The suspended president of Recording Academy Deborah Dugan accuses Grammys officials of covering up allegations that Neil Portnow raped a foreign recording artist.

• Jan 23, 2020

AceShowbiz - Suspended Recording Academy chief executive and president Deborah Dugan has filed a legal complaint accusing its officials of sexual misconduct and voting corruption.

Dugan, the first female head of the organisation that runs the Grammy awards, was suspended last week after a misconduct allegation, but has now countered with her own 44-page legal filing submitted to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Tuesday - just five days before Sunday's 2020 awards ceremony.

According to America's National Public Radio (NPR), the ousted Recording Academy chief's complaint alleges her organisation's legal counsel Joel Katz sexually harassed her at a business dinner in 2019. It also includes the serious allegation that her predecessor Neil Portnow, who was chief executive from 2002 to 2019, raped an unnamed female recording artist - an accusation she claims officials knew about and was the "real reason" he left his post.

The filing written by her legal team states that after she was hired to replace Portnow she was "hauled into a conference room and told - for the very first time - that a foreign recording artist (and member of the Academy) had accused Mr Portnow of raping her following a performance that she gave at Carnegie Hall."

Dugan claims the allegation was presented as if it had just come to light, when in fact executives at the organisation knew before hiring her. She also claims she was pressured by the then chairman John Poppo to rehire Portnow as a consultant after his departure.

Portnow, who was heavily criticised after saying that female creatives needed to "step up" after few were nominated in top categories at the 2018 ceremony, has not yet responded to the rape allegation.

The entertainment executive also accused officials of manipulating the nominations process to favour acts they wanted to perform, or who were on committees.

In a statement, Recording Academy officials dismissed her claims but promised to launch an independent investigation into the matter and a female employee's allegation Dugan engaged in "abusive and bullying conduct."

Dugan's filing also called Academy officials' allegation that she asked for $22 million to resign "flat out false."

EEOC investigators will now determine whether Dugan's suspension discriminates against her due to her allegations.