About the Michael Greene/Grammys dirt, Kakki writes: << I think we need Brenda to emerge here with the real scoop! >>
Well, I'll put on my Brenda hat and share this story I found at E! Online: Grammy Boss' Sex Complaint Settled by Bridget Byrne Oct 29, 2001, 1:35 PM PT Greene is costing the Grammys a lot of green--$650,000 to be exact. That's the cost of a settlement resolving the sexual assault and battery allegations lodged against Michael Greene, head honcho of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the nonprofit organization that stages the annual music awards, the Los Angeles Times reports. The harassment allegations were made by Jill Marie Geimer, who was in charge of the Recording Academy's human resources department. She was not Greene's first accuser. He had previously been cited for both sexual and financial impropriety--some allegations resolved in out-of-court settlements, others taken care of by an in-house investigation. Coincidentally, one consequence of the internal investigation was a new program at the human resources department (run by Geimer) designed to closely monitor potential sexual harassment cases. Last July, however, Geimer's lawyer sent the academy a letter alleging she had had a relationship with Greene that had spilled over into the workplace and turned abusive. Geimer claimed he had assaulted her in both a parking lot and bathroom and had called her "a slut." Greene's lawyer denied there had ever been a sexual relationship between the 30-year-old Geimer and her 52-year-old boss, and claimed Geimer had "fabricated these allegations" because she was "going to lose her job." The academy backed Greene. But now, the academy board has reconsidered, approving the big-bucks settlement. The executive committee also agreed to hire a private investigator to look into the sexual harassment allegations made by Geimer and at least two other former employees. According to the Times, the payout has "ignited a boardroom insurrection," among the 41 Recording Academy trustees. More than a dozen reportedly now want the controversial and contentious Greene fired. Geimer has been on stress and disability leave since making the allegations. A phone call today to her attorney, Gloria Allred, was not immediately returned. Nor were calls to the Recording Academy.
