Greenberg's Joel Katz Is Accused of Sexual Harassment by Ousted Grammys Chief
Hollywood website quotes Katz's lawyer saying, "Mr. Katz categorically and emphatically denies" woman's claims.
January 21, 2020 at 09:17 PM
5 minute read
The original version of this story was published on The Recorder
Joel Katz, the founding chairman of Greenberg Traurig's global entertainment and media practice and the founding shareholder of the firm's Atlanta office, is at the center of sexual harassment allegations that rocked Hollywood on Tuesday afternoon.
Deborah Dugan, the recently suspended president and CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Tuesday based in part on allegations that she was put on leave from her position last week after complaining that Katz had sexually harassed her in the run-up to her taking the position.
In the EEOC filing drafted by Dugan's lawyers at Wigdor, she claims Katz, the former chair of the Academy's board who serves as the organization's outside general counsel, repeatedly called her "baby" and commented on her appearance during a May 2019 business dinner.
Dugan's lawyers wrote that Katz suggested that the two of them "spend time together" and travel to one of his "many homes." The court papers claim that although Dugan made it clear she wasn't interested in Katz's advances, he attempted to lean in and kiss her at the conclusion of the meal.
"Despite the fact that Ms. Dugan rejected all of Mr. Katz's advances, he continued to act inappropriately towards her," the Wigdor lawyers wrote. "Indeed, in every one-on-one conversation Ms. Dugan had with Mr. Katz following the May 18, 2019, dinner, he told her that she was pretty and referred to her as 'baby.'"
The Hollywood website The Wrap reported that it obtained a response from Katz's attorney, Howard Weitzman: "Ms. Dugan's allegations of harassment and her description of a dinner at the steakhouse in the Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel are false, and Mr. Katz categorically and emphatically denies her version of that evening."
"This dinner meeting was 2½ months before Ms. Dugan started her job," Weitzman continued, according to The Wrap. "Mr. Katz believed they had a productive and professional meeting in a restaurant where a number of members of the Board of Trustees of the Academy, and others, were dining."
Dugan's lawyers claim that she was placed on leave by the organization Jan. 16 after she complained to the human resources department about Katz and the alleged "boys' club" approach to governance at the Academy. The EEOC complaint asserts that her predecessor, Neil Portnow, "allegedly raped a female recording artist," who is not named. Portnow had not publicly responded to the filing by late Tuesday.
According to the filing, Katz is paid a $250,000 annual retainer, plus travel and expenses that do not require prior approval, on top of fees charged by the firm on a "transactional basis." Dugan claims that the firm has billed the organization's board more than $15 million in just a few years' time.
Katz's email generated an automatic response Tuesday evening saying that he was out of the office with an illness and would not be checking messages or responding until he is well. Katz's bio on the firm's website says that as the Recording Academy's GC, he "worked with the officers and the management team in establishing the task force designed to improve 'female advancement' and assisted in commencing the search for a new CEO and president to succeed Neil Portnow, after the expiration of his term." Dugan replaced Portnow last year.
In an email statement provided by a Greenberg Traurig spokesperson, Richard Rosenbaum, executive chairman of the firm, called Katz "legendary in the music industry" and said he helped the Academy "achieve previously unprecedented business results."
"The personal allegations recently made were not previously known to us and, if true, would of course offend our culture and values." Rosenbaum said. "But our values also require a full and fair investigation before conclusions are reached. We understand this investigation is being conducted by the Academy and await the results."
The Academy said in a statement that it had "immediately launched independent investigations to review both Ms. Dugan's potential misconduct and her subsequent allegations. Both of these investigations remain ongoing."
Dugan, according to the statement, was placed on administrative leave after offering to step down and demanding $22 million from the Academy, which is a not-for-profit organization. "Our loyalty will always be to the 21,000 members of the Recording Academy. We regret that music's biggest night is being stolen from them by Ms. Dugan's actions, and we are working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible," the organization said.
Katz got into the music business in 1971 when he negotiated a contract for James Brown, leading to a client list that has included B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Gregg Allman, Kix Brooks, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Ronnie Dunn, Jamie Foxx, Sammy Hagar, Steve Harvey, Faith Hill, the estate of Whitney Houston, Julio Iglesias, Alan Jackson, Kris Kristofferson, Little Big Town, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, George Strait, James Taylor, Justin Timberlake and others.
The Daily Report in 2019 recognized Katz with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Read the EEOC filing:
|This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All'It Refreshes Me': King & Spalding Privacy Leader Doubles as Equestrian Champ
5 minute readFederal Judge Rejects Teams' Challenge to NASCAR's 'Anticompetitive Terms' in Agreement
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250