The number of private-sector charges of discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission declined for the third year in a row, according to the newly released Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) for fiscal year 2014.  The significant drop from 93,727 charges filed in FY 2013 to 88,778 charges filed in FY 2014 can be attributed, in part, to last year's government shutdown and sequestration, the EEOC said.  Highlights of the PAR include: 

• The EEOC obtained $22.5 million in monetary relief for charging parties through litigation;
• The EEOC secured $296.1 million in monetary relief for public- and private-sector employees through mediation, conciliation and other administrative enforcement efforts;
• The agency filed 133 merits lawsuits, comprising 105 individual lawsuits, 11 non-systemic class lawsuits, and 17 systemic lawsuits;
• Systemic lawsuits represented 25% of the active docket in FY 2014;
• The EEOC conducted 260 systemic investigations, 78 resulting in settlements and conciliation agreements, and producing nearly $13 million in monetary relief;
• The EEOC's mediation program resolved disputes in 7,846 of the 10,221 mediations conducted;
• A total of $144.6 million in benefits was secured through mediation. 

Of the 133 merit lawsuits, 76 contained Title VII claims, 49 contained Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) claims, 12 contained Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) claims, two contained Equal Pay Act (EPA) claims, and two contained Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) claims. The EEOC also filed a total of 34 subpoena enforcement actions. 

Overall, the agency reported it either met, partially met, or exceeded its target results in all 14 measures in its Strategic Plan.  

Stay tuned for Littler's Annual Report on EEOC Developments: Fiscal Year 2014, which will be published in the coming weeks.  The Annual Report is our comprehensive guide to the EEOC's charges, litigation, regulatory developments, and noteworthy case developments for the fiscal year.