Dell Sued by EEOC for Violation of Equal Pay Laws

DALLAS — Dell, Inc. violated federal law by paying lesser wages to a female IT analyst than it paid to a male employee performing work that required substantially equal skill, effort and responsi­bil­ity, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Kea Golden was an IT analyst with 24 years of work experi­ence in the technology industry. Dell acquired the company Golden worked for and hired her and a male analyst coworker at the same time. Despite the fact both Golden and the male analyst performed the same tasks, assignments and work, Dell paid Golden $17,510 less than the male analyst.

Such alleged conduct violates the Equal Pay Act (EPA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, both of which prohibit discrimination in compensation based on sex. The EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-03131-L, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. In this case, the EEOC seeks back pay, com­pensatory and punitive damages and injunctive relief, including an order barring Dell from engaging in discriminatory treatment in the future.

“Dell failed to properly pay Ms. Golden for her work,” said Joel Clark, a senior trial attorney in the EEOC’s Dallas District Office. “Dell’s approach to establishing salaries for Ms. Golden and the male employees who worked at the company acquired by Dell resulted in a wage gap between Ms. Golden and one of the male co-workers. The inequity was not corrected, despite Ms. Golden’s com­plaints to the company.”

Suzanne Anderson, supervisory trial attorney for the Dallas District Office added, “Title VII and the Equal Pay Act require the payment of equal wages for work that requires substantially equal skill, effort and responsibilities. In male-dominated technology fields, it is particularly important that emp­loyers establish fair pay for workers hired by application or through acquisition.”

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employ­ment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.