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

[Helene]

45 minutes ago, MintyLee said:

My apologies, Helene--I didn't understand that aspect of the site policy.

The official news policy is quite clear, is located here (scroll), and agreeing to the T&C's and site policies was required when you became a member:

https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/34250-rules-rules-and-our-mission/

45 minutes ago, MintyLee said:

I would happily upload City Ballet's dancer agreement and associated addenda so that perhaps some few braves souls might actually read them, but it's probably better I save us all the bandwidth

If these are available to the public on a website that anyone can access without specific permissions, linking to them would be much appreciated, since there have been many requests over the years to know what the NYCB contract states.

45 minutes ago, MintyLee said:

As regards the discussion of the code of conduct mentioned in Charles Scharf's statements though, my argument was that there isn't one he could point to to substantiate what he was saying. Do you think it would be possible for you to turn the admin megaphone back on and correct his statements too ?

He has not claimed there is a code of conduct, but instead referred to conduct norms and that the named dancers violated them.   Unless there is a legal reason that NYCB must substantiate this claim and/or make the conduct norms public, or address whether there is a code of conduct that's been communicated to Company employees, NYCB is under no obligation to do so.  And until anyone can prove that they don't exist through official news, there's no reason to correct his statement.

31 minutes ago, MintyLee said:

Administrative code 10-177 against Chase, Zach, and Amar (page 30). Assault (page 21), battery (page 23), and invasion of privacy (page 36). Although if you mean separate criminal charges in a criminal suit, I would suggest waiting to hear what Cy Vance has to say next week.

The complaint states that these three dancers committed crimes.  The State has not charged any of them with anything, and may never do so.

[MintyLee]

22 minutes ago, Helene said:

If these are available to the public on a website that anyone can access without specific permissions, linking to them would be much appreciated, since there have been many requests over the years to know what the NYCB contract states.

He has not claimed there is a code of conduct, but instead referred to conduct norms and that the named dancers violated them.   Unless there is a legal reason that NYCB must substantiate this claim and/or make the conduct norms public, NYCB is under no obligation to do so.  And until anyone can prove that they don't exist through official news, there's no reason to correct his statement.

They used to be available as .pdfs on AGMA's website for every company whose dancers they represented. Unfortunately, if you go to AGMA's website now, there are instructions for how to access them by clicking a "plus sign icon" next to the company name, but none are listed, and no "plus sign icons" appear. It could be that the site is being updated or that there is some formatting error? If someone else can navigate this better than I can, perhaps he or she could find them: https://www.musicalartists.org/contracts-and-agreements/contracts/dance/

And my apologies again--you are correct that Mr. Scharf writes that they "violated the Company's norms of conduct."

[Helene]

1 hour ago, MintyLee said:

I believe if you were to ask his ex-fiancee, she might have an opinion on that matter for one. 

She already has voiced her opinion on the total matter.

 

[lmspear]

There is one issue that has not been addressed which could leave potentially vulnerable in the case or at the very least open up an IT headache that they probably never thought the need to deal with.

Even if personal devices were used by the men in Waterbury's case, there is the possibility that company email addresses, WI-FI, and servers were used.  The company then becomes, probably unknowingly, the provider of the distribution method of harmful messages and photos.  I believe it has been established in cases involving businesses and government that there is no expectation of privacy if your material is routed through your employer's computer servers.  The company code of conduct should contain a section on cyber-behavior (but even if the document is up to date, who reads the fine print?).  I think we can agree that sending naked pictures of your girlfriend through the company internet servers is worse behavior than taking home a pad of little yellow sticky notes. The company resources have been misused in a way that harms employees and their personal associates and damages the company image as a desirable place to work for future employees, or an institution worthy of financial support from ticket sales and donations.

The men named in the case have harmed both the company and the women in a manner that deserves more than a slap on the wrist.  Whether the situation is resolved through civil and/or criminal litigation is up to the lawyers and the district attorney's office.

[Balletwannabe]

I guess I'm not allowed to sleep at night if I want to keep up on this thread...

