Seyfarth’s Exclusive EEOC FY 2026 Report Garners Significant Media Coverage

Seyfarth’s exclusive EEOC Fiscal Year 2026 report, released September 30, 2026, has drawn significant attention from the media, with coverage examining the agency’s historically low litigation levels, shifting enforcement priorities, and what employers can expect in FY 2027. Partners Andrew Scroggins and Christopher DeGroff, who led the report’s original research and analysis, along with associate James Nasiri, have provided analysis on the trends behind the numbers.

In The American Lawyer (Law.com), Scroggins discussed the notable increase in religious discrimination litigation and the accommodation issues driving many of those cases:

“We saw a notable spike in litigation based on religious discrimination. It was not specific to any particular flavor of religion. We saw claims brought on behalf of people practicing multiple different kinds of religions, but it related to accommodation issues, particularly around scheduling, around religious garb, and I think that we will continue to see that be a focus for this administration.”

In Bloomberg Law, DeGroff addressed why some of the EEOC’s emerging priorities may take time to translate into lawsuits:

“These are large-scale investigations that take time to develop, and sometimes the lead time can be as much as two or three years even before the EEOC has a fully baked legal claim. But I think it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when a number of those cases are going to hit.”

And in HR Dive, Nasiri highlighted the agency’s continued emphasis on disability discrimination:

“Disability discrimination is going to remain at the top of the EEOC’s priority list, regardless of the current administration or other priorities that they may have.”

Together, the coverage underscores a central takeaway from Seyfarth’s FY 2026 analysis: while the EEOC’s litigation docket remained relatively small, its enforcement priorities continue to evolve, making the agency’s filings, public messaging, and emerging areas of focus important for employers to monitor.

Read the articles here:

• Law.com: Expected Resurgence In EEOC Lawsuits Fails to Materialize

• Bloomberg Law: Trump’s Goals Creep Into EEOC Workplace Bias Lawsuits for 2026

• Law360: 4 Takeaways As EEOC Wraps Up 2026 Fiscal Year

• HR Dive: EEOC’s FY 2026 was ‘historically anemic’ but big on messaging

• Business Insurance: EEOC retreats on enforcement, defends religious, majority groups: Report

• Bloomberg Law: EEOC Slashes Timeline for Employers’ Bias Charge Responses

• HR Dive: Miami furniture store will pay $1.3M to settle charge it favored Hispanic applicants

• Hoodline: Blackwell Hotel Fired Pregnant Housekeeper Days After She Spoke Up, EEOC Says

• Compliance Hub Wiki: EEOC's FY2026 Litigation Stayed Historically Low. Training Teams Should Still Retool for FY2027