e agency has made systemic discrimination cases those involving many employees a larger enforcement priority. EEOC investigates 100,000 complaints of workplace discrimination annually, and recovered more than $450 million for employees last year. The agency's tactics have rattled the business community, which says lawsuits can cost millions of dollars and destroy reputations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the CRST case denouncing EEOC's tactics and calling for the agency to be more cooperative with industry. The trucking company case was prompted by a December 2005 complaint from driver Monika Starke, of Azle, Texas, who alleged she was paired with a driver who constantly made crude sexual remarks and advances. After she escaped his truck, she said, she was paired with another driver who demanded sex in exchange for a passing grade. After failing to reach a settlement for Starke, EEOC filed a lawsuit in 2007 on behalf of all female drivers subjected to "a sexually hostile and offensive work environment,cheap toms shoes." After the company sent letters to thousands of female employees, about 150 gave depositions in which they described being alone for weeks in trucks with male drivers. One woman said her trainer asked for oral sex every morning and told her if she slept with him she'd certainly pass. Another testified that her trainer put on pornographic movies daily and told her he wanted her to perform similar acts. "And he never let me go a day without telling me that he controlled me passing or failing," Yvonne Fortner testified. But some of their claims were barred for a variety of legal reasons. And EEOC's tactics infuriated Judge Linda Reade, who said the agency used "a 'sue first, ask questions later' litigation strategy." She dismissed the case and ordered the agency to pay CRST an unprecedented $4.4 million in attorney's fees, acknowledging "dozens of potentially meritorious sexual harassment claims may now never see the inside of a courtroom." Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ. An insider's guide to politics and policy, available on the iPad or as a PDF download.
By PABLO GORONDI, Associated Press Oil prices edged up to near $102 a barrel Thursday, rebounding from a two-day sell-off fueled by a jump in U.S. crude supplies and speculation the Federal Reserve won't implement another monetary stimulus to boost economic growth,toms outlet. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for May delivery was up 48 cents to $101,discount toms shoes.95 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $2.54 to settle at $101.47 per barrel in New York on Wednesday. In London, Brent crude for May delivery was up 34 cents at $122.68 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange. On Wednesday, the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said crude inventories surged last week by 9 million barrels, or 2.5 percent, to their highest level since June. The supply jump was the largest Related articles:

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