Star soprano sues Met Opera

Soprano Anna Netrebko, once among the Metropolitan Opera's biggest box office draws, sued the company and general manager Peter Gelb on Aug. 4, alleging defamation, breach of contract and other violations related to the institution's decision to drop her following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, asks for at least $360,000 in damages for lost performance and rehearsal fees. Netrebko claims the Met caused "severe mental anguish and emotional distress" that included "depression, humiliation, embarrassment, stress and anxiety, and emotional pain and suffering."

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

"Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Met and Peter Gelb have used Anna Netrebko as a scapegoat in their campaign to distance themselves from Russia and to support Ukraine," the management of the 51-year-old soprano said in a statement.

The Met said in a statement: "Ms. Netrebko's lawsuit has no merit."

The American Guild of Musical Artists filed a grievance on Netrebko's behalf and arbitrator Howard C. Edelman ruled in February that the Met violated the union's collective bargaining agreement when it canceled deals with Netrebko to appear in Verdi's "Don Carlo" and "La Forza del Destino" and Giordano's "Andrea Chénier." He awarded her compensation for the lost performances, which the union calculated at $209,103.48.

Netrebko, who made her Met debut in 2002, was due to receive the Met's top fee of $17,000 per performance, the suit said.

Edelman's decision said Netrebko voluntarily withdrew from performances of Wagner's ...