EEOC Sued Over Apparent Freeze in Federal Class Action Cases
A new lawsuit aims to force the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to resume processing federal-sector class action cases after the commission reportedly paused those proceedings.
The lawsuit was filed by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and several other organizations against the EEOC and its Chair, Andrea Lucas. The lawsuit alleges the EEOC violated the Administrative Procedure Act and its own regulations by effectively halting the processing of federal-sector class action discrimination and harassment complaints.
“The EEOC has a legal responsibility and obligation to keep our federal workplaces free from discrimination and retaliation, and the agency’s refusal to process these cases is a clear abandonment of its mission,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley in a statement.
While the EEOC did not publicly issued a directive ordering such a halt, administrative judges have issued indefinite stays or otherwise paused federal class action case proceedings since December 2025.
Louisiana Prison Case at Center of Lawsuit
One case highlighted in the lawsuit involves two female corrections officers working at a federal prison in Pollock, Louisiana.
Deanna Chelette and Alexzandria Boyd initially filed a case in 2024 and received class action certification in March 2025, with about 200 total plaintiffs. The plaintiffs claim that inmates routinely verbally harass female correctional officers and subject them to “exhibitionist nudity,” public masturbation, rape threats, and unwanted touching.
AFGE argues that EEOC’s refusal to hear such cases is causing continued harm to federal employees with no remedy for relief.
AFGE also argues that the EEOC is in violation of its own regulations which encourage the use of class action cases as a cheaper and faster manner for resolving cases of discrimination or harassment, and that such cases “shall be processed promptly.”
EEOC Position
An EEOC spokesperson declined to comment to Federal News Network on the lawsuit or to comment on why the commission appears to have paused work on federal sector class complaints.
The lawsuit comes as the EEOC has made other changes to its processes since President Trump took office. Those include ending a 60-year-old requirement for private sector employees to submit workforce demographic reports.
