A dance choreographer filed a case of racial discrimination against singer/actress Cher, BBC reports. According to the report choreographer Kevin Wilson alleged that the singer commented that their tour had "too much color," pertaining to the skin colors of the dancers.
According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ, the singer was auditioning dancers for her "D2K" or "Dressed to Kill" tour when Wilson said he particularly liked "a minority female dancer." This is where he got the response from Cher that there was "too much color onstage."
In the suit, Wilson also claimed that the singer told him to look for a white, blonde dancer and that he was told "not to cast anymore dark skinned black dancers on the tour."
Together with two dancers, Suzanne Easter and Jacquely Dowsett Ballinger, Wilson also alleged that they were fired after reporting a case of sexual assault by another dancer on a female fan. The lawsuit mentioned that after a show last June in Louisville, a male dancer invited the fan to his hotel room and got "sexually aggressive."
The suit further claimed that the singer attempted to cover it up and fired Wilson and the two dancers who revealed about the alleged incident. They were told that the decision to fire them was the result of the tour 's cost-cutting efforts despite its huge gross, which was reported to be $54.9 million.
After the news came out, a representative of the singer said that the accusations are "ridiculous."
"They couldn't be further from the truth," said the Cher's rep.
Wilson and the two dancers are seeking for $10m in damages.
Wilson and Easter have alleged race discrimination over their firing. Meanwhile, Dowsett Ballinger, 42, has claimed age discrimination.
According to Perry C Wander, the lawyer of the party, the claims are made by long-term employees who have been on tour with Cher for more than ten years already.
Wander told TMZ, "Cher, while reviewing audition tapes, stated that the tour had too much color and the choreographer was prohibited from casting any dark-skinned or African Americans even if they were better qualified than other counterparts."
Cher's long-running North American D2K (Dress to Kill) is ranked 9th on the top-grossing tours of 2014, according to Pollstar.
The singer postponed 10 dates in her tour because of viral infection. According to reports, she is currently recovering from the illness.
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