The Lizzo lawsuit is still very much alive in 2026. Fat-shaming allegations were officially dropped in December 2025, but the core sexual harassment and false imprisonment claims are still headed toward a jury trial.
Three former backup dancers filed suit against Lizzo back in August 2023. The case has survived multiple dismissal attempts, a First Amendment appeal, and a stay of proceedings. It remains one of the most closely watched entertainment workplace lawsuits in the country.
Lizzo has said publicly she is not settling. Her attorneys argue 18 witnesses refute the remaining claims. The dancers’ legal team says the most serious allegations are completely intact.
Here is every detail you need: what was filed, what got dismissed, what’s still active, and what happens next. General Motors V8 Engine Lawsuit
Lizzo Lawsuit Update 2026: Where Things Stand Right Now
The Lizzo lawsuit is currently in the appellate phase as of early 2026. No jury trial has taken place yet.
Fat-shaming claims were dismissed by Judge Mark H. Epstein in February 2024. The plaintiffs dropped their appeal of that dismissal in November 2025. That part of the case is permanently closed.
The remaining claims, including sexual harassment, false imprisonment, religious discrimination, and racial harassment, are still active. Lizzo is appealing those through California’s Court of Appeal. If the appeal fails, the case returns to Judge Epstein’s courtroom for trial.
| Development | Date |
|---|---|
| Lawsuit filed | August 2023 |
| Fat-shaming claims dismissed | February 2024 |
| Case stayed pending appeal | March 2024 |
| Dancers drop fat-shaming appeal | November 2025 |
| Trial tentatively scheduled | December 1, 2025 (likely delayed to 2026) |
| First Amendment appeal pending | Ongoing as of March 2026 |
What Is the Lizzo Lawsuit About?
The Lizzo lawsuit is a workplace harassment and discrimination case filed by three former backup dancers. It centers on allegations that Lizzo and her production company created a hostile, sexually charged work environment during her 2022-2023 Special Tour.
The plaintiffs claim they were pressured to attend adult entertainment venues, subjected to religious lectures from a team captain, and fired under circumstances they say were retaliatory.
Lizzo has denied every allegation. She has called the claims “false,” “unbelievable,” and “outrageous” in public statements.
Key Facts:
- Filed: August 1, 2023, in Los Angeles County Superior Court
- Defendants: Lizzo (Melissa Jefferson), Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc., Shirlene Quigley
- Plaintiffs’ attorney: Ron Zambrano
- Lizzo’s attorney: Marty Singer and Melissa Glass
Who Are the Dancers Suing Lizzo?
The three plaintiffs are Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez. All three worked as backup dancers on Lizzo’s Special Tour.
Davis and Williams are particularly well known because they competed on Lizzo’s Amazon reality show, “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” which aired in 2021. They joined the tour after the show. Rodriguez was hired separately but worked alongside them from spring 2021 through early summer 2023.
Davis was fired on May 3, 2023, after Lizzo held an emergency meeting about an unauthorized recording. Williams was let go on April 26, 2023, days after challenging Lizzo about alcohol allegations. Rodriguez resigned but alleged she feared a physical confrontation when she did.
Key Takeaway: All three dancers worked under Lizzo’s umbrella from 2021 through mid-2023 and say they were fired or resigned under coercive circumstances.
What Did the Lizzo Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Actually Claim?
The lawsuit brought multiple types of claims under California law. Not every claim was filed against every defendant.
The claims included sexual harassment, racial harassment, religious harassment, disability discrimination, assault, false imprisonment, and interference with prospective economic advantage.
The lawsuit described a pattern of alleged misconduct stretching across multiple months of the Special Tour. The plaintiffs said conditions were “so severe or pervasive” that they made employment “intolerable.”
Claims Filed (Original 2023 Complaint):
| Claim Type | Defendant Named |
|---|---|
| Sexual harassment | Lizzo, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Quigley |
| Religious harassment | Quigley |
| Racial harassment | Lizzo, Big Grrrl Big Touring |
| Disability discrimination | Lizzo, Big Grrrl Big Touring |
| False imprisonment | Lizzo, Big Grrrl Big Touring |
| Assault | Lizzo |
| Interference with economic advantage | Big Grrrl Big Touring |
What Happened at the Amsterdam Club? The Core Allegation
The Amsterdam incident is the single most contested event in the entire case. According to the lawsuit, in February 2023, Lizzo and her touring crew attended a show at Bananenbar, an adult club in Amsterdam’s Red Light District.
