Lizzo Faces New Discrimination Suit: Former Wardrobe Designer Alleges Racist, Fatphobic Work Environment
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Lizzo and several members of her team were hit with another lawsuit Thursday, this one from a former wardrobe designer who states the singer stayed by while her wardrobe manager described Black women on the tour as “dumb,” “useless,” and “fat.” In a case submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court, Asha Daniels, who was employed as an apparel designer and seamstress on Lizzo’s tour in February, claimed she was subjected to racial and sexual harassment, handicap discrimination, illegal retribution, and assault, among other things. The majority of Daniels’ allegations revolve around Lizzo’s wardrobe manager, Amanda Nomura, whom she accuses of making racist and fatphobic remarks, mocking Lizzo and her backup dancers, and performing “an offensive stereotypical impersonation of a Black woman.” Nomura, according to Daniels, pushed artists to change in front of a mostly male stage crew who would “lewdly gawk” at them.
Compelled Daniels to work on her feet despite damaging her ankle at work, and terminated her “without notice or reason.” Daniels further claims that while on tour in Amsterdam, Nomura, the crew, and Lizzo’s management team openly talked about hiring sex workers and purchasing hard narcotics. The complaint also names Lizzo’s production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., and her tour manager, Carlina Gugliotta—the lawsuit claims Daniels experienced severe emotional distress, anxiousness, suffering and pain, physical injuries, and physical sickness as a consequence of her time on tour and seeks unspecified damages. Lizzo’s spokesman, Stefan Friedman, told NBC News on Thursday that her team would give the case “as much focus as it deserves: none.”
Lizzo Is Facing An Entirely New Lawsuit From A Former Employee Who Claims Harassment And Discrimination
Another lawsuit has been filed against Lizzo by a former employee who claims that the entertainer tolerated a toxic work environment in which employees were exposed to harassment, discrimination, and bullying. Asha Daniels, a wardrobe designer who served on Lizzo’s tour earlier this year, filed the second complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, the exact same day Lizzo was set to receive the Black Music Action Coalition’s Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award. The suit names several people engaged with the most latest tour, notably Lizzo, her production business Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. (BGBT), and Amanda Nomura and Carlina Gugliotta, her wardrobe and tour managers. It follows another lawsuit filed in August by three of Lizzo’s former dancers, who alleged her sexual harassment and creating toxic work environments in which they were subjected to taunting, racism, and weight-shaming. Daniels, listed in the court filing as a professional apparel designer, stated that Nomura called her in January 2023 and requested her to join Lizzo’s 2023 tour. According to the lawsuit, she was tasked with changing and repairing costumes for the tour’s dancers, which she had designed in 2022.
Daniels claims in the current action that she was subjected to racial and sexual harassment while working for Lizzo, as well as handicap discrimination, assault, and illegal retaliatory firing. According to the lawsuit, Nomura, Daniels’ immediate supervisor, and other members of Lizzo’s team created a working environment for the dancers that was “set up to degrade, deteriorate, alienate, and, in certain instances, fire, the Black female performers.” Daniels claims that the dancers were compelled to change with “little to no privacy” as well as that members of Lizzo’s stage crew, mostly White guys, “would lewdly gawk, sneer, & giggle while seeing the dancers rush through their wardrobe changes.” According to the lawsuit, Daniels was directed “not to dress attractively” in the presence of Lizzo and not to associate with her or her boyfriend. Daniels claims that she was habitually made to work 20-hour days, was frequently denied breaks, and was once denied medical care when suffering from an allergic reaction while on tour. Lizzo’s spokesman, Stefan Friedman, told NBC News on Thursday that her team would give the case “as much thought as it deserves: none.”
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