Neil Portnow, Former President Of The Grammys, Accused Of Rape In New Lawsuit

Neil Portnow, the former head of the Grammy Awards, is accused of drugging and raping a woman in a New York hotel in a new lawsuit that was filed anonymously in the New York State Supreme Court.

A representative for Portnow called the allegations “completely false” in a statement. Stating that they are a “product of the Plaintiff’s imagination and undoubtedly motivated by Mr. Portnow’s refusal to comply with the Plaintiff’s outrageous demands for money and assistance in obtaining a residence visa for her.”

The lawsuit alleges that after a meeting at an Academy event in January 2018, Portnow and the accuser decided to meet at the Kitano Hotel in Manhattan in June of that year.

During the incident, Portnow offered the woman some wine. After she drank the wine, the woman lost consciousness, and she alleges that Portnow raped her. The accuser regained consciousness several times and found him assaulting her. Portnow also allegedly ignored the accuser’s multiple attempts to contact him following the assault. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for Portnow denied the allegations.

“A series of erratic, bizarre text messages and e-mails to both Mr. Portnow and the Recording Academy from the Plaintiff had already persuaded numerous previous Plaintiff’s lawyers who resigned, as well as a police agency, that her claims were baseless. The latest incarnation offers a ‘new and improved’ story, padding it with even more outrageous and untrue allegations,” the statement read.

Portnow stepped down from his post in 2019 following controversial remarks he made about female artists, saying they needed to step up if they wanted more Grammy nods. 

In response to Portnow, singer Pink shared a handwritten note on social media explaining that “women have been stepping since the beginning of time. Stepping up, and also stepping aside,” the note read. “Women OWNED music this year. They’ve been KILLING IT. And every year before this. When we celebrate and honor the talent and accomplishments of women, and how much women STEP UP every year, and how much women STEP UP every year, against all odds, we show the next generation of women and girls and boys and men what it means to be equal, and what it looks like to be fair.”