Twitter has secured a ruling that will allow the social media company to force some laid-off workers to sue over their termination to pursue their claims through individual arbitration rather than a lawsuit. collective.
U.S. District Judge James Donato on Friday ruled that five former Twitter employees pursue a proposed class action lawsuit alleging the company failed to give them adequate notice before firing them after being acquired by Elon Musk must pursue their claim in private arbitration.
Donato accepted Twitter’s request to force five former employees to pursue their claims individually, citing agreements they signed with the company.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
However, the San Francisco judge left for another day “as assured by the developments in the case” whether to dismiss the entire class action, as he noted that three former employees Other Twitter, who allege it opted out of the company’s arbitration agreement, joined the lawsuit after it was first filed.
The attorney representing the plaintiffs, Shannon Liss-Riordan, said Monday that she has filed 300 arbitration requests on behalf of former Twitter employees and is likely to file hundreds more.
All of those workers claim they didn’t receive the full severance package Twitter promised before Musk took over. Some also allege sexism or disability.
Last year, Donato ruled that Twitter must notify thousands of workers who were laid off after being acquired by Musk following a proposed class action lawsuit alleging the company failed to give adequate notice before terminate the contract with them.
The judge said that before requiring workers to sign a severance agreement giving up the ability to sue the company, Twitter must give them “a brief and clear notice”.
Twitter laid off about 3,700 employees in early November in a cost-cutting measure by Musk, and hundreds of others have since quit.
In December of last year, Twitter was also accused by dozens of former employees of breaking the law stemming from Musk’s takeover of the company, including targeting women firing and failing to pay severance pay as promised. .
Twitter is also facing at least three complaints filed with the US labor commission, alleging that workers were fired for criticizing the company, attempting to organize a strike, and other acts committed by the company. protected by federal labor laws.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
