Judge Sends Ousted Philadelphia Museum Director’s Suit to Arbitration

A judge has ruled that the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s tumultuous conflict with its former director and CEO Sasha Suda will be submitted to arbitration rather than a jury trial as Suda had requested in her civil lawsuit. Sasha Souda was fired in November. Philadelphia General Court Judge Michael E. Erdos pointed to Suda’s contract, which provides that disputes shall be resolved by arbitration. Philadelphia Inquirer.

“We are not surprised that the museum wants to hide its illegal conduct through confidential arbitration,” Souda’s attorney, Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, told the newspaper. “But we will hold the museum accountable no matter where the case is heard,” he added.

In a statement to the newspaper, the museum said it would be “the best use of everyone’s resources, including the courts.”

The museum told Sudar in an email that she was fired “for cause,” but did not specify what the reason might have been. The day after dismissal inquirer Published a widely-derided report on the museum’s much-derided rebranding from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. a board member told inquirer The museum was not informed of the change in advance. It’s unclear whether the rebranding influenced the decision to fire her.

Less than a week later, Sudha sued the museum, saying board members accused her of misusing funds for personal gain. The museum even accused her of theft. Her lawsuit calls the museum’s investigation of her a “scam.” The investigation was reportedly prompted in part by a salary increase for Sudha, which will take her to $729,000 in 2023, making her one of the highest-paid leaders in the United States.

“A small group of trustees commissioned a sham investigation to create a pretext for Ms. Souda’s termination,” Nikas told art news then. “Ms. Suda fought hard for the museum and believed it would serve Philadelphia and its people, not the egos of a few trustees.”

In an interview in January philadelphia magazineSudha said the board tried to strip her of her CEO title after she was hired and before taking the position. Less than a month after Suda was fired, the museum hired Daniel H. Weiss, the former director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as its new director and CEO. The museum said Weiss will “guide the art museum through at least 2028, providing stability for staff, stakeholders and the community.” He took office on December 1.