EEOC denies issuing order to halt federal class discrimination complaints

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has denied allegations that it issued an order to halt all federal-sector class discrimination complaints. The agency claims that a December 2025 order from an administrative judge, which stated that a sexual harassment case involving female prison guards was paused and that the notification applied to all federal class cases, was issued ‘in error’ and was an ‘isolated incident.’

EEOC Chief Operating Officer Sharon Rose informed the court that the case has been transferred to a different administrative judge, who has already scheduled further proceedings. Additionally, a Department of Justice attorney, James Harlow, sent a letter to plaintiffs requesting they drop their motion for a preliminary injunction, stating that the government agrees federal-sector class complaints should not be suspended.

However, attorneys representing the plaintiffs, including Joseph Sellers of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, argue that the evidence contradicts the government’s claim of an isolated error. The legal team asserts they are representing federal workers in at least five other class complaints that have been stalled for months, including cases involving the FBI and the Department of Defense.