The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed 110 lawsuits challenging employment discrimination in fiscal year 2024.

The lawsuits were in line with the agency’s enforcement plan for 2024-2028, which aims to tackle persistent forms of employment discrimination as well as emerging issues.

The plan also focuses on helping vulnerable populations and creating geographic diversity, addressing cases in parts of the country that aren’t near an EEOC office, including South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

“Litigation is only one tool in the EEOC’s toolbox for achieving its mission of preventing and remedying employment discrimination, but it is a tool we will continue to deploy strategically to maximize our impact,” said Karla Gilbride, EEOC general counsel, in a statement. “I am proud of the role our litigation program has played this past year and will play in the years ahead to remove barriers to equal opportunity and make workplaces fairer, safer and more inclusive.”

For employers, the average cost to defend an EEOC claim is around $75,000, according to Novian & Novian LLP. Depending on the outcome of the case, the employer may also have settlement costs ranging anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000.

Here are the persistent and emerging issues the EEOC addressed in 2024 and will likely pursue again in 2025:

  • Systemic discrimination: The agency filed 13 new systemic cases involving a pattern, practice or policy of discrimination in 2024.
  • Violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The EEOC filed 48 cases on behalf of workers with disabilities in 2024. Many of the cases dealt with inflexible employer policies, like requiring employees to work with no medical restrictions and no accommodations or assessing points for absences related to the employee’s disability.
  • Unlawful treatment of pregnant workers: The EEOC filed five cases under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), a relatively new law that went into effect in 2023. The PWFA requires employers to provide workplace accommodations — absent undue hardship — to employees with limitations due to pregnancy, childbirth or a related condition, including lactation.
  • Age discrimination: The agency filed seven cases under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
  • Retaliation: 40 cases involved alleged retaliation under various statues the EEOC enforces.
  • Underage sexual harassment: The EEOC filed five sexual harassment cases on behalf of teenage workers.
  • Sex discrimination: Seven cases involved sex discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The EEOC, in addition to the 110 employment discrimination suits, also filed 18 suits for non-compliance with federal reporting requirements and one suit for the alleged breach of a conciliation agreement.

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