James Levine
It has been announced that conductor James Levine sues the Metropolitan Opera after a sexual misconduct investigation which ended by his dismissal. According to the Associated Press, Levine’s suit was filed in a Manhattan state court and says: “It was only upon learning that the allegations would be published in the press that the Met and Gelb, cynically hijacking the good will of the #MeToo movement, brazenly seized on these allegations as a pretext to end a longstanding personal campaign to force Levine out of the Met and cease fulfilling its legally enforceable financial commitments to him.” The suit accuses the Met and Gelb of defamation and breach of contract. It seeks at least $5.8 million in damages — and « to restore Levine’s name, reputation and career. »
The famed conductor was fired on Monday after the institution’s investigation concluded that there was “credible evidence that Mr. Levine engaged in sexually abusive and harassing conduct toward vulnerable artists in the early stages of their careers, over whom Mr. Levine had authority.”
