The floodgates are about to open because of the Harvey Weinstein case. The famous opera singer Placido Domingo appears to be getting ensared in a similar type of #MeToo situation.
AP:
An investigation into legendary singer Plácido Domingo by the U.S. union representing opera performers found more than two dozen people who said they were sexually harassed or witnessed inappropriate behavior by the superstar when he held senior management positions at Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera, according to people familiar with the findings.
The investigation, conducted by lawyers hired by the American Guild of Musical Artists, concluded that the accounts from 27 people showed a clear pattern of sexual misconduct and abuse of power by Domingo spanning at least two decades, according to those who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the findings.
In response to a request for comment from the AP, Domingo issued a statement saying: “I have taken time over the last several months to reflect on the allegations that various colleagues of mine have made against me. I respect that these women finally felt comfortable enough to speak out, and I want them to know that I am truly sorry for the hurt that I caused them. I accept full responsibility for my actions, and I have grown from this experience.”
The union’s investigation was the first of two independent inquiries launched after multiple women accused Domingo of sexual harassment and abusing his power in two AP stories published last year. The second inquiry, still ongoing, was launched by LA Opera, where Domingo had been general director since 2003 before resigning in October.
According to the people familiar with the contents of the union’s investigation, lawyers from the firm Cozen O’Connor interviewed 55 people from September until late December. In addition to the 27 who said they experienced or witnessed sexually suggestive behavior on the part of Domingo in the 1990s and 2000s, 12 others said they were aware of the star’s reputation and that it was common knowledge at the two companies.
Mirroring AP’s reporting last year, the investigation found that the allegations included unsolicited physical touching that ranged from kisses on the mouth to groping, late-night phone calls in which Domingo asked women to come to his residence, and inviting women to go out with him socially with such persistence that some felt they were being stalked.
Two of the women told investigators that they had sexual relations with Domingo, saying they felt compelled to submit because of his position of authority and potential to damage their careers, according to the people familiar with the investigation.
What are we even talking about here? These are events that happened 20 if not 30 years ago. And these women are mostly just accusing him of asking them to go back to his house in a way that they didn’t approve of.
As far as the physical touching and groping goes, if it was such a traumatic experience for them, why didn’t they bring it up to the police at the time? Funny how they are only bringing it up now all these years later.
And it sounds like the women who had sex with him are just making up shit about being coerced because they think it will benefit them to say this.
We can expect to see many more of these types of cases. All sorts of famous and wealthy men are going to get accused of all sorts of things by women in the coming months and years.
