Judge narrows Anna Netrebko lawsuit against Met Opera to gender discrimination

NEW YORK (AP) — Anna Netrebko's lawsuit against the Metropolitan Opera was narrowed to gender discrimination claims by a federal judge, who agreed to dismiss the star soprano's allegations of defamation, breach of contract and discrimination because of national origin.

U.S. District Judge Analisa Nadine Torres in Manhattan issued a 23-page decision Thursday in the suit, filed by Netrebko on Aug. 4 last year.

The Met dropped the Russian soprano from future engagements shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Met General Manager Peter Gelb had demanded she repudiate Russia President President Vladimir Putin.

“It is normal for a court to narrow the issues during litigation, but this court recognizes that the facts as alleged show that the Met wronged Anna Netrebko and that there is still an important case before it,” Netrebko’s manager, Miguel Esteban, said in a statement. “Anna Netrebko remains fully committed to pursuing this complaint, to vindicating her rights, to restoring her reputation and to demonstrating that the Metropolitan Opera and Peter Gelb treated her unlawfully.”

The case has not yet been scheduled for trial.

“We’re pleased to see that three of the four claims were dismissed completely and strongly believe that the fourth claim will also prove to be without merit should it go to trial,” the Met said in a statement.

The American Guild of Musical Artists filed a grievance on Netrebko’s behalf and arbitrator Howard C. Edelman ruled in February 2023 that the Met violated the union’s collective bargaining agreement when it canceled deals with Netrebko for three productions. Edelman awarded compensation the union calculated at $209,103.48.

Netrebko's lawsuit alleged breach of additional agreements for 40 performances. Torres ruled against the singer, stating those engagements were never finalized into contracts.

In agreeing to dismiss the defamation claim, Torres wrote “Netrebko fails to allege any facts demonstrating that her statements disassociating herself from Putin’s war against Ukraine altered the Met’s subjective belief that she supported the Russian leader.” The judge also wrote the Met's firing “does not sufficiently implicate her national origin to permit an inference of discrimination.”

On the gender discrimination, Torres allowed Netrebko to proceed with claims under the New York State Human Rights Law and New York City Human Rights Law that male counterparts she alleges had connections to Putin and the Russian government were treated more favorably by the Met. She cited bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin and baritones Igor Golovatenko and Alexey Markov, who have continued to sing at the Met.

Torres wrote the claims were plausible and denied the Met's motion to dismiss.