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The Office of the New York State comptroller has asked eXp Realty to investigate allegations of sexual harassment and assault at company events, The New York Times reports. There are currently two lawsuits pending against the company by five women who worked as agents for eXp.
The state comptroller is trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, which owns about 27,000 shares of eXp World Holdings, the parent company of eXp Realty.
“We found the allegations very concerning and as a shareholder, we are asking questions,” N.Y. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli told the New York Times. “We want a public reporting of their efforts to prevent harassment.”
DiNapoli said in a letter to the company that he was concerned about the “legal and reputational risks” presented by the allegations. He also asked eXp to set up an independent committee to look into the allegations, but also company policies that may have allowed the conduct to occur, the NYT reports.
In a lawsuit filed in December, current and former agents accused eXp of creating a culture that enabled them to be drugged and assaulted. A separate lawsuit filed in February 2023 accused two eXp agents, Michael Bjorkman and David Golden, of drugging and sexually assaulting women during eXp recruiting events.
“eXp takes its responsibility to foster a safe and inclusive environment very seriously and has zero tolerance for abuse, harassment, or misconduct of any kind,” an eXp spokesperson told Bisnow via email Wednesday. “The conduct these women describe is abhorrent and unacceptable. In each case, we took swift and appropriate action to provide support and protection, and an independent review of the facts and allegations is already underway. Given the sensitive nature of the allegations and active litigation, eXp will continue to prioritize confidentiality and will communicate directly with Mr. DiNapoli to address his concerns as a representative of our shareholders.”
UPDATE, JAN. 31, 11:40 A.M. ET: Comments from eXp Realty have been added.
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