Finlay Resigns, Catazaro and Ramasar Suspended -- Update: Catazaro and Ramasar Fired

[Helene]

2 hours ago, KayDenmark said:

That's a very good point, Bcash. I'm not sure she's even interested in a dance career at this point. 

There is more than one kind of dance career, and part-time freelancer is one of them.  Simply because she has other irons in the fire does not mean that she's given up on dance.  Even if she wanted a full-time dance career, there's the example of Sarah Orza, who gave up ballet when she left NYCB in the 00's, joined Pacific Northwest Ballet, restarted her career, and is now a Principal Dancer.  NYCB is not the only dance option in the world that somehow counts.

 

6 hours ago, Ashton Fan said:

 I assume that as the complainant has decided to take civil action against the three named men and the company she only has to prove the truth of her allegations on the balance of probabilities ?

She's taken civil action against one man, Chase Findlay, who was the source of the photographs.  Her lawyer sent text and email communications to NYCB, which investigated and suspended two of the dancers who were recipients and involved in the conversations, but who are not named in the lawsuit.  Findlay resigned when confronted and before they could take action.

While it is true that the bar for civil suits is lower than for criminal suits, based on what has been disclosed so far, she has no criminal allegations against anyone but Findlay, and she has not decided whether to pursue them.  I wouldn't blame her for not pursuing criminal charges: in a highly publicized case, a judge determined that a valid sentence for a rapist who was witnessed in the act of rape was too harsh and could ruin the rapist's brilliant future.  But it's a good card for her lawyer to have in his back pocket.

 

@Kaysta:  congratulations and good luck with your new job and house!

[fondoffouettes]

5 minutes ago, Helene said:

There is more than one kind of dance career, and part-time freelancer is one of them.  Simply because she has other irons in the fire does not mean that she's given up on dance.  Even if she wanted a full-time dance career, there's the example of Sarah Orza, who gave up ballet when she left NYCB in the 00's, joined Pacific Northwest Ballet, restarted her career, and is now a Principal Dancer.  NYCB is not the only dance option in the world that somehow counts.

From what I saw online, Waterbury seems to be involved with the Barnard dance department. I don't know a lot about their dance department beyond the fact that Allegra Kent teaches there. 

Edited September 7, 2018 by fondoffouettes

[AB'sMom]

Earlier in the thread I had mentioned the hotel room in DC as having $150,000 in damages, which seemed like an absurdly high amount. Rereading the complaint I see that it actually says:

 Likewise, on a recent trip to Washington D.C., several members of defendant NEW YORK CITY BALLET, INC., including, but not limited to, defendant CHASE FINLAY were fined over $150,000 for destroying a hotel room at a party they hosted with underage girls to whom they provided and plied with drugs and alcohol.

[JuliaJ]

She's part of the student-run Columbia Ballet Collaborative: http://www.columbiaballetcollaborative.com/dancers.html

[Balletwannabe]

Just now, AB'sMom said:

Earlier in the thread I had mentioned the hotel room in DC as having $150,000 in damages, which seemed like an absurdly high amount. Rereading the complaint I see that it actually says:

 Likewise, on a recent trip to Washington D.C., several members of defendant NEW YORK CITY BALLET, INC., including, but not limited to, defendant CHASE FINLAY were fined over $150,000 for destroying a hotel room at a party they hosted with underage girls to whom they provided and plied with drugs and alcohol.

Company paid for room, correct?  On company tour?  So how exactly, does an incident like this not result in immediate suspension, at the very least?  

[California]

6 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

From what I saw online, Waterbury seems to be involved with the Barnard dance department. I don't know a lot about their dance department beyond the fact that Allegra Kent teaches there. 

It's actually a pretty impressive dance department, as you would expect in NYC, with so many outstanding people available to teach part-time:

https://dance.barnard.edu/

[Helene]

JuliaJ beat me to it

There are also dancers who dance while in college and later pursue full-time dance careers, like Lauren Fadeley (Pennsylvania Ballet, Miami City Ballet) and Alison DeBona (Ballet West). 

[AB'sMom]

2 minutes ago, Balletwannabe said:

Company paid for room, correct?  On company tour?  So how exactly, does an incident like this not result in immediate suspension, at the very least?  

That is my impression, yes. 

[Juliet]

And now this:

https://nypost.com/2018/09/06/show-doesnt-go-on-for-dancer-accused-of-sharing-explicit-pics/

 

[bcash]

15 minutes ago, JuliaJ said:

She's part of the student-run Columbia Ballet Collaborative: http://www.columbiaballetcollaborative.com/dancers.html

It's commonplace for people with prior dance experience and continuing interest in dance to join CBC once they become affiliated with any of Columbia's schools. With so many professional dance groups active in NYC, I've never been to their year-end performances, despite being a dance lover and living close by.

Edited September 7, 2018 by bcash

[yukionna4869]

53 minutes ago, gigi said:

I think it speaks volumes about NYCB and their respect for women that they chose to paint Alexandra as someone looking for a "payout."  The nature of her requests in the document for injunctive relief and other consideration seem reasonable considering there has been damage done to her career and mental health. 

By the time she started dating Finlay, I believe she was not working for NYCB nor was she a student at SAB. I don’t think NYCB has any kind of responsibility for her at that point. 

