eXp, former team leader named in sexual harassment suit
A former female employee claims she was harassed, then fired for resisting advances from Chris Nevada of the Nevada Real Estate Group.
Cloud-based brokerage eXp Realty is facing another lawsuit related to inappropriate sexual behavior.
The sexual harassment case, which names the brokerage and a former eXp team leader as defendants, follows an earlier suit alleging sexual assault by two former agents. CEO Glenn Sanford acknowledged the assault case during the company's third-quarter earnings call and said the "bad actors" had been fired.
In December, a New York Times investigation revealed additional allegations of predatory behavior and what it described as a "work hard, play harder" culture at the brokerage.
Just last week, in a seemingly prescient statement, the Times reporter behind the investigation told Real Estate News, "I don't think we've seen the end of the eXp story yet."
Case details: A complaint was filed against real estate agent Chris Nevada of the Nevada Real Estate Group and eXp Realty on Jan. 16 in the U.S. District Court of Nevada.
The plaintiff, Misty Carter, alleges that she was sexually harassed by Nevada while she was employed by eXp, then fired after she expressed opposition to that harassment, which included unwanted touching and attempts to establish a sexual relationship.
Chris Nevada is CEO of the Nevada Real Estate Group, which is no longer affiliated with eXp.
Court documents describe Carter as a non-managerial employee and not an independent contractor during the time the alleged harassment took place, from Dec. 2021 to June 2022.
eXp reaction: A spokesperson for the company said eXp did not know about the alleged harassment but has now initiated an investigation. The brokerage issued this statement about the case:
"Chris Nevada is a former eXp Realty agent who moved his business to LPT Realty in June/July 2023. The allegations made by his personal employee were not shared with eXp Realty until the filing of the lawsuit. eXp Realty's investigation began immediately upon receiving the allegations. We take 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."