The dancers allege Lizzo began inviting cast members to touch nude performers on stage. They say Lizzo led a chant directed at Arianna Davis, pressuring her to touch one of the performers. Davis says she eventually did so because the group pressure was overwhelming.
The lawsuit also alleges the group was taken to the Crazy Horse venue in Paris for a similar outing.
Lizzo’s legal team has argued the outings were voluntary and that only two of the three plaintiffs were even present at the Amsterdam club. They also argued the events were part of Lizzo’s creative process as an artist. Judge Epstein rejected that argument as grounds for dismissal, writing that the entertainment world is “no shield of invulnerability.”
Key Takeaway: The Amsterdam and Paris allegations remain the core of the active case and are the claims proceeding toward trial.
What Happened to the Lizzo Lawsuit Fat-Shaming Claims?
The fat-shaming claims are permanently out of court. Judge Mark H. Epstein dismissed them in February 2024, ruling they were barred by First Amendment protections and contradicted by evidence.
Specifically, the court found that Arianna Davis was fired because she made an unauthorized recording of Lizzo during a private meeting and shared it with Crystal Williams, who was no longer on tour at the time. The court concluded the firing was justified by that act, not by weight gain.
The dancers initially appealed that ruling. They dropped the appeal in November 2025. By mid-December 2025, Lizzo publicly celebrated the development on social media.
Lizzo stated: “They weren’t fired for gaining weight. They were fired for taking a private recording of me without my consent.”
| Fat-Shaming Timeline | Date |
|---|---|
| Fat-shaming claims filed | August 2023 |
| Judge dismisses fat-shaming | February 2024 |
| Dancers appeal dismissal | Spring 2024 |
| Dancers drop their appeal | November 2025 |
| Claims permanently closed | December 2025 |
Which Lizzo Lawsuit Claims Were Dismissed?
Several specific claims were dismissed during the case, mostly through Judge Epstein’s February 2024 anti-SLAPP ruling.
Dismissed claims include:
- Fat-shaming and weight discrimination against Arianna Davis
- A sexual harassment allegation tied to a nude photoshoot on “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls”
- A disability discrimination claim that Davis was fired for disclosing mental health issues
- A claim that Lizzo’s company damaged dancers’ other job prospects by keeping them on an unauthorized “soft hold”
The remaining claims, especially those connected to Amsterdam, the Crazy Horse visits, false imprisonment, and religious discrimination, survived all dismissal attempts. They are what is now pending in the appellate court.
Key Takeaway: While Lizzo secured some dismissals, Judge Epstein allowed the most serious workplace allegations to proceed, calling the anti-SLAPP argument a poor fit for employer misconduct claims.
What Is the Anti-SLAPP Law and Why Did Lizzo Use It?
California’s anti-SLAPP statute, found in Code of Civil Procedure Section 425.16, is designed to quickly dismiss lawsuits that threaten free speech. The acronym stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.
Normally, it protects individuals from being sued for speaking publicly or engaging in protected activity. Lizzo’s lawyers tried something unusual: they used anti-SLAPP to fight a workplace harassment lawsuit, arguing that because her tour involved artistic expression, the conduct at issue was protected speech.
Judge Epstein largely rejected this approach. He wrote that being in the entertainment world does not give employers a pass on harassment laws. He dismissed only the claims where the conduct was directly tied to speech-related activity.
Think of it this way: an employer cannot commit assault and then claim the assault was art. The judge drew that line.
| Anti-SLAPP Result | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Fat-shaming claims | Dismissed |
| Amsterdam sexual harassment | Survived, goes to trial |
| False imprisonment | Survived, goes to trial |
| Religious discrimination | Survived, goes to trial |
Lizzo’s First Amendment Defense: Can Concerts Justify Misconduct?
Lizzo’s appellate team is arguing that the group outings to Amsterdam and Paris were part of her creative process. Their position is that attending adult entertainment shows was connected to inspiring her dancers’ performances.
The dancers’ appellate lawyer, Ari Stiller, called that reasoning far-fetched. He wrote that under Lizzo’s standard, “Johnny Cash could shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die and claim protection if he hoped it would inspire his performance.”
