Suit accuses Cher of racism, covering up sex assault

If only she could turn back time.

Cher, the actress and singer known for her elaborate, eyebrow-raising costumes, is being sued by three of her backup dancers, who accuse her of firing them for racist reasons. They also allege that Cher covered up the sexual assault of a female fan by a male dancer while they were on tour with her, and that when they reported the incident to tour management, they were “abruptly fired,” but told it was due to budget cuts.

Backup dancers Jacquelyn Dowsett Ballinger and Suzanne Easter and choreographer Kevin Wilson, who used to work for the 68-year-old performer on her “Dressed to Kill” tour, filed a complaint at the Superior Court of Los Angeles on Wednesday against Cher [PDF] and her production company.

Quoting Wikipedia, the trio say that Cher is “recognized for having brought the sense of female autonomy and self-actualization into the entertainment industry,” according to court documents.

“That was then, this is now,” the lawsuit snips.

They accuse Cher of proclaiming that her tour “had too much color” when reviewing audition tapes of dancers and “prohibited her choreographer from casting any dark skinned blacks.”

Wilson and Easter are both dark-skinned African-Americans, according to the court documents.

“This pattern of racism and discrimination continued to permeate the tour when Wilson was prohibited by Cher and tour management from casting any dark skinned African Americans who auditioned, even if they danced better than their white counterparts,” the lawsuit alleges.

When Wilson was impressed by the moves of a minority female dancer, Cher allegedly made the “too much color” comment and a blond-haired, blue-eyed dancer was hired instead, according to court documents.

The plaintiffs also allege that another backup dancer on the tour tried to pressure a female fan into having sex with him, and became angry when she wouldn’t. When Easter heard about the incident, she reported it to tour managers, who reportedly told Easter and Wilson “not to tell anyone what had transpired,” and they “were informed that management would ‘take care of the situation.’”

When the tour returned from a weeklong break and the accused assailant was still employed as a backup dancer, the plaintiffs said they were again assured that “management would deal with the situation.”

One month later, the three plaintiffs say they were fired from the tour, “whilst the alleged sexual assailant remained gainfully employed.”

The court documents say Cher’s “Dressed to Kill” tour has grossed a reported $54.9 million so far, which the plaintiffs say negates the tour’s cost-cutting explanation for their dismissal.

A Cher rep told the website TMZ that “these are ridiculous allegations,” and her lawyer said that, in reference to the “too much color” comment, “to attribute such a statement to Cher is absurd.”

Cher has typically championed liberal causes and female empowerment on social media. In 2012, she railed against the possibility of Mitt Romney becoming President of the United States, tweeting that if he won the election, “I don’t know if i can breathe the same air as Him and His Right Wing Racist Homophobic Women Hating Tea Bagger Masters.”

But, as Cher herself sings, “Words are like weapons.” And when those words are allegedly accompanied by actions, lawsuits can follow.