14 Dancers From Lizzo Documentary Settled Payment Dispute Months Ago

Lizzo's current legal saga comes months after another group of her dancers settled a payment dispute.

An entity for the Grammy Award winner paid out a total of $109,551 in a February settlement agreement with 14 dancers, who are not involved with her latest lawsuit, but appeared in her HBO Max documentary Love Lizzo, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to the outlet, the dancers claimed that footage of them, in which they talked candidly backstage at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards about their experiences as plus-size Black female dancers, ended up in the documentary without their knowledge or consent.

Slay Smiles, a manager for the dancers, explained that although they had a union contract with the VMAs, they were never presented with a contract for the non-union, behind-the-scenes footage in the documentary.

"After seeing all of the videos, I'm sure you realize how sensitive and private the dialogue was for the talent involved," Smiles wrote in a January email to co-producer Boardwalk Pictures' attorney Alan Brunswick, which was obtained by the Times.

"This was supposed to be a safe space to express and share with the Principal talent [Lizzo], so by sharing this unauthorized footage to the public without their approval/permissions, has truly exploited these women and violated the emotional safety they had in those moments," added Smiles.

Brunswick claimed that the footage "was captured openly" and with the dancers' consent, adding: "They all knew the cameras were there. I don't think the documentary was even contemplated at that point."

After one of the dancers hired an attorney, the group signed confidential settlements in February and released their rights to the footage.

Lizzo's attorney Martin Singer explained to the Times that the production company handled the settlement, noting, "Lizzo had nothing to do with it and knew nothing about it."

In a separate lawsuit filed last month, three of Lizzo's former dancers accused her and her team of sexual harassment, assault, false imprisonment and more.

Since then, at least six more people have reportedly come forward with similar allegations, and other employees have detailed their negative experiences with the Special artist on social media.

Lizzo responded to the accusations in a statement shared to Instagram. "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," she wrote.

"I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not," Lizzo added, noting: "I'm hurt but I will not let the good work I've done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time."