A new law signed by Jerry Brown prohibits California employers from requiring workers to sign nondisclosure agreements as part of sexual harassment, sexual assault and discrimination cases.
Authored by Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, SB820 is yet another bill spawned by the #MeToo movement. It is also known as the STAND (Stand Together Against Non-Disclosures) Act.
The Legislature had previously required employees to sign nondisclosure agreements as part of settlements. Leyva’s bill aims to ensure victims are not forced into silence while serial sex offenders continue to work. The bill allows victims to keep their names private, however the identity of the attacker cannot be confidential. It applies to public, private and legislative employers, and goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2019.
“For decades, secret settlements have been used by wealthy and well-connected perpetrators to offend repeatedly with no public accountability,” said Leyva in a statement for the Sacramento Bee. “This critical legislation will empower victims and offer them the opportunity to finally say #TimesUp to those that have hurt them.”
Read more about the bill at https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB820
Photo by Mihai Surdu on Unsplash
Disclaimer
The blog posts and e-newsletters from Lester & Cantrell, LLP are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Please contact our attorneys to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Use of and access to this Web site or any of the e-mail links contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between Lester & Cantrell, LLP and the user. Any opinions expressed on our blogs/e-newsletters are the opinions of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of the firm or any individual attorney.