Weekly Real Estate News
eXp Realty, founder Glenn Sanford and parent company AGNT have reached a confidential settlement in principle with Anya Roberts, resolving her claims against the corporate defendants in a closely watched federal lawsuit involving allegations of sexual assault at real estate recruiting events.
The agreement was disclosed in a notice filed Sunday, Oct. 18, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, according to reporting Monday by Real Estate News and HousingWire. The terms were not disclosed. The underlying notice has not yet been independently obtained by WRE News.
The settlement covers eXp Realty LLC, Sanford and AGNT Inc., formerly eXp World Holdings. It does not resolve Roberts’ remaining claims against former eXp agents Michael Bjorkman and David Golden, who have denied the allegations and whose separate trial was scheduled to begin Monday, Oct. 19.
Settlement reached before separate corporate trial
Roberts filed her lawsuit in December 2023, alleging that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Bjorkman and Golden at recruiting-related events in 2020. Her complaint also raised questions about what the brokerage and its leadership knew about alleged misconduct and how they responded. The allegations against the former agents remain contested; a settlement with other defendants is not a finding of liability.
In August, U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. separated the litigation into two trials. The first would address claims against Bjorkman and Golden beginning Oct. 19. A second trial, previously scheduled for Nov. 16, would have addressed surviving claims against the brokerage and Sanford. The new agreement is expected to eliminate that second trial once the settlement is finalized and the appropriate dismissal is entered.
According to the settlement notice as quoted by Real Estate News, Roberts and eXp Realty reached a confidential agreement in principle intended to resolve all claims against eXp Realty, Sanford and AGNT. The filing said the parties anticipated submitting dismissal paperwork within 15 days after finalizing their agreement. As of this report, WRE News has not independently confirmed that a final dismissal order has been entered.
eXp denies wrongdoing
An eXp spokesperson told Real Estate News that the company and Roberts had resolved their dispute and that the agreement was not an admission of wrongdoing. The company said it had consistently denied the claims against it and emphasized its commitment to a safe and respectful agent community.
Neither a settlement amount nor other financial terms have been made public. It would therefore be premature to characterize the agreement as a court determination about the underlying allegations.
Separate claims against former agents remain
The corporate settlement leaves the case against Bjorkman and Golden unresolved. The two men are no longer affiliated with eXp. Whether jury proceedings began on Monday as scheduled requires confirmation from the court’s current docket.
There is also a separate lawsuit brought by other plaintiffs, commonly referred to as the Acevedo case, involving allegations connected to recruiting events. RISMedia reported that an attorney representing plaintiffs in both cases said the Roberts settlement does not resolve the claims in Acevedo.
Why the case matters for the brokerage industry
The Roberts litigation has placed attention on a difficult question for large real estate brokerages: how companies oversee recruiting activity and respond to misconduct allegations involving independent-contractor agents. The settlement avoids a planned corporate trial in this particular case, but it does not establish a broad legal rule governing brokerage responsibility.
For eXp, the immediate consequence is the prospective resolution of one set of corporate claims while related litigation continues. For the industry, the underlying questions about reporting procedures, supervision and agent safety remain important.
Sources: Real Estate News, Oct. 19; HousingWire, Oct. 19; RISMedia, Oct. 19. Federal case: Roberts v. eXp Realty LLC, No. 2:23-cv-10492 (C.D. Cal.).
