John A. Love Complainant,

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionFeb 15, 2000
01983539 (E.E.O.C. Feb. 15, 2000)

01983539

02-15-2000

John A. Love Complainant,


John A. Love v. United States Postal Service

01983539

February 15, 2000

John A. Love )

Complainant, )

) Appeal No. 01983539

) Agency No. HO-0166-97

)

William J. Henderson, )

Postmaster General, )

United States Postal Service, )

Agency. )

)

On April 8, 1998, complainant filed a timely appeal with this Commission

from a final agency decision (FAD), pertaining to his complainant of

unlawful employment discrimination in violation of Title VII of the

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

the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), as amended,

29 U.S.C. � 621 et seq.<1> In his complaint, complainant alleged that

he was subjected to discrimination on the bases of age , disability,

and reprisal, when he received an EAS Performance Merit Rating of

"not rated."

The agency dismissed the complaint pursuant to Volume 64 Fed. Reg. 37,644,

37,656 (1999)(to be codified and hereinafter cited as 29 C.F.R. �

1614.107(a)(7)), for failure to cooperate. The FAD indicated that

complainant had failed to respond to the agency's several requests for

additional information concerning his allegations of discrimination.

EEOC Regulation 29 C.F.R. � 1614.107(a)(7) provides for the dismissal

of a complaint where the agency has provided the complainant with a

written request to provide relevant information or otherwise proceed

with the complaint, and the complainant has failed to respond to the

request within 15 days of its receipt or the complainant's response does

not address the agency's request, provided that the record included a

notice of the proposed dismissal. The regulation further provides that,

instead of dismissing for failure to cooperate, the complainant may be

adjudicated if sufficient information for that purpose is available.

Under the circumstances in the instant case, we find that the agency's

dismissal was proper. The record indicates that despite efforts by the

agency's EEO Counselor to meet with complainant, complainant was never

counseled regarding his allegations of discrimination. Moreover, neither

complainant nor his attorney responded to the agency's repeated requests

for information in the form of an investigative affidavit. The record

reveals that the agency's requests for information included notice

to complainant that failure to respond could result in the dismissal

of his complaint. Upon review, it is the decision of this Commission

that complainant failed to cooperate in the processing of his complaint

pursuant to EEOC Regulations. In that regard, the agency's decision

dismissing complainant's complaint pursuant to 29 C.F.R. � 1614.107(a)(7)

is hereby AFFIRMED for the reasons set forth herein.

STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL

RECONSIDERATION (M1199)

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). 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).

COMPLAINANT'S RIGHT TO FILE A CIVIL ACTION (S1199)

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:

February 15, 2000

________________________________

Date Carlton M. Hadden, Acting Director

Office of Federal Operations

CERTIFICATE OF MAILING

For timeliness purposes, the Commission will presume that this decision

was received within five (5) calendar days of mailing. I certify that

the decision was mailed to complainant, complainant's representative

(if applicable), and the agency on:

_______________ ____________________________

Date Equal Employment Assistant

1On November 9, 1999, revised regulation 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.