Former Grammys head Michael Greene accused of sexual assault in lawsuit

Wesley Stenzel
·3 min read
2

Greene is the second ex-Grammys head to be accused of sexual assault this year, following a similar lawsuit against Neil Portnow.

<p>Markus Cuff/Corbis via Getty</p> Michael Greene

Markus Cuff/Corbis via Getty

Michael Greene

Michael Greene, the former head of the Recording Academy, has been accused of sexual assault in a new lawsuit in California.

Terri McIntyre, a former executive director at the Academy, alleged in the lawsuit that Greene subjected her to “pervasive, incessant, and routine sexual harassment and/or sexual assault” during her time at the organization, which oversees the Grammy Awards.

“In light of pending litigation, the Academy declines to comment on these allegations, which occurred nearly 30 years ago. Today’s Recording Academy has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to sexual misconduct and we will remain steadfast in that commitment," the Recording Academy said in a statement provided to EW.

Reps for Greene did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.

“I was drugged, sexually assaulted and subject to constant workplace abuse and harassment by the CEO of the Recording Academy during my two years of employment,” McIntyre said in a statement. “His criminal, disgusting and deviant actions were devastating and soul-crushing. As a young, single mother pursuing what, until then, was a promising career in the music industry, I had nowhere to turn and received no help from the Recording Academy. Instead, the intolerable circumstances I faced on a daily basis forced me to leave my job and any prospect of continuing a career in the music industry. From whom and what I know, I believe many other women were similarly victimized by Mike Greene and, by proxy, the Recording Academy.”

The suit states that Greene repeatedly told McIntyre that she would have to “give some head to get ahead” at the Academy. It also alleges that Greene sexually assaulted McIntyre at an 1994 Academy trustees’ meeting in Hawaii after she drank champagne that made her “feel unwell” and “lose control of her physical movements.”

The suit goes on to detail numerous allegations of groping and sexual assault, and also claims that McIntyre’s career was repeatedly threatened if she did not comply with Greene’s demands. McIntyre ultimately resigned from her position and moved back to her hometown in 1996.

Additionally, the lawsuit states that after an internal investigation in 2001, Greene resigned in 2002.

The Academy itself is also named as a defendant in the suit, as McIntyre claims that the organization intentionally covered up Greene’s actions.

Greene had previously faced other accusations of sexual assault, including one lobbied by a human resources officer at the Academy who was allegedly paid $650,000 to settle her claim, according to The New York Times.

The suit comes in the wake of several other high-profile sexual assault lawsuits against powerful men in the music industry, including fellow ex-Grammys head Neil Portnow, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Guns n Roses’ Axl Rose, and Jamie Foxx.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.