Former eXp agents settle in assault case 2 days into trial
David Golden and Michael Bjorkman, who were accused of drugging and sexually assaulting another eXp agent, have reached a confidential deal with the plaintiff.
A long-running sexual assault lawsuit that put the spotlight on eXp Realty's agent culture appears to have come to a close.
Plaintiff Anya Roberts on Wednesday said she had reached a settlement with the remaining defendants, two ex-eXp agents named David Golden and Michael Bjorkman, who she alleged sexually assaulted her at an agent recruiting event.
'Fully and finally' resolved: The terms of the settlement were not disclosed in the court document filed by Roberts on Oct. 21, but it stated that the agreement "fully and finally resolve[s] all claims asserted by Plaintiff against Defendant David S. Golden and Defendant Michael L. Bjorkman (collectively, the 'Golden/Bjorkman Defendants')."
The court filing also said the lawsuit's parties expect to file case dismissal paperwork within 15 days of finalizing the settlement agreement.
In an email to Real Estate, attorneys for the plaintiff said, "We are very pleased to have reached a resolution that allows our client to put this litigation behind her and move forward with the next chapter of her life."
Legal representatives for the defendants did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Second settlement in 4 days: On Oct. 18 — just one day before the Bjorkman/Golden trial in Southern California was set to begin — Roberts reached a settlement with the lawsuit's corporate defendants: eXp Realty LLC, Glenn Sanford and AGNT, Inc. (formerly eXp World Holdings, Inc.). The terms of that settlement are also confidential.
Previously, the judge overseeing the case had decided to split the trials: one with Bjorkman and Golden as defendants (with a trial that started on Oct. 19), and one with eXp Realty, Sanford and AGNT as defendants (which was scheduled for trial on Nov. 16).
The allegations: In 2023, Roberts, who is an agent with eXp Realty, filed a lawsuit alleging that she had been drugged and sexually assaulted by former eXp agents Golden and Bjorkman at an eXp recruiting event and claimed that eXp leadership had ignored the allegations and turned a blind eye to bad behavior on the part of its agents.
Some claims against AGNT and Sanford were dropped in August, including sex trafficking, vicarious liability or negligence in hiring. EXp Realty, however, still faced these claims prior to the Oct. 18 settlement.
Heat rising in court: Although the trial only lasted for two days before the settlement was reached, reports of what happened in the courtroom suggest tensions were high.
The Daily Journal, which covers legal news in California, reported that hundreds of pages of explicit texts had been presented in court, drawing Judge André Birotte Jr.'s frustration over the volume of last-minute filings.
The Daily Journal also reported that as of day two of the trial, the courtroom had been temporarily closed to the public, although it was unclear why or for how long it would have remained closed had the trial continued.