United Kingdom, March 7 -- Paula Abdul has accused Nigel Lythgoe of "victim shaming" following her sexual assault allegations.

The 61-year-old star launched a lawsuit against the 'American Idol' executive producer in December, accusing him of assaulting her on two separate occasions, and Abdul has now slammed his reaction to her accusations.

A statement from her lawyer said: "Mr. Lythgoe's answer to Ms. Abdul's complaint is classic victim shaming.

"These are the defences that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power."

In a recent legal filing, Lythgoe suggested that he actually had a good relationship with the TV star, sharing a series of texts and tweets that furthered that idea.

However, Abdul h...