Domestic Violence Bias Claims Free Worker From Arbitration Pact

API Group Life Safety USA LLC must face an employee’s discrimination claims in court because allegations it mishandled her status as a sexual violence victim triggered an arbitration opt-out law, a Portland federal judge ruled.

The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act applies to Nicole Polen’s lawsuit even though she doesn’t assert she was sexually harassed or assaulted in the workplace or that API caused sexual harassment or an assault to occur, the US District Court for the District of Oregon said. It’s enough under the 2022 #MeToo-inspired law that Polen pointed to her status as ...