Nigel Lythgoe Releases Paula Abdul’s ‘Private Emails and Texts’ to Back Claim of Friendship During Alleged Assault Period

Nigel Lythgoe is denying Paula Abdul’s sexual assault claims against him.

In court documents obtained by PEOPLE filed Oct. 15, the producer called Abdul’s claims that he sexually assaulted her “appalling lies.”

The answer comes after the singer, 62, submitted her “first amended complaint” with new details of the alleged incidents, including claims that she was also assaulted by Lythgoe during the same incident as her assistant in April 2015. In her initial lawsuit, Abdul claimed only her assistant was assaulted in an incident in April 2015.

The new documents claim that in Abdul’s original complaint, she alleged Lythgoe assaulted her on “some unidentified date during ‘one of American Idol’s initial seasons,’ (in the early 2000s) and again [at] or around the time [she] was working on So You Think You Can Dance (in the 2015/2016 time period), and that she witnessed her assistant supposedly being assaulted by Lythgoe in April 2015.”

The answer submitted by Lythgoe claims Abdul was “vague both as to the timing of the alleged assault and as to the details of the supposed incident” and could not “form the basis of any of her claims against Lythgoe.”

Therefore, Lythgoe argues in the documents, she “suddenly ‘remembered’ additional details of the alleged 2015/2016 assault and that she also purportedly was assaulted by Lythgoe in April 2015, during the same alleged incident involving her assistant.”

“It stretches credulity that Abdul would supposedly remember witnessing her assistant allegedly being assaulted by Lythgoe in April 2015 and yet apparently ‘forget,’ until the filing of her FAC, that she also allegedly was assaulted at that same time — let alone be able to suddenly remember specific details of the alleged incident, as her FAC now alleges,” Lythgoe claims in the document.

Abdul’s lawyer responded to Lythgoe’s claims in a statement to PEOPLE, saying: “Mr. Lythgoe’s use of the pleadings in this lawsuit to cast aspersions on Ms. Abdul is not just a futile effort to besmirch Ms. Abdul’s strong reputation but is wholly improper, and Ms. Abdul will be moving to strike Mr. Lythgoe’s filing from the record.”

Lythgoe’s response went on to point out the times Abdul had “expressed her positive feelings toward Lythgoe.”

The docs include alleged private emails, text messages and social media statements Abdul made “during and after the time she now alleges the abuse occurred.” The answer continued, “Abdul expressed how she really felt about Lythgoe, her friend and colleague, both during periods of time when the two worked together and during periods of time when they did not.”

“It is unthinkable that Abdul would even tolerate Lythgoe’s physical proximity, let alone send him adoring messages and sexually provocative jokes, if her allegations were true – which, clearly, they are not,” the filing alleges.

The docs contain various alleged text messages and emails from the time of the alleged assaults appearing to show Abdul professing her love and gratitude for Lythgoe. Further evidence provided seems to show that the two “long-time friends” had spent birthdays and holidays together, and Lythgoe’s side claimed she was “seldom” on the set of American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance without security.

One alleged email from Abdul to Lythgoe on June 20, 2014 read:

“Hi Nigel, Thank you for the beautiful flowers – they were exquisite! But, I have to say the kicker was the birthday card last night. I am still howling! I also wanted to let you know how happy I was to have you and Andrea join me on my special day! I know you had a previous commitment and was very touched that you were able to move things around to celebrate with me. I truly appreciate our friendship and am looking forward to launching our project. Xo Xo Paula.”

In another email from June 9, 2015 she allegedly wrote, “Yippee!!! I’m so ‘eff-ing’ happy & thrilled for you!!!! Way to go, sweetheart! You are so deserved! Mazel Tov…” She ended her note, “I love your guts!!! xo P.”

Lythgoe continued to deny all allegations and accuse Abdul of having a “tactical campaign” of “defaming falsehoods” that “weaponize the climate against” him.

“Abdul’s accusations against Lythgoe are false, despicable, intolerable, and life-changing,” the document read, going on to claim the American Idol judge has a “long history” of telling stories “to attract attention.”

“Abdul has abused the legal process for her own personal and selfish gains,” the docs claim.

Citing interviews regarding Abdul’s past denials and admissions of substance abuse, along with claims she had been in a plane crash in 1992 with allegedly no proof, Lythgoe’s answer called Abdul “a pathological liar and attention seeker.”

“She invents stories and then she doubles down, always working to make herself appear the victim,” it concluded. “Consistent with her past pattern of telling lies about incidents that allegedly happened to her, Abdul’s recent allegations against Lythgoe are pure fiction. There is only one victim here and that is Lythgoe, whose life and career have been decimated by Abdul’s lies.”

In the past, Abdul’s team has called Lythgoe out for “classic victim shaming” after his response to her initial filing.

“Mr. Lythgoe fails to appreciate that he held a position of power over Ms. Abdul. He was a producer on American Idol and SYTYCD and she was the talent,” Abdul’s lawyer Melissa Eubanks claimed. “He held the cards to her career in his hand and he knew it. It thus is no surprise that Ms. Abdul placated to his ego with positive messaging and seeming adoration. These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power.”

The statement also said Lythgoe’s initial answer “cherry-picks” from years of message exchanges with Abdul in an effort to “discredit her claims.”

“What his selections fail to show are the numerous instances of overt sexual harassment he forced Ms. Abdul to tolerate,” she stated before noting examples from conversations that date back to 2014.

“There are several instances of such verbal assaults against Ms. Abdul, which are evidence of the frequent abusive behavior that Ms. Abdul was subjected to during her time on American Idol and SYTYCD,” it ended.