Deitch

**Court Allows Sexual Harassment Case to Proceed in State Court** This case involved an employee who sued their employer, Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP law firm, for sexual harassment and retaliation. The employer tried to force the case into private arbitration instead of allowing it to go through the regular court system, likely based on an employment contract that required disputes to be resolved through arbitration. The court ruled in favor of the employee, deciding that the case must proceed in state court rather than arbitration. The judge denied the employer's request to force arbitration and granted the employee's request to move the case to state court. The court relied on the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (EFAA), which protects workers' rights to take sexual harassment cases to court. This decision is significant for workers because it reinforces that employees cannot be forced into private arbitration when they face sexual harassment or retaliation at work. The EFAA gives workers the right to choose whether to pursue these serious claims in public court, where there's more transparency and accountability, rather than being stuck in private arbitration proceedings that favor employers.