EEOC nets $505 million for bias suits in fiscal 2018

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission secured about $505 million in relation to complaints alleging employment discrimination in fiscal year 2018.

The EEOC’s legal staff resolved 141 merit lawsuits, filed 199 more in fiscal year 2018, and filed 29 amicus curiae briefs on legal issues in employment discrimination cases, the EEOC said in a statement Friday.

The agency said it responded to a significant increase this past fiscal year in calls, emails and online inquiries concerning potential discrimination claims, with more than over 554,000 calls and emails to the EEOC and more than 200,000 inquiries, according to the statement. The launch of a nationwide online inquiry and appointment system as part of the EEOC’s public portal resulted in a 30% increase in inquiries and more than 40,000 intake interviews.

“(T)he EEOC met the increased demand for our expertise, for information and training, and for strong enforcement to combat all forms of discrimination, including sexual harassment,” Victoria A. Lipnic, acting chair of the EEOC, said in the statement.

The EEOC also reported a 19.5% reduction in its private-sector charge backlog, a 19.4% reduction in the backlog of federal employee appeals, an 8.5% reduction in the backlog of federal employee hearings, and a 7.6% reduction in the backlog of Freedom of Information Act requests.

The EEOC’s fiscal year 2018 Performance and Accountability Report will be posted on the agency’s website on Thursday, with comprehensive enforcement and litigation statistics for fiscal year 2018 available on the agency’s website in early 2019.