Courts Expand Allowable Claims Under #MeToo Arbitration Law (1)

A growing body of federal court rulings that allow workers to bypass arbitration with non-sexual harassment claims that are intertwined with allegations of sexual misconduct in lawsuits is teeing up a judicial showdown over the intent of a #MeToo-era law.

President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act into law in March 2022 with the express purpose of voiding forced arbitration agreements specifically for claims of workplace sexual harassment.

Since the law’s enactment, at least six federal district courts—in California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas—have broadly ...