On the same day the glitzy Harman Center for the Arts celebrated its grand opening in Washington, D.C. (a must-attend for the city’s high society), Sidney Harman, the center’s namesake and a well-known purveyor of high-end audio equipment, was sued in federal court.

The suit was filed last week by a group of stockholders who say Harman lied about the health of his company to push through a merger that could have heaped more than $400 million in his lap.