ABA Journal Reports on Key Developments in Polsinelli Lawsuit
September 24, 2025 – The ABA Journal reports today on key developments in the case of Brewer client Julia Rix against the Polsinelli law firm and two of its former partners.
As reported by the ABA Journal, “A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has refused to toss claims or to compel arbitration in a $20 million lawsuit alleging that Polsinelli retaliated against an international corporate attorney after she reported sexual harassment by two influential partners.”
U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali of the District of Columbia ruled for the plaintiff in a September 18, 2025, opinion.
The ABA Journal reports, “Ali said Rix doesn’t have to arbitrate her sex harassment claims because of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, which bans enforcement of agreements to arbitrate future claims involving sexual assault and harassment. He also said Rix plausibly alleged sexual harassment under the D.C. Human Rights Act and infliction of emotional distress under D.C. common law.”
In a statement to the ABA Journal, Brewer partner William A. Brewer III said the decision on arbitration “affirms that victims of sexual harassment are entitled to the public scrutiny that comes with the judicial system. Julia has shown courage in standing up to Polsinelli. Her decision to do so is now translating into protection for her and others.”
The article follows reporting in the National Law Journal, Law 360, and Bloomberg Law.
Read more here: “Sexual harassment suit against Polsinelli continues, without arbitration, after judge’s ruling,” ABA Journal