2020 Grammys In Turmoil After Ex-CEO Spills On Alleged Vote Rigging & Sexual Misconduct

A bruising legal battle has engulfed the Grammy Awards just days before the 2020 show, with the former chief of the Recording Academy doubling down on claims of sexual harassment and systemic vote rigging at the industry body.

Deborah Dugan, who was recently placed on administrative leave after just five months as CEO of the Recording Academy, has appeared on a suite of US news programs to defend herself against counter-claims from the organisation.

“The Grammys really is on life support right now,” Dugan’s attorney Douglas Wigdor said on Good Morning America.

“I mean, the statements that they’re giving about Ms. Dugan creating a toxic work environment, getting the executive board members to make statements – they are in panic mode right now.”

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In short, the situation looks like this: Dugan was placed on leave after a former assistant, who once worked for Dugan’s predecessor Neil Portnow, accused her of workplace bullying.

In return, Dugan filed a lawsuit against the Recording Academy with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Tuesday, which not only denies the allegations of bullying but actively accused the organisation of shady practices.

Among those bombshell claims: an allegation that Portnow had been accused by rape by a female artist, a claim which Portnow has stringently denied; claims that Dugan was sexually harassed by a powerful music industry lawyer with ties to the Recording Academy; and the charge that Grammys voting is effectively rigged.

According to Dugan, Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande missed out on nominations for last year’s Song Of The Year award because the nominating committee boosted a song which came 18 out of 20 in an earlier vote. That unnamed artist, and a sympathetic board member, were also allowed to sit on that voting committee.

The stoush has also reignited criticism of the Grammys for its issues with diversity (remember when Macklemore won Best Rap Album over Kendrick Lamar in 2014, or when Adele bested Beyoncé for Album of the Year in 2017, prompting both winners to apologise?). The New York Times cites members of a diversity task force, who back Dugan’s claims of a privileged boys’ club within the organisation.

In a statement obtained by CNN, a spokesperson for the Recording Academy defended the decision to ditch Dugan. They cited Dugan’s former assistant, who claimed she “created a ‘toxic and intolerable’ work environment and engaged in ‘abusive and bullying conduct.’”

Dugan’s overarching claim is that she was pushed from the organisation for trying to implement large cultural changes, in addition to business decisions like bringing expensive lawyers in-house.

“I actually wanted to make change from within,” Dugan said on Good Morning America.

“I believe in what the recording academy should stand for for artists. And I was trying at each step to take a deep breath and say ‘OK, I can make a difference. I can fix this. I can work with this team.’”

The 62nd Grammy Awards go down in Los Angeles on January 26, and we’ll bring you the news as it happens on Monday.

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