Lizzo says 'I am not the villain' after former dancers file lawsuit

Recording artist Lizzo said Thursday the allegations by former dancers of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment filed in a lawsuit earlier this week are "false" and that she is "not a villain."

The Grammy award-winning singer's made the statement on Instagram and is the first time she has publicly commented on the civil lawsuit after it was filed Tuesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court by three former female dancers.

"Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound too outrageous to not be addressed," she wrote."I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days."

Plaintiffs Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez filed the case against Melissa Viviane Jefferson, whose stage name is Lizzo, as well as the Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc. production company and dance captain Shirlene Quigley, according to The Associated Press.

The women also wrote in the lawsuit that they were subjected to assault, false imprisonment, disability discrimination and religious and racial harassment.

The plaintiffs said in the lawsuit that after an Amsterdam concert, Lizzo and her crew attended a club in Dutch city's notorious Red Light District where the singer invited "cast members to take turns touching the nude performers."

Lizzo said in her post that she has always been "very open" about her sexuality and the former employees are spreading "sensationalized stories" even though they were told that their "behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional."

She also said she never intends to make anyone feel uncomfortable and concluded her post by saying she's "hurt" but will not let her work be overshadowed by the lawsuit.

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