SHARE YOUR STORY
Would you be willing to describe your own experience with an NDA?
We are collecting anonymous testimonies from those who have been hurt by signing NDAs to show the enormous harm that they can cause.
Your story in important. These testimonies are helping other victims know that they are not alone, ensure the general public see the hidden cost of NDAs and engage the media with real case studies. Your testimony is also critical in influencing politicians to change the law on the misuse of NDAs.
-
STORY 115
I was assaulted and silenced with a Publication Ban.
-
Story 114
Thank you for helping me personally and making it possible for me to move forward with pride….
-
Story 113
I want to share my story of how I see the world now, not living bound to an NDA…
-
Story 112
I was the COO for a manufacturer in the Beauty industry. I had been with the Company for 13 years, working my way up from Operations Manager …
-
Story 111
Description goes I settled with a doctor who failed to diagnose my hip problem, femoroacetabular impingement…
-
Story 110
I was asked to sign a settlement agreement by my employer after raising issues of gender discrimination and harassment
-
Story 109
A Canadian investment firm’s staff withdrew funds from my account without my authorization, in an attempt to make up for a previous…
-
Story 108
removed.
-
Story 107
I work in healthcare. Conditions have been getting worse and where I worked I felt it was just a matter of time before a patient was permanently…
-
Story 106
I worked for the federal government, starting in the 1980's as a summer student. In the mid 2000's, I worked at a certain branch of the government
-
Story 105
I refused to sign an NDA after reporting a childhood sexual assault in the Catholic Church. I insisted the...
-
Story 104
I had a job at a university, and I saw things, over time, which shouldn’t have been happening. I didn't get involved at first…
-
STORY 103
I’ve worked in the oil and gas industry for more than 20 years but for the past four years, I have been recovering…
-
STORY 102
"Don't be alone with him...EVER", these were the first words I heard from another staff member that led me to believe …
-
STORY 101
I signed an NDA after reporting harassment and violence in my workplace. I did not have representation as I was …
-
STORY 100
In March 2022 I filed a complaint against the local health authority in my province. I submitted this complaint in good faith, and …
-
STORY 99
I was C suite with a national organization that has divisional offices. I also was one of the only women in the C suite.
-
STORY 98
I was asked to commit fraud on behalf of my boss and whistleblew. I was very senior and at the start…
-
STORY 97
I was asked to sign an NDA by a University as part of a settlement agreement in a case concerning bullying and discrimination…
-
STORY 96
I was asked to sign an NDA by a province as one of the Directors of the company that had been awarded the contract…
-
STORY 95
I was terminated from my dream job this year after reporting my VP's sexual advances to my director…
-
STORY 94
I exposed an illegal practice of Human Resources using our MIDAS system to show all managers..
-
STORY 93
I am currently the subject of an NDA and an injunction in connection with that NDA. I worked for a football club…
-
STORY 92
I worked in manufacturing in an executive position when I was made aware of instances where invoices were inflated..
-
STORY 91
First of all, I have to express my admiration towards Zelda Perkins for being so brave. I really admire her…
-
STORY 90
A number of years ago I made a complaint against a senior person in my organisation. I was legally silenced….
-
STORY 89
I worked for a large department store in the UK in 2018 and felt forced to sign an NDA. I had no help from my union..
-
STORY 88
I am a retired member of the RCMP, when I retired I was forced to sign a NDA as part of my retirement…
-
STORY 87
I was asked to sign an NDA by a famous, reputable, post secondary school in New York City…
-
STORY 86
I worked at this particular university for almost 23 years, 10 as a casual, 13 as a tenured academic…
-
STORY 85
I haven't officially been asked to sign an NDA yet but it's being very strongly mooted as a deterrent for trial…
-
STORY 84
When I was a little girl, I was sexually assaulted by a member of the church. I filed a civil suit in the early 1990s…
-
STORY 83
I have been asked to sign a non disclosure agreement as a result of court action I initiated regarding workplace abuse..
