Earlier this month, Sasha Suda, the former director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, filed a civil suit against the inst...

Earlier this month, Sasha Suda, the former director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, filed a civil suit against the institution, alleging wrongful termination, unfair treatment, and abuse. On Thursday, the museum filed its response. In a new motion to compel arbitration, the museum denied Suda’s claims and asserted that the 12-member Executive Committee voted unanimously to terminate her for cause following “an extensive investigation.” That investigation, the motion states, concluded that Suda had “misappropriated funds from the Museum and lied to cover up her theft.” The filing further claims that Suda “repeatedly asked the Compensation Committee” for raises above her agreed-upon $720,000 annual salary and, after being denied, “awarded herself the salary increase the Committee had just declined,” allegedly doing so on three separate occasions without informing the board. In September, according to the motion, the committee discovered these increases, prompting the formation of a special board committee to investigate, assisted by outside counsel. “After reviewing the evidence and evaluating their fiduciary duties to the Museum, the Executive Committee determined that the evidence overwhelmingly established that Suda violated her Agreement by misappropriating Museum funds and engaging in repeated acts of dishonesty,” the motion states. The museum’s motion also contends that Suda’s employment contract requires all claims to be resolved through “private, confidential arbitration.” An employment agreement attached to the filing includes that clause. Suda’s complaint argues that she is entitled to litigate in court under the “injunctive relief” exception in the agreement. The museum denies the applicability of that exception. https://lnkd.in/gFWig7ms