Covered Claims. Any dispute, claim, or controversy between the Company and Employee, arising from or relating to Employee’s employment with the Company or termination of employment, including but not limited to claims arising under or related to this Agreement or any breach of this Agreement, and any alleged violation of any federal, state, or local statute, regulation, common law, or public policy (“Covered Claim(s)”), shall be submitted to and decided by confidential, final, and binding arbitration. By agreeing to submit any and all Covered Claims to arbitration (except as set forth in Section 8.17(g) below), the Parties expressly waive any right they may have to resolve any Covered Claims through any other means, including a jury trial or bench trial.

Except as described in Section 3, titled “Claims Not Covered by this Agreement,” all disputes, claims, complaints, or controversies (“Claims”) that Participant has now, or at any time in the future may have, against the Company and/or any of its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, predecessors, successors, assigns, current, former, or future officers, directors, employees, and/or those acting as an agent of the Company (which make up the definition of the “Company” for purposes of this Agreement), or that the Company has now or at any time in the future may have against Participant (“Covered Claims”), arising out of and/or related to Participant’s application for employment with the Company, employment with the Company, and/or the termination of Participant’s employment with the Company will be resolved by arbitration and NOT by a court or jury.

Dispute Resolution/Agreement to Arbitrate Claims. To ensure the rapid and economical resolution of disputes that may arise in connection with Employee’s employment with the Company, Employee and the Company agree that any and all disputes, claims, or causes of action, in law or equity, including but not limited to statutory claims, arising from or relating to the enforcement, breach, performance, or interpretation of this Agreement, Employee’s employment with the Company, or the termination of Employee’s employment from the Company, will be resolved pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §1, et seq. and to the fullest extent permitted by law, by final, binding and confidential arbitration. Except as provided below, the Company and Employee agree that confidential arbitration is the exclusive, final and biding method for resolving all such claims.