MusiCares Investigating Harassment, Shortfall

• MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s nonprofit wing, has hired a law firm to investigate allegations made by former MusiCares VP Dana Tomarken that CEO Neil Portnow steered money away from the charity in order to fund a deficit from this year’s Grammy telecast, and of brokering a deal to hold the organization’s annual Person of the Year event at a venue that left the charity with a significant loss in 2018 fundraising efforts. Tomarken had also alleged incidents of previous workplace harassment. In a letter to board members obtained by Variety, MusiCares Chairman Michael McDonald announced that Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP would oversee the investigation.

All this movement was initiated after a letter from Tomarken, who was fired on April 16 after 25 years with the Academy. In the lengthy letter, Tomarken claims Portnow’s moves left MusiCares with a significant loss in its 2018 fundraising efforts, resulting in a projected $1 million for this year’s event, as opposed to $5 million in 2017. In his response, Portnow had said, “As Ms. Tomarken well knows, neither MusiCares nor the Recording Academy ever intended to reduce, nor will they reduce, the amount of financial support made available to MusiCares clients in need.” Interestingly, it was just days later when Portnow confirmed long-standing rumors that he would not seek another term as head of the Academy.

Tomarken is also claiming wrongful termination, explaining that she and coworker Dorit Kalev were fired over the bill for a $2,500 MusiCares auction item that she was late in paying. As McDonald wrote, “With any charity, trust is earned and can never be taken for granted. Needless to say, we welcome their findings and will act on their recommendations.”