Indianapolis woman, others sue Lizzo; accuse pop star of weight-shaming, sexual harassment

Three former dancers for Lizzo, a Grammy Award-winning artist known for her message of body positivity, have filed a lawsuit against the singer, accusing her of weight-shaming, sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

Among other accusations, one plaintiff in the lawsuit, Arianna Davis from Indianapolis, claims Lizzo pressured her to engage with nude performers at a club in Amsterdam, called attention to her weight, and forced her and other dancers to re-audition for their spots during a 12-hour rehearsal in which Davis soiled herself rather than leave the stage and risk losing her job.

Davis claims she was forced to perform the rest of her re-audition in see-through clothing, transparent shorts with no undergarments, and in front of male crew members, according to the lawsuit.

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The complaint was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court and a copy of the 44-page document was shared with IndyStar by a representative with the plaintiff's attorney, Ron Zambrano, a partner and Employment Litigation Chair at West Coast Employment Lawyers.

“The stunning nature of how Lizzo and her management team treated their performers seems to go against everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately she weight-shames her dancers and demeans them in ways that are not only illegal but absolutely demoralizing,” Zambrano said in a news release.

IndyStar was unable to reach a representative for Lizzo or her production company late Tuesday evening.

The lawsuit names Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, along with her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and Shirlene Quigley, captain of Lizzo’s dance team.

The plaintiffs include Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, who allege sexual, religious and racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment, among other accusations, according to a news release.

Davis and Williams were both fired by Lizzo's production company while Rodriguez resigned.

Davis meets Lizzo competing on reality show

In March 2021, Davis and Williams met Lizzo while preparing to be contestants on her reality TV show, “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” to compete for a chance to join the artist’s live performances.

'Absolutely surreal': Lizzo backup dancer Arianna Davis brings the heat at hometown show

Separately, Rodriguez was hired in May 2021 to perform in Lizzo’s “Rumors” music video and remained on as part of the dance team, a news release stated. Filming of the reality TV show began in August 2021. During one episode, contestants of the show were told they would be required to participate in a nude photo shoot, which distressed Davis.

“Ms. Davis broke down in tears on set while struggling to choose between a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity and putting her body on display against her will,” the lawsuit states. “This experience foreshadowed the sexually charged and uncomfortable environment Lizzo’s employees would be forced to endure.”

Davis and Williams were later selected for the dance team.

Former Lizzo dancers claim pop star's behavior at Amsterdam strip club made them feel uncomfortable

In February, the plaintiffs claim they were subjected to a hostile work environment and sexual harassment after performing a show with Lizzo in Amsterdam.

According to the suit, Lizzo invited the dancers to a club called Bananenbar, where patrons are allowed to interact with completely nude performers who use bananas during their show. While it wasn’t a requirement to spend time with Lizzo, the plaintiffs said they felt obligated out of fear of losing their jobs.

The suit claims Lizzo invited cast members to take turns touching the nude performers, and pressured Davis to touch the breasts of one of the nude women performing at the club. Despite Davis repeatedly saying she did not want to participate, she claims Lizzo led the room in a chant goading Davis into action.

As the chanting grew louder, Davis acquiesced, the suit claims, out of fear her future on the dance team would be harmed otherwise. When asked on two occasions by members of the production team's management if Davis was OK, she first responded, "Kind of," then later, "No."

“Plaintiffs were aghast with how little regard Lizzo showed for the bodily autonomy of her employees and those around her, especially in the presence of many people whom she employed,” the complaint states.

Indianapolis dancer claims she was weight-shamed by Lizzo

The suit claims that on April 21, Lizzo and choreographer Tanisha Scott accused Davis of not being committed to her role on the dance team, which Davis alleges were "thinly veiled" comments about Davis' weight. Davis claimed Lizzo called attention to her weight at the South by Southwest music festival, according to the lawsuit.

A week later, Williams was fired by Lizzo's production manager in a hotel lobby "under the guise of budget cuts," the lawsuit claims. On May 3, Davis was fired after recording a meeting the dancers had with Lizzo about their performances, the complaint states.

Davis claims she made a recording of the meeting to review Lizzo's notes for the dance team. When Lizzo learned of the recording, she became furious, according to the lawsuit. Davis said Lizzo gathered the dance team together in a room and hurled expletives, promising to go from person to person until someone confessed to making the recording.

The suit says Davis admitted to making the recording and explained it was for note taking due to an eye condition she suffered under stressful situations, adding that she had already deleted the recording. Lizzo castigated Davis and fired her on the spot, according to the lawsuit.

Bothered both by Williams' and Davis' termination, Rodriguez immediately resigned, at which point Lizzo became angry, according to the suit.

“Lizzo aggressively approached Ms. Rodriquez, cracking her knuckles, balling her fists, and exclaiming, ‘You’re lucky. You’re so f***ing lucky!’ Rodriguez feared that Lizzo intended to hit her and would have done so if one of the other dancers had not intervened,” the complaint states.

The suit claims neither security nor management did anything to de-escalate the situation and as Lizzo left the room, she raised her middle fingers and yelled a slur.

The suit claims Davis was falsely imprisoned by Lizzo's security team immediately after her termination, with security telling Davis she wasn't allowed to leave the room until they searched her phone for the recording. Davis did not want her cellphone searched, but relented in order to leave.

The lawsuit is seeking damages that include emotional distress, lost and unpaid wages and attorney's fees.

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John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Former Lizzo dancer Arianna Davis of Indianapolis, others, sue artist