A six-month long New York Times investigation into an alleged series of sexual assaults and cover-ups at eXp claims to have found evidence that the brokerage giant ignored or slow-walked numerous reports of misconduct and assault that are at the center of at least two ongoing lawsuits—the second of which was filed yesterday by another victim.
The report, authored by Debra Kamin, the same journalist whose investigative piece resulted in the resignation of then-National Association of REALTORS® President Kenny Parcell, includes interviews with numerous women, claiming that the company failed to take “substantive action” regarding reports from female agents who reported that they were drugged and assaulted by two then-eXp top producers, David Golden and Michael Bjorkman.
Golden and Bjorkman are no longer with the company, though the New York Times report claims to have found more instances involving other employees or vendors who worked with eXp—some of whom are still employed or associated with the company.
The story, which eXp CEO Glenn Sanford alluded to in an earnings call last month, characterizes the company as unwilling to take any of the allegations seriously, or take steps to protect female employees.
eXp did not respond to specific questions about the New York Times story. In a statement, a company spokesperson emphasized that it “take(s) our responsibility to foster a safe and inclusive environment very seriously.”
“eXp Realty has zero tolerance for abuse, harassment, or misconduct of any kind — including by the independent real estate agents who use our services. The claims in this case stem from alleged assaults by independent real estate agents who were never eXp employees— which we handled with speed, seriousness, and deep respect as soon as the accusers brought it to our attention, in line with our values and with the law,” the spokesperson said.
Golden and Bjorkman have denied wrongdoing, and Bjorkman continues to practice real estate.
The newest lawsuit, filed by eXp agent Anya Roberts and naming eXp, Sanford, Golden, Bjorkman and several other current eXp employees, claims that “the detestable actions that are the subject of this complaint…were rampant within eXp, during eXp events, agent sponsored events, as well as events where eXp was in attendance, permeating the company’s culture.”
In the suit, Roberts describes a 2020 sexual assault in which Roberts claims Golden’s girlfriend drugged her, and then joined Golden in assaulting her.
The lawsuit claims that Golden tried to convince Roberts to let him become her “sponsor” as he was in the process of assaulting her and she was drugged, promising to advance her career. Roberts eventually entered into a “relationship” with Golden, according to the suit, after what she characterizes as harassment and promises of huge financial gain.
Roberts claims that the structure of eXp directly incentivizes his kind of bad behavior, and that “Sanford and eXp…financially benefited from the recruitment activities of Golden and Bjorkman.”
eXp, in its statement, said that it was “now learning of new allegations of alleged assaults that were brought forth by another female agent and have begun an investigation into the claims.”
It was not clear if the company was referring to Roberts, or another one of them women who spoke to the New York Times.
“However, the claims against eXp and its leadership have no basis in fact or law, and to which eXp vehemently denies,” the spokesperson continued. “eXp has asked the court to dismiss these claims and is prepared to present and defend its position if necessary.”
The New York Times investigation also unearthed other new information, including that eXp offered a $50,000 “confidential” settlement to Fabiano Acevedo—one of the alleged victims who filed the first lawsuit against eXp. That settlement offer, which Acevedo did not accept, came only after eight separate attempts to get eXp to remove Bjorkman as her “sponsor,” and take further action against Golden.
eXp’s business model encourages agents to recruit by offering them portions of those agents’ future commissions. Bjorkman was Acevedo’s “sponsor” at the time of the assault, and the New York Times story claims she and other victims were forced to share income with the people who had allegedly assaulted them—even after they left the company, and even after Sanford promised to change that system.
The New York Times article is also highly critical of this type of practice, claiming that top eXp influencers are “revered,” and that the alleged women became “trapped” with abusive sponsors due to company policies. It also claims that eXp’s process for reporting sexual harassment is “murky,” and points out that independent contractors often don’t have the same resources or rights as employees.
This story was updated at 4:40 p.m. Eastern Time with eXp’s response to the new allegations.
This is a developing story. Please stay tuned to rismedia.com for updates.
