A federal judge has narrowed Russian soprano Anna Netrebko’s lawsuit against the Metropolitan Opera, dismissing her allegations of defamation, breach of contract, and national origin discrimination. However, U.S. District Judge Analisa Nadine Torres in Manhattan allowed Netrebko’s gender discrimination claims to proceed.
Netrebko filed the lawsuit on August 4, 2022, after the Met dropped her from future engagements following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Met General Manager Peter Gelb had asked Netrebko to repudiate Russian President Vladimir Putin, a demand she did not fulfill.
Judge Torres issued a 23-page decision on Thursday, dismissing most of Netrebko’s claims but allowing her to pursue gender discrimination allegations under New York State and City Human Rights Laws. Netrebko claims that male colleagues with alleged connections to Putin were treated more favorably by the Met, citing bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin and baritones Igor Golovatenko and Alexey Markov, who continue to perform at the opera house.
Netrebko’s manager, Miguel Esteban, expressed that despite the dismissal of some claims, the court recognized the Met’s wrongdoing and that the singer remains committed to vindicating her rights and restoring her reputation. The Met, in turn, expressed satisfaction with the dismissal of three of the four claims and confidence that the remaining claim will also be found meritless if it goes to trial.
The case has yet to be scheduled for trial. Meanwhile, the American Guild of Musical Artists had previously filed a grievance on Netrebko’s behalf, leading to an arbitrator’s ruling in February 2023 that awarded her over $209,000 in compensation for canceled productions. However, the judge ruled against Netrebko on her claim of breach of additional agreements for 40 performances, stating that those engagements were never finalized into contracts.
