A real estate recruiter based in Alberta is facing sexual assault allegations south of the border.

Mike Sherrard of Calgary is among the eXp agents and recruiters named in a lawsuit alleging sexual assault by former team members, according to a recent New York Times article.

The Times is reporting Florida realtor Anya Roberts filed a lawsuit claiming that, while at eXp Realty events, she was given substances that caused her to black out.

Roberts claims in court documents that in a separate incident during April 2021, Sherrard “sat next to her at an eXp event in Los Cabos and showed her a picture of his car, a purple Lamborghini with vanity plates that read ‘EXPRLTY,’ and then put his hand up her skirt and repeatedly brushed two fingers between her legs.”

Source: MikeSherrard.com

In an emailed statement, as reported by HousingWire.com, a spokesperson for Sherrard says the allegations are “false” and “without merit” and notes, “Mr. Sherrard holds himself to the highest professional standards and is confident this unsubstantiated claim will be dismissed.”

The same claim alleges that Roberts was sexually assaulted by two others while unconscious. She says that eXp and its executives did not take action, reach out to her or conduct an investigation.

The New York Times investigation

Roberts’ lawsuit, filed on Dec. 14, follows similar allegations that first surfaced in February 2023. A complaint was filed by Fabiola Acevedo, Tami Sims, Christy Lundy, and an anonymous husband and wife in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

It alleges that eXp agents Michael Bjorkman and David Golden have drugged and sexually assaulted women on several occasions at eXp Realty recruiting events throughout the U.S. In March, eXp’s CEO, Glenn Sanford, was added to the lawsuit as a defendant.

HousingWire.com reports, according to the complaint, Bjorkman and Golden would “entice women to travel in interstate commerce, recruit enthusiastic real estate agents with the promise of career advancement and coaching, and use their considerable influence in the real estate industry on these other real estate agents’ behalf, knowing that they would use means of force, fraud or coercion to cause these women to engage in a sex act.” The lawsuit states that Bjorkman and Golden were on the “upline” of revenue share for the four female plaintiffs.

According to the Times, the women say the agents drugged them during eXp events, and some say they were sexually assaulted and awoke naked the next morning, unsure how they got to their hotel rooms. The agents say that eXp executives ignored their complaints for years and responded only once the first lawsuit was filed.

Golden and Bjorkman are no longer agents with the firm, and eXp has indicated that changes to its revenue share program mean the company can stop payments to agents with terminated contracts. Sanford has said the issue is resolved and that he believes eXp “had two bad actors in (its) agent base.”

In a statement on eXp’s website, the company says: “The experiences these women shared are abhorrent and unacceptable. We have no tolerance for this behavior, and in each case we took swift and appropriate action to provide support and protection.”

It appears from the Times article and eXp’s website that Sherrard is still recruiting for eXp. According to the Wolf Pack brand’s website, his team is the fastest-growing at eXp Realty, with more than 2,000 members in its downline.

eXp’s response

In an emailed statement to REM, eXp says it’s investigating the most recent allegations, adding “…the claims against eXp and its leadership have no basis in fact or law, and to which eXp vehemently denies. eXp has asked the court to dismiss these claims and is prepared to present and defend its position if necessary.”

Feature photo source: MikeSherrard.com