Singer, dancer and former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul has agreed to settle a sexual assault lawsuit against producer Nigel Lythgoe. Ms. Abdul filed the legal paperwork to settle the case last week in Los Angeles Superior Court. The notice of settlement must be approved by a judge. The lawsuit had been scheduled for trial in 2025.

The court filing stated that the settlement is “unconditional,” but details of the payout were not disclosed.

Ms. Abdul’s sexual assault lawsuit was filed in 2023. In legal documents, Ms. Abdul alleged that the then-producer of the hit show “American Idol” sexually assaulted her during the early 2000s, when she left as a judge on the hit show. Upon her departure, Ms. Abdul worked as a judge on the show "So You Think You Can Dance,” which was another popular competition show.

When Ms. Abdul filed her 16-page complaint against Mr. Lythgoe, 75, he denied all accusations. In a public statement at the time, he said that he was "shocked and saddened" by the allegations, calling it "an appalling smear.” Hailing from the U.K., Mr. Lythgoe is a well-known TV producer known especially for his reality TV competition shows, such as “American Idol,” “Pop Idol,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” and “Superstars of Dance,” among others.

In January 2023, however, Mr. Lythgoe left his role as a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” due to other lawsuits besides Ms. Abdul’s claiming alleged sexual misconduct.

Ms. Abdul is a Grammy and Emmy-winning singer and dancer who worked with Mr. Lythgoe as a judge on the “American Idol” TV show, which premiered in 2022. Ms. Abdul starred in the reality competition show for eight seasons, until 2009.

In a statement recently, Ms. Abdul said that she wants to inspire other women to “overcome” similar challenges as she faced as claimed in her lawsuit.

“I am grateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me," Ms. Abdul said. "This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle. I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women, facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives.”

Ms. Abdul said that she was so fearful to speak up about the alleged sexual assault by Mr. Lythgoe that she kept her experiences secret for decades. She said, in court documents, that she was fearful of “retaliation” by “one of the most well-known producers of television competition shows."

In her suit, Ms. Abdul claims that the first time Mr. Lythgoe assaulted her sexually was when they were working on the road, filming the popular televised auditions for one of the early seasons of ‘American Idol.’ She said that he allegedly “groped” her in an elevator at their hotel one day after filming auditions, and "began shoving his tongue down her throat." In court documents, Ms. Abdul said she pushed him away and ran away from him once the elevator door opened.

In legal documents, Ms. Abdul says that she was "in tears” after the alleged encounter, and called one of her representatives about the elevator assault, ”but ultimately decided not to take action for fear that Lythgoe would have her fired."

In 2015, Ms. Abdul once again worked for Mr. Lythgoe when she joined the cast of “So You Think You Can Dance.’ In her lawsuit, she said that while at a dinner at the producer’s home, she had to push him away when he tried to kiss her.

At the time of the lawsuit filing in 2023, Mr. Lythgoe said in a statement, "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.”

With the new settlement agreement, Mr. Lythgoe said, “We live in a troubling time where a person is now automatically assumed to be guilty until proven innocent, a process that can take years...I know the truth and that gives me great comfort.”

After the announcement of the settlement, Ms. Abdul weighed in, saying, “This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle.”