01991965
11-30-2000
Jan Fitzgerald, Complainant, v. William J. Henderson, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service (Western Area), Agency.
Jan Fitzgerald v. United States Postal Service
01991965
November 30, 2000
.
Jan Fitzgerald,
Complainant,
v.
William J. Henderson,
Postmaster General,
United States Postal Service
(Western Area),
Agency.
Appeal No. 01991965
Agency Nos. 4E-800-1242-95; 4E-800-1392-95; 4E-800-1393-95
DISMISSAL OF APPEAL
By Notice of Appeal postmarked January 6, 1999, complainant filed an
appeal with this Commission from the December 2, 1998 final agency
decision (FAD) dismissing her EEO complaint of unlawful employment
discrimination.<1>
A copy of the certified mail return receipt card reveals that the FAD
was received at complainant's address of record on December 5, 1998.
A review of the FAD reveals that the agency properly advised complainant
that she had thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of its final
decision to file her appeal with the Commission. Therefore, in order to
be considered timely, complainant had to file her appeal no later than
January 4, 1999. Complainant has not offered adequate justification
for an extension of the applicable time limit for filing her appeal.<2>
Accordingly, complainant's January 6, 1999 appeal is hereby DISMISSED.
See 29 C.F.R. �� 1614.402 and 1614.604.
STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL
RECONSIDERATION (M0900)
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
November 30, 2000
__________________
Date
CERTIFICATE OF MAILING
For timeliness purposes, the Commission will presume that this decision
was received within five (5) calendar days after it was mailed. I certify
that this decision was mailed to complainant, complainant's representative
(if applicable), and the agency on:
__________________
Date
______________________________
1 On 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 29 C.F.R. Part 1614 in deciding the
present appeal. The regulations, as amended, may also be found at the
Commission's website at www.eeoc.gov.
2 Complainant's sole stated explanation for late filing was the fact
that she had three Final Agency Decisions to appeal. Since statements in
support of an appeal can be filed up to 30 days following the filling of
an appeal and complainants are free to request extensions to filing any
statements on appeal, we find that the number of Final Agency Decisions
in this matter is not an adequate justification for failing to file an
appeal form. To preserve a timely appeal, complainant only needed to
fill out one (or three depending on complainant's preference) Form(s)
573 identifying each Final Agency Decision. Yet, complainant did not
accomplish the task within the regulatory time period (30 days).