EEOC’s Enforcement Activities Continue to Seek Violators of Anti-Discrimination Laws

2022-03-09

Since January 1, 2022, EEOC has filed 17 lawsuits

Employers thinking that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has relaxed its enforcement efforts during the pandemic are sadly mistaken.  Even though EEOC has closed its physical offices, it continues to work hard to investigate and resolve charges of discrimination, conduct outreach and training, and file lawsuits against companies failing to conciliate cases. 

According to the EEOC newsroom, since the beginning of 2022, EEOC has had a total of 17 cases that have resulted in settlements.  The following is an overview of the cases, listed by the most recent settlement date:

• Saint Clare’s Health to pay $77,550 to resolve disability discrimination lawsuit [March 3, 2022]
• Pensec, Inc. pays $31,137 to resolve race discrimination lawsuit [February 28, 2022]
• TrueBlue and PeopleReady to pay $125,000 to settle disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit [February 24, 2022]
• Eureka Stone Quarry to pay $58,000 to settle racial harassment lawsuit [February 23, 2022]
• Blue Sky Vision pays $67,590 to resolve disability discrimination lawsuit [February 22, 2022]
• AMG Specialty Hospital and Acadiana Management Group, LLC to pay $82,481 to settle sexual harassment lawsuit [February 22, 2022]
• Groendyke Transport / McKenzie Property Management to pay $65,000 to settle disability lawsuit [February 15, 2022]
• Ranew’s Management Company to pay $250,000 to resolve disability discrimination lawsuit [February 14, 2022]
• American Freight Furniture and Mattress to pay $5 million to resolve nationwide sex discrimination in hiring lawsuit [February 2, 2022]
• Wellpath, LLC to pay $75,000 to settle religious discrimination case [February 1, 2022]
• Tampa Bay Delivery Service, LLC to pay $50,000 to settle religious discrimination lawsuit [January 27, 2022]
• Victory Automotive Group, Inc. and Cappo Management XXIX, Inc. to pay $150,000 to resolve disability discrimination lawsuit [January 30, 2022]
• Don’s Specialty Meats, Inc. to pay $67,000 to resolve racial harassment lawsuit [January 19, 2022]
• Vantage Energy Services, Inc. and Vantage International Management Company Pte, Ltd. to pay $54,500 to resolve disability lawsuit [January 19, 2022]
• Charter Senior Living, LLC to pay $31,000 to settle disability discrimination lawsuit [January 13, 2022]
• Dollar Tree Distribution will pay $50,000 to settle disability discrimination lawsuit [January 12, 2022]
• Hollingsworth Richards, LLC dba Honda of Covington to pay $100,000 to resolve disability discrimination lawsuit [January 6, 2022]

EEOC also showed off its strength by holding Sherwood Food Distributors in contempt for violation of their consent decree in a class sexual discrimination case.   

It is important to take all allegations of discrimination seriously and to immediately investigate to assess the validity of the allegations.  Ensure that supervisors handle the situation delicately to prevent a retaliation claim.  Determine the best course of action based on the results of the internal investigation. 

Employers subjected to a formal charge of discrimination, filed with the EEOC or state fair employment practices agency, or a lawsuit, must deal with potential negative headlines, employee relations issues and potentially drawn-out litigation.  Employers should perform routine self-audits of their policies and conduct training to ensure that their policies and practices are being followed and uniformly applied in a non-discriminatory manner.  To quote Benjamin Franklin, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

The foregoing has been prepared for the general information of clients and friends of Workplace Dynamics LLC and is not being represented as being all-inclusive or complete. It has been abridged from legislation, administrative ruling, agency directives, and other information provided by the government. It is not meant to provide legal advice with respect to any specific matter and should not be acted upon without professional counsel.