Denson v. Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.
Jessica Denson, a former employee of Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., filed a lawsuit alleging sex discrimination and hostile work environment, which led to the campaign initiating arbitration for alleged breaches of her non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreement (NDA). The arbitrator issued awards against Denson for disclosing confidential information in a federal action challenging the NDA and for statements on social media. The Supreme Court affirmed these awards, but the Appellate Division, First Department, reversed the judgment and vacated the arbitration awards. The appellate court ruled that penalizing Denson for statements made in a judicial proceeding violated strong public policy protecting freedom of expression in court. Furthermore, the arbitrator exceeded his authority by considering events that occurred after the initial demand for arbitration, making the entire award invalid.