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New sexual misconduct claims against opera legend

Cape Town - In the weeks since the initial Associated Press story was published, 11 additional women have shared stories about encounters with opera legend Placido Domingo that they said included unwanted touching and sudden kisses on the lips.

AP's initial report said that nine women, including eight singers and one dancer, alleged the Grammy award-winning star sexually harassed them within the past three decades.

Another six women accused Placido of making "suggestive overtures" the report said, while nearly three dozen people told the news agency that they witnessed the music artist behaving inappropriately toward women.

Placido has denied all claims.

According to the news agency, one of the new accusers, voice teacher Angela Turner Wilson, alleged that Placido touched her inappropriately before a Washington Opera performance during the 1999-2000 season, when she was 28.The music legend was starring alongside her in Le Cid and was the artistic director of the opera company."It hurt. It was not gentle," Wilson told the AP of the alleged incident. She added: "He groped me hard."

The 10 other women, who were not identified by name, recalled "unwanted touching, persistent requests for private get-togethers, late-night phone calls and sudden attempts to kiss them on the lips" according to AP.

The opera legend's spokeswoman, Nancy Seltzer, denied the new allegations in a statement to the news agency.

Nancy said: "The ongoing campaign by the AP to denigrate Placido Domingo is not only inaccurate but unethical,". She went on: "These new claims are riddled with inconsistencies and, as with the first story, in many ways, simply incorrect. Due to an ongoing investigation, we will not comment on specifics, but we strongly dispute the misleading picture that the AP is attempting to paint of Mr Domingo."

Compiled by Alex Isaacs. (Sources: AP)


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