Twitter Inc has obtained a judgement that allows the social media giant to require certain laid-off employees who are suing over their firing to pursue their claims through individual arbitration rather than a class-action lawsuit.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge James Donato decided that five former Twitter employees seeking a proposed class action accusing the business of failing to provide enough notice before laying them off following Elon Musk’s takeover of the company must pursue their claims in private arbitration.
Donato granted Twitter’s plea to compel the five ex-employees to pursue their claims on their own, citing contracts they signed with the firm.
Twitter did not reply immediately to a request for comment.
The San Francisco judge deferred ruling on whether the entire class action lawsuit should be dismissed until another day “as warranted by developments in the case,” noting that three other former Twitter employees who claimed they had opted out of the company’s arbitration agreement had joined the lawsuit after it was first filed.
Donato decided last year that Twitter must tell the thousands of employees who were laid off following Musk’s acquisition of the firm, following a proposed class action accusing the company of neglecting to provide enough notice before terminating them.
The judge decided that before requesting workers to sign severance agreements surrendering their capacity to sue the corporation, Twitter must provide them “a short and properly worded warning”.
Musk let off approximately 3,700 employees in early November as part of a cost-cutting strategy, and hundreds more subsequently resigned.
In December of last year, scores of former employees accused Twitter of various legal infractions originating from Musk’s purchase of the firm, including targeting women for layoffs and failing to pay promised severance pay.
Twitter is also facing at least three complaints filed with a U.S. labor board alleging that employees were fired for criticizing the firm, seeking to organize a strike, and engaging in other federal labor law-protected behavior.
reuters
