Neil Portnow.
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Neil Portnow, the former Grammys CEO who left amid controversy in 2019, has been sued by a musician accusing him of sexual battery. An unnamed female instrumentalist alleged that Portnow drugged and raped her in June 2018, according to the New York Times. Portnow had announced plans to leave his Recording Academy position that May, after his much-criticized comment that women in music need to “step up,” but was still acting as CEO at the time. The plaintiff is additionally accusing the Recording Academy of negligence, claiming the nonprofit “aided and abetted Portnow’s conduct to protect their reputations.”
A representative for Portnow denied the allegations, telling Vulture they are “completely false” and “the product of the plaintiff’s imagination.” The Recording Academy will “continue to believe the claims to be without merit and intend to vigorously defend the Academy in this lawsuit.” Vulture has reached out to lawyers for the plaintiff.
The woman claimed she met Portnow before the 2018 Grammys in New York and stayed in touch with him until that June when he was visiting the city and invited her to his hotel. She said she “began to feel woozy” after drinking a glass of wine he had offered her at the hotel and asked to leave, but Portnow did not let her. She allegedly lost consciousness and woke up to Portnow assaulting her. She later told the Recording Academy about the incident and claimed the organization did not interview her. A representative for Portnow said Academy HR thoroughly investigated her claim and “found absolutely no proof to support any of the allegations.” She also went to police, but the district attorney’s office reportedly declined to prosecute the case without explanation.
The rape claim first came to light in 2020, in a complaint from Portnow’s successor, Deborah Dugan, publicized after she was placed on leave that January. She was later fired in March. Portnow also denied the rape allegation at the time. “This is not just about Neil Portnow and not just about the Recording Academy, but about the culture in the music and entertainment industry and its doublespeak about rape and abuse,” the plantiff’s lawyer told the Times.