-
STORY 82
Even though I haven't signed a formal NDA, nor have my university tried to ask me to sign one…
-
STORY 81
My workplace applies automatic NDA's to every investigation into an employee's conduct. My workplace…
-
STORY 80
I took on a new role with an organization in Canada a while ago. In Canada, organizations do not have to pay severance...
-
STORY 79
This notice concerns the way I was treated by management [of a multinational pharmaceutical company in two countries]
-
STORY 78
I was asked to sign an NDA on my first harassment file, negotiated by the national agency […for which I worked …
-
STORY 77
In November 1997, I signed a Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) for past sexual abuse during my childhood. Although it has…
-
STORY 76
I call the scar on my throat "my leaving present" from the media organization I worked for. For 18 months I threw up…
-
STORY 75
I worked for a very well known Department store chain in UK, on the buying team. The men used to rate their Top 5 women…
-
STORY 74
I'm an old gal!! I've been working in male dominated fields my entire life. The consequences of accepting and allowing sexism…
-
STORY 73
People may think the days of physical attacks on people in the media are behind us. They are wrong...
-
STORY 72
I signed an NDA in my settlement in 2001. I had been health and social policy researcher/adviser in regional government…
-
STORY 71
I'm a solicitor and I've always loved being a lawyer. I've also experienced every type of sexual harassment and discrimination…
-
STORY 70
I was pressured into signing an NDA as part of my divorce settlement with my ex, a famous entertainer…
-
STORY 69
Before filing a workplace harassment complaint, I tried communicating to my boss on several occasions to resolve...
-
STORY 68
I was senior legal counsel at a government funded and controlled commission established to protect..
-
STORY 67
In 2013, a fire fighter in the municipal fire department where I was employed physically assaulted me…
-
STORY 66
I am a Canadian Police Officer who served in [federal police service] in [province] and majority with the [municipal]…
-
STORY 65
I am within days of signing an NDA. I was a whistleblower in 2019 on a Provincial Ministry that resulted in an ombudsperson...
-
STORY 64
My counsel advised that I settle, sign the Full and Final Release, withdraw my action for wrongful dismissal, infringement of…
-
STORY 63
As part of my hiring agreement, in working for a health care authority, I was told that I could not talk publicly….
-
STORY 62
I was released from my employment without cause. I filed a complaint with Labour Canada…
-
STORY 61
I was bullied and harassed while working at a provincially funded regional disability centre in [province]…
-
STORY 60
First, I am allowed to share my story. It has most recently been determined that my NDA is lenient enough for this…
-
STORY 59
I was a contract professor at a Canadian university for 23 years. As most contract professors know, they are not paid....
-
STORY 58
In 2009, I signed an NDA. I didn’t know what the document was or what I was signing. I had no lawyer and was diagnosed…
-
STORY 57
18 years ago, I divorced someone who has subsequently become very well-known. Throughout our relationship he was…
-
STORY 56
Since it’s been asked through your process to share my story without any identifying details, I will follow suit…
-
STORY 55
I am in the process of negotiating settlement. My case was submitted to employment tribunal and I have a hearing…
-
STORY 54
As the first Black female hired during my organisation’s lengthy history, I complained very vocally about the treatment of Black…
-
STORY 53
My story in short version: I was employed by a large health care research and development corporation…
-
STORY 52
I have a NDA and the lawyers just warned me when I was still asking questions that I could not speak…
-
STORY 51
I was hired in a municipal public works department. The guys did not want to have a woman work with them…
-
STORY 50
A local criminal board did not want me to admit publicly that children’s aid and police failed to keep myself and sister safe…
-
STORY 49
The institution has sought to silence me from the get-go. To cover up as much as they can about the sexual harassment...
-
STORY 48
My employer knew that my grievances relating to student safety, negligence, staff misconduct…
-
STORY 47
While a postdoctoral scientist, I reported my adviser for research misconduct, gender discrimination, harassment...
-
STORY 46
I was the honours coordinator in the School of Nursing at an elite university in Australia. I discovered that…
-
STORY 45
My male supervisor at the university engaged in a years-long campaign to try to force me to sign over my large research…
-
STORY 44
I signed an NDA following two years of bullying at a UK university as part of a settlement agreement…
-
STORY 43
There are two parts to my story about NDAs. The first occurred when I joined the board of my national professional association…
-
STORY 42
I signed an NDA in 2017 as part of a settlement agreement and release. I made a donation of $10,000 in 2012 to…
-
STORY 41
At a meeting with the Dean of my area at a major Canadian University, I was told that my contract was …
-
STORY 40
I highlighted discriminatory conduct and wrongdoing. The organisation wanted to sweep everything under the carpet…
-
STORY 39
I participated in a prestigious fellowship program which placed early career lawyers from the global south…
-
STORY 38
I was asked to sign an NDA to settle a sexual harassment complaint I made in my workplace...
-
STORY 37
I reported academic wrongdoing that had compromised and made it impossible for me to complete my degree…
-
STORY 36
I was asked to sign an NDA so that I would not tell anyone my experience of sexual harassment to protect the university…
-
STORY 35
I was bullied, sexually harassed, and verbally and emotionally abused by a colleague at work. He is now a freelancer…
-
STORY 34
I was sexually assaulted and filed a grievance. An NDA was part of the settlement I was forced to sign…
-
STORY 33
I was sexually assaulted by an ER tech while alone in my hospital room with him. I reported it after leaving the ER…
-
STORY 32
I signed an NDA in order to receive money for therapy a few decades ago, the process was easy…
-
STORY 31
I was asked to sign an NDA to cover maternity discrimination and a second time to cover harassment…
-
STORY 30
I had been a Registered Nurse for 26 years when I was forced out of the profession I love despite the fact…
-
STORY 29
Since 2018 I have signed 2 NDA’s after experiencing bullying and disability discrimination in 2 different workplaces…
-
STORY 28
I have worked in the Canadian federal public service for over 20 years. For all of my career, I saw white colleagues…
-
STORY 27
I worked for a government agency where I was subjected to mobbing and victimisation by management…
-
STORY 26
After I was brutally assaulted by a partner at a large accounting business, the firm tried several times to coerce and trick me…
-
STORY 25
I’m a former assistant professor. I was forced from my job by a tenured colleague with close personal ties to…
-
STORY 24
I was asked to sign an NDA to prevent me speaking about the circumstances that led to the end of my career…
-
STORY 23
My story begins when I went to work for a parish in the Church of England which required some of its staff to raise all the funds…
-
STORY 22
At the age of twenty-four, in a state of suicidal despair, my daughter told me she had been sexually assaulted by her father...
-
STORY 21
I was working in a privately owned company as a senior lawyer. I went on maternity leave with my first child….
-
STORY 20
I threw myself under the bus to help someone for over four years. A group instructed an assistant to tamper with...
-
STORY 19
Signing an NDA with a large UK employer was the most isolating and difficult experience I’ve ever been through. It affects me…
-
STORY 18
I had spoken up in my workplace about sexual assault and harassment. I disclosed my personal experiences involving...
-
STORY 17
I signed an NDA a few years ago after more than a year’s bullying by two managers at a university. I worked as an acting manager…
-
STORY 16
I’ve been a police officer for more than 10 years. I reported sexual harassment and discrimination over the years to my employer…
-
STORY 15
I signed an NDA for early settlement at a UK University in 2018 after experiencing disability and gender discrimination…
-
STORY 14
I returned to my job as a team head at a financial company having had 4 months maternity leave after the birth of my son…
-
STORY 13
After seeing your campaign against the abuse of Non-Disclosure Agreements, I felt compelled to put pen to paper…
-
STORY 12
I am a male. I worked for a large uk retailer and was required to apply for my own job after a so called job review…
-
STORY 11
I signed my NDA in complete distress after 12 months of bullying from the head of the team…
-
STORY 10
My daughter was effectively sacked because she had a pregnancy. It was a tiny firm and she was one of three partners…
-
STORY 9
For several years I watched my former employer blatantly breaking the law in various ways, while I was naively wondering…
-
STORY 8
“Its all over” my husband wrote to our children after we had attended the one day Judicial Mediation…
-
STORY 7
I mediated with a builder/ developer and the government warranty provider over building and construction defects…
-
STORY 6
I was asked to sign a Confidentiality Agreement after entering into a settlement with the CEO…
-
STORY 5
At 28 years old and as a woman in the tech industry, my career was thriving. That changed overnight…
-
STORY 4
It was probably the most difficult decision of my life. It is certainly the one whose consequences have occupied…
-
STORY 3
I was asked to sign an NDA twice in my life. Once, after a formal complaint to my HR department’s officials…
-
STORY 2
My nightmare scenario started with me putting in a complaint at work against ‘bullying management’…
-
STORY 1
When I resigned from my employment after facing retaliation for reporting internal abuses of power, I refused…
SPEAK OUT REVOLUTION
Please help us collect information on the prevalence of NDAs as well as bullying and harassment by completing the survey (also anonymous) for our data insights partner Speak out Revolution. You can see the insights from their survey on their data dashboard.
