Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Shelby County Government
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against J.A. Blackwell, Shelby County, and the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, alleging violations of the Equal Pay Act on behalf of fourteen female employees. The court found that female employees performing substantially equal work to male counterparts received lower wages. Defendants failed to prove that wage disparities were based on seniority, merit, quality/quantity of work, or any factor other than sex. The court concluded that sex was a 'but for' cause of the disparity, ruled the violation was willful, and awarded backpay and prospective wage increases to the claimants.