The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which presents the Grammy Awards, has agreed to settle an EEOC discrimination charge brought by former CEO and president Deborah Dugan who says she was put on leave for complianing about harassment, the parties confirmed Monday.
Dugan levied the charge in January 2020, painting a picture of a “boys’ club” mentality at the academy, where she says she was subjected to sexual harassment by the organization’s general counsel, Joel Katz. Katz, a former shareholder at Greenberg Traurig’s Atlanta office, is also a former board member and board chair of the academy, according to the complaint.
Dugan sent an email to the human resources department complaining about that conduct and other issues, and was purportedly put on administrative leave just three weeks later. The academy said Dugan was placed on leave only after offering to step down and demanding a $22 million payout.
The parties announced June 24 that they had resolved the dispute but kept the details under wraps.
“The Recording Academy and Deborah Dugan have agreed to resolve their differences and to keep the terms of their agreement private,” Dugan and the academy said in a joint statement at the time.
The parties declined to provide any additional comments or details.
Dugan is represented by Wigdor LLP. Counsel information for the academy wasn’t immediately available.
The case is Dugan v. Nat’l Acad. of Recording Arts & Scis., E.E.O.C., 6/24/21.
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