugliotta, and wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura of fostering a work environment that was "racist and sexualized." This comes off as a shock because the 'Good as Hell' singer advocates body positivity and inclusivity on a regular basis on social media. The designer claimed that she faced a "culture of racism and bullying" wherein people made fat-phobic and racist remarks, which the star allegedly supported. Asha, who designed custom-made costumes for her dancers, further claimed she was denied medical care, resulting in PTSD and anxiety.
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Lizzo’s legal team, who is already stuck in the middle of a previous lawsuit filed by her backup dancers, has now filed a motion to dismiss the one filed by Daniels. They said that Daniels is just a former "disgruntled" employee who “failed to perform the work that she was assigned and, eventually, just played hooky and refused to show up for work." They want her "meritless and salacious" claims to be dismissed. The documents also revealed that Daniels was fired after “abandoning her post” on the day of a concert held in Paris.
Lizzo’s legal team cited two main reasons for the dismissal request - one, the lawsuit was filed in the wrong city and two, Daniels, who is a New York citizen, has no connection to California, where the suit was filed.
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Ron Zambrano, who is Daniels’ lawyer, claimed that this is “another Hail Mary by Lizzo’s team to try to shift blame to the victims, as she has done to the three other plaintiffs who have sued her for similar allegations of harassment, disability discrimination and retaliatory termination.”
He also claimed that Lizzo is aware of the unethical things happening with her employees and she is actively allowing it too. He further expressed his commitment to seeking justice, saying, “Lizzo and her lawyers can continue trying to rationalize her illegal and wretched conduct but we remain committed to seeking justice for our clients, and look forward to our day in court where Lizzo can explain her behaviour in a public forum.”
Back in August, Lizzo had taken to social media to pass a statement regarding how she felt about the lawsuits filed against her.
Despite her legal team's efforts to file a motion for dismissal for this case, things are not looking good for the Grammy-winning singer, suggesting that these legal battles will go on on a long period.
