Settlement Reached In EEOC Suit Against University of Phoenix Online

Today's Arizona Republic reports that a proposed settlement has been filed in a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC against Apollo Group Inc. The lawsuit alleges that the company's University of Phoenix Online discriminated against non-Mormon employees. The suit was brought on behalf of 52 enrollment counsellors who say Mormons were favored in sales, leads, promotions and tuition waivers. In the proposed settlement, University of Phoenix will pay damages of $1.89 million, the company will notify employees that it will not tolerate religious favoritism and will fire anyone who engages in it, the company will hire a diversity officer and the EEOC will monitor compliance for four years. The court must still approve the settlement which is believed to be the largest ever in an EEOC religious discrimination case.