EEOC and Walgreens Resolve Lawsuit

EEOC, Jul 26, 2007

WASHINGTON - Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today announced a $20 million proposed consent decree resolving a systemic race discrimination lawsuit against Walgreens, the Illinois-based national drug store chain.

The proposed settlement was filed with U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy of the Southern District of Illinois, with a request for his preliminary approval (EEOC v. Walgreen Co., S.D. Il. 07-CV-172-GPM and Tucker v. Walgreen Co., S.D. Il. 05-CV-440-GPM). The EEOC’s suit alleged that Walgreens discriminated against African American retail management and pharmacy employees in promotion, compensation and assignment. In addition to the monetary relief for an estimated 10,000 class members, the consent decree prohibits store assignments based on race. The decree is subject to final approval by Judge Murphy following a fairness hearing.

“We commend Walgreens for working cooperatively with us to reach an amicable settlement of this case without protracted litigation,” EEOC Chair Earp said. “We believe this is a satisfactory resolution for all parties.”

A lawsuit alleging similar claims was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in June 2005 on behalf of 14 African American current and former Walgreens’ employees by Foland, Wickens, Eisfelder, Roper & Hofer, Kansas City, Mo.; Spriggs Law Firm, Tallahassee, Fla.; and Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian, Oakland, Calif. Walgreens denied each of the allegations made by the private plaintiffs and the EEOC. The two cases were consolidated in April 2007.

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