The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)'s
litigation program brought 66 lawsuits alleging workplace
harassment (41 alleging sexual harassment) in FY 2018, a more than
50% increase over the prior year, Acting Chair Victoria A. Lipnic
announced in a report issued by the agency on October 4,
2018. Charges filed with the agency alleging sexual harassment
increased by more than 12% over that same period, and the EEOC
found cause to believe unlawful harassment had occurred in nearly
1,200 charges filed, an almost 25% increase over FY 2017. The
agency recovered nearly $70 million for victims of sexual
harassment, up from $47.5 million in FY 2017.
The announcement underscores the EEOC's continued focus on
eliminating unlawful workplace harassment in the #MeToo era. In its
Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) for fiscal
years 2017-2021, the agency identified the prevention of harassment
as one of its key enforcement priorities. Harassment was also
identified as a top
