Neil Portnow, the former CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences that oversees the Grammy Awards, on Tuesday was accused of raping an unnamed female artiste.
On Tuesday, recently ousted Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Therein, she claimed that Portnow “allegedly raped a female recording artiste; which was, upon information and belief, the real reason the Academy did not renew his contract.”
The complaint claims the Academy board was aware of the incident.
Last week, Deborah Dugan alleged she was forced out of the CEO job. This came after lodging a complaint in December about sexual harassment; voting irregularities with the Grammy Awards, self-dealing, and conflicts of interest.
The filing
“In short, there are accusations of Ms. Dugan acting in a hostile manner towards an Executive Assistant. Again, the Board was ready to hire Mr. Portnow as a consultant and pay him $750,000; even after his rape accusation, misogynistic comments, and disgraceful resignation.”
Dugan became the Academy’s first female chief executive in May replacing Portnow, whose 17-year tenure ended soon after he suggested following the 2018 Grammys that female artists should “step up” in response to a lack of awards representation.
The Recording Academy responded to Dugan’s filing in a statement. She asserted that she “never raised these grave allegations” until after she faced accusations of bullying from a female employee. They also claimed that Dugan “demanded” $22 million to step down from her position.
“Our loyalty will always be to the 21,000 members of the recording industry,” the Academy wrote.
“We regret that Ms. Dugan’s actions are stealing Music’s Biggest Night from them and we are working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.”
The shocking allegation by Dugan comes five days before the 62nd edition of the Grammy’s. The Grammy Awards will take place at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday 26 January.
