Wahid E. John, Complainant,v.John E. Potter, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, (Southeast Area) Agency.

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionMay 23, 2007
0120071362 (E.E.O.C. May. 23, 2007)

0120071362

05-23-2007

Wahid E. John, Complainant, v. John E. Potter, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, (Southeast Area) Agency.


Wahid E. John,

Complainant,

v.

John E. Potter,

Postmaster General,

United States Postal Service,

(Southeast Area)

Agency.

Appeal No. 0120071362

Agency No. 1G741000706

DISMISSAL OF APPEAL

By Notice of Appeal postmarked January 12, 2007, complainant filed

an appeal with this Commission from the September 29, 2006 final

agency decision (FAD). In its FAD, the agency found that it had not

discriminated against complainant as alleged. The record reveals that

complainant's attorney acknowledged receipt of the FAD on October 6,

2006.1 A review of the FAD reveals that the agency properly advised

complainant and his attorney that they had thirty (30) calendar

days after receipt of its final decision to file the appeal with the

Commission. In order to be considered timely, complainant's attorney

had to file the appeal no later than November 6, 2006. We find that

complainant's attorney has not offered an adequate justification for

extending the applicable time limit for filing the appeal. Accordingly,

complainant's January 12, 2007 appeal is hereby dismissed. See 29

C.F.R. � 1614.403(c).2

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

_____5/23/07______________

Date

1 EEOC Regulation 29 C.F.R. � 1614.605(d) provides that the "[t]ime frames

for receipt of materials shall be computed from the time of receipt by

the attorney."

2 Complainant's attorney, NL, stated that, because she only received the

investigative file in September 2006, she did not have an opportunity

to conduct "meaningful" discovery until October 2006. NL, only after

speaking to several witnesses, concluded that complainant "could

and should" prevail. According to NL, "I did not want to waste the

government's time on an appeal that I could not win." Finally, NL

indicated that her client was not sure whether he wanted to file an appeal

and "the holidays and snow time delayed progress of the case."

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0120071362

U.S. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION

Office of Federal Operations

P. O. Box 19848

Washington, D.C. 20036

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0120071362