The EEOC recently sued Dell, Inc. for alleged violations of the Equal Pay Act (EPA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, both of which prohibit discrimination in compensation on the basis of sex. According to the EEOC’s Complaint, Dell retained an IT analyst from a company it acquired, but paid her less than a male counterpart performing work requiring substantially the same skill, effort and responsibility. This case serves as a reminder to employers to be vigilant about pay equity when retaining new employees as part of a corporate acquisition or otherwise.
