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Washington National Opera sues, says Kennedy Center owes it $17M

12 June 2026 at 15:48
The Washington National Opera (WNO) filed a lawsuit Thursday, alleging that the Kennedy Center failed to return more than $17 million in donations made to the organization after its split from the venue earlier this year.  The WNO cited the Kennedy Center’s position as a federally chartered entity and its membership in the Smithsonian Institution…

Washington National Opera sues, says Kennedy Center owes it $17M

12 June 2026 at 15:48
The Washington National Opera (WNO) filed a lawsuit Thursday, alleging that the Kennedy Center failed to return more than $17 million in donations made to the organization after its split from the venue earlier this year.  The WNO cited the Kennedy Center’s position as a federally chartered entity and its membership in the Smithsonian Institution…

Opera Company Sues to Collect $17 Million From the Kennedy Center

12 June 2026 at 15:31
The Washington National Opera, which left the center amid the Trump administration’s takeover, says its efforts to retrieve its endowment and other assets have been blocked.

© Kenny Holston for The New York Times

The Kennedy Center and the Washington National Opera are no longer affiliated, but they remained entangled in a dispute over what assets the opera might still be owed.
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