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Washington National Opera sues Kennedy Center for $17 million
29 June 2026, 11:00
The company says it’s owed the value in unpaid donations and endowment funds.
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Washington National Opera is suing the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, claiming it’s owed $17m in gifts, donations and endowment funds.
The lawsuit comes after the two institutions formally parted ways in January following a 15-year partnership.
According to the complaint, reported by the LA Times, the Kennedy Center stopped fulfilling its key obligations in late 2025, including “marketing, fundraising and administrative support, as well as timely reporting on the growth of the opera company’s funds,” and later asked to sever ties.
“Five months have now passed since the termination of the affiliation, and the Kennedy Center still has not returned the funds to WNO, ” the suit says. “To the contrary, according to the Kennedy Center’s Chief Financial Officer, the Kennedy Center has put a significant portion of WNO’s money at risk by using it to collateralize the Kennedy Center’s line of credit.”
Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi said: “the contract between the opera house and the Center financially burdened the Center for more than a decade. She cited an external accounting firm that calculated the company had “accumulated a $72 million deficit to the center” between 2011 and 2026. “The Center has acted transparently and in the best interests of the public throughout this process,” she continued. “This lawsuit is meritless, and we plan to pursue a countersuit to defend the institution.”
Read more: Which artists and musicians have cancelled the Kennedy Center so far?
This is a pivotal moment for the United States’ performing arts centre, after President Trump fired the board and appointed himself chairman, encouraging the venue to rebrand as the Trump‑Kennedy Center. The move prompted a wave of artists and organisations, including Philip Glass and Reneé Fleming, to cut ties with the centre.
Trump has now been ordered by a federal judge to remove his name from the building and put a stop a two‑year closure plan.
