LA Opera Concludes Plácido Domingo Investigation
By Francisco SalazarThe LA Opera investigation has concluded, deeming the allegations of sexual misconduct against Plácido Domingo credible.
In a statement released by the LA Opera, the investigators found that Domingo engaged in “inappropriate conduct” with women between 1986 and 2019.
The statement read, “The level of discomfort reported by the women varied, ranging from some women stating they were not uncomfortable to others who described significant trauma.” The summary did not provide any specifics.
The summary of the investigation also noted that Domingo cooperated and sat for an interview with the investigators in which he “denied all allegations of unwanted contact and maintained that all his interactions were consensual.”
The report added that it “often found him to be sincere in his denials but found some of them to be less credible or lacking in awareness.”
The investigation, which was led by Debra Wong Yang, also “found no evidence that Mr. Domingo ever engaged in a quid pro quo or retaliated against any woman by not casting or otherwise hiring her at L.A. Opera, especially since casting and other hiring decisions are complex, performance-specific and determined by multiple people.”
The investigation, which was launched last year after the AP reported that Domingo had sexually harassed a number of women, in total interviewed 44 people, including some who reported misconduct as well as executives and board members.
The investigation also invited accusers who spoke with the AP during their reporting.
CEO of the LA Opera, Christopher Koelsch issued an apology to the LA Opera stating, “On a personal level, I am troubled, and regret, that individuals engaged with the company may have felt disempowered, vulnerable or unheeded in any way. We have learned through this process that there is a widespread, industrywide hesitancy to report harassment, and it is critical to our future that we work to build trust and transparency with one another.”
Here is a link to the full report.
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