Renowned conductor and pianist James Levine is fighting back after the Metropolitan Opera fired him for several cases of sexual abuse and harassment.
The 74-year-old filed a lawsuit against the company for breach of contract and defamation on Thursday, March 15, three days after he was removed from his post following an investigation over the complaints made against him last fall.
James Levine Fires Back
According to the lawsuit filed in the New York State Supreme Court, Levine's dismissal was caused by Peter Gleb's grand plan to remove him from the Met and to erase his decades-long legacy within the company.
Gleb serves as the Met's general manager.
The conductor also cited the fact that the Met's investigation was only a response to reports of his alleged misconduct, which appeared on The New York Times and The New York Post. Levine was suspended back in December as the company's music director emeritus following the scandal.
In addition, he said that his contract with the Met had no provision to fire or suspend him.
"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 claims.
Levine is seeking more than $5.8 million in damages. He revealed in the lawsuit that, as the musical director emeritus, the 74-year-old receives an annual salary of $400,000 and $27,000 payment for each performance.
He is represented by Elkan Abramowitz, who also worked with several other high-profile personalities such as Harvey Weinstein and Woodly Allen, and Edward J.M. Little.
The Met Responds To James Levine's Defamation Suit
The Met has issued a statement as a response to the defamation suit, denying the allegations made against the company and Gleb. Bettina B. Plevan, the lawyer representing the Met, insisted in a statement that Levine's dismissal was the result of an in-depth investigation that found evidence of the sexual abuse accusations made by four former students and aspiring conductors.
"It is shocking that Mr. Levine has refused to accept responsibility for his actions, and has today instead decided to lash out at the Met with a suit riddled with untruths," added Plevan.
Levine has not been charged with any crime but prosecutors in Illinois launched a probe into the sexual abuse claim back in December. They concluded that no charges can be made because the age of consent at the time was 16.
The disgraced artist has denied all sexual abuse accusations made against him.
