New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he won't move to release women from non-disclosure agreements they reached with his firm after suing and alleging they experienced a hostile work environment.

'You can't just walk away from it. They're legal agreements, and for all I know the other side wouldn't want to get out of it,' he said Wednesday, ABC News reported.

The billionaire oversees a sprawling media company with roughly 20,000 employees, and has gained a foothold in national polls, although he won't be on the debate stage in Des Moines next week since he is refusing campaign contributions and won't meet a key party metric.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the status of non-disclosure agreements that prevent former employees from talking. Women have sued the firm alleging a hostile work environment

His firm has been subject to hostile environment lawsuits over the years, including from women who have accused him of making inappropriate comments.

Sekiko Sakai, a sales representative at the firm, sued in 1997 and accused the firm of 'sexual degradation.' She claimed Bloomberg told her 'kill it!' after informing her boss she was pregnant – a claim the former New York mayor denied – and complained about the number of women who got pregnant in his office.

She settled with the company in 2000.

Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, right, greets supporters after speaking at a rally at Olive-Harvey College on the Far South Side of Chicago, Wednesday morning, Jan. 8, 2020

Former sales rep Sekiko Sakai sued and accused Bloomberg of making explicit comments at work, eventually settling with the company

Bloomberg has denied overseeing a hostile environment. Three cases are still active, according to the network.

Democratic rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has raised the issue, saying 'women should be able to speak.'

Bloomberg shot back Wednesday that: 'Maybe the senator should worry about herself and I'll worry about myself.'

Another woman, Laurie Evans, 56, claims a 'culture of discrimination' in a lawsuit, and is asking a judge to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement, Business Insider reported.

The issue is a sensitive one in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Donald Trump was the subject of press coverage for his policy of holding company employees to non-disclosure agreements. He also has reportedly required White House aides to sign them.

Bloomberg got some good news in a Detroit News poll released Wednesday. It had him holding a six-point lead over Trump in Michigan, second only to former Vice President Joe Biden, who held a seven-point lead in the battleground state.

Before he launched his late entrance to the primary campaign, Team Bloomberg sought to tend to the issue, including a collection one-liners that former firm colleagues put into a book.

'Mike has come to see that some of what he has said is disrespectful and wrong,' spokesman Stu Loeser told the New York Times. 'He believes his words have not always aligned with his values and the way he has led his life.'