a) 根據聯邦或州商業祕密法,任何個人因披露商業祕密(根據DTSA定義)而不承擔刑事或民事責任,前提是該披露: (i) 以保密方式直接或間接地向聯邦、州或地方政府官員或律師提出,並且僅出於報告或調查涉嫌違法行爲的目的;或 (ii) 在訴訟或其他程序中以密封形式提交的投訴或其他文件,如果該提交沒有公開;並
b) 因舉報涉嫌違法行爲而追訴僱主報復的個人可以向其律師披露商業祕密,並在法院程序中使用商業祕密信息,前提是該個人將包含商業祕密的任何文件以密封形式提交,並且不披露商業祕密,除非法院命令允許。
a. 聯邦仲裁法(9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.)適用於互相仲裁協議的條款(仲裁協議),該協議表明涉及商業的交易。
b. 本仲裁協議涵蓋的索賠:因本諮詢協議產生或與之相關的所有爭議應由一名仲裁員通過最終且具有約束力的仲裁裁定,而不是通過法院或陪審團審判。各方明確放棄陪審團審判的權利。本仲裁協議適用於承包商與公司之間的任何爭議(包括其任何高級職員、董事、員工或代理人)。在不限制上述內容的情況下,本仲裁協議適用於聲稱承包商與公司之間存在僱傭關係的索賠。承包商和公司明確承認並同意,本仲裁協議中的任何內容,包括但不限於提及本仲裁協議所涵蓋的索賠類型,均不旨在以任何方式建立僱傭關係或暗示承包商是公司的員工。仲裁員有權決定門檻問題,包括時效、及時性、有效性、適用性、可執行性、放棄、形成或仲裁可行性。
c. CLAIMS NOT COVERED BY THIS ARBITRATION AGREEMENT: The following claims are not covered under the Arbitration Agreement: disputes that may not be subject to arbitration or pre-dispute arbitration agreement as expressly provided by a controlling federal statute (including, for example, disputes that may not be subject to pre-dispute arbitration agreement under the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (at Contractor’s election)). If any claim(s) not covered under this Arbitration Agreement above are combined with claims that are covered under this Arbitration Agreement, to the maximum extent allowed under applicable law, the covered claims will be arbitrated and continue to be covered under this Arbitration Agreement.
Nothing in this Arbitration Agreement prevents Contractor from making a report to or filing a claim or charge with a governmental agency, or law enforcement agencies, and nothing in this Arbitration Agreement prevents the investigation by a government agency of any report, claim or charge otherwise covered by this Arbitration Agreement. This Arbitration Agreement also does not prevent federal administrative agencies from adjudicating claims and awarding remedies based on the claims addressed in this paragraph, even if the claims would otherwise be covered by this Arbitration Agreement. Company will not retaliate against Contractor for filing a claim with an administrative agency. This Arbitration Agreement also does not prevent or prohibit Contractor in any way from reporting, communicating about, or disclosing claims for discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or sexual abuse.
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d. CLASS AND COLLECTIVE ACTION WAIVERS: COMPANY AND CONTRACTOR WAIVE ANY RIGHT FOR ANY DISPUTE TO BE BROUGHT, HEARD, DECIDED, OR ARBITRATED AS A CLASS OR COLLECTIVE ACTION AND THE ARBITRATOR WILL HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO HEAR OR PRESIDE OVER ANY SUCH CLAIM (“Class Action Waiver”). The Class Action Waiver will be severable from this Arbitration Agreement in any case in which the dispute is filed as a class or collective action and there is a final judicial determination that the Class Action Waiver is invalid, unenforceable, unconscionable, void, or voidable. In such case, the class or collective action must be litigated in a civil court of competent jurisdiction—not in arbitration—but the portion of the Class Action Waiver that is enforceable shall be enforced in arbitration.
e. 加利福尼亞私人檢察官法案(“PAGA)個人行動要求。承包商和公司同意僅在個人基礎上仲裁PAGA索賠。因此,承包商根據PAGA提出的任何索賠以追索民事賠償或其他個人救濟必須根據本仲裁協議進行仲裁。公司和承包商還同意,承包商的非個人PAGA索賠將被暫緩,承包商在仲裁員對承包商「受害」狀態作出最終裁定之前,不會在法庭上追索任何非個人PAGA索賠,並且僅在裁定承包商「受害」的情況下;仲裁員,而不是任何法院,將判斷承包商作爲「受害員工」的所謂狀態。仲裁員沒有權力處理承包商代表任何其他人提起或與其他人的PAGA索賠合併的任何PAGA索賠。如果有最終司法裁定認爲此PAGA個人行動要求條款無效、不可執行、不合理、無效或可撤銷,則該條款將與本仲裁協議分離。在這種情況下,PAGA訴訟必須在具有管轄權的民事法院進行—而不是在仲裁中—但可執行的PAGA個人行動要求部分將繼續在仲裁中執行。
f. 如果任一方希望發起仲裁,發起方必須在適用的時效期間內通過認證郵件、要求回執的方式書面通知另一方。該仲裁請求必須包含(1)尋求仲裁的方的姓名和地址,(2)索賠的法律和事實依據的陳述,以及(3)所尋求救濟的描述,並且必須由提出索賠的一方簽字。仲裁員將解決關於仲裁請求的及時性或適當性的問題,並適用如果索賠已在法院提出的情況下將適用的時效。
a) 仲裁應由根據AAA規則選定的一名中立仲裁員進行審理。仲裁員應爲在爭議相關法律方面有經驗的律師或退休法官。
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b) 如果雙方無法就仲裁地點達成一致,仲裁應在承包商主要爲公司提供服務或最後爲公司工作所在的縣和州進行。
c) 承包商必須支付任何提交或啓動費用。承包商和公司將根據AAA規則和適用法律支付仲裁的費用和支出。如果適用法律要求對費用和支出進行不同分配,以便本仲裁協議可執行,則應遵循該法律。每一方將支付自己的費用和律師費(如有),但如果任何一方在允許勝訴方獲得律師費用和支出的索賠中勝訴,仲裁員應向勝訴方授予合理的費用。仲裁員將解決與仲裁相關的費用/費用爭議。