The American Association for Justice (AAJ) recently sent out a press release celebrating new legislation aimed at banning forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts that promote silence among women facing sexual harassment. Forced arbitration clauses in employment contracts compel women to settle cases internally through arbitration without taking the cases to court.
According to a survey by the Economic Policy Institute, more than 60 million Americans are subject to forced arbitration clauses and are mandated to settle sexual harassment cases through internal arbitration. The new bipartisan legislation will remove the veil of secrecy surrounding sexual harassment in the workplace and hold perpetrators publicly accountable for their acts.