Top 10 Workplace Discrimination Claims

February 23, 2017 | by

In 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) resolved more than 97,443 workplace discrimination claims—securing more than $482 million from employers in the private and public sectors as a result of these claims. Discrimination lawsuits can be very time-consuming and expensive for employers, and can result in a loss of employee morale or reputation within the community.

Top Causes of Discrimination Claims

According to the EEOC, the following are the top 10 reasons for workplace discrimination claims in fiscal year 2016:

  1. Retaliation—42,018 (45.9 percent of all charges filed)
  2. Race—32,309 (35.3 percent)
  3. Disability—28,073 (30.7 percent)
  4. Sex—26,934 (29.4 percent)
  5. Age—20,857 (22.8 percent)
  6. National origin—9,840 (10.8 percent)
  7. Religion—3,825 (4.2 percent)
  8. Color—3,102 (3.4 percent)
  9. Equal Pay Act—1,075 (1.2 percent)
  10. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)—238 (0.3 percent)

These percentages add up to more than 100 percent because some lawsuits were filed alleging multiple reasons for discrimination.

Retaliation Lawsuits

Retaliation lawsuits are brought after an employee alleges an employer has fired, demoted, harassed or otherwise retaliated against him or her for filing a charge of discrimination or assisted with a job discrimination investigation or lawsuit. Retaliation claims are the most frequently filed charge of discrimination

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