Each month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) files lawsuits and settles cases covering the federal laws they are responsible for enforcing. These federal laws include:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)
- The Pregnancy Discrimination Act
- The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2022 (PWFA)
- The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA)
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA)
- Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
- Sections 102 and 103 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991
- Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA)
Below is a list of lawsuits and settlements by the EEOC in from May 1 to May 15, 2025.
- EEOC Lawsuits
- Florida: EEOC Sues Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation and Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc. for Religious Discrimination
- Hawaii: EEOC Sues Paia Inn for Sexual Harassment and Retaliation
- Illinois: EEOC Files Subpoena Enforcement Action Against Mauser Packaging Solutions
- Florida: EEOC Wins $405,083 Jury Verdict Against St. Petersburg Senior Living Facility
- North Carolina: EEOC Sues RI International for Hostile Work Environment and Disability Discrimination
- EEOC Settlements
- Colorado: Landry’s Seafood House to Pay $90,000 in EEOC National Origin Harassment Lawsuit
- Florida: Trebor USA, Colt Truck Care and Wholesale Building Products to Pay Over $215,000 in EEOC Race and National Origin Harassment Lawsuit
- Minnesota: St. Cloud Area Family YMCA to Pay $140,000 in EEOC Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
- Ohio: Morton Salt to Pay $75,000 in EEOC Retaliation and Discrimination Lawsuit
- Ohio: Ralphie’s Sports Eatery to Pay $125,000 in EEOC Race, Disability and Retaliation Discrimination Suit
- Puerto Rico: Triple-S Vida and Triple-S Management to Pay $100,000 in EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
- Washington: Homes Direct to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination and Retaliation Charge
EEOC Lawsuits
Florida: EEOC Sues Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation and Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc. for Religious Discrimination
Allegations
Religion discrimination; Reasonable accommodation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Florida
Summary
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, management at Marriott Vacations Worldwide and Marriott Ownership Resorts initially allowed an employee, who is a Seventh-Day Adventist, a religious accommodation that allowed her to avoid Saturday shifts. After a change in management, the companies began scheduling her for Saturday shifts. After the employee made repeated complaints, they changed her schedule, negatively impacting her sales and commissions, and continued to schedule her for Saturdays, forcing her to choose between showing up to work and her religious practice. This led her to resign, the EEOC said.
Hawaii: EEOC Sues Paia Inn for Sexual Harassment and Retaliation
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Florida
Summary
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, since at least 2015, Paia Inn’s owner regularly preyed on a class of female employees, including some teenagers, and subjected them to sexual harassment. The harassment included repeated, frequent and offensive touching, along with sexual advances and comments. The owner demanded massages while he was naked, propositioned female employees for sexual encounters and inappropriately touched female employees, the EEOC said. In addition, the owner frequently commented on the female employees’ looks and bodies in front of male friends who patronized the hotel, and he insisted on hiring attractive female applicants after requiring their photos as part of the application process.
The owner immediately fired an employee who stood up for other female employees to stop the sexual harassment, while other employees who complained about the sexual harassment were terminated or forced to quit their jobs, the suit alleged.
Illinois: EEOC Files Subpoena Enforcement Action Against Mauser Packaging Solutions
Allegations
Race discrimination; Sex discrimination; National origin discrimination
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Illinois
Summary
Mauser is an international manufacturer of rigid packaging, headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. It has 180 locations worldwide, including several in Illinois and in 25 other states and territories within the United States.
A charge of discrimination was filed against Mauser in February 2024 by EEOC Commissioner (now Acting EEOC Chair) Andrea Lucas. The EEOC’s charge alleged that Mauser denied employment opportunities to applicants on multiple different bases, depending on the Mauser facility in question, including white applicants, black applicants, Hispanic applicants, and female applicants. The EEOC has reason to believe that Mauser may be making inappropriate requests to staffing, placement or recruiting companies to provide it with workers or candidates for various Mauser facilities who had demographic characteristics that matched the demographics of the population of employees who already worked at those facilities, effectively segregating various facilities by race, national origin, or sex (for example, preferring Hispanic workers for a facility with a predominantly Hispanic workforce, preferring black workers for a different facility with a predominantly black workforce, etc.).
Florida: EEOC Wins $405,083 Jury Verdict Against St. Petersburg Senior Living Facility
Allegations
Disability discrimination; Reasonable accommodation
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Florida
Summary
According to the EEOC’s suit, The Princess Martha, the senior living facility managed by TJM Property Management and TJM Properties Inc., violated federal law when they denied a reasonable accommodation and refused to hire a veteran who applied for a job.
The EEOC presented evidence at trial showing that the applicant disclosed to The Princess Martha’s hiring manager that she is a veteran with post-traumatic stress syndrome and took medication to treat the condition, which would cause a drug test to fail. Thereafter, the applicant took the required drug test and made repeated attempts to provide proof of her legally prescribed medications, but The Princess Martha made no attempts to accommodate her and revoked her job offer. At trial, a top management official admitted that The Princess Martha submitted false information to the EEOC.
