Recording Academy Ex-Chief Neil Portnow Accused Of 2018 Rape
deadline.comFormer Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow is being sued by a musician who claims he raped her five years ago. A civil complaint filed today In Manhattan says Portnow drugged and sexually assaulted the woman in a New York City hotel room in summer 2018 — an allegation that first came to light more than three years.
The suit filed in New York State Supreme Court describes the plaintiff as a foreign professional instrumentalist — who is not identified in the court filing — and also alleges that the organization behind the Grammy Awards worked to “silence” her.
The lawsuit comes two days before nominations for the 66th annual Grammy Awards will be revealed. Portnow exited the Recording Academy in 2019, more than a year after he announced that he would leave his president/CEO post in the wake of a #GrammySoMale backlash over the previous year’s male-dominated winners list.
The 17-year Academy veteran was replaced by Deborah Dugan, the first woman to lead the Academy. But she was removed only months later, early March 2020, not long after being placed on administrative leave.
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