2011 was a record year for workplace discrimination complaints, with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission receiving the highest number of complaints in its history.

According to the agency's annual report, there were a total of 99,947 allegations of unfair workplace practices filed during the fiscal year that ended in September 2011. That's the highest number of complaints that have been filed since the agency was launched in 1964.

These 99,947 allegations involved the kind of discrimination that California employment lawyers frequently come across. Most complaints were based on age, sex, religion, race and disability. There were even complaints alleging discrimination based on family medical history.

The agency this year also had several successes in recovering monetary compensation from employers. In all, the agency resolved a total of 112,499 cases, an increase of 7% from last year. In 2011, the agency also won substantial monetary payouts from employers. Overall, the agency won a record $365 million in monetary damages.

This included a consent decree that provided $3 million for 3M Company employees. Approximately 290 former employees of the company had filed a complaint against 3M Company, saying that the company denied leadership training, and fired hundreds of workers over the age of 45.

Another complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission involved Verizon employees, who alleged that the company discriminated against them based on disability. The company disciplined or terminated the services of employees who suffered from disabilities. A consent decree resulted in a compensation of more than $20 million to more than 800 Verizon employees who filed the complaint. This was the largest disability discrimination settlement in a single lawsuit in the history of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.