EEOC v. Freeman

**What happened:** The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Freeman, a background screening company, claiming the company's hiring practices violated federal anti-discrimination law. The EEOC argued that Freeman's policies of checking job applicants' criminal histories and credit reports unfairly hurt African-American and male job candidates, even though these policies weren't intentionally designed to discriminate. **What the court decided:** The court ruled in favor of Freeman and dismissed the case. The judge found that the EEOC failed to provide reliable statistical evidence proving that Freeman's background check policies actually had a discriminatory impact on African-American and male applicants. Without solid data showing disparate effects on these groups, the EEOC couldn't prove its case under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. **Why this matters for workers:** This ruling makes it harder for workers to challenge employer background check policies, even when those policies might disproportionately affect certain groups. The decision emphasizes that claims of discriminatory impact require strong statistical proof. However, employers still cannot use background checks as a way to intentionally discriminate, and workers can still challenge policies that clearly and unfairly screen out protected groups with proper evidence.