Hansbrough v. Marshall Dennehey, P.C.

**What Happened:** A worker sued the law firm Marshall Dennehey for sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and employment discrimination. The law firm tried to force the case into private arbitration (a process where disputes are resolved outside of court) instead of allowing it to proceed as a regular lawsuit in court. **What the Court Decided:** The Ohio Court of Appeals ruled against the law firm and upheld a lower court's decision to deny arbitration. The court found that a 2022 federal law called the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act prevents employers from forcing sexual harassment cases into arbitration. This law gives workers the right to take their sexual harassment claims to court rather than being required to resolve them through private arbitration. The case was sent back to the lower court to continue with the lawsuit. **Why This Matters for Workers:** This ruling reinforces an important protection for workers facing sexual harassment. Many employment contracts contain arbitration clauses that typically require workplace disputes to be handled privately rather than in open court. However, this decision confirms that workers cannot be forced into arbitration for sexual harassment claims, giving them the choice to pursue their cases through the public court system where they may have better access to justice.