Sixth Agent Sues eXp Realty Over Alleged Sexual Assault

Another broker is suing eXp Realty, alleging the firm failed to investigate her claim that she was sexually assaulted at a company event.

North Carolina-based agent Kirsten Childress filed a suit on Monday, the New York Times reported. Childress is the sixth woman to sue eXp in the last two years and is accusing the company of creating an unsafe environment, as well as breach of contract for failing to uphold a “zero tolerance” policy on sexual assault.

At the heart of the complaint is the brokerage’s May 2023 Shareholder Summit, where Childress alleges her drink was drugged and she awoke to a real estate photographer contracted by the brokerage assaulting her in an unfamiliar hotel room.

Childress’ suit accuses Nicholas Moore of sexual battery and emotional distress. He declined to comment and previously said Childress made “false allegations” when the Times first reported the broker’s allegations in 2023.

The brokerage did not respond to requests for comments about the lawsuit, but told the Times in 2023 Moore was banned from company events. The firm also said at the time the alleged assault was not committed by an eXp employee and did not occur at the event location.

Childress pursued charges after the incident, according to her lawsuit, but the absence of toxicology results led the Florida state attorney’s office for Orange County to decline prosecution.

eXp has been under a dark cloud in the past couple of years as whispers of alleged misconduct exploded into a larger scandal. In February 2023, four former agents sued the brokerage, alleging executives ignored complaints about alleged sexual assaults committed by agents Michael Bjorkman and David Golden.

The agents deny the allegations, which were echoed by another woman in a December 2023 lawsuit.

In April 2022, a female consultant in a letter urged eXp’s board of directors to take action on behalf of women reporting assaults, which was ignored. Months later, a broker filed an ethics complaint against her supervisor after he texted her asking for photos of her watching pornography.

— Holden Walter-Warner