‘American Idol’ Producer Nigel Lythgoe Hit With Another Sexual Assault Lawsuit Less Than A Week After Paula Abdul’s Accusation

British television producer Nigel Lythgoe has been hit with a second lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault after former American Idol producer and So You Think You Can Dance judge Paula Abdul claimed he assaulted her during an early season of Idol.

While Lythgoe has since denied Abdul’s claims to TMZ, the outlet reported on Tuesday (Jan. 2) that two more women are now accusing him of sexual assault. According to docs obtained by TMZ, two anonymous contestants from the 2003 competition series All American Girl are accusing the producer of sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.

They say that Lythgoe “walked around the set and dressing rooms and openly swatted and groped [their] and other contestants’ buttocks” while they were in costume at the show, and allege that “employees, contractors, representatives and agents saw this happen but did not act in any manner to condemn the action or prevent it from happening again.”

Another instance cited in the documents includes when Lythgoe reportedly “insisted” that one of the plaintiffs ride with him “in his car to go back to the studio where everyone else was going” for a party to celebrate the end of filming. The other woman “saw this and decided to go with them to ensure her colleague was not left alone.”

When they ended up at his house, he reportedly “lifted his sweater” over one of the plaintiff’s heads and “engulfed her in his sweater, attempting to kiss her and pushing her body close to his.” The suit also alleges that he later“pinned [the other woman] against a grand piano in the house, pushed himself against her body and forced his mouth and tongue onto her.”

The filing comes just days after Abdul filed her own lawsuit accusing Lythgoe of assaulting and harassing her on both Idol and SYTYCD, per Page Six. She claimed that Lythgoe once “shoved” her against a wall and “grabbed her genitals and breasts, and began shoving his tongue down her throat” during an early Idol season. While working with Lythgoe on SYTYCD, Abdul claimed she was invited to dinner at his home, where he “forced himself on top of” her and “attempted to kiss her while proclaiming that the two would make an excellent ‘power couple.'”

While Abdul reported other complaints, the lawsuit even claims that “at one point Lythgoe called Abdul and taunted her that they should celebrate because it had been ‘seven years and the statute of limitations had run.'”

Both lawsuits were filed under California’s Sexual Abuse and Cover-Up Accountability Act, but according to Deadline, the act would have expired on Dec. 31, just two days prior to the most recent lawsuit’s filing.

Decider reached out to Lythgoe’s publicist and legal representative, but did not hear back in time of publication.

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.