Topline

As pop star Lizzo defends herself against a new lawsuit that includes a barrage of toxic workplace allegations, as well as religious and sexual harassment claims, her attorney Marty Singer has spoken up to discredit one of her accusers—and Lizzo isn’t the only star he’s defended.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“For every story Singer kills or gets taken down, there’s another he’s delayed, or defanged, or pushed off the front page, or had corrected or retracted,” Vanity Fair wrote in 2017. “Singer is a kind of legal termite.”

Some Of Marty Singer’s Famous Clients

Bill Cosby—Cosby and Singer, 71, have a long and complicated past. Singer did not represent Cosby in the trials he faced for allegations of drugging and raping women over the course of his decades-long career, but he was the star’s lawyer for many years before that. “Get Marty for me!” was a common call from Cosby, Vanity Fair reported, and Singer long kept a lid on Cosby’s charges before the two parted ways in 2015. Singer defended Cosby against rape allegations brought by supermodel Janice Dickinson and against Judy Huth, who claimed Cosby assaulted her in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion, when she was 15.

Charlie Sheen—Singer represented Charlie Sheen during his legal battle with Warner Bros. and executive producer Chuck Lorre over his exit from Two And A Half Men. Sheen sued for $100 million after a public meltdown led to him being fired from the show and the case was later settled. At the ceremony honoring Singer’s Bar Association recognition, Sheen reportedly said, “I got a 100 million reasons to say thank you to Marty.”

John Travolta—Two massage therapists in 2012 filed a $2 million lawsuit against Travolta claiming he separately propositioned them and inappropriately touched them. Singer successfully argued that Travolta was in Manhattan at the time, and couldn’t have assaulted the masseuses in Beverly Hills. A defamation suit against both Singer and Travolta followed, and that, too, was dismissed.

Jim Carrey—After a lawsuit accused comedian Jim Carrey of providing illegal drugs to his late girlfriend Cathriona White, Singer spoke up to say the lawsuit was “completely meritless” and “in pursuit of a payday.” White’s mother and estranged husband filed the wrongful death case, which was dismissed in 2018.

Zooey Deschanel—New Girl star Zooey Deschanel was represented by Singer in 2015 when her ex-managers sued her for allegedly not paying them commission on her Fox sitcom or for the sale of her Hello Giggles website. The case was settled in 2018.

Ricky Martin—Singer represented Ricky Martin last year in a short-lived lawsuit claiming he engaged in a sexual relationship with his nephew. The 21-year-old alleged the incestuous relationship ended with harassment and psychological abuse by Martin before he dropped the charges.

Kim Kardashian—Singer has been on the side of Kim Kardashian several times, including in 2012 when her former PR representative Jonathan Jaxson publicly accused her of staging her wedding to Kris Humphries, which lasted 72 days, for attention. Singer and Kardashian were linked again in 2022 when, on the Hulu premiere of The Kardashians, she called the attorney to discuss an ad found by her son Saint on Roblox, which promised “unreleased footage” of the star’s 20-year-old sex tape.

Jonah Hill—Zoey 101 alum Alexa Nikolas recently said actor Jonah Hill assaulted her during a party when she was 16 years old and he was 24. Singer last month spoke on Hill’s behalf, telling Deadline the events “never happened” and calling the allegations “a complete fabrication.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger—While he was governor of California, Schwarzenegger hired Singer to represent him in two lawsuits from women who claimed they were smeared by political aides. One was settled and one was dismissed. Singer was also involved in the 2011 claim that Schwarzenegger fathered a child outside of his marriage. Schwarzenegge later said in a Netflix series that he’d confessed his 1996 affair, and resulting son, to his wife.

Bruce Willis—Singer managed to keep an unflattering documentary off the air in 1999 about how Bruce Willis and his then wife, Demi Moore, allegedly poured millions of dollars into local businesses in Hailey, Idaho, while raising their family there before closing them and leaving dozens unemployed.

Kevin Costner—Singer spoke up for Yellowstone star Costner earlier this year amid claims that the show would end because its main actor refused to work more than one week in the second half of filming. Puck News reported Singer called the claims “ridiculous.”

René Angélil—Celine Dion’s husband was in 2002 accused of raping a woman in her Las Vegas hotel room and threatening to kill her “if my wife finds out about this.” Singer called the claims “ridiculous” at the time and they were dismissed in 2003. Dion and Angélil were married from 1994 until his death in 2016.

Tristan Thompson—When NBA star Tristan Thompson was accused of sleeping with an Instagram model while he was dating Khloé Kardashian in 2021, Singer sent a cease-and-desist letter and then went after the accuser in a statement obtained by Page Six. That same year, he won Thompson a default judgment in his libel case against a woman who claimed he’d fathered a child with her.

Contra

Singer has had a few noteworthy losses. Vanity Fair reported the attorney failed to squash a National Enquirer exposé about Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman’s use of the N-word in 2007. Chapman refused to lay low as advisors requested, CNN reported at the time, and during a 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight said he “thought I had a pass in the Black tribe to use it kind of like Eminem.” He also failed to keep photos of Priscilla Presley’s botched plastic surgery out of the press, per Vanity Fair.

Further Reading

Lizzo Denies ‘False’ Sexual Harassment Allegations As ‘Sensationalized Stories’ (Forbes)

Lizzo Backup Dancer Lawsuit Isn’t A First—Here Are Other Musicians Who’ve Been Sued By Their Employees (Forbes)

Lizzo Sued By Former Dancers For Sexual Harassment And Hostile Workplace (Forbes)