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Coleman v. Talbot County Detention, 4th Cir. (2007)
Coleman v. Talbot County Detention, 4th Cir. (2007)
No. 06-2024
LINDA L. COLEMAN,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
versus
TALBOT COUNTY DETENTION CENTER; TALBOT COUNTY,
MARYLAND,
Defendants - Appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of
Maryland, at Baltimore. Benson Everett Legg, Chief District Judge.
(1:04-cv-02295-BEL)
Argued:
Decided:
PER CURIAM:
Linda L. Coleman appeals an order of the district court
dismissing her complaint, which alleged discrimination in violation
of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, see 42 U.S.C.A.
2000e-2(a)(1) (West 2003).
She
Prior to
charge
of
discrimination
with
the
Equal
Employment
the EEOC, the MCHR investigates the charge and reports its findings
to the EEOC.
action.
If--as
occurred
here--the
EEOC
concludes
that
the
sue letter to the charging party, who then has 90 days to file a
civil complaint.
2001.
On
February
14,
2000,
Coleman
filed
sex
was
no
probable
cause
to
support
Colemans
charge
Thereafter,
point,
complaint.
Coleman
had
90
days--until
May
of
11--to
file
At
her
address in Maryland.
He received no response.
On April 20,
counsel telephoned the EEOC and was informed of the issuance of the
right-to-sue letter.
parties
do
not
dispute
that
the
EEOC
had
no
legal
Cir. 2003).
Equitable
tolling
is
reserved
for
those
rare
instances
F.3d 238, 246 (4th Cir. 2003) (en banc) (internal quotation marks
omitted).
2005)
(internal
quotation
marks
omitted).
In
order
to
extraordinary
circumstances,
(2)
beyond
[her]
control
or
external to [her] own conduct, (3) that prevented [her] from filing
on time.
United States v. Sosa, 364 F.3d 507, 512 (4th Cir. 2004)
the
Stallworth,
EEOC.
See
936
F.2d
at
523.
While
the
See id.
However, during her absence she regularly checked for mail at her
permanent residence.
an
established
location.
practice
See id.
of
leaving
all
in
designated
her mail six times during the month the letter arrived, she never
actually received it.
the error would have been avoided had the EEOC complied with
counsels request to provide copies of all correspondence to him:
We conclude that the primary fault for the failed delivery in this
case rests upon the EEOC because of its failure to mail a copy of
the right-to-sue letter to Stallworths attorney.
Id. at 525.
We therefore conclude
tolling
by
the
district
court
and
remand
for