Music fans in Illinois anticipate the Grammy Awards every year, but a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has exposed allegations of sexual harassment within the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The Recording Academy’s suspended president and CEO has accused the man serving as the organization’s general counsel of repeatedly asking her to spend time with him. According to her complaint, she complained to human resources about his unwanted advances and was placed on administrative leave as a result.
The complaint drafted by her lawyer claimed that the harassment began during a business dinner in May 2019 when the general counsel, who at one time had chaired the academy’s board, started calling her “baby.” He also admired her appearance and invited her to travel with him to his “many homes” because they should spend more time together. The woman said that she made her disinterest in accompanying him very clear, but he still tried to kiss her. She further alleges that he persisted in his behavior in every subsequent one-on-one encounter with her despite her repeated rejections.
A statement released by the academy explained that she was put on administrative leave after demanding $22 million and offering to leave her position. Her employer maintains that investigations regarding her allegations and misconduct are ongoing. The man accused by her has not provided a comment about the complaint.
Disciplinary action after filing a complaint about sexual harassment could represent retaliation. A person facing this situation at work could seek more information about employment law by speaking with an attorney. Legal advice might allow a person to discover if misconduct at work breaks the law and go forward with a formal complaint. During this process, an attorney could defend a person’s rights and pursue a settlement.