Press & News

Jerry Maatman Quoted in Workforce Management
05/04/2006

The article ("EEOC Turning Attention to Broader Cases)" in the April 24, 2006 issue of Workforce Management notes that "the country's chief watchdog on employment discrimination will shift its focus to cases of ``systemic'' inequality that transcend a single complaint, rather than solely responding to cases brought to its attention by individual plaintiffs. In unanimous votes at an early April meeting, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission directed the agency it oversees to increase its investigation and litigation of cases nationwide in which a pattern, practice or policy of alleged discrimination has a broad impact on an industry, profession, company or geographic location. EEOC field offices must formulate plans for a coordinated effort on systemic discrimination, utilizing EEOC expertise from across the country instead of relying exclusively on the field office in the region where a charge is made. Under such an approach, the agency intends to act more like a national law firm. The agency also seeks to improve internal sharing of statistics used to identify systemic discrimination. For instance, the EEOC wants to link employer data to census information and improve access to research on national and regional economic trends."

"Individual plaintiffs won't necessarily be denied an avenue for justice because they will continue to hire private attorneys and they can turn to state equal employment offices. A defense lawyer estimates that the EEOC might pursue 150 to 200 cases annually under the new directive, rather than the current 250 to 400. But it will try to make a bigger splash with each one, like it did when it settled a $54 million sexual discrimination case against Morgan Stanley in 2004. ``By being selective in who it sues and what it sues them for, it sets an example for the entire industry,'' says Gerald Maatman Jr., senior partner at Seyfarth and Shaw."