After the hostile takeover of The Kennedy Center in February 2025, many staff, performers, and performances left or were cancelled including the Washington National Opera.
Now the WNO has filed a lawsuit against The Kennedy Center for $17 million. The National Opera claims that The Center is withholding the funds that belong to the Opera.
In a lawsuit filed with the United States Court of Federal Claims, the Washington National Opera states that The Kennedy Center board is withholding “endowment assets, donor contributions, and other funds collected on the opera’s behalf during the years the two organizations were affiliated.” The suit further states that the funds are from donations that have been made for many years and are “critical” to the Opera’s operations.
Attorneys wrote in the court filing that the “W.N.O. reluctantly files this case to preserve its future and to protect its donors and artists.”
Included in the lawsuit is the allegation “is a claim that Kennedy Center Chief Financial Officer Donna Arduin informed opera officials that money from a fund containing bequests and donations intended for the opera had been pledged as collateral for a line of credit.”
The Kennedy Center denies the claims stating the money belongs to them.
Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi issued a statement alleging the Washington National Opera has been a drain on The Kennedy Center.
She noted that the Opera has “accumulated a $72 million deficit to the center during the period it operated as an affiliate.”
She added, “the center has acted transparently and in the best interests of the public throughout this process. This lawsuit is meritless, and we plan to pursue a countersuit to defend the institution.”
Since departing from The Kennedy Center, the Washington National Opera has been giving performances in other venues around the Washington, D.C. area.