Getty Trust Board Was Warned by Chief Counsel
June 30, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
The J. Paul Getty Trust, despite warnings from its chief counsel, paid legal fees totaling $64,000 to a wealthy board member, risking the organization’s tax-exempt status, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Barbara Fleischman, a trustee since 2000, asked that the board pay fees incurred when she testified during the Italian investigation of former Getty antiquities curator Marian True. Italian authorities accused Ms. True of trafficking looted antiquities.
The trust’s chief counsel, Peter Erichsen, warned board members that paying the legal fees “would not be appropriate,” according to a 2003 memo, but two years later the board decided to go against that advice.
According to the Times, Getty officials refuse to explain what led to the reversal, citing attorney-client privilege.
