California AG: Getty Trust Has Suffered Enough

Improprieties are found, but no crimes, and no further penalties or reimbursements are proposed either for the trust or for ex-CEO Barry Munitz.

The California Attorney General's office has issued a report in its investigation of the J. Paul Getty Trust after the resignation of its CEO Barry Munitz earlier this year, who had agreed to forego $2 million on his employment contract and reimburse the museum $250,000 following a series of reports in the LA Times about questionable spending. 

The report found some of the items noted in the LA Times to be inappropriate spending, but also concluded that the settlement by Mr. Munitz had made the museum whole and no further action was needed.  No fraud was found because there was no deceit (false statements or false billings).

A few months ago, the LA Times reported that Attorney General Bill Lockyer had met with Mr. Munitz in January, a month before his resignation.  Mr. Lockyer and Mr. Munitz are old friends.  It leaves me with the impression that Mr. Munitz' resignation and severance agreement were designed with this result in mind—that if certain steps were taken the AG would forego additional penalties. 

A few items from the report, which shows the peculiar nature of what is and isn't legally acceptable for a charity foundation.  It doesn't have much to do with the amount of money involved:

• The AG found no rule against trust employees flying first class and staying in luxury hotels.  The report notes that first class air is arguably reasonable for transcontinental and overseas flights.  However, it is clearly unreasonable on shorter flights, concludes the AG.  (Elsewhere, the report notes that Mr. Munitz had repaid the trust only for the first class differential on short flights.)
• In any event, paying for spouse travel is unreasonable, even for the CEO of the Getty. 
• Gifts of artwork for four retiring trustees (cost: $21,561.16) constituted unreasonable personal gain.
• On the other hand, paying retired trustee David Gardner $70,000 to write a book about the museum was reasonable, even though the book was never produced, because it was an employment arrangement and he had performed work.   
• A $3 million separation agreement with former museum director Deborah Gribbon was reasonable, because if she had filed suit for unlawful discharge she might have won much more.
• A $350,000 separation agreement Mr. Munitz made with former chief of staff Jill Murphy was reasonable, because he had the authority to make such agreements at the time that he made it and the organization could have been sued if they refused to pay. 

Comments

[バーバリーマフラー]

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[バーバリーマフラー]

ところが、十津川村野尻では増水した川が村営住宅２棟をのみ込んで２家族が流され、五條市大塔町宇井では多数の行方不明者が出ていたことなどから、川上村の被害が広く知られることはなかった
今も現場は土砂に覆われたままだが、迂回（うかい）路も通り、土砂の除去も少しずつだが進む。管轄の吉野土木事務所は「来年４月中旬ごろをめどに、崩落箇所に仮の橋をつくり通行できるようにしたい」としている。
こうした復興のつち音は響いているものの、観光への風評被害は続く。村の観光の中心でもある「ホテル杉の湯」などは通常通り営業しているが、迂回部分に立地するため見逃されがち。

[ティンバーランド]

ティンバーランド労組への配慮も顕著だ。会社員らの厚生年金と公務員らの共済年金の一元化問題では、公務員労組から支援を受ける議員が「人事院が来年２月に公表する会社員と公務員の退職金比較調査の結果が出るまでは、共済年金の特権的な上乗せ部分である職域加算の取り扱いを決めるべきではない」と主張。時間稼ぎをして法案の中身を骨抜きにしようという意図は明白だが、骨子案はあっさりとその主張を受け入れた。

　ティンバーランド首相は年末までに、社会保障分野と消費税増税部分をあわせた一体改革素案をまとめる方針だ。古本伸一郎党税調事務局長は１２日の党一体改革?税制両調査会合同会議で、「３１日の除夜の鐘のところまで、みなさんと相談していきたい」と強調したが、抜本的な改革は先送り必至の情勢だ。

[Nike Air Max]

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.