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Lawyer for Lizzo accusers responds to Big Grrrls statement of support
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 21 August 2023
A legal rep for the dancers who have sued Lizzo and her Big Grrrl Big Touring company has commented on the statement issued last week by the current members of the musician’s dance team.
Attorney Ron Zambrano said that, while it is understandable that Lizzo’s current employees would want to “gush” about the star, he has been approached by several more ex-employees who have made new allegations of abuse and harassment.
Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez – all former members of Lizzo’s dance team – have accused their former employer of inappropriate and unfair conduct.
In a lawsuit filed with the courts in California, Lizzo is accused of – among other things – making false allegations of unprofessional behaviour against her dancers and then forcing them to go through a “brutal” twelve hour re-auditioning process, as well as weight-shaming members of her crew in contrast to public statements about body positivity.
Lizzo herself hit back at those allegations in a social media post. And then, last week, current members of her Big Grrrls dance team posted a statement of support on Instagram.
It didn’t directly address any of the allegations made by Davis, Williams or Rodriguez, but instead thanked Lizzo for “shattering limitations and kicking in the door way for the Big Grrrl and Big Boiii dancers to do what we love! You have created a platform where we have been able to parallel our passion with a purpose!”
Seeming to counter claims in the lawsuit that there was a toxic environment behind the scenes on Lizzo’s tour, the statement continued: “This tour experience has been beyond just #Special! The commitment to character and culture taking precedence over every movement and moment has been one of the greatest lessons and blessings that we could possibly ask for”.
Responding to that statement, Zambrano said on Friday: “It’s understandable that Lizzo’s current employees would gush about her. They want to keep their jobs and maintain access to her global celebrity. But the comments change nothing about the allegations in the lawsuit”.
“More potential plaintiffs sharing similar stories of abuse and harassment are coming forward on a regular basis”, he then confirmed. “We’ve heard from at least ten former Lizzo employees since we filed the lawsuit and are reviewing their claims. Some of them will most certainly be actionable”.
“Lizzo’s job now is to try to do everything she can to limit the damage to her brand and save her career”, he concluded. “Our job is to vigorously litigate this case on behalf of the plaintiffs based on the facts and we’re confident the truth will prevail over the spin”.
