Key parties include plaintiff Lauren Bruce, a former employee; defendant Adams and Reese, LLP, a law firm; the Sixth Circuit (covering Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee); and the EFAA (2021 federal law amending the Federal Arbitration Act to exempt sexual assault/harassment disputes from mandatory arbitration).[1][3][4][5] Bruce alleged sexual harassment and disability discrimination/failure to accommodate; the firm sought to arbitrate the latter.[1][2]
This stems from the 2021 EFAA, enacted amid #MeToo to allow court litigation of harassment claims, with lower courts (e.g., New York, D.C.) already adopting the "entire case" view; the Sixth Circuit provided the first appellate precedent of first impression.[3][4][5] The case will now proceed to discovery in court.[3]
Newsworthy as the first binding appellate ruling post-EFAA, it forces Sixth Circuit employers to litigate all claims alongside viable harassment allegations—despite arbitration agreements—potentially influencing other circuits or Supreme Court review, and prompting policy reviews amid arbitration's favor in employment disputes.[1][2][3][4]