Lizzo has spoken out after securing a significant legal victory, with fat-shaming allegations made against her by three former dancers officially dismissed by a Superior Court judge, and the accusers opting to drop their appeal.
The bombshell lawsuit was filed in 2023 by ex-employees Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez and Crystal Williams, who accused the singer of fat-shaming and wrongful termination. However, those specific claims were dismissed earlier this year, and the dancers have now confirmed they will not pursue an appeal.
The Detroit native addressed the development in a video posted to TikTok and Instagram on Monday (December 15), sharing a written statement reacting to the decision and breaking her silence on the dropped allegations.
“The fat-shaming claims against me have been officially dropped by my accusers,” the statement began. “They conceded it had no merit in court. There was no evidence that I fired them because they gained weight. Because it never happened. Now the truth is finally out.”
Lizzo stated that the dancers were not dismissed over weight-related issues, but rather due to what she described as a serious breach of trust involving a private recording. According to the singer, a confidential conversation was secretly filmed without her consent and shared with another former employee.
In a ruling issued in February 2024, Judge Epstein agreed that the fat-shaming allegations were barred by First Amendment protections and contradicted by evidence indicating the dancers were terminated for recording a private meeting. While the plaintiffs initially appealed that ruling, court records confirm they chose to withdraw the appeal in November.
Lizzo reiterated her position in her statement, saying: “They weren’t fired for gaining weight. They were fired for taking a private recording of me without my consent and sending it off to ex-employees. I have never fired an employee for gaining weight. I have only encouraged and supported people with bigger bodies and shared my platform with them.”
The 37-year-old singer also addressed the personal toll of the allegations, describing the period since the lawsuit was filed as deeply distressing.
“This claim has haunted me since the day it came out,” she said. “It has been devastating to suffer through this in silence but I let my lawyers lead and I’m so grateful for this victory. I am still in a legal battle. I am not settling. I will be fighting every single claim until the truth is out.”
While the dismissal marks a major development, the case is not fully resolved. The lawsuit will continue against Lizzo and her production company in relation to separate allegations of sexual harassment and hostile work environment, which were not thrown out by the court.
The remaining claims were allowed to proceed after a Los Angeles judge ruled earlier this year that they met the legal threshold to move forward. Lizzo’s legal team has strongly denied those allegations, previously branding the lawsuit a “fabricated sob story.”
Earlier in December, the former dancers urged the courts to allow the sexual harassment claims to proceed to trial and to reject Lizzo’s free speech arguments. The accusers alleged that during work-related trips to Amsterdam and Paris, Lizzo pressured staff to attend explicit performances and participate in sexually charged situations, including touching nude performers and eating bananas from performers’ genitals.
Lizzo has adamantly denied those accusations.
Her attorney, Melissa Glass, criticised the dancers’ legal filings in a statement issued to Billboard on December 11, saying: “As was true two years ago, the dancers cannot find a single person to corroborate their meritless claims.”
Glass added: “In contrast, 18 witnesses who worked with Lizzo on the Special tour submitted sworn statements refuting the claims made by Davis, Williams and Rodriguez. We look forward to the Court of Appeals ruling on this matter.”
Lizzo, whose career has been closely tied to messages of empowerment and body positivity, said she would continue to contest the remaining allegations as the legal process moves forward.
“I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not,” she said.
The outcome of the ongoing proceedings is yet to be determined, with further court hearings expected as the case continues.
