Word: This text incorporates references to sexual assault that some readers could discover disturbing.
Neil Portnow, the previous chairman and chief govt of the Recording Academy, has been accused in a brand new lawsuit of sexually assaulting a feminine musician in a New York lodge room in June 2018, The New York Instances experiences.
The lawsuit, obtained by Pitchfork, additionally names the Recording Academy as a defendant, and the plaintiff, recognized as JAA Doe, says that the group “knew or ought to have identified of Defendant Portnow’s sexually assaultive habits in the direction of girls,” and that the academy “aided and abetted Portnow’s conduct to guard their reputations and silence Plaintiff’s and different girls within the music trade who’ve stood up and spoken up.” The plaintiff claims to have suffered extreme emotional, bodily and psychological misery, together with disgrace, guilt, financial lack of incomes capability, and emotional loss.
“We proceed to consider the claims to be with out benefit and intend to vigorously defend the Academy on this lawsuit,” an announcement from the Recording Academy reads. Pitchfork has reached out to Doe’s attorneys for remark.
The swimsuit was filed pursuant to the Grownup Survivors Act, laws handed final yr that created a one-year window for survivors of sexual assault that occurred after they have been over the age of 18 to sue their abusers, no matter when the abuse occurred. The window closes on November 24. The statute of limitations in New York was raised to twenty years in 2019, however didn’t apply retroactively. The statute was beforehand restricted to 5 years.
The unnamed lady is described within the swimsuit as an instrumentalist from outdoors the US and was and nonetheless is a resident of New York. After debuting at Carnegie Corridor in 2015, they have been invited to change into a voting member of the Recording Academy. Within the grievance, the plaintiff describes how she met Portnow on the Paley Heart for Media in New York Metropolis in January 2018, the place he spoke on a panel at an occasion for the sixtieth Annual Grammy Awards. Later that yr, the plaintiff mentioned she requested to interview Portnow for her journal and he invited her to fulfill him at his lodge to conduct the interview.
In line with the grievance, Portnow supplied the plaintiff wine on the lodge, which she drank, however he didn’t. After consuming the wine, the plaintiff mentioned she started to really feel woozy and had bother focusing her eyes. She claims she tried to depart the room however was unable to stroll or management her physique, and Portnow advised her there have been no taxis out there to take her residence. She says after Portnow tried to kiss and therapeutic massage her physique, she misplaced consciousness as he was putting his palms round her waist. The plaintiff says she regained consciousness a number of instances all through the night time, and every time Portnow was sexually assaulting her. She says that all through the assault, Portnow assured her it was okay, saying, “you’re the boss.” In line with the lawsuit, after Portnow left the lodge room for a gathering the following morning, she gathered her belongings and left the room.
The grievance particulars how Portnow ignored makes an attempt by the plaintiff to contact him after the alleged assault. The plaintiff additionally emailed officers on the Recording Academy, claiming Portnow had sexually harassed her. The Instances reported that her attorneys detailed the account in full to Academy officers, and that after submitting a police report naming Portnow, the district lawyer’s workplace declined to prosecute.
After his controversial feedback in 2018 imploring girls to “step up” to beat inequalities within the music trade, Portnow was ousted from his put up as chairman. In 2020, Portnow’s successor Deborah Dugan accused the Academy of masking up the alleged assault—and claimed she was fired in retaliation—however the alleged sufferer had not come ahead till now.
When you or somebody you recognize has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to succeed in out for help:
RAINN Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Disaster Textual content Line
SMS: Textual content “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741
