NEW YORK -- Anna Netrebko's lawsuit against the Metropolitan Opera was narrowed to gender discrimination claims by a federal judge, who agreed to dismiss the star soprano's allegations of defamation, breach of contract and discrimination because of national origin. U.S.
District Judge Analisa Nadine Torres in Manhattan issued a 23-page decision Thursday in the suit, filed by Netrebko on Aug. 4 last year . The Met dropped the Russian soprano from future engagements shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Met General Manager Peter Gelb had demanded she repudiate Russia President President Vladimir Putin. “It is normal for a court to narrow the issues during litigation, but this court recognizes that the facts as alleged show that the Met wronged Anna Netrebko and that there is still an important case before it,” Netrebko’s manager, Miguel Esteban, said in a statement. “Anna Netrebko remains fully committed to pursuing this complaint, to vindicating her rights, to restoring her reputation and to demonstrating that the Metropolitan Opera and Peter Gelb treated her unlawfully.
” The case has not yet been scheduled for trial. “We’re pleased to see that three of the four claims were dismissed completely and strongly believe that the fourth claim will also prove to be without merit should it go to trial,” the Met said in a statement. The American Guild of Musical Artists filed a grievance on Netrebko’s behalf and arbitrator Howard C.
Edelman ruled in F.