People walk past Twitter’s offices in New York City on January 12, 2023.
Angela Weiss AFP Getty Images
Twitter Inc has secured a ruling that allows the social media company to force some of its fired workers who are suing for the layoffs to pursue their claims through individual arbitration instead of class-action lawsuits.
US District Judge James Donato on Friday ordered that five former Twitter employees who are pursuing a class action lawsuit accusing the company of failing to provide adequate notice before being fired following its acquisition by Elon Musk must pursue their claims in private arbitration.
Donato issued a request on Twitter to compel the five former employees to pursue their claims individually, citing the agreements they signed with the company.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A San Francisco judge left the other day “as promised by the development of the case” that all class lawsuits should be dismissed, as he noted three other former Twitter employees who stated that they opted out of the arbitration agreement the company had joined. lawsuits after they are first filed.
The attorney representing the plaintiffs, Shannon Liss-Riordan, said Monday that she has filed 300 claims for arbitration on behalf of former Twitter employees and is likely to file hundreds more.
The workers all claim they have not received the full severance package promised by Twitter before Musk took over. Some also allege gender or disability discrimination.
Last year, Donato ruled that Twitter had to notify thousands of workers laid off following its acquisition by Musk after a proposed class action accused the company of failing to provide adequate notice before termination.
The judge said that before asking workers to sign a severance agreement that removes their ability to sue the company, Twitter should have provided “concise and clear notice”.
Twitter laid off about 3,700 employees in early November in a cost-cutting measure by Musk, and hundreds more have since resigned.
In December last year, Twitter was also accused by dozens of former employees of various legal violations stemming from Musk’s takeover of the company, including targeting women for layoffs and failing to pay promised severance pay.
Twitter also faces at least three complaints filed with the US labor board that claim workers were fired for criticizing the company, trying to organize a strike, and other actions covered by federal labor laws.