Margaret Moore, Appellant,v.William J. Henderson, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, Agency.

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionOct 18, 1999
01993856 (E.E.O.C. Oct. 18, 1999)

01993856

10-18-1999

Margaret Moore, Appellant, v. William J. Henderson, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, Agency.


Margaret Moore v. United States Postal Service

01993856

October 18, 1999

Margaret Moore, )

Appellant, )

)

v. ) Appeal No. 01993856

) Agency No. 1F-946-1091-96

) Hearing No. 370-97-X2257

)

)

William J. Henderson, )

Postmaster General, )

United States Postal Service, )

Agency. )

___________________________________ )

DISMISSAL OF APPEAL

Appellant filed an appeal with this Commission from a final decision of

the agency concerning her complaint of unlawful employment discrimination.

The appeal was received April 14, 1999.

By regulation, appeals to the Commission must be filed within thirty

(30) calendar days after an appellant receives notice of the final

agency decision. Appeals are deemed filed on the date received by the

Commission, unless postmarked earlier. 29 C.F.R. �1614.402(a).

In this case, the record reflects that appellant received the final

agency decision on March 2, 1999. Appellant's appeal bore no postmark.

EEOC regulation 29 C.F.R. �1614.604(b) provides that in the absence

of a ... postmark, an [appeal] shall be deemed timely if it is received

by mail within five days of the expiration of the applicable filing

period. Appellant's appeal was due on Thursday, April 1, 1999; the

appeal was received on April 14, 1999, more that five days after the

expiration of the applicable filing period. The record reveals that

appellant sent her appeal, dated April 5, 1999, to a Congressman's

office, instead of the Commission. It is not known when the Congressman

received the appeal, but it was forwarded to the Commission by letter

received on April 14, 1999. The record further reveals that the final

agency decision explicitly informed appellant of the specific address

to file her appeal, as well as the time limits on her right to appeal.

The Commission's regulations governing the computation of time limits

allow for waiver and/or equitable tolling. 29 C.F.R. �1614.604 (c).

On appeal, however, appellant failed to submit justification to invoke

waiver or equitable tolling. Accordingly, the appeal is untimely and

is DISMISSED.

STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL

RECONSIDERATION (M0795)

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

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

arguments or evidence which tend to establish that:

1. New and material evidence is available that was not readily available

when the previous decision was issued; or

2. The previous decision involved an erroneous interpretation of law,

regulation or material fact, or misapplication of established policy; or

3. The decision is of such exceptional nature as to have substantial

precedential implications.

Requests to reconsider, with supporting arguments or evidence, MUST

BE FILED WITHIN THIRTY (30) CALENDAR DAYS of the date you receive this

decision, or WITHIN TWENTY (20) CALENDAR DAYS of the date you receive

a timely request to reconsider filed by another party. Any argument in

opposition to the request to reconsider or cross request to reconsider

MUST be submitted to the Commission and to the requesting party

WITHIN TWENTY (20) CALENDAR DAYS of the date you receive the request

to reconsider. See 29 C.F.R. �1614.407. All requests and arguments

must bear proof of postmark and 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 filed on the date it is received

by the Commission.

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

request for reconsideration as untimely. If extenuating circumstances

have prevented the timely filing of a request for reconsideration,

a written statement setting forth the circumstances which caused the

delay and 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).

RIGHT TO FILE A CIVIL ACTION (S0993)

It is the position of the Commission that 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.

You should be aware, however, that courts in some jurisdictions have

interpreted the Civil Rights Act of 1991 in a manner suggesting that

a civil action must be filed WITHIN THIRTY (30) CALENDAR DAYS from the

date that you receive this decision. To ensure that your civil action

is considered timely, you are advised to file it WITHIN THIRTY (30)

CALENDAR DAYS from the date that you receive this decision or to consult

an attorney concerning the applicable time period in the jurisdiction

in which your action would be filed. 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 (Z1092)

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:

October 18, 1999

DATE Carlton M. Hadden, Acting Director

Office of Federal Operations