Lizzo won a significant victory in her legal battle against three former backup dancers after their fat-shaming allegations collapsed following revelations about an unauthorized secret recording.
Arianna Davis was fired for making an unauthorized recording of Lizzo during a dancer meeting and sending it to Crystal Williams, who was no longer working on The Special Tour, according to court documents.
The Grammy-winning artist’s powerhouse attorney Marty Singer and partner Melissa Y. Glass confirmed that Davis, along with Noelle Rodriguez and Crystal Williams, dropped their fat-shaming claims after 18 witnesses provided sworn declarations refuting the allegations.
The Superior Court judge concluded that Davis’s termination was justified due to her secret recordings.
This development represents a major shift in the high-profile case that began in 2023 when the three dancers accused Lizzo of subjecting them to uncomfortable situations during tour stops in Amsterdam and Paris.
The women claimed Lizzo pressured dancers to interact with sex performers at Bananenbar in Amsterdam, where patrons eat bananas out of performers’ vaginas.
Lizzo previously spoke about being “blindsided” by the lawsuit in a 2024 interview with Keke Palmer, saying, “These were people that I gave opportunities to.”
She maintained her innocence throughout the legal proceedings, stating “I did nothing wrong” and calling the allegations “outrageous.”
The singer revealed the lawsuit’s emotional toll, admitting she became “very paranoid and isolated” during the legal battle. “I know what it feels like to be body-shamed on a daily basis,” Lizzo said in her initial response to the harassment claims.
While the fat-shaming claims have been abandoned, other allegations, including false imprisonment and harassment, remain active in court. The dancers’ attorney, Ronald Zambrano, told TMZ they are “maintaining that Judge Epstein was correct in his ruling denying Lizzo’s special motion to strike the vast majority of claims.”
Lizzo’s legal team expressed confidence that they will prevail in the remaining aspects of the case.
The unauthorized recording that led to Davis’s firing has significantly weakened the plaintiffs’ position, with the court finding their fat-shaming allegations lacked merit.