FIND SUPPORT
CBMS is a campaigning not-for-profit organization, and we are unable and insufficiently skilled to offer individual support or help. However, we do understand that telling your story may raise many traumatic memories for you. If you click on either the UK or Canada here, you will find a list of resources which you can use to find help.
Rights of Women
https://rightsofwomen.org.uk
Organisation that increases women’s access to justice providing women with free legal advice and the information that they need to understand and use the law and their legal rights.
Bar Pro Bono Unit
https://weareadvocate.org.uk
Provides free legal advice and representation from barristers.
Civil Legal Advice
https://www.gov.uk/civil-legal-advice
Provides information about whether legal aid is available for your case and whether you are eligible. Call 0345 345 4 345.
Equality and Human Rights Commission
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en
Provides advice and information on equalities and discrimination issues.
Equality Advisory and Support Service
https://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com
Advice on equality and human rights issues
Protect
https://protect-advice.org.uk/
Free, confidential whistleblowing advice
Call on 020 3117 2520
Whistleblowers UK
https://www.wbuk.org/#overview
Free confidential helpline to support whistle-blowers in making the decision to make a disclosure.
NHS Bullying At Work
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/advice-for-life-situations-and-events/support-for-workplace-bullying/
ACAS Helpline
https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work/being-bullied
0300 123 1100
MIND
https://www.mind.org.uk/
Infoline: 0300 123 3393
Legal line: 0300 466 6463
Mind offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf.
THE SIGNALS NETWORK
https://thesignalsnetwork.org/about-us/
The Signals Network exists to help support these brave whistleblowers who come forward for the public good.
UK RESOURCES
Ending Violence Canada
https://endingviolencecanada.org/sexual-assault-centres-crisis-lines-and-support-services/
Bullying Canada
W: https://www.bullyingcanada.ca/get-help/
T: (877) 352-4497
Txt: (877) 352-4497
Email: Support@BullyingCanada.ca
Canadian Mental Health Association
Wellness Together Canada
https://wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA
Hope for Wellness Help Line
W: https://www.hopeforwellness.ca/
Available to all Indigenous peoples across Canada who need immediate crisis intervention.
Canadian Institute of Workplace Bullying Resources
W: https://instituteofworkplacebullyingresources.ca/
T: 780-965-7480
Bully Online
https://www.bullyonline.org/
PTSD Association of Canada
http://www.ptsdassociation.com/
Sexual Assault Crisis Center
https://saccwindsor.net/
Southwest Crisis Services
https://www.swcrisis.ca/
Here To Help
https://www.heretohelp.bc.ca/visions/workplace-bullying-and-harassment-vol15/workplace-bullying
Sport Abuse Hotline
1-888-837-7678;
https://abuse-free-sport.ca/en/
Helpline for athletes experiencing abuse, discrimination, harassment and bullying
CONNECT
Counselling Services (from the Canadian Hearing Society) (available in American Sign Language (ASL) and la langue des signes québécoise (LSQ))
Tel: 1-866-518-0000; TTY: 1-877-215-9530
Email: info@chs.ca
https://www.chs.ca/