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posted by martyb on Monday July 24 2017, @01:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the no-bad-news-must-be-good-news...-right? dept.

Last October, AngelList, a company that helps tech start-ups raise money and hire employees, held an office retreat. In the Hollywood Hills, far from Silicon Valley, the firm's mostly male staff mingled poolside with bikini-clad women who had been invited to the event.

Before the afternoon was over, Babak Nivi, a founder and board member at AngelList, said things that made Julie Ruvolo, a contractor, uncomfortable about working at the company. His comments included a suggestion that the women, who were not employees, warm up the pool by jumping in and rubbing their bodies together. The incident was described by two entrepreneurs who were told about it in the weeks after it occurred but were not authorized to speak about it.

Precisely what occurred at the Hollywood Hills event and the details of the agreement are not publicly known. Several weeks after the party, each side signed a nondisparagement clause as part of a settlement, the two people said. And neither Ms. Ruvolo nor AngelList are permitted to talk about what happened that day.

As more harassment allegations come to light, employment lawyers say nondisparagement agreements have helped enable a culture of secrecy. In particular, the tech start-up world has been roiled by accounts of workplace sexual harassment, and nondisparagement clauses have played a significant role in keeping those accusations secret. Harassers move on and harass again. Women have no way of knowing their history. Nor do future employers or business partners.

Source: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/21/abuses-hide-in-the-silence-of-non-disparagement-agreements.html

Related: Silicon Valley Women Frankly Describe Sexual Harassment


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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 24 2017, @01:57PM (4 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 24 2017, @01:57PM (#543682) Journal

    They have a nondisparagement agreement, between the victims and the legal entity, the corporation. Now, what's to stop the victims from filing a sexual harassment suit against any of the INDIVIDUALS involved? That could make for a very interesting situation.

    I'm only half serious with that question, but only half kidding too.

    The stupid bit is, that they signed nondisparagement and/or nondisclosure agreements. If someone asks you to sign such a thing, you know you're setting yourself up to be exploited and abused.

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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by azrael on Monday July 24 2017, @02:00PM

    by azrael (2855) on Monday July 24 2017, @02:00PM (#543684)

    I assume they signed the agreement after getting a payout. There's a question there about the morality of lining your own pocket versus going public to help others.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 24 2017, @02:21PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 24 2017, @02:21PM (#543692)

    Does the criminal law not overrule such agreements? You might not be able to get paid for damages through civil law, but criminal law is a different beast and might be a way to get around the agreement.

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Monday July 24 2017, @04:11PM

      by frojack (1554) on Monday July 24 2017, @04:11PM (#543745) Journal

      No, criminal law largely does not override contract law, unless the contract itself specifies an illegal act.

      It is not against the law for you and someone else agreeing to be silent about an already transpired event (one that neither party has any legal obligation to report) with or without the exchange of apologies, or remuneration, or some other inducement (a job perhaps). Nor does a single event come close to meeting the definition of harassment.

      As for TFS's assertion that

      "Women have no way of knowing their history. Nor do future employers or business partners."

      suggests that any drunken utterance should be recorded and made part of some permanent record, accessible for all time. Ammunition for the gossip mongers run wild ruining careers wherever they go.

      Harrassment is a repeated series of events. One off color remark hardly rises to that level. Poor taste, sure.

      Perhaps the fact that the "uncomfortable" Julie Ruvolo seeks remuneration for her brief discomfort should also be made public so that no one will invite her to an event where booze flows and something off color might get said. Especially since it would seem that Ms Ruvolo has a habit of putting herself in such places. [gettyimages.co.uk]

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 24 2017, @09:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 24 2017, @09:45PM (#543890)

    Friend, don't stress! Our friendly video cameras placed in every room, toilet and outdoor space captured any compromising scenes. These are just holiday photos for us to enjoy friend. We may delete them very soon. What a fun party it was! It's up to you friend.