EEOC Press Releases, October 2026: Who Settled, Who Gets Paid
Reference Guide
The EEOC announced a run of harassment and discrimination settlements in October 2026 — the largest a $3 million harassment settlement with the Il Fornaio restaurant chain and a $5 million hiring settlement with Instacart. Most of this money goes to employees tied to the lawsuits. Two settlements, Instacart and Birchstone Management, have a claims process for job applicants. Here is what each release actually says.
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Looking for a Settlement You Can Claim?
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See all open settlementsWhat the EEOC Alleged in Each Case
Il Fornaio (October 13, 2026). According to the EEOC’s suit, supervisors and co-workers at the chain’s 15 restaurants in California and Nevada sexually harassed female employees, many of them teenagers, and the company failed to stop it and retaliated against women who complained. The agency says it learned of at least 100 women affected.
Benson Enterprises (October 9, 2026). The EEOC alleged that a manager at Ingram Park Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in San Antonio subjected a female fleet service advisor to sexist comments from January to June 2021, steered clients away from her, and that she was fired on June 11, 2021 after complaining.
Renovation Flooring and Payfin Enterprises (October 9, 2026). The suit alleged that an owner and CEO of the two Florida companies harassed his executive assistant and other women beginning in August 2023, and that the assistant was forced to resign in February 2024.
Instacart (October 20, 2026). Not a harassment case. The Justice Department and the EEOC said Instacart’s recruitment for PERM green-card sponsorship required applications to be physically mailed, which they say disadvantaged U.S. workers based on citizenship and national origin.
The companies settled without the allegations being decided at trial.
Case details
The harassment cases were federal lawsuits under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, each settled (the Benson and Renovation Flooring releases describe court-approved consent decrees): EEOC v. Il Fornaio (America) LLC, et al., No. 2:22-cv-05992 (Central District of California); U.S. EEOC v. Benson Enterprises, Inc., et al., No. 5:24-cv-01072 (Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division); and EEOC v. Renovation Flooring, LLC et al., No. 3:25-cv-01758-MCR-ZCB (Northern District of Florida, Pensacola Division). In Benson, the court denied the employer’s motion for summary judgment on Aug. 6 before the parties settled.
Two October settlements never reached court as lawsuits. Birchstone Management settled through the EEOC’s pre-litigation conciliation process. Instacart is a joint settlement with the DOJ Civil Rights Division under the Immigration and Nationality Act and Title VII. The official text of every release is in the EEOC newsroom.
Status as of October 23, 2026: Settled, Mostly Paying Employees Tied to the Suits
Il Fornaio: $3,000,000 for a class of female employees. The release names no public claim form or deadline.
Benson Enterprises: $430,000 to two affected employees.
Renovation Flooring / Payfin: $175,000 under a four-year consent decree — $150,000 to the former executive assistant and $25,000 to another employee, plus an outside EEO monitor.
Birchstone Management: $500,000 total — $55,000 to the applicant who filed the charge and a $445,000 class fund with an open claims process.
Instacart: $5,000,000 total — a fund of up to $4,000,000 for affected applicants and $1,000,000 in civil penalties to the United States. As of the October 20, 2026 release, a claims administrator had not yet been named.
Older 2026 EEOC harassment settlements are covered on our harassment lawsuit guide.
Can You Get Money From One of These?
Only if you are in the specific group a settlement covers. Two have a process open to people who come forward:
Birchstone Management. Women who applied for pallet repairer jobs and were not hired because of their sex between May 15, 2020 and July 31, 2025 in Spokane or Lakewood, Washington; Amarillo or Houston, Texas; or Las Vegas, Nevada. The EEOC lists the claims administrator at info@BirchstoneSettlement.com or (877) 788-4952, and the agency itself at ClaimsSFDO@eeoc.gov.
Instacart. Applicants and deterred applicants for Instacart positions advertised in PERM recruitment from December 2023 to February 2026. The agencies say a claims administrator will contact potential victims; until one is set up, they ask people who believe they were affected to email Instacart@eeoc.gov.
Il Fornaio, Benson, Renovation Flooring. These pay employees tied to the lawsuit. If you worked at one of these employers during the period alleged and think you belong, contact the EEOC directly at 1-800-669-4000 rather than a third party.
What These Settlements Pay
For how individual harassment and discrimination claims are valued outside an EEOC suit, see what to ask for in a discrimination settlement and our settlement data.
October 2026 EEOC Announcements
October 6, 2026 — Birchstone Management, $500,000
Conciliation after an EEOC investigation found the company turned away women applying as pallet repairers. Includes a $445,000 class fund with a claims process.
