NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Former Grammy boss Neil Portnow is facing accusations that he allegedly raped and drugged a musician in a hotel room in New York in 2018.
According to the New York Times, the allegations are part of a lawsuit filed in New York that accuses Portnow of sexual battery and accuses the Recording Academy of negligence.
The suit, which does not name the plaintiff, describes her as an instrumentalist from outside the U.S., who once performed at Carnegie Hall.
In the suit, the plaintiff alleges that she met Portnow at a Recording Academy event in New York in 2018 and arranged to interview him for a publication she had started. For the interview, which the defendant claims took place six months later, she says Portnow invited her to his hotel, where she alleges that he drugged her wine and then sexually assaulted her while she was in a drugged stupor, including alleged forcible penetration according to the New York Times.
After the incident, the alleged victim claims she attempted to unsuccessfully contact Mr. Portnow on several occasions and subsequently contacted officials at the Recording Academy, claiming that she had been sexually harassed by Portnow.
In a statement provided to the New York Times, a representative for Mr. Portnow said that the allegations against him were “the product of the plaintiff’s imagination and undoubtedly motivated by Mr. Portnow’s refusal to comply with the plaintiff’s outrageous demands for money and assistance in obtaining a residence visa for her.”
The statement went on to claim that Mr. Portnow contacted the Academy’s HR department after learning about his alleged victim’s claims.
“[Mr. Portnow] immediately enlisted the Academy’s HR Department to review the nonsensical text messages and emails that he made immediately available. An outside independent investigation, led by top-tier lawyers, reviewed all relevant texts, emails, interviewed witnesses, and found absolutely no proof to support any of the allegations,” the rep told the newspaper.
In a statement provided to CelebrityAccess, a rep for the Recording Academy said: “We continue to believe the claims to be without merit and intend to vigorously defend the Academy in this lawsuit.”
