In a significant legal development that avoids a high-profile public trial, eXp Realty, its founder Glenn Sanford, and the technology company AGNT have reached a settlement agreement with the plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging sex trafficking and sexual assault. The notice of settlement was filed on Sunday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, coming less than 24 hours before the scheduled commencement of the trial.
The resolution marks a critical turning point in a case that has cast a long shadow over one of the real estate industry’s fastest-growing brokerages. While the settlement effectively removes the immediate threat of a public trial for the corporate defendants and their leadership, the legal proceedings are far from over. Claims against two former agents, Michael Bjorkman and David Golden, who are at the center of the underlying assault allegations, remain pending and were not part of this specific settlement.
The timing of the settlement is particularly notable. Legal observers had anticipated that the trial would provide a rare and potentially damaging look into the internal culture and corporate oversight mechanisms of eXp Realty. By reaching an agreement on the eve of the trial, the defendants have avoided a proceeding that would have likely placed agent conduct, recruitment practices, and executive responsibility under intense judicial and public scrutiny.
The Settlement and the Path to Trial
The notice of settlement filed on Sunday brings a conclusion to the specific claims against eXp World Holdings (the parent company of eXp Realty), AGNT, and Glenn Sanford, who served as the CEO of both entities. The settlement follows a period of intense legal maneuvering and a series of rulings that shaped the scope of the potential trial.
In the months leading up to the scheduled trial date, the court had been tasked with weighing the extent of corporate liability for the actions of independent contractor agents. In August, the court granted partial summary judgment to some of the claims filed against AGNT and Sanford. However, the court did not release eXp Realty from the claims at that time. Because all three defendants still faced pending claims that could not be resolved through summary judgment, the case was set to proceed to a jury trial.
The lawsuit’s progression through the court system has been marked by several iterations of the complaint. Sanford and the eXp defendants had originally been dismissed from a version of the complaint in May 2024. However, the plaintiffs successfully introduced an amended complaint that dragged the corporate entities and the founder back into the litigation. This back-and-forth highlighted the complex legal questions regarding the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and how it applies to corporate entities that may have benefited from or ignored patterns of predatory behavior.
While the terms of the settlement remain undisclosed and confidential, the move suggests a strategic decision by the defendants to mitigate the risks associated with a public trial. A trial would have likely involved testimony regarding the brokerage’s knowledge of agent behavior and its response to previous complaints, potentially creating a precedent for how real estate companies manage the risks associated with large-scale recruiting events and social gatherings.
How we got here
The roots of the litigation trace back to a lawsuit originally filed in December 2023, which brought to light harrowing allegations regarding the conduct of agents within the eXp Realty ecosystem. The plaintiff, identified in court documents as Roberts, alleged that she was the victim of a coordinated effort to drug and sexually assault her during a real estate recruiting event held in February 2020.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred during an event designed to attract new talent to the brokerage. Roberts alleged that she was drugged and subsequently assaulted by Michael Bjorkman and David Golden, both of whom were prominent eXp agents at the time. The plaintiff stated that she was given a pill under the guise that it was Adderall, a medication often used for focus. Instead, she reported losing consciousness and later concluded, through fragmented memories and accounts from witnesses, that she had been raped by both men.
The lawsuit contended that these actions were part of a broader, years-long pattern of predatory behavior. Central to the legal argument against eXp Realty and Glenn Sanford was the assertion that the brokerage and its leadership were aware, or should have been aware, of the behavior of Bjorkman and Golden. The plaintiffs argued that the defendants benefited from the recruiting success of these agents while failing to implement adequate oversight or safety measures to protect women at company-related events.
The fallout from these allegations has been significant for the individuals involved. Neither David Golden nor Michael Bjorkman remains affiliated with eXp Realty. Furthermore, other figures associated with the events in question have seen their own legal resolutions. Brent Gove, a high-profile figure within the eXp network who hosted events mentioned in the litigation, reached a settlement regarding the claims against him earlier in the legal process.
Corporate Oversight and Industry Implications
The settlement leaves several broader questions about brokerage liability and risk management unanswered. For the real estate industry, the Roberts case has served as a flashpoint for discussions surrounding the responsibility of a brokerage for the actions of its independent contractors. In many traditional legal frameworks, brokerages have sought to distance themselves from the personal conduct of agents, citing their status as independent business owners rather than employees.
However, the application of the TVPRA in this case challenged that traditional boundary. By alleging that the corporate defendants benefited from a "venture" that involved sex trafficking or assault, the plaintiffs sought to hold the corporate structure accountable for the environment in which the alleged crimes occurred. The settlement prevents a definitive judicial ruling on these specific claims in this instance, but the litigation itself has already prompted a reevaluation of safety protocols and corporate responsibility within the sector.
For eXp Realty, a company that operates on a cloud-based model with a heavy emphasis on agent-led recruitment and large-scale networking events, the case touched on the very core of its business model. The "microscope" mentioned by legal experts would have scrutinized how the company monitors its vast network of agents who operate without the physical oversight of a traditional brick-and-mortar office.
The Remaining Legal Landscape
Despite the settlement involving the corporate entities and Glenn Sanford, the legal battle for the plaintiff continues. The claims against Michael Bjorkman and David Golden remain active. These individuals are the primary subjects of the assault allegations, and the resolution of the claims against the corporate defendants does not absolve the former agents of their personal legal standing in the case.
The continuation of the case against the individual agents means that the details of the February 2020 event and the alleged pattern of behavior may still be litigated in court, albeit without the direct involvement of eXp Realty as a defendant in the same trial. This split resolution is common in complex litigation where corporate defendants choose to settle to avoid reputational and financial risks, while the individuals accused of the direct harm continue to fight the charges or face separate judgments.
The undisclosed nature of the settlement also means that the public may never know the specific financial or remedial terms agreed upon by eXp Realty and Glenn Sanford. In many such cases, settlements include not only monetary compensation but also agreements regarding future conduct or policy changes within the organization.
As of the filing on Sunday, representatives for the defendants have remained largely silent regarding the details of the agreement. AGNT did not immediately return requests for comment following the announcement of the settlement notice.
The Roberts case has already had a lasting impact on the conversation regarding safety in real estate. It follows a series of reports and investigations into the industry’s culture, highlighting the vulnerabilities of agents—particularly women—in a field that often requires meeting strangers and attending social-heavy networking functions. While the trial that was supposed to begin this week will no longer feature the corporate leadership of eXp Realty, the issues raised by the lawsuit continue to resonate throughout the professional community, serving as a reminder of the ongoing challenges of risk management and corporate accountability in the modern brokerage landscape.
