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Dec. 31 (UPI) -- British television producer Nigel Lythgoe is denying Paula Abdul's sexual assault allegations against him. "To say that I am shocked and saddened by the allegations made against me by Paula Abdul is a wild understatement. For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear -- and entirely platonic -- friends and colleagues," Lythgoe said in statement Saturday.
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"Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for," he added. "While Paula's history of erratic behavior is well known, I can't pretend to understand exactly why she would file a lawsuit that she must know is untrue. But I can promise that I will fight this appalling smear with everything I have."
Abdul's lawsuit was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday under the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, which protects litigation filed after statute of limitations has expired.
The documents accuse Lythgoe, 74, of physically abusing Abdul, 61, while she was serving as a judge on Lythgoe's competition series.
Abdul said in the lawsuit that Lythgoe assaulted her once during the early seasons of Idol in the 2000s and another time in 2015 while she worked on SYTYCD.
She alleged Lythgoe sexually assaulted her assistant, as well.
Abdul said she didn't come forward earlier because she was afraid she would be fired in retaliation.