I was happy Bouder said something because she has always positioned herself as a leader.  Often it's easy to be that leader, her posts are largerly supported, they encourage, and inspire people.  This post?  Difficult...very controversial...possible ramifications for her work environment.  Do her colleagues agree with her?  Maybe, maybe not.  So for me, it's not that I was looking to her for an "answer", I was looking to her as the leader that she is.  And she continues to blow me away in her strength and resolve, regardless of whether or not I always agree with her. 

[BalanchineFan]

6 hours ago, cinnamonswirl said:

A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim is determined solely on the facts alleged in the complaint. This is one reason why a carefully drafted complaint is important. If you omit something from the complaint, even if it's true and it was accidentally omitted, the court cannot consider it.

The court will consider each claim separately. For example, it could dismiss the claims as to NYCB for assault and IIED, but leave the NIED claim intact.

(BTW I am not familiar with NY law. However I would be surprised if NY was very different on these issues from the majoritian view that is taught in law schools and tested on the multi-state on bar exams.)

Would someone explain what IIED and NIED are? I’ve read the complaint but I’m not a lawyer or a law student. 

[BalanchineFan]

41 minutes ago, Balletwannabe said:

I guess I'm not allowed to sleep at night if I want to keep up on this thread...

I was happy Bouder said something because she has always positioned herself as a leader.  Often it's easy to be that leader, her posts are largerly supported, they encourage, and inspire people.  This post?  Difficult...very controversial...possible ramifications for her work environment.  Do her colleagues agree with her?  Maybe, maybe not.  So for me, it's not that I was looking to her for an "answer", I was looking to her as the leader that she is.  And she continues to blow me away in her strength and resolve, regardless of whether or not I always agree with her. 

 Bouder’s IG post bolsters NYCB’s claim that they did not “condone, encourage” etc the reprehensible behavior in question. It supports the company line and, imo, may have been vetted by NYCB.

I was glad to see her condemn the illegal behaviors. How is it controversial?

Edited September 9, 2018 by BalanchineFan
Clarity

[Balletwannabe]

10 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

 Bouder’s IG post bolsters NYCB’s claim that they did not “condone, encourage” etc the reprehensible behavior in question. It supports the company line and, imo, may have been vetted by NYCB.

I was glad to see it. How is it controversial?

She is admitting she believes the men are guilty ("this behavior was carried out...allowed to fester").  She is supporting Waterbury ("my heart goes out to the women...")- the woman who is suing the company she works for!  She referred to a "leaderless state", as someone mentioned, throwing the interim team under the bus.  I think there's plenty there to create controversy.  If it stays up with zero likes or comments from her colleagues; that says something.  I'm not saying she has no support, but I highly doubt this was vetted by anyone.  

Edited September 9, 2018 by Balletwannabe

[rkoretzky]

13 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

 Bouder’s IG post bolsters NYCB’s claim that they did not “condone, encourage” etc the reprehensible behavior in question. It supports the company line and, imo, may have been vetted by NYCB.

I was glad to see it. How is it controversial?

Ashley states  “I do not condone this behavior”. To me this is her personal statement and she is saying this as a member of NYCB, but not speaking for the organization. 

There is a world of difference between “condone” and “encourage”. I don’t believe there has been any mention of this reprehensible behavior being encouraged. Please point out if I’ve missed that.

NYCB is not, in fact, leaderless. There is an executive director. Other than her signature on the recent email, along with Jon Stafford, where is Kathy brown? 

As I reread what I’ve written, I want to state in the clearest possible way my unwavering support and admiration to Ashley in making this statement. If she so chooses she will run a company some day, or should. 

Edited September 9, 2018 by rkoretzky

[Guest]

10 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

I don't understand Bouder's "it was allowed to fester..." comment. 

 

[its the mom]

Just now, rkoretzky said:

Ashley states  “I do not condone this behavior”. To me this is her personal statement and she is saying this as a member of NYCB, but not speaking for the organization. 

There is a world of difference between “condone” and “encourage”. I don’t believe there has been any mention of this reprehensible behavior being encouraged. Please point out if I’ve missed that.

NYCB is not, in fact, leaderless. There is an executive director. Other than her signature on the recent email, along with Jon Stafford, where is Kathy brown? 

"It was allowed to fester in our current leaderless state."  Leaderless?  Does she/do we actually believe Finlay's behavior would be different had Martins still been at the helm?  Is that what she is implying?

