arbitration provision are any claims based on violation of local, state or federal law, such as claims for discrimination, harassment, retaliation or civil rights violations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, ERISA, COBRA, New York state employment laws (including, without limitation, the New York State Human Rights Law, the New York City Human Rights Law, and the New York Labor Law), Massachusetts state employment laws (including, without limitation, the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Law and the Massachusetts Payment of Wages Law) or similar federal, state, and local statutes. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, arbitration shall be the exclusive method of resolving any employment-related dispute, and both Company and Employee are giving up any right they may otherwise have to a judge or jury deciding such dispute; provided, however, that claims for worker’s compensation, for unemployment insurance benefits, for breach or enforcement of the NDA (attached as Exhibit A hereto), and rights to indemnification by the Company, may proceed before a court of competent jurisdiction in the State of New York, with law of the State of New York governing any such proceeding, without regards to conflicts of law principles.
15.1 Arbitration shall proceed solely on an individual basis; no claims shall be arbitrated on a class or collective action basis or on bases involving claims brought in a purported representative capacity on behalf of others. The arbitrator’s authority to resolve and make written awards is limited to claims between Employee and Company alone. Claims may not be joined or consolidated unless agreed to in writing by all parties. No arbitration award or decision will have any preclusive effect as to issues or claims in any dispute with anyone who is not a named party to the arbitration.
15.2 The arbitration shall provide for (i) reasonable written discovery and depositions as may be allowed by the arbitrator, and (ii) a written decision by the arbitrator that includes the essential findings and conclusions upon which the decision is based. Except as provided by applicable law, the cost of such arbitration shall be borne equally by Employee and Company. All rights, causes of action, remedies and defenses available under applicable state and federal law and equity are available to the parties hereto, and shall be applicable as though in a court of law, including the right to file a motion for summary judgment.
15.3 This Section 15 to resolve any disputes by binding arbitration shall extend to claims against any parent, subsidiary or affiliate of each party, and, when acting within such capacity, any officer, director, shareholder, employee or agent of each party, or of any of the above, and shall apply as well to claims arising out of state and federal statutes and local ordinances as well as to claims arising under the common law. The remedial authority of the arbitrator shall be the same as, but no greater than, what would be the remedial power of a court having jurisdiction over the parties and their dispute.
15.4 The arbitrator shall render an award and written opinion, and the award shall be final and binding upon the parties. If any of the provisions of this Section 15 are determined to be unlawful or otherwise unenforceable, in whole or in part, such determination shall not affect the validity of the remainder of this Section 15 or this Agreement, and this Section 15 and this Agreement shall be reformed to the extent necessary to carry out the provisions of this Section 15 to the greatest extent possible and to ensure that the resolution of all conflicts between the parties, including those arising out of statutory claims, shall be resolved by neutral, binding arbitration. If a court should find that this Section 15’s arbitration provisions are not absolutely binding, then the parties intend any arbitration decision and award to be fully admissible in evidence in any subsequent action, given great weight by any finder of fact, and treated as determinative to the maximum extent permitted by law.
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