'So You Think You Can Dance' judge resigns following Paula Abdul's lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault

• Nigel Lythgoe, creator of "So You Think You Can Dance," is leaving the show.
• Paula Abdul accused Lythgoe of sexual assault in a lawsuit in December.

Long time "So You Think You Can Dance" judge Nigel Lythgoe is exiting the show after Paula Abdul filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault.

Lythgoe, 74, is a former producer on "American Idol" and the creator of "So You Think You Can Dance," where he starred as a judge alongside Abdul.

Abdul, 61, rose to fame in the 80s with songs like "Straight Up" and served as a main judge on "American Idol" for the first eight seasons.

In a lawsuit filed last December in California, Abdul accused Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her twice. In the complaint, Abdul accused Lythgoe of groping her breast and genitals and "shoving his tongue down her throat" in an elevator. She also accused Lythgoe of later forcing himself on top of her on a couch during a dinner at his home, while telling her they could be a "power couple," according to the lawsuit.

On Friday, Lythgoe announced he would be stepping down from his post on "So You Think You Can Dance," where he had been a judge since 2005.

"I have informed the producers of 'So You Think You Can Dance' of my decision to step back from participating in this year's series," Lythgoe said in a statement provided to Business Insider. "I did so with a heavy heart but entirely voluntarily because this great program has always been about dance and dancers, and that's where its focus needs to remain. In the meantime, I am dedicating myself to clearing my name and restoring my reputation."

In a statement previously provided to BI, Lythgoe said he was "shocked and saddened" by Abdul's allegations and that her claims were untrue.

"For more than two decades, Paula and I have interacted as dear —and entirely platonic — friends and colleagues," Lythgoe said in the statement. "Yesterday, however, out of the blue, I learned of these claims in the press and I want to be clear: not only are they false, they are deeply offensive to me and to everything I stand for."

Douglas Johnson, an attorney for Abdul, previously told BI that the singer should be commended for her courage to come forward with the accusations "particularly when the alleged abuser is a figure so dominant in her profession."

"It was clearly a difficult decision to make, but Ms. Abdul knows that she stands both in the shoes and on the shoulders of many other similarly situated survivors, and she is determined to see that justice is done," Johnson said.

Abdul's lawsuit also accuses Lythgoe of groping one of her assistants in 2015.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or visit its website to receive confidential support.