According to court statistics from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), the total number of employment-related lawsuits filed in federal court during fiscal year (FY) 2016 dropped by nearly 2 percent, after a 4 percent increase in FY 2015. Even with year-to-year fluctuations, however, the total number of employment-related suits has hovered in the high 20,000 to low 30,000 range for the last 10 years.
The latest AO data show that lawsuits alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (Section 1981), and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) declined by almost 3 percent from FY 2015 to FY 2016, the lowest total in 20 years. Lawsuits alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) also decreased — by 1.1 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively — from FY 2015 to FY 2016.
In contrast, lawsuits alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and lawsuits alleging violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) increased by 7.5 percent and 10.2 percent, respectively, over the previous year.
Members of the Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC) can read more here.