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Balletwannabe said:

She is admitting she believes the men are guilty ("this behavior was carried out...allowed to fester").  She is supporting Waterbury ("my heart goes out to the women...")- the woman who is suing the company she works for!  She referred to a "leaderless state", as someone mentioned, throwing the interim team under the bus.  I think there's plenty there to create controversy.  If it stays up with zero likes or comments from her colleagues; that says something.  I'm not saying she has no support, but I highly doubt this was vetted by anyone.  

Thank you. In my work place the fester/leaderless comment would have me in our HR office on Monday morning. 

[Rick]

3 minutes ago, its the mom said:

"It was allowed to fester in our current leaderless state."  Leaderless?  Does she/do we actually believe Finlay's behavior would be different had Martins still been at the helm?  Is that what she is implying?

Ashley Bouder is implying that the culture of sexual harassment definitely exists at NYCB, as Waterbury claims.

[its the mom]

1 minute ago, Rick said:

Ashley Bouder is implying that the culture of sexual harassment definitely exists at NYCB, as Waterbury claims.

And she is implying that it festered in the absence of Martins.  Should we assume that Finlay would not have acted in this manner had Martins still been in charge?   Sorry, I don't buy that.  

[Bella]

NYCB is not leaderless as some would like to believe.  This has got to be one of the most difficult instances of "on the job training" for the interim team.  We should be supporting the team in their efforts to not only keep the company running as smoothly as possible but to stear it in the right direction for the future.  

[aurora]

1 minute ago, its the mom said:

And she is implying that it festered in the absence of Martins.  Should we assume that Finlay would not have acted in this manner had Martins still been in charge?   Sorry, I don't buy that.  

Neither did the one NYCB dancer who responded. At least from the way I read their comment.

[rkoretzky]

6 minutes ago, its the mom said:

"It was allowed to fester in our current leaderless state."  Leaderless?  Does she/do we actually believe Finlay's behavior would be different had Martins still been at the helm?  Is that what she is implying?

Although I won’t speak for her, I don’t think that is what she’s saying. Again it’s a word choice. “Fester” says to me that it’s inculcated within the organization and has exploded under current conditions. 

Again, why isn’t the executive director stepping up? 

[BalanchineFan]

31 minutes ago, rkoretzky said:

Ashley states  “I do not condone this behavior”. To me this is her personal statement and she is saying this as a member of NYCB, but not speaking for the organization. 

There is a world of difference between “condone” and “encourage”. I don’t believe there has been any mention of this reprehensible behavior being encouraged. Please point out if I’ve missed that.

NYCB is not, in fact, leaderless. There is an executive director. Other than her signature on the recent email, along with Jon Stafford, where is Kathy brown? 

As I reread what I’ve written, I want to state in the clearest possible way my unwavering support and admiration to Ashley in making this statement. If she so chooses she will run a company some day, or should. 

The language “condoned, encouraged, fostered, and permitted” is from the Waterbury complaint. 

“ for several years the defendant NYCB Inc. has condoned, encouraged, fostered and permitted an environment where its agents, servants, employees, donors, principals and/or others affiliated with it abused, degraded and mistreated alcohol, drugs and women.”

The entire situation is controversial but in posting, Bouder backs up the company’s position that NYCB should be excluded from the complaint, imo. That was why I didn’t understand why the post itself was controversial.

Reading the responses here I’m getting a fuller picture of the implications. Thank you. 

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, rkoretzky said:

Although I won’t speak for her, I don’t think that is what she’s saying. Again it’s a word choice. “Fester” says to me that it’s inculcated within the organization and has exploded under current conditions. 

Again, why isn’t the executive director stepping up? 

Having been involved in an investigation of an employee I can tell you the legal department had to review and vett every single I that was dotted and T that was crossed. It was excruciating for those of us who felt the situation was so cut and dry and statements from the company were minimal. 

34 minutes ago, aurora said:

Neither did the one NYCB dancer who responded. At least from the way I read their comment.

A number of comments on that post are mind boggling to say the least. 

[rkoretzky]

Who should be the official spokesperson for the company? Scharf? Jon Stafford? 

I suggest that is the responsibility of the executive director. 

My career has been in the education world—public schools and libraries. I have no experience working in an organization of this size or scope. So I really don’t know. 

