Carlton Fields Class Action Survey Cited in The Intercept

The 2017 Carlton Fields Class Action Survey was cited in an article by The Intercepttitled, “FINRA’s Black Hole,” about the uphill battle women on Wall Street face when bringing harassment claims to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

In the past three decades, 97 women filed hostile workplace or sexual harassment claims or counterclaims that reached a decision with FINRA, but only 17 received an award from the oversight body related specifically to their harassment.

Professionals in the labor and employment field say that the organization’s requirement to resolve employee disputes through arbitration may be part of the reason why women don’t feel comfortable coming forward with their grievances, and don’t obtain victories if they do.

The article referenced the survey’s findings on arbitration clauses, saying “the law firm Carlton Fields Jorden Burt published a survey of 373 companies last year showing that 30 percent had arbitration clauses that precluded class actions, up from 16 percent in 2012 — the year after a key Supreme Court ruling that made it easier for companies to thwart class-action suits.”

Read the article.

©2026 Carlton Fields, P.A. Carlton Fields practices law in California through Carlton Fields, LLP. Carlton Fields publications should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general information and educational purposes only, and should not be relied on as if it were advice about a particular fact situation. The distribution of this publication is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship with Carlton Fields. This publication may not be quoted or referred to in any other publication or proceeding without the prior written consent of the firm, to be given or withheld at our discretion. To request reprint permission for any of our publications, please use our Contact Us form via the link below. The views set forth herein are the personal views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the firm. This site may contain hypertext links to information created and maintained by other entities. Carlton Fields does not control or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this outside information, nor is the inclusion of a link to be intended as an endorsement of those outside sites.