Lynne Anderson Addresses Potential for Stalled EEOC Investigations and Mediations With Law360

In “What To Know If Partisan Gridlock Shuts Down EEOC,” labor and employment partner Lynne Anderson spoke to Law360 about how employers and workers with business at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) should brace for potential delays if the federal government shuts down.

The publication reported that two of the EEOC’s functions a shutdown would freeze include probing allegations of workplace bias and mediating disputes between companies and workers. Anderson said the EEOC has been “very busy” on the mediation front and that mediation sessions and investigatory activity could be pushed into next year by a shutdown that lasts just a few weeks.

“I am seeing that the EEOC is really trying valiantly but has a very aggressive docket that they are trying to manage,” Anderson noted. “I think any kind of shutdown will obviously make that even more difficult for the EEOC.”

“Cases that are trying to be scheduled for mediation now — you’re lucky if you’re going to get them mediated in November,” Anderson added. “We probably would be looking at having them mediated in January. And in terms of investigations, I think that the EEOC is going to pick and choose their hot cases, and other cases are going to not move very quickly in terms of the investigative stage.”

The full article is available for Law360 subscribers.