The Metropolitan Museum of Art has changed its lease at the "city's request" and now can charge museumgoers a mandatory admissions fee.

Recent lawsuits against the museum stirred up controversy. The Met "recommended" an entrance fee of $25, but the signage was not clear that the fees were not mandatory. In fact, the museum could be enjoyed for free as part of its land lease from the city.

On Thursday, a Manhattan judge was notified that the Met would now be allowed to charge a mandatory fee.

The new lease allows the museum to “set the terms of admission to its permanent galleries to the general public” as approved by the commissioner of the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs.