49 | EEOC-INITIATED LITIGATION: 2026 EDITION ©2026 Seyfarth Shaw LLP KEY CASES FILED IN FY 2025 EEOC v. Vallarta Food Enterprises, Inc., et al., 2:25-mc-00058 (C.D. Cal.) According to the EEOC, it has filed an action to enforce a subpoena issued during its investigation into alleged discriminatory hiring practices. The EEOC initiated the investigation based on Commissioner charges alleging that Vallarta systematically failed or refused to recruit, hire, or promote non-Hispanic individuals because of their race and national origin, including white, Black, and Asian applicants in violation of Title VII. To determine whether discrimination occurred, the EEOC issued a subpoena seeking applicant and employee demographic data, hiring process materials, job descriptions, and complaints related to race or national origin. The agency also requested contact information for applicants and employees to facilitate interviews. According to the EEOC, Vallarta has refused to comply with the subpoena, prompting the agency to seek judicial enforcement. EEOC v. Paia Inn, LLC et al, Inc. 1:25-cv-00199 (D. Haw.) According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, since at least 2015, Paia Inn’s owner regularly preyed on a class of female employees, including some teenagers, and subjected them to sexual harassment. The harassment included repeated, frequent and offensive touching, along with sexual advances and comments. The owner demanded massages while he was naked, propositioned female employees for sexual encounters and inappropriately touched female employees, the EEOC said. In addition, the owner frequently commented on the female employees’ looks and bodies in front of male friends who patronized the hotel, and he insisted on hiring attractive female applicants after requiring their photos as part of the application process. The owner immediately fired an employee who stood up for other female employees to stop the sexual harassment, while other employees who complained about the sexual harassment were terminated or forced to quit their jobs, the suit alleged. KEY SETTLEMENTS SECURED IN FY 2025 EEOC v. Goodsell/Wilkins, Inc., Case No. 8:22-cv-01765 (C.D. Cal.) The Commission alleged that the Orange County-based construction company violated Title VII by subjecting a class of male Hispanic or Latino workers to harassment based on supervisors, leads, and coworkers using racial slurs such and sexually explicit threats intended to pressure employees to work faster. The EEOC further claimed that the company failed to act on harassment complaints and retaliated against workers who complained by terminating them or denying further work opportunities. To resolve the matter, the employer agreed to pay $730,000 in monetary relief through a claims process and implement anti-harassment, NV CA Los Angeles Hawaiian Islands American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Wake Island CA Los Angeles Hawaiian Islands American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Wake Island EEOC Los Angeles District Office DISTRICT PROFILE Director: Christine Park-Gonzalez Regional Attorney: Anna Y. Park Merit Cases Filed in FY 2025: 4 Average Days Between Determination Letter & Failure to Conciliate: 214 Average Days Between Failure to Conciliate & Complaint: 699 Average Days Between Determination Letter & Complaint: 913 ©2026 Seyfarth Shaw LLP
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