Re Bella’s comment: yes, I agree that the interim team deserves our full support. They have done a remarkable job under circumstances they couldn’t possibly have anticipated. But I’m one who wishes the search process had gotten underway much more quickly. And frankly I don’t understand why it didn’t. 

[FPF]

2 hours ago, lmspear said:

There is one issue that has not been addressed which could leave potentially vulnerable in the case or at the very least open up an IT headache that they probably never thought the need to deal with.

Even if personal devices were used by the men in Waterbury's case, there is the possibility that company email addresses, WI-FI, and servers were used.  The company then becomes, probably unknowingly, the provider of the distribution method of harmful messages and photos.  I believe it has been established in cases involving businesses and government that there is no expectation of privacy if your material is routed through your employer's computer servers.  The company code of conduct should contain a section on cyber-behavior (but even if the document is up to date, who reads the fine print?).  I think we can agree that sending naked pictures of your girlfriend through the company internet servers is worse behavior than taking home a pad of little yellow sticky notes. The company resources have been misused in a way that harms employees and their personal associates and damages the company image as a desirable place to work for future employees, or an institution worthy of financial support from ticket sales and donations.

The men named in the case have harmed both the company and the women in a manner that deserves more than a slap on the wrist.  Whether the situation is resolved through civil and/or criminal litigation is up to the lawyers and the district attorney's office.

I think that this issue was raised briefly a few hundred posts back on this thread, before we knew the nature of the "unprofessional communications." You have an interesting point here, which suggests that the company would perhaps have a legal case against the suspended/resigned dancers. Would it be considered negligent of the company to allow its servers, etc. to have been used in this way for ~6 months?

 

[Kaysta]

8 minutes ago, rkoretzky said:

Who should be the official spokesperson for the company? Scharf? Jon Stafford? 

I suggest that is the responsibility of the executive director. 

My career has been in the education world—public schools and libraries. I have no experience working in an organization of this size or scope. So I really don’t know. 

Re Bella’s comment: yes, I agree that the interim team deserves our full support. They have done a remarkable job under circumstances they couldn’t possibly have anticipated. But I’m one who wishes the search process had gotten underway much more quickly. And frankly I don’t understand why it didn’t. 

Why is the process to find a replacement taking so long?  I get that it is a major decision, but they must have several applicants in mind whom they want to interview.  Frankly, I’m shocked that this has gone as long as it has, though I admit I have no idea how these hiring processes go.  

 

[FPF]

1 hour ago, its the mom said:

And she is implying that it festered in the absence of Martins.  Should we assume that Finlay would not have acted in this manner had Martins still been in charge?   Sorry, I don't buy that.  

The interim team was thrown into this job on top of their previous full-time roles, they are learning on the fly (and perhaps are overwhelmed), and  in this situation, perhaps everything doesn't get the amount of attention/notice it warrants or would receive if they fully focused on their normal roles and  a full-time AD was in charge. Also, I would not necessarily expect that an interim team would have the same decision-making ability/power as a full-time permanent AD.

[FPF]

9 minutes ago, Kaysta said:

Why is the process to find a replacement taking so long?  I get that it is a major decision, but they must have several applicants in mind whom they want to interview.  Frankly, I’m shocked that this has gone as long as it has, though I admit I have no idea how these hiring processes go.  

 

Yes, I agree. I also wonder if the interim team had any idea that they would be in this role for more than a few months. I would expect that the earliest a new AD would start would be after the 2018/19 season. It may be that given how AD contracts work, they realized that even if they started to look immediately, they wouldn't be able to hire immediately and decided to take their time and be to make the right decision.

[rkoretzky]

1 minute ago, FPF said:

The interim team was thrown into this job on top of their previous full-time roles, they are learning on the fly (and perhaps are overwhelmed), and  in this situation, perhaps everything doesn't get the amount of attention/notice it warrants or would receive if they fully focused on their normal roles and  a full-time AD was in charge. Also, I would not necessarily expect that an interim team would have the same decision-making ability/power as a full-time permanent AD.

Agreed. All the more reason that the delay in searching for a new artistic director is inexplicable. 

I’m not suggesting that this particular scenario was anticipated. Of course it wasn’t. 

I am suggesting that the process should have gotten underway months ago and should have been completed by now.