AGMA OPENS INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PLÁCIDO DOMINGO
https://www.musicalartists.org/agma-opens-independent-investigation-into-allegations-against-placido-domingo/
AGMA has retained J. Bruce Maffeo of Cozen O’Connor to conduct the Union's investigation into the multiple allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination against Plácido Domingo.
Today the American Guild of Musical Artists (“AGMA”) opened its own independent investigation into the multiple allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination against Plácido Domingo. AGMA has retained J. Bruce Maffeo of Cozen O’Connor, a former federal prosecutor, to conduct the Union’s internal investigation. Mr. Maffeo has extensive experience conducting similar investigations on behalf of labor unions.
This week the Associated Press published new disturbing allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Mr. Domingo. In the wake of the initial allegations against Mr. Domingo, first published on August 13, AGMA demanded that its signatory companies that employed Domingo launch full investigations into the allegations against him. Since that time, however, the companies that have begun their own investigations have been unwilling or unable to provide AGMA with sufficient assurances about the scope and timing of their investigations, as well as whether or not the findings will be publicly disclosed or otherwise made available to the Union.
“Given the uncertainty surrounding the investigations of our signatory companies, AGMA’s internal investigation will not be limited to conduct that occurred at a specific company or at a particular time,” said AGMA National Executive Director Len Egert. “Our investigation will also examine the systemic failures within the industry that could have allowed this conduct, if substantiated, to continue unchallenged for decades. In light of the seriousness of the allegations, and the number of AGMA members who may have been affected, we believe this investigation is necessary at this time.”
“The health and safety of AGMA Artists is of paramount importance to the Union,” said AGMA President Raymond Menard. “Every AGMA Artist has an absolute right to go to work without fear of sexual harassment, discrimination, or assault. As a labor union, it’s our job to make sure that our employers keep our members safe at work.”
AGMA encourages any members who may have information relevant to this investigation to contact AGMA Eastern Counsel Wendy LaManque at wlamanque@musicalartists.org, to be put in touch with Mr. Maffeo’s office.
All press inquiries should be directed to pragma@musicalartists.org.
LA Opera opening a ‘thorough’ investigation into Placido Domingo allegations immediately
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/la-opera-opening-a-thorough-investigation-into-placido-domingo-allegations-immediately
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Los Angeles Opera said Tuesday it will immediately open a ‘thorough and independent investigation’ into allegations of sexual harassment against the opera star Placido Domingo, the company’s general director.
In a brief statement Tuesday, the opera company said it has hired Debra Wong Yang from the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to lead the investigation.
Yang is a former U.S. attorney and Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who is chair of her firm’s Crisis Management Practice Group, according to the firm’s website. She has been involved in several high-profile cases and was hired by USC in 2017 to investigate the conduct of a former medical school dean.
The investigation into Domingo’s behavior follows an Associated Press report last week detailing multiple accusations against the 78-year-old opera star.
Three of the nine women who accused the singer of harassment and abuse of power said the encounters took place while they worked with Domingo at the LA organization. The nine women and dozens of others interviewed said Domingo’s behavior was an open secret in the industry and that he pursued younger women with impunity. Domingo did not respond to detailed questions from the AP about specific incidents, but issued a statement saying he believed all the encounters to be consensual and calling the allegations “deeply troubling, and as presented, inaccurate.”
Yang, a former U.S. attorney and a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, is an experienced investigator who was hired by the University of Southern California two years ago to look into the conduct of the school’s former medical school dean, who admitted using methamphetamines, and the university’s response to his behavior. At the time, her independence was questioned because she has taught at the USC law school and defended the university in court.
Yang also was criticized after an internal investigation she participated in cleared former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the “Bridgegate” scandal, in which two of Christie’s former associates were convicted of orchestrating traffic jams near the George Washington Bridge in September 2013, allegedly to punish a mayor who wouldn’t endorse Christie. Christie, who is a personal friend of Yang’s, wasn’t charged.
Left: Opera singer Placido Domingo sits during an event at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, U.S., May 11, 2018. Photo by: Shannon Stapleton/File Photo/Reuters
L.A. Opera employees invited to speak in Plácido Domingo sexual harassment inquiry
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2019-09-17/placido-domingo-sexual-harassment-investigation-letter
Los Angeles Opera’s general manager, Plácido Domingo, is the subject of an independent investigation by Debra Wong Yang of the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher into allegations of sexual harassment.(Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)
Pressure may be mounting for a resolution to the sexual harassment accusations against Plácido Domingo, but a letter sent to Los Angeles Opera employees and contractors Monday indicated that the results of an internal investigation may be a long way off.
“As part of our investigation, we intend to speak with many current and former employees and contractors of the LA Opera,” read the email sent Monday from Debra Wong Yang of the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, which L.A. Opera hired to conduct the investigation. “I want to personally take this opportunity to introduce myself and invite you to speak with us. While we may ultimately contact you directly to request an interview, it is very important to us that anyone who wants to speak to us has the opportunity to do so.”
Yang’s letter also said L.A. Opera would prohibit retaliation against “anyone participating in an investigation in good faith.”
The harassment accusations against Domingo first surfaced in an Associated Press report published Aug. 13. L.A. Opera announced an investigation that same day.
Domingo has called the allegations “as presented, inaccurate.” Many expected the investigation would move forward at an accelerated clip, partly to eliminate distraction as L.A. Opera launches a new season and partly because Domingo is scheduled to sing in “Macbeth” on Sept. 25 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The Met has said that it will wait for the results of Yang’s investigation before deciding on Domingo’s fate there.
The new invitation for L.A. Opera employees to come forward and be interviewed by Yang seems to make a resolution of the case before Sept. 25 unlikely, and it leaves the Met moving forward with controversy attached to its opening week cast. No protesters were present for opening night Saturday in Los Angeles, but it’s possible that the #MeToo movement could turn out in New York.
The letter also answered a lingering question about the scope of Yang’s investigation and indicated she intends to look beyond the 18 anonymous women and two named women in two AP articles.
Yang’s letter landed two days after L.A. Opera opened its 34th season with a punkish production of Puccini’s “La Bohème,” followed by a ball under the stars on the newly renovated Music Center Plaza. The night was notable for what it lacked: any mention of Domingo. The program contained no traditional welcome note from the general manager, there was no sight of Domingo before or after the performance and there was not a single mention of his name during official comments at the ball afterward.
The closest anyone got to mentioning Domingo came when board Chairman Marc Stern, in his opening statement to 325 gala guests, said: “I would be naïve and disingenuous if I didn’t say we were under stress.”
The year’s most important fundraiser for L.A. Opera grossed $1.1 million, the company said, the same sum as last year, with nearly the same number of guests. That, combined with a full house for “La Bohème,” indicated that Domingo’s troubles have yet to severely hurt the company’s bottom line.
LA Opera Names Lawyer to Lead Placido Domingo Investigation
https://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2019-08-20/la-opera-names-lawyer-to-lead-placido-domingo-investigation
Los Angeles Opera says it will immediately open a 'thorough and independent investigation' into allegations of sexual harassment against the opera star Placido Domingo.
BY JOCELYN GECKER, Associated Press
https://www.ap.org/en-gb/