The Recording Academy has fired, Deborah Dugan, its embattled president and CEO, following weeks of internal turmoil between the organisation that runs the Grammy Awards. The academy was hit with reports of discrimination, namely from Dugan. She was first removed from her position in January, when the academy placed her on administrative leave, five months after she joined the organisation and 10 days before the awards ceremony.
According to the New York Times, the academy on Monday announced her removal in a letter from its executive committee, sent to the organisation's members. "We placed our trust in her and believed she would effectively lead the organization. Unfortunately, that is not what happened," the committee wrote in the letter.
The academy in January said the decision to remove Dugan from her position came after a "formal allegation of misconduct" against her.
But in a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Dugan said she was wrongfully fired for speaking up against misconduct within the organisation, including sexual harassment, corrupt voting procedures and conflicts of interest among board members. She had also alleged she was harassed by Joel Katz, a powerful industry lawyer with deep ties to the academy. He has denied the claims.
Responding to her firing, Dugan said while she is "disappointed" by the turn of events, she is not surprised given the academy's reputation of dealing with whistleblowers.
"I was recruited and hired by the Recording Academy to make positive change; unfortunately, I was not able to do that as its CEO. While I am disappointed by this latest development, I am not surprised given the Academy's pattern of dealing with whistleblowers. Is anyone surprised that its purported investigations did not include interviewing me or addressing the greater claims of conflicts of interest and voting irregularities?" she said.
"So, instead of trying to reform the corrupt institution from within, I will continue to work to hold accountable those who continue to self-deal, taint the Grammy voting process and discriminate against women and people of color. Artists deserve better. To me, this is the real meaning of 'stepping up'," Dugan added.
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