Washington National Opera sues Kennedy Center for $17M

The Washington National Opera has filed a federal lawsuit against the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, alleging the institution has refused to return more than $17 million in donor funds following the dissolution of their 15-year partnership. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, escalates a dispute that began when the opera ended its affiliation with the center in January.

According to the legal complaint, the funds in question consist of endowment assets and contributions accumulated over many years from donors who specifically intended their gifts to support the opera's performances, artists, and educational programs. The opera asserts that under a longstanding affiliation agreement, the Kennedy Center managed these donations on its behalf, but the funds always legally belonged to the Washington National Opera. The lawsuit states that the center stopped providing key services, including fundraising support and financial reporting, in the months leading up to the split, and has since failed to return the money despite repeated requests.

Kennedy Center officials have rejected the allegations. A spokeswoman called the lawsuit "meritless"...