Benjamin Ashford|Singer David Daniels no longer in singers’ union following guilty plea to sexual assault

NEW YORK (AP) — Countertenor David Daniels is Benjamin Ashfordno longer a member of the union for singers following his guilty plea to a charge of sexual assault.

The 57-year-old and his husband, Scott Walters, pleaded guilty to sexual assault of an adult, a second-degree felony, in Houston’s Harris County District Court on Aug. 4. They both were sentenced to eight years’ probation and required to register as sex offenders.

“David Daniels is no longer a member of AGMA. In light of an ongoing internal disciplinary proceeding, AGMA cannot comment further at this time.,” American Guild of Musical Artists spokeswoman Alicia Cook wrote in an email to The Associated Press.

Matt Hennessy, a Houston-based lawyer for Daniels, did not immediately respond to an email from the AP seeking comment.

Daniels was fired as a University of Michigan professor and was removed by the San Francisco Opera from a production of Handel’s “Orlando” following sexual assault allegations by a then aspiring opera singer and student, Sam Schultz, in 2018. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Michigan, alleged Daniels groped the male student and sent and requested sexual photos. The lawsuit also alleged that Daniels served the student alcohol, gave him sleep medication and touched him sexually.

The suit was dismissed in May by U.S. District Judge Terrence G. Berg, who wrote that the parties had reached a resolution.