In March 2007, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit alleging that Walgreen’s discriminated against thousands of black workers in hiring and work assignment decisions.

This past week, a federal judge approved a settlement in which Walgreen’s agreed to pay $24 million to compensate approximately 10,000 past and present Walgreen’s employees who suffered racial bias. Attorneys’ fees in the case amounted to approximately $4.5 million. The settlement also requires Walgreen’s to hire outside consultants to review and revise their employment practices.