Filed Date: March 7, 2007
Closed Date: 2013
Clearinghouse coding complete
On March 7, 2007, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC] filed suit against the Walgreen Company in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis, pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e-5(f)(1) and (3) and -6 ["Title VII"] and Section 102 of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, 42 U.S.C. § 1981a. The EEOC's complaint alleged that Walgreens engaged in a nationwide pattern and practice of race discrimination in violation of Title VII by (1) making store assignments to African-American management trainees, managers, and pharmacists because of their race and (2) denying promotions to African-American employees in retail and pharmacy career paths because of their race. The EEOC sought declaratory and injunctive relief.The case was randomly assigned to U.S. District Judge Michael J. Reagan and Magistrate Judge Clifford J. Proud.The day after the initiation of the action, Pearle Phillips, an employee of Walgreen, filed a motion to intervene as a party plaintiff.On March 12, 2007, the EEOC filed a motion to consolidate the case with Tucker v. Walgreen Company, Case No. 05-440-GPM-CJP, a class-action race discrimination case also pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. On March 26, 2007, the case was reassigned to Chief Judge G. Patrick Murphy. The motion to consolidate was granted by Judge Murphy on April 23, 2007 and the parties were ordered to file all further pleadings in the Tucker case, Case No. 05-440-GPM-CJP. Judge Murphy also allowed Pearle Phillips to intervene as a party plaintiff.Eventually, a consent decree paying out $24,407,500 to the settlement class along with other provisions of injunctive relief was the resolution concluding the case. More information can be found in the Tucker case. The decree was entered in 2008 and was scheduled to last until 2013. As of 2018, no further docket entries exist, so the case is closed.
Summary Authors
Dan Dalton (7/23/2007)
Clearinghouse (12/20/2018)
Tucker v. Walgreen Company, Southern District of Illinois (2005)
Baller, Morris J. (California)
Baran, Andrea G. (Kansas)
Cooper, Ronald S. (District of Columbia)
Coopman, Amy L. (Missouri)
Curtin, Nora E. (Florida)
Last updated March 25, 2025, 8:22 a.m.
State / Territory: Illinois
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
IWPR/Wage Project Consent Decree Study
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 7, 2007
Closing Date: 2013
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
All African Americans who are or were employed by Walgreens in any Covered Position, for any length of time, between June 20, 2001, and the Preliminary Approval Date (start and end dates inclusive)
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Walgreen Company (Deerfield), Private Entity/Person
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Title VII (including PDA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Content of Injunction:
Follow recruitment, hiring, or promotion protocols
Other requirements regarding hiring, promotion, retention
Implement complaint/dispute resolution process
Goals (e.g., for hiring, admissions)
Amount Defendant Pays: $24,407,500
Order Duration: 2008 - 2013
Issues
General/Misc.:
Discrimination Area:
Conditions of Employment (including assignment, transfer, hours, working conditions, etc.)
Discrimination Basis:
Affected Race(s):
Affected Sex/Gender(s):
EEOC-centric: