Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. City Colleges Of Chicago

**What Happened** The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued City Colleges of Chicago over an early retirement plan that the EEOC claimed discriminated against older workers. The college had adopted this retirement plan in 1982, but the EEOC didn't file the lawsuit until several years later, after employees began experiencing the plan's effects. **What the Court Decided** The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of City Colleges of Chicago. The court found that the EEOC had waited too long to file the lawsuit. Under federal age discrimination law, there's a two-year deadline to challenge such policies. The court determined this deadline started running in 1982 when the college first adopted the retirement plan, not when individual employees later felt its impact. **What This Means for Workers** This ruling highlights the importance of timing in employment discrimination cases. Workers and the EEOC must act quickly when they believe an employer's policy violates age discrimination laws. The decision shows that courts will enforce strict deadlines, even if the harmful effects of a policy aren't immediately obvious. Workers should report potential discrimination promptly and seek legal guidance early rather than waiting to see how policies play out over time.