The New York Times-20080129-Seattle Symphony Wins In Court- -Brief-

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Seattle Symphony Wins In Court; [Brief]

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A state court judge in Seattle has dismissed the third and final claim of a lawsuit brought by a violinist who accused the Seattle Symphony and its music director, Gerard Schwarz, of abuse and discrimination. The violinist, Peter Kaman, charged that the orchestra had discriminated against him because of his disability -- a severe anxiety disorder -- and systematically harassed him. The judge, Catherine Shaffer of King County Superior Court, previously dismissed the discrimination claims and last week threw out a claim that Mr. Kaman had suffered outrageous conduct and emotional distress. Mr. Kaman's lawyer, Brenda Little, said on Monday that she would file a motion for the judge to reconsider last week's ruling; an appeal of the earlier dismissals is already pending, she said. The lawsuit was the latest chapter of turmoil in the orchestra: Mr. Schwarz has faced persistent opposition from players, several of whom have said they were targets of vandalism.