The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission denied ordering an agencywide halt to federal-sector class discrimination complaints, the Associated Press reported. The denial matters because a pending lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the agency to resume those proceedings.
Key Facts
- Federal court: AFGE and two correctional officers filed the lawsuit against the EEOC and Chair Andrea Lucas on July 28, 2026.
- Government position: AP reports that EEOC Chief Operating Officer Sharon Rose denied any written or oral agencywide suspension directive.
- Procedural status: The competing accounts remain unresolved by the court.
What the government told the court
AP reports that the government filed its response on August 13 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Rose said an administrative judge issued the disputed December notice in error and called it an isolated incident, according to AP.
Rose also said neither the commission nor Lucas directed administrative judges to suspend class cases indefinitely, AP reported. That statement is the government’s litigation position, not a court finding.
AP reports that the Pippen proceeding was transferred to another administrative judge. The new judge issued a scheduling order on August 10, according to the report.
A Justice Department letter included with the filing said federal-sector class complaints should not be suspended, AP reported. The letter asked the plaintiffs to withdraw their request for a preliminary injunction, which is a temporary court order issued while a case continues.
What the workers allege
The American Federation of Government Employees and correctional officers Deanna Chelette and Alexzandria Boyd filed the case on July 28. Their complaint alleges that the EEOC imposed a categorical and indefinite suspension of federal-sector class complaints.
The lawsuit invokes the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs judicial review of many federal agency actions. The plaintiffs seek declarations that the alleged suspension was unlawful and an order requiring class-case processing to resume.
The complaint cites a December 10, 2025, notice in Pippen v. Federal Bureau of Prisons. The notice paused that proceeding and stated that it applied to all federal-sector class cases, according to the filed complaint.
Pippen involves allegations that officials at the Federal Correctional Complex in Pollock, Louisiana, inadequately addressed sexual harassment of women employees. Those allegations have not resulted in a finding that discrimination occurred.
Plaintiffs’ lawyer Joseph Sellers disputed the government’s isolated-error account, AP reported. He said attorneys involved in the lawsuit represent workers in at least five other class complaints that had stalled for months.
What the filing does and does not decide
The government’s response does not resolve whether an agencywide directive existed. It also does not establish that every affected class proceeding has resumed.
Likewise, the scheduling order reported in Pippen does not decide the underlying harassment claims. An EEOC administrative judge ordinarily manages the hearing and decides whether discrimination occurred after the parties can present evidence.
Federal regulations provide a separate process for class discrimination complaints by federal employees. The rules state that class complaints must be processed promptly and assigned to an EEOC administrative judge after agency transmittal.
What happens next
The plaintiffs and government may continue discussing whether the requested preliminary injunction is still necessary. Unless the dispute is resolved, the district court can consider the request for temporary relief and later address the merits of the plaintiffs’ claims.
The central factual disagreement remains intact: the government describes an isolated mistake, while the plaintiffs say multiple proceedings were stalled.
