A little over a month after Lizzoâs tour dancers filed a sexual harassment suit against her, the singer is facing a second lawsuit that accuses her and her team of bullying, sexual harassment, and grueling working conditions.
Asha Daniels, a fashion designer who created outfits for Lizzoâs dancers, filed a lawsuit against the singer and other members of her team. The lawsuit alleges that Amanda Nomura, the singerâs wardrobe manager, called the performers âfat,â âuseless,â and âdumb.â It also alleges that the dancers were forced to change in front of a predominantly white crew who would âlewdly gawkâ at them.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit also mentions a group chat of over 30 people that reportedly included Daniels and her touring team in which a backstage manager âsent a photo graphically depicting male genitalia."
Danielsâ lawsuit also claims that Nomura and other members of the crew discussed hiring sex workers for âlewd acts,â as well as mentioned buying hard drugs. She alleges that she was pressured to join in.
Daniels allegedly informed the tour manager, Caroline Gugliotta, about the âwidespread racial and sexual harassmentâ that the Black dancers were subjected to, which included being âmocked, objectified and denied accommodations.â According to the suit, Daniels was subsequently fired before the end of her contract and her complaints were ignored.
Additionally, the suit claims that Nomura threatened Daniels and others when she couldnât find her medication, saying that she would âkill a bitchâ and âstab a bitch.â It also alleges that Nomura shoved a crew member and snatched food out of the hands of a crew member who attempted to take a break. Daniels additionally alleges that Nomura sprained her ankle when she was moving a rack of clothing, denying her from wearing her orthopedic shoes when she was healing.
Daniels also claims to have been subject to 20+ hour shifts daily, frequently being denied breaks by Nomura who âmonitored and policedâ those under her watch.
In response to NBC regarding the lawsuit, Lizzoâs spokesperson said that Danielsâ lawyer, Ron Zambrano, was attempting to âsullyâ Lizzoâs humanitarian award she received on Thursday night from the Black Music Action Coalition. Additionally, the spokesperson claims Daniels ânever actually met or spoke with Lizzo.â
This lawsuit arrives a month after Lizzoâs sexual harassment lawsuit filed by several of her tour dancers. The singer responded to the accusations, calling them âsensationalized storiesâ from âformer employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.â