The museum's petition claims that Suda, who was three years into a five-year contract when she was fired, had repeatedly requested increases in pay from the compensation committee of the museum's board of trustees. When the committee refused, the petition claims, "Suda took the money anyway, defying the board and violating her contract". The petition does not specify the sums that Suda allegedly misappropriated; her starting base salary in 2022 was $720,000.
Suda says that her "for cause" termination was issued "without valid basis," alleging that she was dismissed while negotiating the terms of her departure because she refused to sign an agreement with PhAM that would not only "would allow the Museum's officers and agents to disparage [her], while [she] would be prohibited from discussing her departure publicly or defend[ing] her reputation," but also only afford her six months of severance pay versus the two years promised in her five-year contract.
Suda's lawsuit, filed Monday (10 November) in Pennsylvania state court, alleges that she was fired after clashing with "a small, corrupt faction" of the board of trustees who "formed an executive committee that actively worked to undermine Suda by attempting to sway staff, poison board relations and sabotage" the museum's pursuit of its mission. The lawsuit was first reported by The New York Times.
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