I think the unnamed NYCB dancers who have had their photos shared would have a stronger case. I hope they find the courage to come forward. I don’t think Waterbury can sue on their behalf. 

[bcash]

20 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

From what I saw online, Waterbury seems to be involved with the Barnard dance department. I don't know a lot about their dance department beyond the fact that Allegra Kent teaches there. 

Barnard's Dance Department has a long tradition of absorbing members of NYC's professional dance community, as teachers, students, resident artists or some other capacity. 

[bcash]

2 minutes ago, yukionna4869 said:

By the time she started dating Finlay, I believe she was not working for NYCB nor was she a student at SAB. I don’t think NYCB has any kind of responsibility for her at that point. 

I think the unnamed NYCB dancers who have had their photos shared would have a stronger case. I hope they find the courage to come forward. I don’t think Waterbury can sue on their behalf. 

Of course. I wonder if they knew anything about this prior to this complaint becoming public. If not, I can only imagine the suspicion hanging in everyone's mind being very distracting in their day-to-day professional activities, at least for the short-term. 

[AB'sMom]

Women sue fraternities on similar grounds, even though they aren’t members of the fraternity. 

[nanushka]

30 minutes ago, yukionna4869 said:

By the time she started dating Finlay, I believe she was not working for NYCB nor was she a student at SAB. I don’t think NYCB has any kind of responsibility for her at that point. 

 

2 minutes ago, AB'sMom said:

Women sue fraternities on similar grounds, even though they aren’t members of the fraternity. 

Yes, just because she was no longer affiliated with NYCB doesn't necessarily mean that the organization is no longer responsible for what happens to her.

[On Pointe]

The NY Post article is misleading.  Just because David Prottas went on for one performance of Carousel doesn't mean that Ramasar has been "replaced".  Understudies go on in principal roles on Broadway all the time,  because of illness,  injury or personal circumstances.  Ramasar may prefer to lay low for a few days and the show's producers probably think that's a good idea. 

[nanushka]

Just now, On Pointe said:

The NY Post article is misleading.  Just because David Prottas went on for one performance of Carousel doesn't mean that Ramasar has been "replaced".

It depends what "cast list" is being referred to. Was it a list of performers for that one evening, or a list of performers in the show generally?

[Rick]

Ramasar's bio is still on Carousel's website.

[Longtimelurker]

22 hours ago, Helene said:

They are far more than rumors: they are the substance of a legal complaint. 

Yes but even in the legal complaint those instances of alleged domestic violence are described as "claims" with nothing substantiated.

[Longtimelurker]

20 hours ago, rkoretzky said:

Yes hopefully. I’m not feeling too trusting. There are allegations against a donor, a board member and a principal dancer who allegedly committed rape. These need to be addressed as well, at least for me to regain my confidence in NYCB. 

There have been no allegations against any board members.  

[On Pointe]

39 minutes ago, nanushka said:

It depends what "cast list" is being referred to. Was it a list of performers for that one evening, or a list of performers in the show generally?

When an understudy goes on,  union rules require his or her name to be posted in the lobby and/or announced at the start of the performance.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

20 minutes ago, Longtimelurker said:

Yes but even in the legal complaint those instances of alleged domestic violence are described as "claims" with nothing substantiated.

If this suit goes to trial, I assume both sides will use discovery to either substantiate or defuse the claims. I think we can safely infer that Ms. Waterbury has the receipts when it comes to Finlay's emails and texts. For the rest, her evidence at the moment may be little more than hearsay. 

That doesn't mean that there isn't truth to the claims, but rather that she and her lawyer might not be able to provide any documentary evidence or witness testimony regarding them until they've deposed the relevant parties or subpoenaed the relevant documents, which, I believe can only be done if the parties proceed to trial.

Edited September 7, 2018 by Kathleen O'Connell

[Longtimelurker]

1 minute ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

If this suit goes to trial, I assume both sides will use discovery to either substantiate or defuse the claims. I think we can safely infer that Ms. Waterbury has the receipts when it comes to Finlay's emails and texts. For the rest, her evidence may be little more than hearsay. 

That doesn't mean that there isn't truth to the claims, but rather that she and her lawyer might not be able to provide any documentary evidence or witness testimony regarding them until they've deposed the relevant parties or subpoenaed the relevant documents, which, I believe can only be done if the parties proceed to trial.

I think the way I quoted Helene's response created some confusion as to exactly which claims I was referring to.  I was referring to the claims that a male principal raped a female soloist in Vail and assaulted a female corps member. 

[Helene]

19 minutes ago, Longtimelurker said:

Yes but even in the legal complaint those instances of alleged domestic violence are described as "claims" with nothing substantiated.

Claim <> Rumor.  There is a legal process that addresses claims, and the complaint is the first step.

[Kathleen O'Connell]

1 minute ago, Longtimelurker said:

I think the way I quoted Helene's response created some confusion as to exactly which claims I was referring to.  I was referring to the claims that a male principal raped a female soloist in Vail and assaulted a female corps member. 

For the record, I was referring to all the claims, including this one — which the complaint itself refers to as a claim. (See number 29 on page 8 of the complaint.)

 

2 minutes ago, Helene said:

Claim <> Rumor.  There is a legal process that addresses claims, and the complaint is the first step.

Exactly.