EEOC closed FY2025 with 10-year low in lawsuits

Without a quorum—and with substantial changes in its priorities—the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed only 93 lawsuits in fiscal year (FY) 2025, the lowest number in 10 years and the one of the lowest number of lawsuits filed in the past three decades. Of the lawsuits filed, a substantial number were under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition, it filed nine lawsuits under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) but none under the Equal Pay Act (EPA).

Interestingly, the EEOC filed 10 lawsuits under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. In fact, 39 of the 93 lawsuits filed alleged sex and pregnancy-related claims, reflecting Acting Chair Andrea Lucas’ intention to place emphasis on both sex and pregnancy discrimination. Meanwhile, the agency filed only three lawsuits alleging race or national origin discrimination, the lowest number in at least 19 years, and two of those three lawsuits actually alleged a reverse race discrimination theory.

Another stated priority for Lucas is religious discrimination. In FY2025, the agency filed 11 lawsuits alleging religious discrimination or failure to accommodate religious beliefs under Title VII. Recently, Lucas told employers that under her leadership, “EEOC is restoring evenhanded enforcement of Title VII—ensuring that workers are not forced to choose between their paycheck and their faith.”