Lawsuit: Real Estate Firm's Employees Used Recruiting Events To Drug, Sexually Assault Women
A complaint filed in a California federal court Wednesday alleges that two employees from eXp Realty engaged in sexual misconduct with other real estate agents during trips for company events. The plaintiffs also claim that eXp knew about the behavior but did not sever ties with the employees.
Filed in the Central District Court of California, the complaint lays out a series of incidents that allegedly took place between 2018 and 2021 involving two agents working for the real estate company, Michael Bjorkman and David Golden, on trips for eXp recruiting events in Las Vegas and Newport Coast and Beverly Hills, California.
Two of the women included in the complaint went to the authorities to report their alleged assaults, but neither case went anywhere in criminal proceedings, said Andrea Hirsch, partner at Cohen Hirsch and an attorney for the plaintiffs.
Bjorkman was arrested in Florida on charges related to the alleged assault in 2021, but the case was dismissed two months later. In a statement shared with The Signal, a Santa Clarita Valley-based publication, the Clark County District Attorney said that they "received additional information and evidence that led us to believe that we cannot prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, it is our ethical obligation to dismiss the charges. We will not be proceeding with this case.”
Another one of the women had gone to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department concerning an incident in their jurisdiction, though it is unclear why nothing has yet happened with that case, according to Hirsch. At the time of the dismissal of the Las Vegas-based case, the sheriff's department investigation was active, The Signal reported.
The men maintained their innocence throughout these proceedings.
A spokesperson for eXp Realty said the company does not comment on pending litigation. The two men could not be reached for comment. The company primarily deals in residential real estate, but also has a commercial division.
The charges against the men and eXp Realty include sexual and civil battery. The complaint claims that since these men knew that they were inviting these women to travel for the purpose of perpetrating these alleged acts, they also engaged in federal sex trafficking.
"While at eXp Realty Recruiting Events, Defendant Golden and Defendant Bjorkman used illegal drugs; surreptitiously drugged and rendered incapacitated other agents and sexually assaulted them and videotaped/photographed their actions. On information and belief, this was known by eXp Realty throughout the duration of their affiliation with Defendant eXp Realty," the civil complaint states.
The real estate company knew about alleged issues with both men as early as late 2019, the complaint claims, because three of the plaintiffs and at least one other woman who experienced a similar situation with the men told superiors about their experiences, sometimes requesting job changes that would allow them distance from the men.
The structure of eXp allows the company to make money off of new recruits to the company through fees and a 20% cut of commissions on their deals, the complaint details. According to the filing, Golden and Bjorkman were top recruiters for the company. Golden, who is based in Nevada, still has an active profile on the eXp agent directory. Bjorkman, who is based in California, does not; the complaint states he left in 2021.
The complaint was filed by attorneys for the plaintiffs — four women who worked for or were being recruited to work for eXp when they encountered these men, and the husband of one of the women. Only one of the women, Fabiola Acevedo, is named.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages including lost earnings and punitive damages.