Judge Epstein’s 34-page ruling in early 2024 already rejected the creative-process argument for the sexual harassment and false imprisonment claims. He said the court must not “turn a blind eye to allegations of discrimination or other forms of misconduct merely because they take place in a speech-related environment.”
Lizzo’s appellate team filed their argument in summer 2025. The dancers filed their response in December 2025. The appellate court has not yet ruled.
Lizzo’s Appeal in 2026: What the Appellate Court Must Decide
Lizzo’s appeal is currently before California’s Court of Appeal. It challenges Judge Epstein’s January 2024 ruling that denied full dismissal under anti-SLAPP.
If the appellate court sides with Lizzo, the entire remaining lawsuit gets dismissed. The dancers would have no further path to trial unless they pursued separate remedies.
If the appellate court affirms Epstein’s ruling, the case returns to the trial court. Discovery would resume, and a jury trial would be scheduled. Plaintiffs’ attorney Ron Zambrano confirmed in late 2025 that the core claims, including false imprisonment and sexual harassment, are fully intact.
The appeal will likely be argued at some point in 2026. No ruling date had been announced as of March 2026.
Key Takeaway: The outcome of Lizzo’s 2026 appeal is the single most important pending event in the case. It will determine whether the dancers ever get their day in court.
When Is the Lizzo Lawsuit Trial Date?
A jury trial was tentatively scheduled for December 1, 2025 in Los Angeles Superior Court. However, Lizzo’s appeal triggered a stay of all trial court proceedings.
When a California case is stayed pending appeal, the trial clock stops. No depositions, no discovery, no trial date can proceed until the appeal is resolved.
As of March 2026, no confirmed new trial date has been set. Legal observers expect any trial, if the appeal fails, to happen sometime in late 2026 or 2027.
| Trial Timeline | Status |
|---|---|
| Original tentative trial date | December 1, 2025 |
| Case stayed pending appeal | March 2024 |
| Trial date after stay | TBD, pending appeal outcome |
| Expected window if appeal fails | Late 2026 or 2027 |
Who Is Big Grrrl Big Touring and Why Is It Named in the Suit?
Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. is Lizzo’s touring production company. It is the legal entity that employed the backup dancers during the Special Tour.
Because dancers were technically employees of Big Grrrl Big Touring rather than of Lizzo personally, the company shares legal liability. That matters under California employment law. An employer entity can be held responsible for the actions of its supervisors and for allowing a hostile workplace to persist.
The suit against Big Grrrl Big Touring survived the anti-SLAPP motion. The company faces the same sexual harassment and workplace misconduct claims as Lizzo individually.
Wardrobe designer Asha Daniels also named Big Grrrl Big Touring in her separate 2023 lawsuit. The company is central to all harassment litigation tied to Lizzo’s tour operation. Capitol Plaque Lawsuit
The Asha Daniels Lawsuit Against Lizzo: A Second Case Explained
Separate from the dancer case, former wardrobe designer Asha Daniels filed her own lawsuit against Lizzo in September 2023. Her complaint alleged a “sexualized, racially charged and illegal work environment” during the Special Tour.
In December 2023, Daniels asked the court to keep the case moving forward. A Los Angeles federal judge ruled on December 2, 2024, with a split result. Lizzo personally was dropped from that lawsuit. The case was refocused on Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc., since that entity was Daniels’ official employer. Accusations targeting tour manager Carlina Gugliotta were also dropped.
The Daniels case is a separate proceeding from the dancer lawsuit but reflects a broader pattern of workplace misconduct allegations arising from the same 2022-2023 tour.
Key Takeaway: Two separate lawsuits arose from Lizzo’s Special Tour. The dancer case is the larger and more active one, but the Asha Daniels case against Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. remains in play.
Who Are Lizzo’s Backup Dancers and What Are Their Backgrounds?
All three plaintiffs in the dancer lawsuit came to Lizzo’s world through her Amazon reality show, “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” which aired in 2021 and celebrated plus-size dancers.
Arianna Davis competed on the show and later joined the Special Tour. She was fired on May 3, 2023. She has been the most vocal of the three plaintiffs in media interviews, telling CBS News the experience made her feel that Lizzo’s public message of body positivity was contradicted by private behavior.
Crystal Williams also appeared on the show. She was fired on April 26, 2023, days after confronting Lizzo about accusations that dancers had been drinking before shows. Williams told CBS News the tour had been her “absolute dream job” before things went wrong.
