Exclusive: US orchestra faces $15m lawsuit over abuse of ex-CEO

Anne Berquist, a French administrator formerly of the Chatelet in Paris, lasted just over six months as Executive Director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, before she was fired last month.

In court papers served this week, she details a campaign of deception that led to her taking the job, followed by a blizzard of harrassment that persisted until her health was in ruins and she could no longer sleep.

Most of the charges are directed at Mrs Jeri Crawford, president of the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

From the indictment:

69. Following the October 17 Meeting, Mrs. Crawford began a concerted campaign
of retaliatory conduct against Ms. Berquist with the manifest intent of causing Ms. Berquist to be
removed from the Position (the “Retaliatory Conduct”).
70. To the contrary, approximately one month after the Start Date, Mrs. Crawford
telephonically communicated with Ms. Smith, praising Ms. Berquist’s performance in the
Position and the improvement of the LVP’s financial health as a result of Ms. Berquist’s efforts.
71. In a news article published June 16, 2021, discussing Ms. Berquist’s hiring, Mrs.
Crawford was quoted as saying, “I am pleased with [Ms. Berquist]’s contributions to the [LVP]
in the few short weeks that [Ms. Berquist] has been here. [Ms. Berquist] embraced this team and
this opportunity immediately and we look forward to an exciting chapter under [Ms. Berquist’s]
leadership[.]”
72. The Retaliatory Conduct included, without limitation, fairly consistent and
systematic verbal abuse of Ms. Berquist by Mrs. Crawford during business hours, as well as
frequent, invective-laden targeted phone calls to Ms. Berquist from Mrs. Crawford (often well
after business hours) with the manifest intent to harass and inflict stress upon Ms. Berquist by
unduly indicting Ms. Berquist’s performance in the Position.
73. The Retaliatory Conduct included, without limitation, the subversion of Ms.
Berquist’s jurisdiction in the Position under the structure of the By-Laws, through, without
limitation, Mrs. Crawford’s systematic efforts to sabotage Ms. Berquist’s professional
performance by unilaterally changing the job descriptions of the LVP staff members recently
hired by Ms. Berquist (the “Staff Members”).
74. The Retaliatory Conduct included, without limitation, the subversion of Ms.
Berquist’s jurisdiction in the Position under the structure of the By-Laws, through, without
limitation, Mrs. Crawford’s interference with Ms. Berquist’s performance of the Berquist
Responsibilities by meeting with the Staff Members without Ms. Berquist’s consent and/or
involvement (the “Undermining Meetings”).
75. The Retaliatory Conduct included, without limitation, the subversion of Ms.
Berquist’s jurisdiction in the Position under the structure of the By-Laws, through, without
limitation, Mrs. Crawford’s interference with Ms. Berquist’s performance of the Berquist
Responsibilities through Mrs. Crawford’s frequent overruling of Ms. Berquist’s assignments
and/or instructions to the Staff Members without Ms. Berquist’s consent and/or involvement (the
“Undermining Staff Directives”)….

And more.

Vegas, huh?