politics
Former Lawmaker Files Declaration Supporting Singer in NDA Dispute
A former California state senator submitted a court declaration backing a singer's effort to block enforcement of a nondisclosure agreement. The filing addresses a distinction between sexual assault and sexual battery raised in ongoing litigation.
Jul 9, 2:54 PM·1m read1 source
The Hollywood ReporterAudio version
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A former California state senator filed a court declaration Wednesday supporting a singer's lawsuit that seeks to prevent enforcement of portions of a nondisclosure agreement. The declaration states that the California Legislature did not intend to create an exception allowing sexual batterers to use secret NDAs to silence victims.
It addresses arguments that a state law barring confidentiality provisions applies only to sexual assault cases and not sexual battery.
The singer settled a 2020 lawsuit against an actor and later received an arbitration demand alleging breach of the settlement's nondisclosure terms. The arbitration was dismissed, after which the singer filed a lawsuit seeking a court order blocking enforcement of the NDA provisions.
The actor's legal team has argued that the state law does not apply because the original claim was for sexual battery rather than sexual assault. The former senator's declaration states that this distinction defies common sense and was not intended by lawmakers.
The singer's lawyer stated that the NDA is void and that the lawsuit was filed in response to an arbitration demand seeking money from the client. Court filings indicate the actor has argued that the singer improperly filed the lawsuit in court rather than arbitration. The actor pleaded guilty in June to charges relating to an altercation during a Mardi Gras bar crawl.
