Real Stories: Circuit City Stores v. Adams
Saint Clair Adams
Circuit City Stores v. Adams
California
As an employee of Circuit City, Saint Clair Adams endured constant verbal harassment in the form of sexually lewd comments regarding heterosexual and homosexual acts. When his supervisors finally took his complaints seriously, Adams' co-workers were made aware of the complaints and harassed him even further.
Adams ultimately filed a discrimination suit against Circuit City, citing his hostile work environment. However, as a condition of his employment, Adams had been forced to sign an agreement to waive his right to sue Circuit City in court over discrimination and only mediate his grievances through arbitration – a process that lacks basic aspects of the judicial system like juries, judges, and even the right to appeal.
Adams brought his case to the Supreme Court, which ruled against him and said that the agreement Adams signed with Circuit City was binding. Because of the Supreme Court’s decision in Circuit City v. Adams, allowing employers to require potential employees to sign mandatory arbitration agreements, workers like Saint Claire Adams have no ability to seek remedies in court when their employers discriminate.
