Denise C. Hampton-Gray, Complainant,v.William J. Henderson, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, Agency.

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionAug 3, 2000
01A02497_r (E.E.O.C. Aug. 3, 2000)

01A02497_r

08-03-2000

Denise C. Hampton-Gray, Complainant, v. William J. Henderson, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, Agency.


Denise C. Hampton-Gray v. United States Postal Service

01A02497

August 3, 2000

.

Denise C. Hampton-Gray,

Complainant,

v.

William J. Henderson,

Postmaster General,

United States Postal Service, Agency.

Appeal No. 01A02497

Agency No. 4F-926-0005-00

DECISION

Upon review, the Commission finds that complainant's complaint was

properly dismissed pursuant to 64 Fed. Reg. 37,644, 37,656 (1999)(to

be codified and hereinafter referred to as EEOC Regulation 29 C.F.R. �

1614.107(a)(1)).<1>

Complainant framed her complaint in terms of harassment, for prohibited

reasons, when agency officials allegedly provided false information

to her school, to obtain her records in connection with a purported

investigation of a Workers' Compensation case from 1990. The Commission

finds that the gravamen of complainant's complaint is the agency's

allegedly false investigative report issued by the agency's Postal

Inspection Service, dated August 2, 1999,<2> which apparently was sent

to the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs

(OWCP), with a copy provided to complainant on September 29, 1999.

The report is identified as related to an �Investigation into the OWCP

Claim of [complainant] . . . Case No. 13-0932071.� Complainant objected

to the report in a November 2, 1999 letter to OWCP.

The Commission finds that the complaint fails to state a claim under

29 C.F.R. Part 1614. It is well settled that collateral attacks on

an agency's controversion of a Workers' Compensation claim are not

cognizable in the EEO process. See Conley v. Department of the Navy,

EEOC Request No. 05970402 (February 11, 1999). The fact that complainant

has requested compensatory damages in the present case does not, without

more, make her claim cognizable. See Girard v. Department of the Treasury,

EEOC Request No. 05940379 (September 9, 1994).

Accordingly, the agency's final decision dismissing complainant's

complaint is AFFIRMED.<3>

STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL

RECONSIDERATION (M0300)

The Commission may, in its discretion, reconsider the decision in this

case if the complainant or the agency submits a written request containing

arguments or evidence which tend to establish that:

1. The appellate decision involved a clearly erroneous interpretation

of material fact or law; or

2. The appellate decision will have a substantial impact on the policies,

practices, or operations of the agency.

Requests to reconsider, with supporting statement or brief, MUST BE FILED

WITH THE OFFICE OF FEDERAL OPERATIONS (OFO) WITHIN THIRTY (30) CALENDAR

DAYS of receipt of this decision or WITHIN TWENTY (20) CALENDAR DAYS OF

RECEIPT OF ANOTHER PARTY'S TIMELY REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION. See 64

Fed. Reg. 37,644, 37,659 (1999) (to be codified and hereinafter referred

to as 29 C.F.R. � 1614.405); Equal Employment Opportunity Management

Directive for 29 C.F.R. Part 1614 (EEO MD-110), 9-18 (November 9, 1999).

All requests and arguments must be submitted to the Director, Office of

Federal Operations, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, P.O. Box

19848, Washington, D.C. 20036. In the absence of a legible postmark, the

request to reconsider shall be deemed timely filed if it is received by

mail within five days of the expiration of the applicable filing period.

See 64 Fed. Reg. 37,644, 37,661 (1999) (to be codified and hereinafter

referred to as 29 C.F.R. � 1614.604). The request or opposition must

also include proof of service on the other party.

Failure to file within the time period will result in dismissal of your

request for reconsideration as untimely, unless extenuating circumstances

prevented the timely filing of the request. Any supporting documentation

must be submitted with your request for reconsideration. The Commission

will consider requests for reconsideration filed after the deadline only

in very limited circumstances. See 29 C.F.R. � 1614.604(c).

COMPLAINANTS' RIGHT TO FILE A CIVIL ACTION (S0400)

You have the right to file a civil action in an appropriate United States

District Court WITHIN NINETY (90) CALENDAR DAYS from the date that you

receive this decision. If you file a civil action, YOU MUST NAME AS

THE DEFENDANT IN THE COMPLAINT THE PERSON WHO IS THE OFFICIAL AGENCY HEAD

OR DEPARTMENT HEAD, IDENTIFYING THAT PERSON BY HIS OR HER FULL NAME AND

OFFICIAL TITLE. Failure to do so may result in the dismissal of your

case in court. "Agency" or "department" means the national organization,

and not the local office, facility or department in which you work. If you

file a request to reconsider and also file a civil action, filing a civil

action will terminate the administrative processing of your complaint.

RIGHT TO REQUEST COUNSEL (Z1199)

If you decide to file a civil action, and if you do not have or cannot

afford the services of an attorney, you may request that the Court appoint

an attorney to represent you and that the Court permit you to file the

action without payment of fees, costs, or other security. See Title VII

of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. � 2000e et seq.;

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. �� 791, 794(c).

The grant or denial of the request is within the sole discretion of

the Court. Filing a request for an attorney does not extend your time

in which to file a civil action. Both the request and the civil action

must be filed within the time limits as stated in the paragraph above

("Right to File A Civil Action").

FOR THE COMMISSION:

______________________________

Carlton M. Hadden, Director

Office of Federal Operations

August 3, 2000

__________________

Date

1On November 9, 1999, revised regulations governing the EEOC's federal

sector complaint process went into effect. These regulations apply to all

federal sector EEO complaints pending at any stage in the administrative

process. Consequently, the Commission will apply the revised regulations

found at 64 Fed. Reg. 37,644 (1999), where applicable, in deciding the

present appeal. The regulations, as amended, may also be found at the

Commission's website at www.eeoc.gov.

2The Commission notes that a complete copy of the report at issue was not

transmitted by the agency to the Commission. The Commission reminds the

agency of its burden to provide a sufficient record on appeal. See Hines

v. U.S. Postal Service, EEOC Appeal No. 01923566 (May 13, 1993), at n.9;

and see Marshall v. Department of the Navy, EEOC Request No. 05910685

(September 6, 1991).

3Complainant raised certain claims for the first time on appeal.

Complainant is advised that if she wishes to pursue these additional

reprisal and disability discrimination claims, she is advised to contact

an EEO Counselor thereon.