01A30445_r
03-19-2003
Margaret H. Augusta, Complainant, v. John E. Potter, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, Agency.
Margaret H. Augusta v. United States Postal Service
01A30445
March 19, 2003
.
Margaret H. Augusta,
Complainant,
v.
John E. Potter,
Postmaster General,
United States Postal Service,
Agency.
Appeal No. 01A30445
Agency No. HI-0083-99
Hearing No. 250-A0-8395X
DECISION
Complainant appeals to the Commission from the agency's September 18, 2002
decision finding no discrimination. Complainant alleges discrimination
on the bases of race and sex when, in May 1999, she was not selected for
the position of EAS-15 Security Clearance Specialist.<1> On August 12,
2002, an Administrative Judge (AJ), without a hearing, issued a decision
finding that there was no genuine issue of material fact in dispute,
and concluded that complainant had not been discriminated against.
Specifically, the AJ found that the agency presented a legitimate,
nondiscriminatory reason for not selecting complainant, which complainant
failed to rebut. The agency, on September 18, 2002, issued a decision
adopting the AJ's decision. Complainant now appeals from that decision.
The Commission's regulations allow an AJ to issue a decision without a
hearing when he or she finds that there is no genuine issue of material
fact. 29 C.F.R. � 1614.109(g). This regulation is patterned after the
summary judgment procedure set forth in Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of
Civil Procedure. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that summary judgment
is appropriate where a court determines that, given the substantive
legal and evidentiary standards that apply to the case, there exists
no genuine issue of material fact. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.,
477 U.S. 242, 255 (1986). In ruling on a motion for summary judgment,
a court's function is not to weigh the evidence but rather to determine
whether there are genuine issues for trial. Id. at 249. The evidence of
the non-moving party must be believed at the summary judgment stage and
all justifiable inferences must be drawn in the non-moving party's favor.
Id. at 255. An issue of fact is "genuine" if the evidence is such that
a reasonable fact finder could find in favor of the non-moving party.
Celotex v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23 (1986); Oliver v. Digital
Equip. Corp., 846 F.2D 103, 105 (1st Cir. 1988). A fact is "material"
if it has the potential to affect the outcome of the case. If a case
can only be resolved by weighing conflicting evidence, summary judgment
is not appropriate. In the context of an administrative proceeding,
an AJ may properly consider summary judgment only upon a determination
that the record has been adequately developed for summary disposition.
We find that the agency has presented a legitimate, nondiscriminatory
reason for the nonselection. Specifically, the selecting official stated
that she prepared a set of questions, which were asked of each individual
and based on the applicants' written submissions and the interview, she
ranked each individual. Complainant did not make the list of top scoring
seven or eight applicants. Additionally, the selecting official reported
that some of complainant's responses indicated that she understands the
team concept, but prefers to work and function independently rather than
as a team member. Morever, the selecting official commented that a review
of complainant's 991 disclosed a number of typing and grammatical errors.
The selecting official mentioned that processing security clearances
for the agency demands attention to detail and attention to quality.
Furthermore, the selecting official stated that complainant demonstrated
a limited understanding of the importance of the unit's work with the
Inspection Service and the agency as a whole.
Complainant has failed to show that her qualifications for the position
were plainly superior to the selectee's qualifications or that the
agency's action was motivated by discrimination. Complainant has failed
to show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that she was discriminated
against on the bases of race or sex.
The agency's decision finding no discrimination is AFFIRMED.
STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL
RECONSIDERATION (M0701)
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 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 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 (S0900)
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
March 19, 2003
__________________
Date
1The AJ found that complainant authorized
her representative to withdraw the bases of color, religion and age in
a letter dated October 3, 2001. Complainant has not challenged this
finding by the AJ on appeal.