Tag: EEOC

EEOC Issues New Guidance on Race and Color Discrimination

Despite big advances since the Civil Rights Era, problems of race discrimination in employment persist. In 2005, racial bias continued to be the most frequently alleged type of discrimination under federal law, accounting for 35.5 percent of charges received by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

EEOC Announces Crackdown on “Systemic” Discrimination

Last week, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that strengthening its nationwide approach to investigating and litigating systemic cases of discrimination is now an agency-wide top priority. According to the EEOC, systemic cases involve a “pattern or practice, policy and/or class cases where the alleged discrimination has a broad impact on an industry, […]

EEOC to Pay Big for Frivolous Pregnancy Bias Suit

A federal judge in Los Angeles has ordered the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pay a hefty $1,022,653 in attorney’s fees and expenses to a Pasadena law firm that the EEOC unsuccessfully sued last year for pregnancy bias and sexual harassment. In issuing the order, the judge stated that the EEOC’s lawsuit “was unreasonable, […]

Hiring Employees: EEOC Proposes Definition of Applicant for E-Cruiting Purposes; Part 2: How to Standardize Your Application Procedures and Retain the Right Records

As we reported last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is tackling a vexing problem that’s a sign of the times—defining who, among all those who contact you over the Internet or via other electronic technology about work, is a true job applicant for purposes of complying with your federal recordkeeping requirements. The EEOC, […]

Disability Discrimination: Long-Running Case Involving Refusal to Rehire Recovering Addict Demonstrates How Questionable Decision Continues to Haunt Company

Nearly two years ago, we began reporting on a lawsuit involving Hughes Missile Systems’ decision not to rehire an employee terminated for reporting to work under the influence. The question of whether the decision violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which sent the case back to the Ninth […]

News Notes: EEOC Approves Proposal To Exempt Retiree Health Plans From Age Bias Rules

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has approved a rule that would allow employers to reduce or cut retiree health benefits once a retiree becomes eligible for Medicare or a comparable state-sponsored health benefit—without violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, 10 million retired employees age 55 and over […]

News Notes: Cirque Du Soleil Settles HIV Discrimination Charge

The EEOC announced that international entertainment troupe Cirque du Soleil will pay $600,000 to settle a charge that it fired aerial gymnast Matthew Cusick for being HIV-positive, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The company claimed it believed his condition posed a direct threat to other performers, but the EEOC argued the decision […]