U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) v. iTutorGroup, Inc., Shanghai Ping'An Intelligent Education Technology Co., Ltd., and Tutor Group Limited

Decided by

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Parties

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. iTutorGroup, Inc., Shanghai Ping’An Intelligent Education Technology Co., Ltd., and Tutor Group Limited

Remedy

iTutorGroup agreed to pay $365,000 to rejected applicants and implement non-monetary relief including updated anti-discrimination policies, employee training, and compliance monitoring by the EEOC.

Amount

$365,000

Appeal

Appeal status not stated

Key holdings

1. iTutorGroup programmed its tutor application software to automatically reject female applicants aged 55 or older and male applicants aged 60 or older.

   “iTutorGroup programmed their tutor application software to automatically reject female applicants aged 55 or older and male applicants aged 60 or older.”

2. The company automatically rejected more than 200 qualified U.S.-based applicants due to their age in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws.

   “iTutorGroup rejected more than 200 qualified applicants based in the United States because of their age.”

3. The decree settling the federal lawsuit requires $365,000 to be paid to applicants automatically rejected because of their age.

   “The decree settling the suit provides $365,000 to be distributed to applicants who were automatically rejected due to age.”

In plain English

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against iTutorGroup, comprising iTutorGroup, Inc., Shanghai Ping'An Intelligent Education Technology Co., Ltd., and Tutor Group Limited. The federal agency alleged that iTutorGroup programmed its remote tutor application software to automatically reject female job applicants aged 55 or older and male applicants aged 60 or older. This automated screening resulted in the unlawful rejection of more than 200 qualified job applicants residing in the United States solely because of their age, violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. To resolve the suit, iTutorGroup agreed to pay $365,000, which will be distributed to the applicants rejected by the automated software. Although iTutorGroup has halted tutor hiring in the United States, the settlement decree establishes non-monetary relief if operations resume. This relief includes comprehensive anti-discrimination training for hiring staff, the implementation of a new anti-discrimination policy, strict injunctions against age or sex discrimination, and an explicit ban on requesting applicants' birth dates. The commission will monitor compliance for at least five years, ensuring federal protections apply to fully remote workers employed by overseas entities.