Akamai Loses Arbitration Bid on Female Worker’s Harassment Suit

An Akamai Technologies Inc. employee was permitted to opt out of her employment arbitration agreement and sue in court, because her gender bias claims include allegations of sexual harassment.

The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act lets plaintiffs nix arbitration pacts when they’re pursuing allegations based on sexual assaults or harassment and the worker’s allegations of sexist comments by supervisors and colleagues plausibly allege sexual harassment, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said Monday. That was so even though the suit “generally characterizes the claims pleaded” as asserting discrimination and retaliation, ...