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EEOC Litigation Statistics, FY 1997 through FY 2022

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 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022
Suits
All Suits Filed 332 414 465 329 428 370 400 421 416 403 362 325 314 271 300 155 148 167 174 114 201 217 157 97 124 93
Merits Suits 300 374 438 292 388 342 366 378 381 371 336 290 281 250 261 122 131 133 142 86 184 199 144 93 116 91
Suits with Title VII Claims 182 254 341 236 289 268 298 297 295 294 268 224 188 192 162 66 78 76 83 46 107 111 87 59 71 62
Suits with ADA Claims 83 87 55 29 66 44 49 46 49 42 46 37 76 41 80 45 51 49 53 36 76 84 55 32 43 27
Suits with ADEA Claims 42 44 47 33 42 39 27 46 44 50 32 38 24 29 26 12 7 12 14 2 12 10 7 7 4 7
Suits with EPA Claims 4 10 9 9 14 12 12 5 13 10 7 0 2 2 2 2 5 2 7 5 11 5 7 1 3 6
Suits with GINA Claims                                 3 2 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0
Suits filed under multiple statutes (1); 11 19 13 14 19 19 19 14 17 22 16 9 9 14 9 3 11 7 14 5 24 10 12 6 5 11
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 17 18 13 4 8 2
Resolutions
All Resolutions 243 331 350 440 362 381 381 380 378 418 387 366 349 315 312 283 222 144 171 171 125 156 180 176 140 100
Merits Suits 214 295 320 407 321 351 351 346 338 383 364 339 321 287 276 254 209 136 155 139 109 141 173 165 138 96
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 57 82 96 99 82 53
Suits with ADA Claims 49 73 74 53 48 65 50 43 41 50 40 47 40 60 42 72 59 47 61 48 48 55 78 58 34 34
Suits with ADEA Claims 38 38 51 41 39 26 35 34 45 50 35 41 38 38 26 30 16 13 12 12 3 10 6 11 10 3
Suits with EPA Claims 7 4 7 6 15 9 13 9 12 8 14 3 5 0 2 2 4 5 1 7 4 9 6 5 2 0
Suits with GINA Claims                                 1 1 1 4 1 1 0 1 0 0
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 4 16 13 8 10 6
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 16 15 7 11 2 4
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 $42.4 $53.6 $39.1 $106.1 $34.0 $39.7
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 $21.7 $21.5 $25.8 $72.6 $28.2 $34.1
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 $7.1 $21.8 $8.5 $15.7 $3.0 $3.9
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 $12.1 $3.9 $1.0 $16.3 $1.2 $0.7
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 $0.2 $0.1 $0.2 $0.0 $0.2 $0.0
GINA                             $0.0 $0.0 n.a* n/a* n/a* $0.0 $0.1 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0
Suits filed under multiple statutes (3) $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 $1.1 $6.3 $3.7 $1.5 $1.3 $1.0

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.

Historical data


Definitions

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.