“She’s paid $185,000 so far to have judges hear her sexual harassment and discrimination complaint against EY, a firm that pulls in billions of dollars of revenue annually, according to a complaint Ward filed last week in federal court.

“How many victims will even be able to afford to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their claims heard?” Ward and her lawyers ask in the court filing.

These bills have piled up because Ward’s harassment case is in arbitration, a private court outside the public justice system, where suits are heard by retired judges or lawyers who bill parties sometimes as much as $1,000 an hour to hear their cases. Ward’s case is being heard by a panel of three arbitrators

Ward’s employment contract with EY contained a forced arbitration clause, something companies often include in part to prevent allegations from former employees from becoming public.”