Paula Abdul Accuses So You Think You Can Dance Judge Nigel Lythgoe of Sexual Assault

In the 80s, Paula Abdul shined as a singer with hits like "Straight Up" and “Opposites Attract." Later on in the early 21st century she won over young fans again by being one of American Idol TV show's judges. She also worked for So You Think You Can Dance.. But a big lawsuit was filed on Friday in Los Angeles. In it Abdul said her second career act had bad things like sexual assault, mean words and bullying by show producer Nigel Lythgoe—sometimes along with other judge's help too.

Neither Abdul nor Lythgoe have replied to Vanity Fair's request for comment. However, in legal documents told by Rolling Stone, Abdul says that Lythgoe assaulted her during an earlier season of American Idol when it first started on Fox in June 2002 with judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell also there. The show was created Abdul quit the show in 2009.

The filing, also gotten by TMZ, says Abdul's rep was told about the supposed attack right after it happened. But, the case says that Abdul was scared of being punished and didn't tell his bosses about it.

The paper also says that Lythgoe hurt her a second time some years later, not long after she signed to judge So You Think You Can Dance. This show was created by and produced by Lythgoe himself plus he judged it with others on the screen too. Abdul still kept the supposed event to herself, worried that a report would lose her job.

The lawsuit says she also signed agreements with both shows not to reveal bad information. These documents stop her from sharing such news.

The lawsuit says Abdul was paid less than men on American Idol. She also faced constant teasing, bullying and more from Lythgoe and other bosses of the show's producers like 19 Entertainment and Fremantle. These companies are named in her suit against Lythgoe too as is American Idol Productions or Dance Nation Productions Company Charge

"Abdul didn't talk for years about the sexual attacks and harassment she experienced because of Lythgoe, out of fear to speak against a famous TV competition show producer. She was worried he could end her career doing what she does on television or that others would avoid working with her," says a legal paper filed by Abdul. It adds: "The music industry often protected

"Lythgoe understood and realized that his behavior towards Abdul was wrong, even against the law," says the lawsuit. Lythgoe attacked Abdul at one point and laughed that they should party because seven years had passed. The law says you can't sue someone after a certain time. Lythgoe certainly knew he was hurting her but also could stop her from speaking out about what happened.

Abdul's case is the newest one using new laws in New York and California. These rules let people still claim they were sexually assaulted even after time had run out on their legal limits. In New York, the time for new claims ended on November 24. In California, recent days have had lawsuits against Vin Diesel, Tommy Lee and Jermaine Jackson. The deadline for these suits is December 31st.