The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), responsible for enforcing employment anti-discrimination laws, faces accusations from a labor union and two female prison guards. They allege the agency indefinitely suspended a sexual harassment case filed on behalf of female prison guards as part of a broader effort to stop all federal-sector class claims pending before its administrative judges.
An administrative judge’s order dated December 10, 2025, stated that the sexual harassment case had been paused, with the notification affecting all class cases in the federal sector. However, in a court document filed Thursday evening, EEOC Chief Operating Officer Sharon Rose indicated that the judge issued the notification in error and it was an isolated incident. Rose assured the court that the case had been transferred to another administrative judge, who has since issued an order for further proceedings.
A letter included in the court document, written by Justice Department attorney James Harlow, was sent to the plaintiffs on Monday. It explained the situation and asked them to drop their motion for a preliminary injunction. Harlow confirmed that the processing of federal-sector class complaints should not be suspended.
“In short, Defendants agree that processing of federal-sector class complaints should not be suspended,” Harlow wrote.
Joseph Sellers, an attorney for the plaintiffs from Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, stated that evidence contradicts the government’s claim of an isolated error. Sellers revealed that at least five other class complaints involving federal workers, including cases against the FBI and the Department of Defense, have been stuck for months.
In two of these cases, scheduling orders were issued on the same day as Harlow’s letter was sent. Harlow requested the names and numbers of any other federal-sector class complaints that might have been suspended to investigate further. Sellers noted the timing suggests the suspension was not a mistake.
Sellers also mentioned the plaintiffs’ willingness to discuss resolving the issue outside court with the Justice Department. The lawsuit was filed by the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union for federal workers, alongside two correctional officers at Louisiana’s Federal Correctional Complex at Pollock. These women are part of a pending class complaint against management at Pollock for failing to protect female workers from sexual harassment by inmates.
During President Donald Trump’s administration, the EEOC revised its civil rights enforcement priorities, focusing on eliminating diversity and inclusion policies, dropping transgender worker cases, and other changes. These adjustments led to several lawsuits against EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who aims for an “even-handed” and “colorblind” workplace vision.
In a court statement, Rose denied that the commission or Lucas had instructed judges to pause class cases indefinitely. The EEOC referred inquiries to the Justice Department, which has not yet commented.
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