While its list of legal battles is still pretty lengthy, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) can turn the page on a lawsuit that was filed by a former employee accusing the trade group of racial and sexual discrimination and sexual harassment.
A little over a week after filing a suit against her former employer, NAR’s former chief storyteller, Janelle Brevard, has rescinded her complaint against NAR, accusing the association of racial and sexual discrimination and alleging that current president Kenny Parcell sexually harassed and retaliated against her after ending their alleged relationship.
While the details behind the decision are still unclear based on the court document filed by Brevard on Thursday, NAR confirmed that she “voluntarily withdrew her lawsuit on July 6, 2023,” in an emailed statement sent to RISMedia.
NAR declined to comment further on the matter, while attorneys representing Brevard did not immediately respond to RISMedia’s requests for comments on this story.
Brevard was hired by NAR in late 2019 as the trade group’s chief storyteller and served in the role until September 2022. Though the controversial lawsuit against NAR was short-lived, the allegations against NAR—which was the only named defendant—as well as Parcell shocked the industry.
Despite having no prior disciplinary issues while working at NAR, the complaint claimed that Brevard was singled out because of her race and ousted after filing a complaint to NAR against Parcell about alleged harassment after ending their relationship in June.
At the same, the lawsuit highlighted the “sexually hostile work environment” that Parcell was allegedly investigated over while serving as NAR’s president-elect. The complaint claimed that three white female NAR employees had previously complained about Parcell’s alleged sexual misconduct.
It also indicated that Brevard was asked to interview investigators, where she divulged her experiences with Parcell and revealed that the two were in an alleged relationship.
Brevard claimed she ended things in June 2022, but was harassed and retaliated against when she was fired for allegedly failing to disclose her relationship with Parcell. Claims of racial discrimination stemmed from allegations that Brevard, who is Black, was the only woman that met with investigators to be fired.
At the same time, it alleged that Parcell was not disciplined for the alleged relationship despite not disclosing it.
NAR wasted little time rebuking the allegations when Brevard filed the lawsuit on June 27.
“It is our practice to fully investigate all claims that are brought to our attention and take action, as warranted,” said Mantill Williams, NAR’s VP of Communications, in a previous statement. “We reject the claims filed in this lawsuit and will vigorously defend against them.”
Williams also stated that NAR “prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive environment for all our employees.”
