Washington National Opera Sues Kennedy Center for $17 Million

The divorce just got expensive. Washington National Opera filed suit Thursday claiming the Kennedy Center is sitting on more than $17 million in donations that belong to the company, not the venue. This is the messiest institutional breakup in D.C. arts since the Kennedy Center itself was born out of political maneuvering. The number is not symbolic, it is the operating lifeblood of a mid-sized opera company.