The Speak Out Act of 2022

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-AA15Ii8C

How a ban, sponsored by Lois Frankel, now curbs the use of NDAs for victims of sexual misconduct

The Speak Out Act stems from the #MeToo movement that galvanized attention on the way nondisclosure agreements have been used to prevent people who’ve been assaulted or harassed from telling anyone — including close family members — what they were subjected to.

“We’re taking the gag off the survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment,” said U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, the lead sponsor of the legislation in the House. “The implications of having these NDAs, or all these gags, is that people were having to suffer in silence and abusers were allowed to continue abusing without anybody else knowing about it.”

The Speak Out Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden on Dec. 7, prohibits the use of pre-disclosure NDAs against victims of sexual misconduct. They may still be present in contracts, but can’t be enforced.

After-the-fact NDAs are still permitted. A victim could agree to an NDA as part of a settlement agreement with an employer or business, Frankel said.

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Frankel said the new law also applies to contracts consumers sign with companies that perform services, such as maintenance or repairs.

The law also prevents NDAs from being used to stop witnesses of sexual assault or harassment in the workplace from disclosing what they saw, according to the Lift Our Voices organization, which advocated for the law.

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