Source of article DOAR Litigation Consulting.
On January 24, 2020, the EEOC The EEOC’s 2019 charge statistics mirror the Nationwide, the number of EEOC charges alleging sexual harassment dropped in 2019 by 1.2% (from 7,609 in 2018 to 7,514). While the percentage of overall EEOC charges alleging sexual harassment increased from 9.9% in 2018 to 10.3% in 2019, it did so only slightly. In a corollary finding, in 2020, DOAR found that respondents’ estimates of sexual harassment prevalence stayed the same or dropped 2-3% percentage points than in previous years. Geographic Trends To get a better sense of the climate in the states “Blue” states like California, DOAR clients routinely litigate outside “blue” states, and in the coming months, we will expand our research into employee and juror attitudes towards workplace discrimination in key “purple” and “red” jurisdictions around the country. Stay tuned for further insights from our 2020 research findings or contact us directly to learn more. [1]The data referenced here reflects only charges filed with the EEOC under federal law and does not include charges filed with state deferral agencies under more protective state laws. [2]Retaliation [3]The [4] The post EEOC 2019 Statistics Reflect Decline in Charge Filings appeared first on DOAR.
released data on its 2019 charge filings.
charges filed in 2019 declined by 4.8% (from 76,418 in 2018 to 72,675 in 2019). Retaliation claims continued to predominate,
with 53.8% percent of charges including allegations of retaliation. Disability, race, and sex discrimination (including
harassment) claims each accounted for slightly over 30% of total charges.
perceptions of respondents to a recent study conducted by DOAR. Respondents to the study perceived racial
discrimination as most prevalent, followed very closely by sex
discrimination. Likewise, the high
incidence of EEOC retaliation filings, which remained consistent for years,
also tracks with DOAR’s findings – respondents believe that (1) fear of
retaliation chills reporting, and (2) people who report discrimination or
harassment are often subjected to retaliation.
where our clients most frequently litigate, DOAR took a deeper dive into the
2019 EEOC charge data:
Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York are widely recognized as the
nation’s “hot beds” for employment litigation from a case filing and trial
perspective primarily due to protective state laws. Yet, for the past ten years
(2009-2019), only California and Illinois have consistently ranked amongst the
states that produced the most EEOC charges alleging federal claims.[4]
Thus, while “blue” states may be more lucrative fora for the plaintiffs’ bar
(and, thus, the most dangerous for corporate America), discrimination and
harassment – or the perception thereof – are widespread in all states,
including populous “purple” and “red” locales without generous state worker
protection laws and where only federal agencies and courts offer employees the
opportunity for redress.
claims typically accompany other claims; accordingly, because one charge may
assert multiple claims, the percentage of retaliation claims percentage of
total claims broken out by protected characteristic.
law does not require Equal Pay Act (“EPA”) claims to be filed with the EEOC as
a preliminary measure to litigation; notwithstanding, because facts underlying
EPA claims will often support a Title VII sex discrimination claim and vice
versa, they are frequently brought together and charging parties will name both
statutes in the charge of discrimination.
Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Texas also consistently
report high numbers of charges.