Sasha Suda, who was instantly fired from her function as director and chief govt of the Philadelphia Artwork Museum (PAM) on 4 November, is suing the establishment for alleged “breaches of contract, dangerous religion, unfair remedy and abuse”. She is requesting a jury trial and looking for aid together with two years’ severance pay and damages.
Suda’s lawsuit, filed Monday (10 November) in Pennsylvania state court docket, alleges that she was fired after clashing with “a small, corrupt faction” of the board of trustees who “shaped an govt committee that actively labored to undermine Suda by trying to sway employees, poison board relations and sabotage” the museum’s pursuit of its mission. The lawsuit was first reported by The New York Instances.
A spokesperson for the museum declined to touch upon the lawsuit to the Instances. Reached by The Artwork Newspaper, a museum spokesperson mentioned in a press release: “The Artwork Museum is conscious of the just lately filed criticism towards the museum, and we consider it’s with out advantage. We won’t be offering additional remark presently.”
Luke Nikas, a lawyer with the agency Quinn Emanuel who’s representing Suda, informed The Artwork Newspaper in a press release: “A small cabal of trustees commissioned a sham investigation to create a pretext for Ms Suda’s termination. Ms Suda fought for and believed in a museum that may serve Philadelphia and its individuals, not the egos of a handful of trustees. She is pleased with her work and appears ahead to presenting the reality.”
Suda’s lawsuit alleges a protracted string of moral and contractual violations by the museum’s present and former board chairs—Ellen Caplan and Leslie Ann Miller, respectively. The alleged incidents vary from pushing by hires that Suda alone had the authority to make, per the phrases of her contract, to failing to adequately examine an incident involving a board member that had resulted in a number of employees complaints.
The lawsuit alleges that, following a vote-of-confidence by the board’s govt committee earlier this autumn (eight-to-two in Suda’s favour), Caplan “fabricated a false narrative round Suda’s compensation” by questioning a 3% cost-of-living improve to her wage that was a part of the contract negotiated with the museum staff’ union in 2022.
The museum subsequently employed a legislation agency to conduct a “forensic investigation” of Suda’s compensation and bills. Based on the lawsuit, that investigation discovered no proof of misconduct however nonetheless portrayed Suda “as financially irresponsible and really helpful that she be given the chance to resign”. A subsequent vote-of-confidence resulted in an eight-to-two tally in favour of firing Suda, who was allegedly knowledgeable “that she had simply been successfully terminated” on the morning she was internet hosting leaders visiting from the Nationwide Gallery of Artwork in Washington, DC, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Tate in London.
Based on the lawsuit, the sudden termination of Suda’s place three years right into a five-year contract dangers leaving her—a Canadian nationwide—with no supply of revenue to qualify for her Inexperienced Card. The criticism notes: “This may give Suda 60 days to go away the nation the place she resides along with her household and the place her youngsters attend elementary faculty.”
The lawsuit claims that, despite alleged opposition by some board members, Suda excelled in her function. She reportedly surpassed fundraising objectives, bringing in $16.7m in fiscal yr 2025—virtually $800,000 greater than the goal for the yr. Capital funding additionally doubled, growing by $2m. She helped improve scholar visits to the museum from round 8,000 in 2021 to 38,000 within the 2023-24 faculty yr, the criticism claims. Just a few days earlier than her firing, she had allegedly secured a donor’s verbal dedication of a $25m present to help the development of a brand new training centre.
Suda was beforehand the director and chief govt of the Nationwide Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. She arrived on the PAM at a time of turmoil. The museum’s earlier chief Timothy Rub had resigned after it emerged that management had didn’t cease a sample of office mistreatment and alleged sexual misconduct by a supervisor. Employees on the establishment subsequently voted to kind a union and, as negotiations over its first contract dragged on, they went on strike the identical week that Suda began in her function. The strike finally lasted for 3 weeks.
