#Recording Academy Settles With Deborah Dugan in Firing Dispute

The Recording Academy has reached an agreement with former president and CEO Deborah Dugan over her departure, according to The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter. Earlier this month, the Recording Academy had said that the matter would be discussed on July 12 in an arbitration hearing closed to the public, despite calls to keep the proceedings open. In a statement viewed by THR and The Times, both parties wrote: “The Recording Academy and Deborah Dugan have agreed to resolve their differences and to keep the terms of their agreement private.”

Dugan took over from Portnow back in 2019, before being placed on administrative leave for unspecified “misconduct” in January 2020. The news sparked a controversy within the industry days before that year’s Grammys. In a complaint submitted to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Dugan accused the Recording Academy’s general counsel Joel Katz of sexually harassing her and alleged corruption in the Grammys voting process. (Katz and Portnow denied the respective allegations.) The Recording Academy officially announced her firing that March.

Revisit “The Explosive Grammys 2020 CEO Scandal, Explained” on the Pitch.