North Carolina: EEOC Sues RI International for Hostile Work Environment and Disability Discrimination
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment; Disability discrimination; Reasonable accommodation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Florida
Summary
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in 2021, the company received multiple complaints from female employees that a male shift supervisor was harassing them because of their sex. The supervisor subjected a class of female employees to unwelcome sexual comments and pressured them for hugs, brushed against them, and blocked their paths with his body. The company, which provides residential treatment for behavioral health issues, knew the female employees were particularly vulnerable as it was a requirement of employment that certain employees had experienced requiring mental health and/or substance use services. Yet the complaints were dismissed, and the company failed to take action to protect these vulnerable females, the EEOC said.
Additionally, in January 2022, the company refused to allow an employee to have sufficient leave to seek treatment for her disability. Rather than accommodate the employee, the company fired her. The employee was told the maximum time the company allows for leave under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is 30 days and that she could reapply once she was cleared to return to work.
EEOC Settlements
Colorado: Landry’s Seafood House to Pay $90,000 in EEOC National Origin Harassment Lawsuit
Allegations
National origin discrimination; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Florida
Summary
According to the lawsuit, Landry’s employees, including managers and supervisors, regularly and openly mocked an Iranian employee’s accent, criticized her physical appearance by making comments like “nobody wants to see your hairy back,” and treated her differently than non-Iranian employees in ways that negatively impacted her and her pay. After the employee raised complaints about the harassment with the restaurant’s general manger and twice complained to Landry’s human resources department, Landry’s failed to stop the harassment and discharged the employee for allegedly violating a policy the company did not equally enforce amongst its employees.
Florida: Trebor USA, Colt Truck Care and Wholesale Building Products to Pay Over $215,000 in EEOC Race and National Origin Harassment Lawsuit
Allegations
Race discrimination; National origin discrimination
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Florida
Summary
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Trebor USA Corp., Colt Truck Care, LLC, and Wholesale Building Products, LLC, subjected Black and Hispanic employees to racial slurs, including supervisors calling employees the “N-word,” “lazy spic,” and “boys.” The EEOC further alleged that the company was aware of the harassment, as one of the supervisors had previously been disciplined for making racist comments in the workplace. Nevertheless, when one of the employees reported the abuse to human resources, he was fired within two weeks, the EEOC said.
Minnesota: St. Cloud Area Family YMCA to Pay $140,000 in EEOC Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
Allegations
Sex discrimination; Sexual harassment; Reasonable accommodation; Constructive discharge
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
State
Minnesota
Summary
The EEOC charged in its suit that the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA subjected female employees, including two teenagers, to sexual harassment by one of its managers. The manager repeatedly propositioned one of the employees for sex, made unwelcome sexual comments about the female employees’ bodies and physical appearance, and made demeaning comments about women. The employees reported the harassment to management, which failed to take prompt action to stop the harassment. As a result, one of the employees had to resign to avoid the harassment, the EEOC said.
Ohio: Morton Salt to Pay $75,000 in EEOC Retaliation and Discrimination Lawsuit
Allegations
Race discrimination; Disability discrimination; Reasonable accommodation; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Ohio
Summary
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the affected employee worked for Morton Salt in a labor position in Rittman, Ohio. He was fired and subjected to other unfavorable treatment because of his race (Black), disability, and because he reported alleged discrimination.
Ohio: Ralphie’s Sports Eatery to Pay $125,000 in EEOC Race, Disability and Retaliation Discrimination Suit
Allegations
Race discrimination; Disability discrimination; Reasonable accommodation; Retaliation
Laws Involved
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Illinois
Summary
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a biracial woman with a diagnosis of depression and anxiety worked for Bennett Enterprises as a server at its Ralphie’s Sports Eatery location in Kenton, Ohio. The former server was subjected to a hostile work environment because of her race, which included her direct supervisor using racial slurs and other derogatory terms. After the restaurant learned of the server’s disability, she was denied a promotion, suspended and then fired. The server filed a discrimination charge with the EEOC alleging race and disability discrimination. Thereafter, Bennett Enterprises refused to hire her at a different Ralphie’s location, telling her that it could not offer her the position because she has an active EEOC claim.
Puerto Rico: Triple-S Vida and Triple-S Management to Pay $100,000 in EEOC Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
Allegations
Disability discrimination; Reasonable accommodation
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Puerto Rico
Summary
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a traveling sales agent requested reassignment to an in-office position as a reasonable accommodation because her fibromyalgia symptoms limited her ability to drive for extended periods of time. Triple-S delayed accommodating the employee with a reassignment for approximately three years from the date of her initial request.
Washington: Homes Direct to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination and Retaliation Charge
Allegations
Disability discrimination; Reasonable accommodation
Laws Involved
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
State
Washington
Summary
According to the EEOC, a housing consultant for Homes Direct in Albany, Oregon, alleged that three days after a request for a schedule change related to her disability, the company opted to discharge her rather than providing her with a reasonable accommodation, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC’s investigation established that Homes Direct both failed to provide a reasonable accommodation and fired the consultant in retaliation for revealing her disability and availing herself of her right to a reasonable accommodation.
