California Is On The Verge Of Banning Nondisclosure Agreements For Sexual Harassment Victims

[DonViejo]

The state legislature passed two bills this week aimed at keeping companies from covering up workplace sexual harassment.

Claudia Koerner
BuzzFeed News Reporter

Posted on August 24, 2018, at 10:31 p.m. ET

California legislators passed two bills this week inspired by the #MeToo movement, aiming to prevent employers from covering up sexual harassment scandals.

Both bills must be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown before they become law.

For years, sexual harassment victims found themselves unable to speak freely about their experiences, either because of provisions in their employment contracts or settlement agreements. In some cases, this provided welcome privacy for the victim as well as protecting a company's reputation.

But in others, victims were prevented from coming forward with their stories, and abusers were shielded from public accountability. In the case of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, non-disclosure agreements kept women silent for years about alleged abuse, protecting his career, and according to his accusers, enabling him to continue preying on others.

On Thursday, legislators passed a bill that would ban secret settlements that required silence from victims as a condition. Victims could still request nondisclosure agreements, and it would only apply to cases of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sex discrimination in the workplace.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/claudiakoerner/california-lawmakers-have-voted-to-ban-secret-settlements

[David__77]

1. I imagine then there will be fewer settlement agreements.

...

[dsc]

3. this has the potential of being a two edged sword

But since the victim can request them I still see an ability to get settlements.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. I assume that if one is underage, that NDAs would have no authority, being that a crime ...

has been committed? Hopefully so...since these pedophiles need to be prosecuted.