America First Legal has asked the EEOC to investigate Penguin Random House, alleging the publisher’s publicly posted DEI policies lead to race- and sex-based hiring and personnel decisions in potential violation of Title VII. In a Dec. 16, 2025 letter to EEOC Chair Andrea R. Lucas, AFL requested a formal Commissioner Charge and cited PRH’s DEI materials, demographic reporting and leadership accountability mechanisms as evidence. AFL asked the EEOC to examine recruitment, retention, supplier diversity programs and employee resource groups and urged enforcement if violations are found.
America First Legal Asks EEOC To Investigate Penguin Random House Over Alleged Race- and Sex-Based Hiring Practices
EXCLUSIVE: America First Legal blasts major publisher over alleged DEI hiring practices
America First Legal (AFL) has asked the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to open a federal probe into Penguin Random House, alleging the publisher’s publicly posted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) framework results in unlawful, race- and sex-based employment decisions.
Various book titles are displayed at Penguin Random House publishing during the London Book Fair at Olympia Exhibition Centre on March 12, 2025 in London, England,
Details Of The Request
In a Dec. 16, 2025 letter addressed to EEOC Chair Andrea R. Lucas, the America First Legal Foundation requested that the commission issue a formal "Commissioner Charge" and investigate Penguin Random House, LLC (PRH) under EEOC regulations. AFL says PRH’s recruiting, hiring, promotion, retention and workforce-development practices "appear to discriminate against prospective and current employees" on the basis of "race, color, sex, and national origin," which AFL alleges would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial CEO for Spain, Portugal and Latin America, Nuria Cabuti, visits Penguin Random House's new distribution center on the day of its inauguration on March 24, 2025, in Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
"It appears Penguin Random House is using race and sex to shape its workforce in the name of ‘more inclusive business practices,'" said Bobby Crossin, attorney at America First Legal. "The Civil Rights Act does not allow corporations to discriminate, no matter how fashionable the label."
Allegations And Evidence Cited
AFL points to PRH’s public DEI materials — including a page titled "Our Approach to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion" and a set of five "pillars" — and to the company’s published workforce demographic reports. The letter highlights PRH language tying hiring strategy to demographic representation and quoted PRH reporting that "the percentage of Black new hires is now beginning to trend upward after significant dips in 2022 and 2023," adding that PRH has not yet met its new-hire demographic goals.
Visitors to the Leipzig Book Fair take a look around the Penguin Random House stand. Until March 30, 2025, 2,040 exhibitors from 45 countries will be presenting the new products of this book spring. The motto of this year's fair is "Words move worlds." This year's guest country is Norway.
AFL also raises concerns that PRH holds leaders accountable for meeting DEI goals, integrates DEI into talent development and retention, maintains a full-time executive vice president for DEI strategy on its U.S. Board page, and compares representation metrics such as "White versus BIPOC employees." AFL contends these practices "appear to be designed to exclude white men" and therefore could be unlawful.
What AFL Asked The EEOC To Investigate
- Whether PRH’s recruitment, hiring, promotion and retention practices violate Title VII;
- How PRH holds leaders accountable for implementing its DEI vision and whether that accountability results in unlawful preferences;
- How DEI principles are integrated into talent development and retention;
- Whether PRH operates supplier diversity programs or employee resource groups that exclude employees on the basis of protected characteristics;
- Whether PRH’s public demographic reporting and targeted recruitment amount to unlawful discrimination.
Context And Next Steps
The EEOC enforces federal workplace civil-rights laws, can investigate complaints, request employer records and refer matters to the Department of Justice. AFL asked the commission to take "appropriate enforcement action" if any practices are found to violate the law. The AFL letter says it is focused solely on employment practices and does not address the subject matter or content PRH publishes.
Publisher's Weekly reported that Penguin Random House generated more than $5 billion in revenue in 2024, an 8.5% sales increase from 2023 — a detail AFL cited in its filing. Fox News Digital contacted the EEOC and Penguin Random House for comment and said it will update the story if responses are received.
