U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
The table below reflects EEOC enforcement suits filed and resolved in the federal district courts over the past ten years. The table divides the suits by the various statutes enforced by the EEOC and provides aggregate data on monetary relief obtained. Note that many EEOC suits are brought on behalf of multiple aggrieved individuals. The lawsuits are filed under the various statutes enforced by the Commission:
FY 1997 | FY 1998 | FY 1999 | FY 2000 | FY 2001 | FY 2002 | FY 2003 | FY 2004 | FY 2005 | FY 2006 | FY 2007 | FY 2008 | FY 2009 | FY 2010 | FY 2011 | FY 2012 | FY 2013 | FY 2014 | FY 2015 | FY 2016 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Suits | ||||||||||||||||||||
All Suits Filed | 332 | 414 | 465 | 329 | 428 | 370 | 400 | 421 | 416 | 403 | 362 | 325 | 314 | 271 | 300 | 155 | 148 | 167 | 174 | 114 |
Merits Suits | 300 | 374 | 438 | 292 | 388 | 342 | 366 | 378 | 381 | 371 | 336 | 290 | 281 | 250 | 261 | 122 | 131 | 133 | 142 | 86 |
Suits with Title VII Claims | 182 | 254 | 341 | 236 | 289 | 268 | 298 | 297 | 295 | 294 | 268 | 224 | 188 | 192 | 162 | 66 | 78 | 76 | 83 | 46 |
Suits with ADA Claims | 83 | 87 | 55 | 29 | 66 | 44 | 49 | 46 | 49 | 42 | 46 | 37 | 76 | 41 | 80 | 45 | 51 | 49 | 53 | 36 |
Suits with ADEA Claims | 42 | 44 | 47 | 33 | 42 | 39 | 27 | 46 | 44 | 50 | 32 | 38 | 24 | 29 | 26 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 14 | 2 |
Suits with EPA Claims | 4 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
Suits with GINA Claims | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
Suits filed under multiple statutes1 | 11 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 5 |
Subpoena and Preliminary Relief Actions | 32 | 40 | 27 | 37 | 40 | 28 | 34 | 43 | 35 | 32 | 26 | 35 | 33 | 21 | 39 | 33 | 17 | 34 | 32 | 28 |
Resolutions | ||||||||||||||||||||
All Resolutions | 243 | 331 | 350 | 440 | 362 | 381 | 381 | 380 | 378 | 418 | 387 | 366 | 349 | 315 | 312 | 283 | 222 | 144 | 171 | 171 |
Merits Suits | 214 | 295 | 320 | 407 | 321 | 351 | 351 | 346 | 338 | 383 | 364 | 339 | 321 | 287 | 276 | 254 | 209 | 136 | 155 | 139 |
Suits with Title VII Claims | 132 | 189 | 211 | 315 | 232 | 266 | 275 | 277 | 259 | 295 | 297 | 265 | 251 | 199 | 215 | 162 | 135 | 87 | 87 | 84 |
Suits with ADA Claims | 49 | 73 | 74 | 53 | 48 | 65 | 50 | 43 | 41 | 50 | 40 | 47 | 40 | 60 | 42 | 72 | 59 | 47 | 61 | 48 |
Suits with ADEA Claims | 38 | 38 | 51 | 41 | 39 | 26 | 35 | 34 | 45 | 50 | 35 | 41 | 38 | 38 | 26 | 30 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
Suits with EPA Claims | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
Suits with GINA Claims | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
Suits filed under multiple statutes | 12 | 9 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 21 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 16 |
Subpoena and Preliminary Relief Actions | 29 | 36 | 30 | 33 | 41 | 30 | 30 | 34 | 40 | 35 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 36 | 29 | 13 | 8 | 16 | 32 |
Monetary Benefits ($ in millions)2 | $114.7 | $95.6 | $98.7 | $52.2 | $49.8 | $56.2 | $146.6 | $168.6 | $104.8 | $44.3 | $54.8 | $102.2 | $82.1 | $85.1 | $91.0 | $44.2 | $38.6 | $22.5 | $65.3 | $52.2 |
Title VII | $95 | $62 | $49.2 | $35 | $33.6 | $29.2 | $85.1 | $158.5 | $98 | $34.3 | $38.9 | $65.6 | $64.9 | $74.0 | $54.3 | $34.3 | $22.0 | $15.3 | $56.9 | $36.8 |
ADA | $1.1 | $2.8 | $2.9 | $2.9 | $2.3 | $15.1 | $2.3 | $2.5 | $3.4 | $2.8 | $2.4 | $3.6 | $9.5 | $2.9 | $27.1 | $5.4 | $14.0 | $3.7 | $6.2 | $12.1 |
ADEA | $18 | $29.8 | $42.8 | $13.8 | $3.1 | $1.4 | $57.8 | $5.4 | $2.4 | $5.1 | $3.1 | $30.3 | $6.7 | $5.3 | $8.4 | $3.6 | $2.1 | $1.9 | $0.8 | $0.9 |
EPA | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0.2 | $0.2 | $0.2 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0.2 | $0.1 | $0 | $0.0 | $0.0 | $0.0 | $0.2 | $0.1 | $0.0 | $0.4 |
GINA | $0.0 | $0.0 | n.a* | n/a* | n/a* | $0.0 | ||||||||||||||
Suits filed under multiple statutes3 | $0.5 | $1 | $3.8 | $0.4 | $10.7 | $10.3 | $1.5 | $2.3 | $1 | $2.1 | $10.2 | $1.7 | $0.9 | $2.9 | $1.1 | $0.9 | $0.2 | $1.5 | $1.3 | $2.3 |
1 Suits filed or resolved under multiple statutes are also included in the tally of suits filed under the particular statutes.
2 The sum of the statute benefits in some years will be different from total benefits for the year due to rounding.
3 Monetary benefits recovered in suits filed under multiple statutes are counted separately and are not included in the tally of suits filed under any particular statute.
*GINA monetary benefits are counted under the multiple statutes category.
Note that to improve the clarity and completeness of the data on our litigation activities, we have changed the format for presenting the count of cases filed and resolved by statute. Previously, cases were included in a statute's count only if that statute was the only statute involved. Suits filed under multiple statutes were listed in a separate "concurrent" category. The new format includes suits under each statute alleged, resulting in some suits being counted in more than one statute. There is no longer a concurrent category.
In addition, recent data validation efforts have caused changes in some of the counts, and in the annual amounts of monetary benefits.
Merits suits include direct suits and interventions alleging violations of the substantive provisions of the statutes enforced by the Commission and suits to enforce administrative settlements.
Intervention is where the EEOC joins a lawsuit that has been filed by a private plaintiff.
Subpoena enforcement actions are filed during the course of the investigation of a charge of discrimination where the Respondent refuses to provide information relevant to the charge.
Suits to enforce administrative settlements involve a Respondent's breach of an agreement with the EEOC to settle a charge during the administrative process.