DENVER (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced June 1 that the University of Denver will pay $2.66 million and furnish other relief after allegations of pay discrimination.
"The favorable resolution of this case is a clear example of the EEOC's commitment to fully enforcing our federal laws against pay discrimination,” EEOC Acting Chair Victoria A. Lipnic said in a statement. “I hope cases like these get the attention of all employers and lead them to not only review their pay practices, but take action to address discrimination when they find it."
A class of female full professors at the university’s Sturm College of Law were paid lower salaries than male counterparts despite performing substantially equal work, according to the EEOC. The University of Denver’s purported conduct in this case violates the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights of 1964.
"The Equal Pay Act and Title VII are clear that pay discrimination based on a person's sex is a violation of federal law - no exceptions," said EEOC regional attorney Mary Jo O'Neill in a statement. "As we just recently marked Equal Pay Day, the EEOC remains committed to elimination of pay discrimination in the workplace."