Politics

Ex-Trump Campaign Aide Who Fought Gag Agreements Scores Big Victory

‘UNENFORCEABLE’

A federal judge has voided the campaign’s restrictive non-disclosure agreements.

Jessica Denson
Allison Zaucha/The Washington Post via Getty

Former Trump campaign aide Jessica Denson scored a long-fought and sweeping victory over her ex-boss on Thursday, when a federal judge voided the 2016 campaign’s nondisclosure agreement as overly restrictive. In addition to awarding Denson her settlement—$450,000 in legal fees to her defense team, and a $25,000 incentive fee to Denson as the representative for the class actionthe ruling frees every member of the 2016 campaign from the agreement, allowing 422 former employees to speak about their experiences without fear of violating their contract. (The order notes that during negotiations the Trump campaign voluntarily released those employees.) The legal muzzle the campaign placed on its employees was so sweeping that it was “invalid and unenforceable,” the judge ruled. Denson, who accused the Trump campaign of sexual discrimination, previously won a lawsuit focused on her personal NDA, then expanded the effort to include the full campaign.