EEOC Risking Missteps As It Seeks Out Major Cases

Though the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has come under fire from district judges lately, some suggest that is a byproduct of the agency’s strategy to pursue higher-profile, systemic cases as a way to have maximum impact despite strains in budget and resources. In 2012 one-fifth of the EEOC’s total cases were class-action suits on behalf of multiple employees, the highest proportion in six years. But federal judges in recent cases have said the agency is pursuing complaints with unnecessary aggression and side-stepping its own rules.