Opera Company Demands $17 Million From Kennedy Center in Explosive Lawsuit

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The Washington National Opera has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $17 million from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, alleging the institution has refused to turn over funds that belong to the opera company following their separation earlier this year.

According to a lawsuit filed Thursday in the United States Court of Federal Claims and reported on Friday by The New York Times, the opera company claims the Kennedy Center has withheld money that includes endowment assets, donor contributions, and other funds collected on the opera’s behalf during the years the two organizations were affiliated.

“W.N.O. reluctantly files this case to preserve its future and to protect its donors and artists,” attorneys for the opera company wrote in court filings. The suit further argues that the disputed funds consist of donations accumulated over many years that are “critical” to the organization’s continued operations.

The legal battle follows the Washington National Opera’s departure from the Kennedy Center in January. The split came amid broader upheaval at the institution following President Donald Trump’s takeover of the center and the installation of new leadership.

The lawsuit went on to outline growing friction between the organizations even before the separation. Among the allegations is a claim that Kennedy Center Chief Financial Officer Donna Arduin informed opera officials that money from a fund containing bequests and donations intended for the opera had been pledged as collateral for a line of credit.

The Kennedy Center sharply rejected the claims, maintaining that those funds indeed belonged to the Kennedy Center itself.

In a statement to the Times, spokeswoman Roma Daravi argued that the relationship with the opera company had been a financial drain on the institution for years. Citing calculations from an outside accounting firm, she said the opera had “accumulated a $72 million deficit to the center” during the period it operated as an affiliate.

“The center has acted transparently and in the best interests of the public throughout this process,” Daravi said. “This lawsuit is meritless, and we plan to pursue a countersuit to defend the institution.”

The opera company, which is now staging productions at other venues around Washington, maintains that Kennedy Center officials never committed to transferring the disputed funds despite engaging an outside accounting firm to assess what it may be owed.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!