Lizzo requests to dismiss designer’s harassment lawsuit, calls it ‘meritless’ and ‘salacious’

Lizzo’s attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss a harassment and discrimination lawsuit made by a former “disgruntled” employee and clothing designer of the singer’s tour.

On Friday, the 35-year-old “Juice” singer’s legal team requested to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Asha Daniels in September in a Los Angeles court and claimed it was “meritless and salacious.”

In documents obtained by PEOPLE, Lizzo’s attorney alleged that Daniels, 35, “failed to perform the work that she was assigned and, eventually, just played hooky and refused to show up for work.”

Subsequently, she was terminated after “abandoning her post” on the day of Lizzo’s concert in Paris, France. 

Lizzo’s attorneys want the case tossed out, citing two reasons: it was filed in the wrong location, and Daniels “is a New York resident who worked for a Delaware corporation in Europe.” Therefore, the designer “has alleged no nexus to California.”

Los Angeles attorney Ron Zambrano, who is representing Daniels and is a partner and Employment Litigation Chair at West Coast Employment Lawyers, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that the motion was “another Hail Mary by Lizzo’s team to try to shift blame to the victims, as she has done to the three other plaintiffs who have sued her for similar allegations of harassment, disability discrimination and retaliatory termination.”

He continued: “Lizzo and her lawyers can continue trying to rationalize her illegal and wretched conduct but we remain committed to seeking justice for our clients, and look forward to our day in court where Lizzo can explain her behavior in a public forum.”

Lizzo’s legal team did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Daniels, who toured with Lizzo earlier this year, filed her lawsuit against the singer and members of her team, claiming that while Lizzo preached body positivity and inclusion, her employees were forced to work in a “racist and sexualized” environment.

The lawsuit was filed against the star, her production company, her wardrobe manager Amanda Nomura and her tour manager Carlina Gugliotta, alleging, among other things, that they made racist and fat-phobic remarks and denied her medical care, leading to anxiety and PTSD.

“I felt like I was living in a madhouse. It was totally shocking,” Daniels told NBC News at the time. “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.”

Daniels’ allegations paralleled a previous suit filed in August by three of Lizzo’s former dancers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez — who claimed they battled sexual, racial and religious harassment on Lizzo’s tour.

The “About Damn Time” performer denied all allegations against her, saying on social media that she was “not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days.”

“Lizzo is the boss so the buck stops with her,” Zambrano claimed in a statement on behalf of the plaintiff. “She has created a sexualized and racially charged environment on her tours that her management staff sees as condoning such behaviour, and so it continues unchecked. Lizzo certainly knows what’s going on but chooses not to put an end to this disgusting and illegal conduct and participates herself.”

At the time, Lizzo’s rep Stefan Friedman told PEOPLE in a statement: “As Lizzo receives a Humanitarian Award tonight from the Black Music Action Coalition for the incredible charitable work she has done to lift up all people, an ambulance-chasing lawyer tries to sully this honour by recruiting someone to file a bogus, absurd publicity-stunt lawsuit who, wait for it, never actually met or even spoke with Lizzo. We will pay this as much attention as it deserves. None.”

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