Storm on the Grammy awards, CEO Deborah Dugan suspended after reporting harassment and irregularities

2020-01-22T06:16:07.848Z

Deborah Dugan, CEO of the company that organizes the Grammy Awards, filed a complaint against the company, which accuses her of suspending her in retaliation after she had expressed concerns about sexual harassment, irregularities in votes and embezzlement within the institution. A full 44 pages of memoirs presented to the Equal Opportunities Commission in Los Angeles a few days after the awards ceremony, next Sunday. The CEO of the Recording Academy, which brings together professionals from the music industry, says, in particular, that she was the victim of sexual harassment by Joel Katz, one of the organization's lawyers, as reported to the human resources department on December 22. Katz "categorically denied" the allegations. Dugan also denounced "flagrant conflicts of interest" and controversial financial transactions. Storture, according to him, attributable to the "club for men only" mentality which, he says, prevails at the Recording Academy. Among the incidents cited, the pressure he would have received to hire his predecessor, Neil Portnow, as a consultant, on whom allegations of harassment were circulating. The first woman to head the Academy, Dugan was placed on "administrative leave" following allegations of "bad behavior". The Recording Academy, interviewed by the AFP, denied all the accusations, regretting the possible discredit within days of the Grammy Awards ceremony. "It is strange that Ms. Dugan never raised these serious accusations before those brought against her by an employee," writes the Academy. Employee stating "that Ms. Dugan had created a toxic and intolerable work environment and adopted offensive and harassing behavior." An independent investigation has been opened into the matter.