FIRING BACK

Met Opera Sues Conductor James Levine, Detailing Sexual Harassment

This follows a suit from Levine against the Met Opera after he was fired.

The Metropolitan Opera has sued former conductor James Levine, claiming in court papers that were filed on Friday that Levine negatively impacted the company. It also detailed additional accusations of sexual harassment that led to his firing, The New York Times reported. Levine had previously sued the company for breach of contract and defamation. The Met claims that they have evidence that Levine “used his reputation and position of power to prey upon and abuse artists," and said the alleged sexual misconduct occurred from the 1970s through 1999. In one instance, the suit claims that Levine "made sexual remarks or inappropriately touched" a young male artist over a period of 12 years. "The lawsuit also describes inappropriate conversations that Mr. Levine initiated with another artist in 1989 about masturbation, pornography and penis size," The New York Times reported.