© 2026 Seyfarth Shaw LLP Developments in Equal Pay Litigation 2026 | v TABLE OF CONTENTS EQUAL PAY LEGISLATION ..................................................................................................................7 A. Foundational Laws: The Federal Equal Pay Act and Title VII ...............................................7 B. State Equal Pay Legislation ...................................................................................................7 C. Pay Transparency and Other State and Local Initiatives.......................................................8 RECENT CASE LAW DEVELOPMENTS............................................................................................12 A. Proving The Prima Facie Case ............................................................................................12 1. Establishing A Wage Disparity....................................................................................13 2. Showing That Work Is “Equal” Or “Substantially Similar” ........................................... 25 B. Significant Class And Collective Action Decisions...............................................................37 1. Recent Cases Involving Collective Action Certification ..............................................38 2. Recent Cases Involving Class Action Certification.....................................................45 C. Disproving Discrimination: Employers’ Affirmative Defenses .............................................. 50 1. Proving A Factor Other Than Sex...............................................................................50 a. Compensation Systems and Hierarchies ..........................................................50 b. Economic and Market Justifications ..................................................................54 2. Additional State Law Requirements to Establish the Factor Other Than Sex Defense ....................................................................................................................... 57 3. Challenging The Factor Other Than Sex: Salary History and Beyond.......................61 4. Other Affirmative Defenses.........................................................................................68 5. Pretext ......................................................................................................................... 71 D. Other Important Substantive Decisions Impacting Equal Pay Litigation .............................74 1. Retaliation Claims ....................................................................................................... 74 2. Proving An “Establishment” ........................................................................................ 79 3. Identifying The “Employer” Under The EPA ............................................................... 81 4. Statute Of Limitations and Willfulness Issues.............................................................84 5. Maintaining Privilege of Internal Investigations and Proactive Pay Studies...............85 DEVELOPMENTS IN EEOC ENFORCEMENT OF EQUAL PAY CLAIMS ........................................87 A. Recent Examples of EEOC Enforcement Activity................................................................88 B. EEOC Litigation of Title VII Equal Pay Claims.....................................................................91
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