On March 7, 2007, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC] filed suit against the Walgreen Company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis, pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e-5(f)(1) and (3) and -6 ["Title VII"] and Section 102 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, 42 U.S.C. § 1981a. The EEOC's complaint alleged that Walgreens engaged in a nationwide pattern and practice of race discrimination in violation of Title VII by (1) making store assignments to African-American management trainees, managers, and pharmacists because of their race and (2) denying promotions to African-American employees in retail and pharmacy career paths because of their race. The EEOC sought declaratory and injunctive relief.

The case was randomly assigned to U.S. District Judge Michael J. Reagan and Magistrate Judge Clifford J. Proud.

The day after the initiation of the action, Pearle Phillips, an employee of Walgreen, filed a motion to intervene as a party plaintiff.

On March 12, 2007, the EEOC filed a motion to consolidate the case with Tucker v. Walgreen Company, Case No. 05-440-GPM-CJP [EE-IL-258 of this collection], a class-action race discrimination case also pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

On March 26, 2007, the case was reassigned to Chief Judge G. Patrick Murphy.

The motion to consolidate was granted by Judge Murphy on April 23, 2007 and the parties were ordered to file all further pleadings in the Tucker case, Case No. 05-440-GPM-CJP. Judge Murphy also allowed Pearle Phillips to intervene as a party plaintiff.

Eventually, a consent decree paying out $24,407,500 to the settlement class along with other provisions of injunctive relief was the resolution concluding the case. More information can be found in the EE-IL-0258 (Tucker) case.

Dan Dalton - 07/23/2007


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