Supreme Court Prevents Workers from Challenging Corporate Wrongdoing

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision in EPIC Systems Corp. v. Lewis:

“The Supreme Court’s decision, where Trump-appointed Justice Gorsuch cast the fifth and decisive vote, will make it easier for corporations to perpetuate and hide sexual harassment and workplace discrimination. Allowing companies to force workers to sign pre-dispute arbitration clauses that end their right to band together to take legal action against wrongdoing will sweep many discrimination and harassment claims under the rug. Private arbitration favors corporations over employees and provides no transparency so that other employees can learn about corporate misconduct. In this time of heightened awareness of sexual harassment, employers should not be able to hide behind arbitration clauses when they violate their employees’ civil rights.  It’s now up to Congress to fix this error.”

The Leadership Conference joined an amicus brief on this case, which is available here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.