Lizzo and her wardrobe manager sued by former employee alleging harassment, hostile work environment

Lizzo, along with her wardrobe manager, is facing a lawsuit filed by a former employee who alleges harassment and a hostile work environment. This legal action comes just hours before Lizzo was set to receive an award for her philanthropic work and commitment to social justice.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses Lizzo, her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc., wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura, and tour manager Carlina Gugliotta of sexual and racial harassment, disability discrimination, and creating a hostile work environment. Clothing designer Asha Daniels, who designed custom outfits for Lizzo's dancers, is the plaintiff in this case.

The lawsuit claims that Daniels experienced degradation, forced physical labor, denial of medical care, sexual harassment, and racial harassment during her time working for Lizzo. It alleges that such behavior was allowed to persist without consequences due to Lizzo's management's inaction, and that this discrimination occurred because Daniels is a Black woman.

Among the specific allegations in the lawsuit are racist and fatphobic comments made by Nomura, who also allegedly mocked both Lizzo and her background dancers. The suit further claims that Nomura imitated Lizzo and the dancers in an offensive stereotypical manner and used derogatory language to refer to Black women on the tour.

This lawsuit follows a previous legal case in which Lizzo was sued for pressuring and weight shaming her former dancers in August 2023.

Despite the lawsuit, Lizzo was set to receive the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award at the Black Music Coalition Gala in Beverly Hills, California. Her spokesperson, Stefan Friedman, dismissed the lawsuit as a publicity stunt, claiming that the plaintiff had never met or spoken with Lizzo.

Asha Daniels, the plaintiff, is a clothing designer who provided custom pieces for Lizzo's tour dancers in September 2022. According to the lawsuit, she joined The Special Tour to alter and repair dancers' clothing, with most of the allegations directed at Amanda Nomura, who had reportedly asked Daniels to join the tour and served as her supervisor.

Daniels' attorney, Ron Zambrano, emphasized that Lizzo is ultimately responsible for the environment on her tours, which, according to the lawsuit, has been described as sexualized and racially charged by management staff.

Zambrano also represents Lizzo's former dancers, who filed a lawsuit in August alleging various forms of harassment and discrimination. Lizzo had denied all allegations in that case, addressing them on Instagram and emphasizing that she would never criticize or terminate an employee based on their weight.