Lizzo has been named in a lawsuit filed by a former employee, who claims that the star’s wardrobe manager ‘harassed and bullied’ her.
Whilst Lizzo is not the direct subject of the suit, the lawyer employed by fashion designer Asha Daniels said: “Lizzo is the boss, so the buck stops with her.”
In the legal documents, 35-year-old Daniels accuses wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura of performing stereotypical impressions of Black women, and calling performers names such as ‘fat’, ‘useless’, and ‘dumb’.
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Daniels told NBC: “I felt like I was living in a madhouse.
“I was listening to this Black woman on this huge stage have this message of self-love and caring for others and being empathetic and being strong and standing up for others.
“And I was witnessing myself, the dancers and the background vocalists and my local team in every city be harassed and bullied regularly.”
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Then suit – which was filed on Thursday – names Lizzo, as well as other members of the team, but focuses much attention on Nomura.
However, it also alleges that the performers were made to change in front of a mostly white, largely male stage crew that would ‘lewdly gawk’ at them.
In a statement, Lizzo has accused Daniels’ lawyer Ron Zambrano – who said that the ‘buck stops’ with her – of attempting to ‘sully’ an award that was set to be handed out to the singer, real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson.
The 35-year-old musician has been awarded the Black Music Coalition’s Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award because of her commitment to social justice and her ongoing philanthropic work.
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Lizzo’s spokesperson Stefan Friedman accused Zambrano of bringing ‘a bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit’ from a client who ‘never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo’.
In a statement, he said: "We will pay this as much attention as it deserves. None.”
Before the award was announced, the coalition had referred to Lizzo as ‘a longtime advocate for inclusivity and uses her music to empower marginalized groups to promote diversity’.
So far, the group has yet to make any public statement on these allegations against Lizzo’s staff.
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Zambrano has also represented three ex-dancers for Lizzo who accused her of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment, with many claims echoing those brought by Daniels.
In that suit, it is claimed that Lizzo ‘has created a sexualized and racially charged environment on her tours that her management staff sees as condoning such behavior, and so it continues unchecked'.
Lizzo has previously said: “It’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team.”
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The singer has also refuted the dancers’ allegations, calling them ‘sensationalized stories’ and ‘outrageous’.
UNILAD has contacted Lizzo for further comment.
Tom Wood