Press Release

Washington, DC — The following is a statement from American Association for Justice President Tad Thomas on the passage of S. 4524, the SPEAK OUT Act, which limits the enforceability of certain non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses against sexual assault and sexual harassment survivors:

“We applaud the House of Representatives for passing first-of-its-kind legislation to restore rights to survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment to not be silenced. On a bipartisan basis, Congress has now made clear that non-disclosure (NDA) and non-disparagement clauses silence survivors and perpetuate a cycle of sexual abuse and misconduct.

Earlier this year Congress passed, and President Biden signed into law a bill on forced arbitration allowing survivors to choose how they want to seek justice. As advocates for civil justice and accountability we are proud to see these significant steps in the fight to hold abusers and their enablers responsible.

Though many barriers still exist for those seeking justice for all types of discrimination or corporate misconduct, we applaud today as a significant step in the direction of justice and accountability.  We will continue to work with Congress to grant these protections to others who have been hurt through no fault of their own.”