KBR Drops Petition for Cert in Jones Case
Halliburton/KBR has dropped its petition for certiorari to the US Supreme Court in the Jamie Leigh Jones case. See report. Ms. Jones is the lady who was raped in Iraq by KBR co-workers. She retutrned to the US to find that she had sgned an arbitration agreement which would have prevented most of her case from going before a jury. KBR has fought very hard to keep her case in arbitration. The employer lost on appeal with the Fifth Circuit. It looks like that decision will now become the final decision. The Fifth Circuit found that rape was not related to her employment, and, therefore, not properly a part of an arbitration agreement. Therefore, the rape allegations would go to trial.
Ms. Jones was gang raped in Iraq and the locked up by company employees. In withdrawing their petition for certiorari, KBR is effectively withdrawing its request for appeal. The company was motivated in part by the Franken amendment which prohibits arbitration for companies that do business with the Department of Defense.
