Cornerstone Capital Group Joins the Charge to End Forced Arbitration for Sexual Harassment Claims

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cornerstone Capital Group ("Cornerstone"), an SEC-registered investment advisor helping investors achieve both their financial and societal objectives without sacrificing investment performance, today announced that it has signed the investor statement issued by The Return on Investment & Social Equity (RISE) Community. The statement calls on publicly traded companies to end the practice of forced arbitration for employee sexual harassment claims by the year 2020.

Forced arbitration requires workers, as a condition of employment, to sign an agreement that they will only settle disputes with the employer through private arbitration. The practice eliminates the option of going to court and legally prevents the employee from discussing the issue with anyone outside of the arbitration proceedings. When valid sexual harassment claims are routinely mishandled and employees are barred from publicly sharing their experiences, companies unintentionally protect serial harassers, silence victims, and create a culture of acceptance regarding sexual harassment. Cornerstone has written about this topic in the past.

"Cornerstone is proud to join the movement to end forced arbitration agreements for sexual harassment claims," said Erika Karp, Founder and CEO of Cornerstone. "These agreements can prevent sexual harassment victims from getting the justice they deserve. They also make the public, especially investors, unable to assess whether a company provides a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for its employees, which is an indicator of long-term profitability and positive shareholder returns. Cornerstone is committed to eliminating forced arbitration to make workplaces safer and more transparent."

Katherine Pease, Managing Director, Head of Impact Strategy at Cornerstone concluded, "Forced arbitration disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities such as women and ethnic minorities. As a business certified by both The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), supporting the end of forced arbitration serves our efforts to foster inclusion and fairness in the workplace."

About Cornerstone 

Founded in 2013, Cornerstone Capital Group is a financial services firm based in New York. The mission of the firm is to enable investors to achieve both their financial and societal objectives without sacrificing investment performance. Cornerstone works with families and individuals, foundations and endowments, multifamily offices and other registered investment advisors to develop and manage customized investment strategies to achieve bespoke financial and impact objectives.  

Contact: 
Betsy Emerson 
Cornerstone Capital Group
646-930-4257 
[email protected]  

Jay Morakis
M Group Strategic Communications 
646-859-5951
[email protected]

SOURCE Cornerstone Capital Group