Noelle Rodriguez did not come through the reality show. She resigned from her position during a meeting where Davis was fired, then alleged she feared a physical confrontation when Lizzo reacted to her resignation.
Will There Be a Lizzo Lawsuit Settlement?
As of March 2026, Lizzo has stated clearly she is not settling. In December 2024, during an appearance on Keke Palmer’s podcast, she said she was “blindsided” by the lawsuit. Following the fat-shaming dismissal in December 2025, she publicly stated: “I am not settling. I will be fighting every single claim until the truth is out.”
Her legal team, led by attorneys Marty Singer and Melissa Glass, has maintained they are “confident she will prevail.” They point to 18 sworn witness statements from tour members refuting the dancers’ claims.
The dancers’ side has given no indication of dropping the remaining claims. Ron Zambrano confirmed they consider the vast majority of claims intact and are proceeding toward trial.
Settlement is possible at any stage before a jury verdict. But based on both sides’ public positions, the case appears headed for a contested trial, assuming the appeal goes against Lizzo.
What Claims Remain Active in the Lizzo Lawsuit Right Now?
As of March 2026, the following claims are still active or pending before the California Court of Appeal:
Still active and proceeding toward trial (if appeal fails):
- Sexual harassment (Amsterdam and Paris incidents)
- False imprisonment (holding Davis in a hotel room to search her phone after firing)
- Religious discrimination and harassment (Quigley’s conduct)
- Racial harassment
Permanently dismissed and closed:
- Fat-shaming and weight-based discrimination
- Disability discrimination (mental health disclosure)
- Sexual harassment at the “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” photoshoot
- Interference with prospective economic advantage (soft hold claim)
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| Sexual harassment (Amsterdam) | Active, heading to trial |
| False imprisonment | Active, heading to trial |
| Religious harassment (Quigley) | Active, heading to trial |
| Racial harassment | Active, heading to trial |
| Fat-shaming discrimination | Permanently dismissed |
| Disability discrimination | Permanently dismissed |
| Photoshoot harassment | Permanently dismissed |
| Soft hold / interference claim | Permanently dismissed |
Key Takeaway: Half the original claims are gone, but the most serious ones, rooted in the Amsterdam incidents and false imprisonment allegation, are still very much alive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Lizzo lawsuit about?
The Lizzo lawsuit is a workplace sexual harassment and discrimination case filed in August 2023 by three former backup dancers. The dancers allege Lizzo and her company created a hostile work environment, pressured them to attend adult entertainment venues, and fired them under retaliatory circumstances. The case is currently in the appellate phase, with a jury trial expected if the appeal is decided against Lizzo.
Did Lizzo settle the lawsuit with her dancers?
No, Lizzo has not settled the dancer lawsuit. In December 2025, she publicly stated: “I am not settling. I will be fighting every single claim until the truth is out.” As of March 2026, both sides are actively pursuing their positions through the appellate process.
What happened to the fat-shaming claims in the Lizzo lawsuit?
The fat-shaming claims were dismissed by Judge Mark H. Epstein in February 2024. The court found the dismissals were justified because evidence showed the dancer was fired for making an unauthorized recording, not for her weight. The dancers dropped their appeal of that dismissal in November 2025, permanently closing those claims.
When will the Lizzo lawsuit go to trial?
A jury trial was tentatively scheduled for December 1, 2025, but a stay of proceedings halted it while Lizzo’s appeal is heard. The appellate court has not yet ruled on the appeal as of March 2026. If the appeal fails, a new trial date will be set, with legal observers expecting late 2026 or 2027 as the likely window.
What claims are still active in the Lizzo lawsuit in 2026?
The claims still active include sexual harassment tied to the Amsterdam and Paris incidents, false imprisonment, religious harassment, and racial discrimination. These claims survived Judge Epstein’s February 2024 ruling and are now before the California Court of Appeal. If the appellate court affirms Epstein’s decision, these claims will proceed to a jury trial.
The Lizzo lawsuit is still a live legal battle in 2026. Fat-shaming claims are gone, but the Amsterdam sexual harassment and false imprisonment allegations remain standing after every dismissal attempt.
Watch the California Court of Appeal for the next key ruling. That decision will either end the case for good or send it to a jury.
If you’ve been following this case, now is the time to track the appellate ruling. That single decision is what determines whether this goes to trial. Trump CPB Board Removals Lawsuit
