Joslin Dry Goods Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

336 F. Supp. 941, 4 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 286, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10457, 5 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 8496
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedDecember 8, 1971
DocketCiv. A. C-3187
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 336 F. Supp. 941 (Joslin Dry Goods Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Joslin Dry Goods Co. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 336 F. Supp. 941, 4 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 286, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10457, 5 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 8496 (D. Colo. 1971).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

WINNER, District Judge.

This case arises under 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-9, which switches that which would be a routine discovery matter in an ordinary lawsuit into a full blown trial, the determination of which presumably must rest upon findings of fact and conclusions of law as required by Rule 52. This opinion contains those required findings and conclusions.

42 U.S.C. § 2000e-9 provides in material part:

“(a) For the purposes of any investigation of a charge filed under the authority contained in section 2000e-5 of this title, the Commission shall have authority to examine witnesses under oath and to require the production of documentary evidence relevant or material to the charge under investigation.
“(b) If the respondent named in a charge filed under section 2000e-5 of this title fails or refuses to comply with a demand of the Commission for permission to examine or to copy evidence in conformity with the provisions of section 2000e-8(a) of this title . . . or if any person fails or refuses to comply with a demand by the Commission to give testimony under oath, the United States district court for the district in which such person is found, resides, or transacts business, shall, upon application of the Commission, have jurisdiction to issue to such person an order requiring him to comply with the provisions of section 2000e-8(c) or (d) of this title or to comply with the demand of the commission .
“(c) Within twenty days after the service upon any person charged under section 2000e-5 of this title of a demand by the Commission for the production of documentary evidence or for permission to examine or to copy evidence in conformity with the provisions of section 2000e-8(a) of this title, such person may file in the district court, of the United States for the judicial district in which he resides, is found, or transacts business, and serve upon the Commission a petition for an order of such court modifying or setting aside such demand

The genesis of this case is a complaint filed with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission on December 21, 1970, by one Elnora Thompson against plaintiff here. 42 U.S.C. 2000e-5(b) requires the filing of the charge with the state agency having jurisdiction of such complaints before any charge can be filed with the EEOC. The very next day, to meet the requirements of that section, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission terminated its proceedings in Elnora Thompson’s case, and advised the EEOC:

“The Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may now proceed immediately with the case, and it will not be necessary as far as the State of Colorado is concerned for the federal agency to wait the 60 day period mentioned in Section 706(b) of Title VII.” [42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5 (b)].

The charge in question was:

“The Respondents discriminated against me on November 16, 1970, by discharging me from my job, such action being based in whole or in part on my race or color, Negro/Black. The Respondent also fails and refuses to hire Negroes and persons of Mexican Ancestry.”

The letter from the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and a copy of complainant’s charge was received by the EEOC on December 28, 1970, and on December 30, 1970, the EEOC notified Mrs. Thompson of the action of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and of her right to ask the EEOC to assume jurisdiction. On January 6, 1971, Mrs. Thompson asked that the EEOC assume *944 jurisdiction, and it did. An investigation was commenced by the EEOC on March 30, 1971. In the course of that investigation, one Trujillo, an EEOC investigator, discussed Mrs. Thompson’s charge with a vice-president of Joslins. In this discussion, her personnel file, including certain “shopping reports” prepared by Fitzsimmons and Winters, was discussed and reviewed. The demand was served at the conclusion of this conference, and in response thereto the following data was mailed to the investigator:

1. The then current EEO-1 report which shows a numerical breakdown of employees at Joslins downtown store according to job position, race, ethnic background and sex.
2. An additional summary breakdown by department of all employees in the downtown store according to race and ethnic background.
3. A breakdown of managers according to race and ethnic background.

This information fell far short of meeting the broad scope of the investigator’s demand which ordered:

“You are hereby directed to grant Pat A. Trujillo . . . access to, at the Joslins Stores at Denver, Colorado, or other facilities where information and witnesses may be available within 20 days after service of this demand, the following information in your possession and control for the purpose of examining and copying, to-wit:
“1. A roster of all employees presently employed in the following locations:
“Downtown store, Denver
Aurora Store
J.C.R.S.-Lakewood
Greeley
Boulder
Villa Italia
“Such roster to include:
a. Name of employees.
b. Date of hire.
c. Position and/or department of employees.
d. Racial/ethnic group of each employee.
e. Starting and current salary.
“2. A list of all employees terminated since January 1, 1970, to the present, from the Downtown, Aurora, Englewood, J.C.R.S.-Lakewood, Greeley, Boulder and Villa Italia Stores, inclusive of:
“a. Nalne of employees,
b. Date of hire.
e. Position and/or employees’ department.
d. Racial/ethnic group of each employee.
e. Date of termination.
f. Reason for termination.
[sic]
“3. A roster of the managerial staff for the Downtown, Aurora, Englewood, J.C.R.S.-Lakewood, Greeley, Boulder, and Villa Italia Stores inclusive, of:
“a. Name of employees.
b. Date of hire.
c. Racial/ethnic group of each employee.
d. Position held.
[sic]
“4.

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Bluebook (online)
336 F. Supp. 941, 4 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 286, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10457, 5 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 8496, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/joslin-dry-goods-co-v-equal-employment-opportunity-commission-cod-1971.