A Glencoe lawyer has filed suit against the organization that runs the Ravinia festival, claiming her reputation was sullied when she was improperly removed from the Ravinia Women's Board, which oversees some of the festival's biggest fundraisers, over allegations of "unethical behavior."
On Jan. 17, Karen Ksander Ettelson filed a complaint in Cook County Circuit Court against the Ravinina Festival Association and the association's leadership. Defendants include Ravinia board president Christopher J. Klein and Ravinia CEO and president Jeffrey Haydon.
The lawsuit centers on Ettelson's ouster from the Women's Board in September 2023.
Founded in 1972, the Ravinia Women's Board has through the ensuing decades raised more than $34 million to benefit the Ravinia Festival Association, which organizes the annual outdoor musical festival in Highland Park, in Chicago's North Shore suburbs.
The festival is billed as the oldest ongoing outdoor musical festival in America, each summer hosting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as some of the biggest names in musical entertainment. The 2023 season, for instance, included performances from Carrie Underwood, Jason Mraz, Lauryn Hill, Santana, Ne-Yo, the band Chicago and other notable musical acts.
According to the lawsuit, Ettelson has served on the Ravinia Women's Board since 1990. The complaint notes that Ettelson has held numerous leadership roles on the Women's Board, including serving as co-chair of the annual Ravinia fundraising gala in 2016; helping to lead the creation of the Women's Board website and serving as the organization's webmaster; co-chairs of committees to reorganize and celebrate the history of the Ravinia Festival Shop; among others.
She also wrote "Leading Ladies," described as a "300-page illustrated book detailing the history and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Women's Board in 2012."
However, in July 2023, Ettelson became the target of an investigation over alleged unethical conduct, according to the complaint. The investigation was then conducted by lawyers from the firm of Perkins Coie.
The complaint does not specify the allegations against Ettelson that led to her removal, saying only that she was eventually accused of having engaged in "certain conduct ... with respect to Ravinia's Festival Shop employees."
The complaint asserts the selection of Perkins Coie represented a conflict of interest, because a Ravinia Association board member, identified as Richard Sevcik, then served as managing partner at Perkins Coie's Chicago office and the firm had received numerous perks from the Ravinia Festival.
Ettelson claims the investigation was "pretextual and grossly inadequate," allegedly failing to provide Ettelson the chance to rebut any allegations, and failing "to follow any recognized practice or procedure," while failing "to apply appropriate legal standards."
The complaint asserts that Ettelson was never provided with an alleged complaint made against her; was not informed who filed the complaint; or what specifically she was accused of having done.
Further, Ettelson claims she was misled into participating in the investigation, as she was allegedly not told she was the sole target of the inquiry until after she had responded to questions from investigators.
Ettelson claims her ouster was wrongful, because the Women's Board operates independently from the authority of the Association board, and, therefore, the "Ravinia Code of Ethics, by its terms, did not apply to the Women's Board." She claims the Ravinia Executive Committee acted beyond the scope of its authority in removing her.
The complaint notes Ettelson's ouster marked the first time in Ravinia history that a member of the Women's Board was removed in such a manner.
She claims the investigation and her removal damaged her reputation, as it "would lead members of the Women's Board, Trustees, Ravinia staff and the general public to falsely conclude that (Ettelson) must have engaged in extraordinarily serious misconduct."
"Plaintiff did nothing to warrant or justify Defendants’ actions," Ettelson wrote in her complaint. "For 30 years, Plaintiff has received continued praise, gratitude, and admiration from her Women’s Board colleagues, and from Ravinia staff and leadership for the thousands of volunteer hours of service in which she faithfully gave and respectfully performed her fiduciary duties to the Women’s Board."
Ettelson is seeking court orders restoring her to the Women's Board; directing Ravinia to "correct" its records, to delete aspersions on Ettelson's name and conduct; and to pay unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, plus attorney fees.
Ettelson is represented by attorneys Bradley Levison and Carrie A. Herschman, of Herschman Levison Hobfoll PLLC, of Chicago.
The Cook County Record offered Ravinia the opportunity to respond to Ettelson's lawsuit. In an emailed statement, a Ravinia spokesperson said:
"Ravinia refrains from commenting on this pending legal matter. Ravinia fosters an organizational culture – inclusive of staff, volunteers, and board members – that takes pride in upholding our mission, values, and standards of common decency and mutual respect. Ravinia does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or mistreatment. It is our obligation to fairly investigate all complaints and allegations and to take appropriate action."