Eleven more women accuse tenor Placido Domingo of sexual misconduct

[September 06, 2019]   LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Eleven more women have accused Spanish opera star Placido Domingo of sexual misconduct, allegations that the leading tenor described on Thursday as "riddled with inconsistencies."

The accusations, reported by the Associated Press and dating back three decades, follow similar claims published by the news wire in August by more than three dozen other singers, dancers, musicians, voice teachers and backstage staff who said they had witnessed or experienced inappropriate behavior by the singer.

Los Angeles Opera, where Domingo is general director, said last month it would bring in outside counsel to investigate the accusations.

It said on Thursday that it took the accusations "extremely seriously" but declined further comment while the investigation was ongoing.

Domingo's representative said in a statement on Thursday that the new claims "are riddled with inconsistencies and, as with the first story, in many ways, simply incorrect."

"Due to an ongoing investigation, we will not comment on specifics, but we strongly dispute the misleading picture that the AP is attempting to paint of Mr. Domingo,” spokesperson Nancy Seltzer added.

Domingo, 78, is one of the most famous classical singers and directors in the world and has performed at opera houses around the globe. He was one of the "Three Tenors," along with Jose Carreras and the late Luciano Pavarotti, who brought opera to a wider audience with concerts around the world in the 1990s.

The San Francisco Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra said last month they had canceled planned appearances by Domingo in September and October

The women told the Associated Press the encounters with Domingo included unwanted touching, persistent requests for private meetings, late-night phone calls and attempts to kiss them on the lips. Some said they believed their careers in the music world had been damaged because they had rejected him.

Hundreds of women have publicly accused powerful men in business, politics, the news media, sports and entertainment of sexual harassment and abuse since October 2017, fueled by the #MeToo social movement.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Howard Goller)

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