NY Philharmonic Musician Accused of Sex Assault Sues to Get His Job Back
A horn player sidelined by the New York Philharmonic over a vile sexual assault allegation is suing the venerable symphony orchestra for his job back, insisting the encounter with a fellow musician who says she was drugged and raped ”was consensual” and that “no drugs were involved.”
Details of the alleged attack first publicly surfaced in a New York magazine article published last month. “A Hidden Sexual-Assault Scandal at the New York Philharmonic,” the headline read, followed by a subhead asking: “Two musicians were fired for sexual misconduct. Why are they back with the orchestra?”
Matthew Muckey, who since 2008 has held a tenured position as associate principal and third trumpet at the NY Phil, argues in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that his sacking violates the lifetime appointment promised in his contract. In it, Muckey says that even though authorities declined to prosecute, heaps of extremely negative press has now left the musicians’ union—which helped him keep his position when the accusations previously surfaced—unwilling to help him anymore.