October 7, 2026 — Jaco Enterprises, $85,000
A court judgment forcing the Kentucky transportation company to comply with an EEOC sexual harassment conciliation.
October 9, 2026 — Four Harassment Settlements
Benson Enterprises ($430,000), Renovation Flooring and Payfin ($175,000), Garden City Jeep ($175,000) and Sunrooms and More Design Center ($150,000).
October 13, 2026 — Il Fornaio, $3 Million
Settlement in the Central District of California of a class sexual harassment and retaliation suit, No. 2:22-cv-05992.
October 20, 2026 — Instacart, $5 Million
Joint DOJ–EEOC hiring-discrimination settlement: up to $4,000,000 for applicants plus $1,000,000 in civil penalties.
October 22, 2026 — CityCare Sued Over a Broken Agreement
The EEOC sues a Washington clinic operator for failing to honor a conciliation agreement on a sexual harassment and retaliation charge. No settlement yet.
Three Things to Watch For
EEOC settlements get press coverage and almost never have a public claim form, which leaves room for imposters:
“Instacart settlement claim” sites
As of the October 20, 2026 release, no claims administrator had been named. The only contact the agencies published is Instacart@eeoc.gov. A site asking for your Social Security number or a fee to “register” is not part of this settlement.
Callers claiming to handle the Birchstone fund
The EEOC published the administrator’s contact details: info@BirchstoneSettlement.com and (877) 788-4952. If someone contacts you first, call that number back yourself rather than answering their questions. Claiming money from an EEOC settlement does not cost anything.
“Join the Il Fornaio settlement” offers
The Il Fornaio release lists no public sign-up. Anyone charging to add you to the settlement is selling something the EEOC does not offer — if you worked there, call the EEOC at 1-800-669-4000.
EEOC 2026 Settlements — Questions People Actually Ask
Short answers to the questions people ask most about this case.
What was the biggest EEOC harassment settlement announced in October 2026?
Il Fornaio (America) LLC agreed to pay $3,000,000 to settle an EEOC sexual harassment and retaliation suit on behalf of female employees, announced October 13, 2026. The Instacart settlement on October 20, 2026 is larger at $5,000,000, but it concerns hiring discrimination, not harassment.
Is there an EEOC settlement involving a startup in 2026?
If you searched “eeoc press release 2026 harassment discrimination settlement startup”, we did not find a 2026 EEOC release that describes the employer as a startup. The October harassment cases involve a restaurant chain, car dealerships, a flooring company and a home-improvement business. The tech-sector case that month is Instacart, which is about hiring, not harassment.
Can I file a claim in an EEOC settlement?
Usually not, because the money goes to identified employees. In October 2026 two settlements had a process: Birchstone Management (info@BirchstoneSettlement.com, (877) 788-4952) for women denied pallet repairer jobs between May 15, 2020 and July 31, 2025, and Instacart (Instacart@eeoc.gov) for affected applicants from December 2023 to February 2026.
Who gets the Il Fornaio $3 million?
A class of female employees covered by the EEOC’s suit. The EEOC said it learned of at least 100 women affected. The press release does not describe a public claim form or how the money is split; former employees who think they belong should contact the EEOC directly.
What is the Instacart EEOC settlement about?
The DOJ and EEOC said Instacart required applications for PERM-advertised jobs to be physically mailed, while its normal process accepted online applications, which they say disadvantaged U.S. workers. Instacart will fund up to $4,000,000 for affected applicants and pay $1,000,000 in civil penalties.
What is a consent decree?
A court-approved settlement order. In these cases it sets the payment and requires changes such as anti-harassment policies, training and reports to the EEOC. Renovation Flooring’s decree runs four years and adds an outside monitor who can take harassment complaints directly.
I was harassed at work. Does any of this help me?
Only if you worked for one of these employers in the period alleged. Otherwise, your own route is a charge with the EEOC or your state agency, which has strict deadlines. Our harassment lawsuit guide covers those deadlines, and suing your employer explains the steps.
Where can I read the official EEOC press releases?
On the EEOC newsroom at eeoc.gov/newsroom. Each release names the court and case number where there is a lawsuit, for example No. 2:22-cv-05992 for Il Fornaio and No. 5:24-cv-01072 for Benson Enterprises. For general questions, the EEOC’s information line is 1-800-669-4000.
About This Information
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology. Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated - $236 billion in real payouts analyzed · See what we found
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Lawsuit status, eligibility, and compensation can change. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and does not represent any party. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.
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