EEOC denies issuing order halting all federal-sector class discrimination complaints
- The EEOC said a scheduling notice that appeared to pause a sexual harassment class case and apply to all federal-sector class cases was issued in error by an administrative judge.
- The agency said the case was transferred to another judge, who later set further proceedings for Monday.
- A Justice Department lawyer told the plaintiffs that processing of federal-sector class complaints should not be suspended and asked them to withdraw their bid for an injunction.
- The plaintiffs and their lawyers said they have seen other federal-sector class complaints stalled for months and argued the suspension was not an isolated mistake.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission denied that it had ordered a halt to all federal-sector class discrimination complaints. In a court filing, the agency said an administrative judge in a sexual harassment case involving female prison guards had issued a notice in error saying the pause applied to all federal-sector class cases.
According to the EEOC, the case was moved to another administrative judge, who issued a scheduling order on Monday for further proceedings. The agency also said neither the commission nor Chair Andrea Lucas had issued any written or verbal directive telling administrative judges to suspend class cases indefinitely.
A Justice Department attorney sent a letter to the plaintiffs with the same explanation and said processing of federal-sector class complaints should not be suspended. The attorney asked them to drop their motion for a preliminary injunction.
The plaintiffs, including the American Federation of Government Employees and two correctional officers at a Louisiana prison complex, disputed the government’s account. Their lawyers said they have other federal-sector class cases that have been stalled for months and argued that the timing of the new scheduling orders suggests the broader suspension was not a one-off mistake.
美国平等就业机会委员会否认发布暂停所有联邦部门集体歧视投诉的命令
美国平等就业机会委员会否认曾下令暂停所有联邦部门的集体歧视投诉。该机构在一份法庭文件中表示，一名审理女监狱警性骚扰集体案件的行政法官误发通知，称暂停适用于所有联邦部门集体案件。
EEOC称，该案已转交另一名行政法官，后者于周一发布了继续推进程序的排期命令。该机构还表示，委员会及其主席安德里亚·卢卡斯都没有发出书面或口头指令，要求行政法官无限期暂停集体案件。
美国司法部律师也向原告发出同样解释的信件，称联邦部门集体投诉不应被暂停，并要求原告撤回临时禁令申请。
原告方，包括美国联邦政府雇员工会和路易斯安那州一处联邦监狱的两名矫正官，否认政府的说法。其律师表示，还有其他联邦部门集体案件已被搁置数月，并认为新近发布排期命令的时间点说明，这并非一次孤立失误。