©2026 Seyfarth Shaw LLP EEOC-INITIATED LITIGATION: 2026 EDITION | 54 EEOC v. TNNY Hotel, LLC, et al., Case No. 1:24-cv-6487 (S.D.N.Y.) The EEOC and a Manhattan hotel reached a settlement agreement following allegations of disability discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Per the EEOC, the hotel refused to accommodate a host who provided a medical note stating that her knee condition limited her standing or walking to 30 minutes at a time. The employee requested to use a stool while stationed at the host stand performing clerical work and checking in guests. She was otherwise able to perform all essential functions of her job, including walking guests to their destinations. The hotel denied this accommodation and terminated her employment. Based on the terms of the parties’ consent decree, the hotel agreed to pay $100,000 in monetary relief, update its employee handbook, train managers and employees on ADA compliance, and regularly report to the EEOC accommodation requests and disability discrimination complaints. The decree also prohibits denying accommodations based on image or guest-preference concerns. KEY CASES FILED IN FY 2025 EEOC v. SSN Hotel Mgmt., LLC et al., Case No. 1:25-cv-01491 (M.D. Pa.) The EEOC initiated a lawsuit against the hotel, claiming it violated Title VII after finding reasonable cause to believe that race discrimination and retaliation had occurred at one of its Pennsylvania locations. In August 2024, the EEOC resolved the matter through a conciliation agreement requiring the hotel operator to make timely monthly payments to the complainant and implement other remedial measures. However, the EEOC alleges that the employer repeatedly failed to comply with the agreement, including by failing to make the required monetary payments. After issuing warnings of non-compliance, the EEOC filed suit in federal court to enforce the terms of the agreement. The lawsuit seeks to compel future compliance, obtain relief for past and ongoing violations, and recover costs associated with bringing the enforcement action. EEOC v. Trustees of the Univ. of Pa., Case No. 2:25-cv-06502 (E.D. Pa.) The EEOC filed a subpoena enforcement action in an effort to compel the university to comply with a subpoena issued during its investigation into allegations that the university permitted antisemitic harassment to persist and escalate across its Philadelphia campus, creating a hostile work environment for Jewish faculty and staff in violation of Title VII. The EEOC’s investigation stems from a Commissioner’s charge filed in December 2023 by then-Commissioner Andrea Lucas, alleging that the university failed to address complaints of antisemitic harassment and neglected to take prompt and effective measures to stop the misconduct. Instead, the harassment allegedly intensified, impacting faculty and staff throughout the institution. To advance its investigation, the EEOC issued a subpoena requesting identification and contact information for potential witnesses and victims of religious-based harassment. The university refused to provide this information, prompting the EEOC’s enforcement action. OH WV PA NJ Philadelphia MD DE RI EEOC Philadelphia District Office DISTRICT PROFILE Director: Jamie Williamson Regional Attorney: Debra Lawrence Merit Cases Filed in FY 2025: 8 Average Days Between Determination Letter & Failure to Conciliate: 52 Average Days Between Failure to Conciliate & Complaint: 129 Average Days Between Determination Letter & Complaint: 181 ©2026 Seyfarth Shaw LLP
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