Festival faces suit
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Suzie Harrison
The court of public opinion has been in full session since the news
has spread throughout Laguna’s art community. Steven Brezzo, former
executive director of the Festival of Arts, filed a lawsuit against
the festival and four board members. The suit states an intolerable
work environment forced him to resign in August.
Brezzo, the first executive director in the festival’s 72-year
history, said on Wednesday that he really couldn’t elaborate on the
lawsuit, which was filed Feb. 20 in Orange County Superior Court.
It is stated in the lawsuit that he was sabotaged by four board
members, “who saw [him] as an outsider to the Laguna Beach community
who was attempting to change the artistic and political atmosphere.”
Festival of Arts marketing and public relations director Sharbie
Higuchi said the festival’s organizers are very disappointed.
“This is a sensitive legal matter that is now in the hands of the
Festival of Arts attorney who has advised us that due to the nature
of this matter, it is inappropriate to discuss,” Higuchi said.
His lawsuit alleges that board members inflicted emotional
distress, disclosed private information and undermined his policies
and programs.
“Generally there were breaches of standard policy and practice for
a nonprofit that I believe [were] perpetrated by certain members of
the board that the lawsuit will pursue,” Brezzo said. “Let a jury
decide the extent of damages.”
In the suit, the Festival of Arts is named, as are current board
members Bob Henry, David Young and Ann Webster. Former board
President Scott Moore is also named.
Brezzo explained on Thursday afternoon why he named those specific
board members in the suit.
“The specific board members named in the suit conducted a
malicious and damaging campaign against me,” Brezzo said. “Even prior
to my arrival in Laguna Beach, several of those board members
solicited information, distributed materials to the local press, met
clandestinely with members of the festival, Laguna community and the
media and knowingly spread rumors and allegations that slandered me
and sought to damage my standing in the community and at the
festival.”
He said that although he relocated into the Laguna Beach community
and purchased a home in order to be an active part of this community,
those named in the suit categorized him as an outsider and
aggressively campaigned to discredit him and his position, harm his
standing and affect his ability to pursue his livelihood.
“These members continued to knowingly and recklessly misrepresent
the positions, the goals and intent of board actions, discussions and
meetings,” Brezzo said, “and sought to foment an atmosphere of
distrust and outright hostility at the organization.”
The members named voted against his proposals on a number of
matters, including the possibility of the Pageant of the Masters
being licensed and performed in other areas.
Brezzo started with the festival in October, 2002, after Laguna
gave a collective sigh of relief with the recall of the former board
that wanted to move the pageant to San Clemente. He was hired by the
board to find new sources of revenue, generate new programs so the
grounds could be used year-round and manage renovations and
expansions of the aged facilities.
Depending on whom one talked to, he was seen as either a hero or a
villain. Besides the licensing issue of the pageant, people had their
opinion about having actress Jane Seymour exhibit without the
approval from the artists’ jury.
Others lauded implementations that happened during his short
tenure including the docent program, audio tours, the renovation of
the Forum Theater and rebuilding of the pageant’s workshops.
Anne England, long-time Laguna Beach resident and festival artist,
said that he was hired with the best intentions.
“We really could not afford him and he seemed to have an ongoing
disgruntled feeling about Laguna Beach,” England said. “I think he
was at odds with what the artists and community expected from him.”
Her reaction to the lawsuit is that she is appalled.
“He walked away from his position, nobody fired him,” England
said. “I think it’s atrocious and I’m very upset about it.”
He said in the lawsuit that the board members crossed the line by
violating his privacy interest. He said they released information
regarding alleged misconduct and also the terms of his employment,
including his $175,000 yearly salary, from his personnel file.
Though others say his salary is public record and nonprofit
organizations have to file that information with the state.
Brezzo came to Laguna Beach after serving as director of the San
Diego Museum of Art for 18 years.
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