Month: February 2019

Status Update – IMPORTANT UPDATE – EEOC ISSUES CASE MANAGEMENT ORDER

On February 27, 2019, the EEOC Administrative Judge issued a Case Management Order. The Order does not accept the plan proposed by Class Counsel. The Order sets out that Class Members who did not retain Class Counsel are not represented by our law firms. The Order also states that the process to be used is that the Postal Service is to submit their legal brief and evidence by March 19, 2019; and that Class Member claimants are to submit their response briefs and evidence 20 days after that (although the Order notes that extensions to the deadlines may be permitted).

For those Class Members who have designated Class Counsel as their representatives during the relief process, we will be sending you a form to be completed and returned to be used to support your claim. We will provide you with written instructions on what to include to support your claim. Our law firms will compile that information and evidence along with other evidence that we already have in our possession, and submit a legal brief in support of your claim by the deadline ultimately set by the Administrative Judge.

We encourage every Class Member claimant to fully participate in this stage of the case, so that you can maximize the relief available to you. In the near future, we will address frequently asked questions regarding the form and evidence on this website.

A copy of the Case Management Order is available by clicking here.

Status Update – USPS SEEKS TO DIVIDE AND UNDERCUT CLASS MEMBER CLAIMS FOR RELIEF

On February 26, 2019, USPS attorneys filed a response to Class Counsel’s Motion for Entry of a Case Management Order. The Postal Service attacks Class Counsel’s role in the process, renaming them as “Phase I Class Counsel,” and referring to Ms. McConnell as “Phase I Class Agent.”

USPS asks that the EEOC simply take their word that all Class Members were properly notified in March 2018, despite evidence to the contrary.

USPS proposes that all Class Members move forward independently through a process that seeks to hide evidence from the Class Members and the EEOC Administrative Judge, seeks to endlessly hold up decisions on the relief claims, and ultimately undercuts every Class Member’s claim for relief.

A copy of the USPS Response brief and the USPS proposed Case Management Order is available by clicking here.

We will continue to vigorously oppose the Postal Service’s attempt to shield information from Class Members and the EEOC Administrative Judge. We will fight the USPS attempt to break apart the certified class and extinguish claims for relief one by one. We will strive for a fair and efficient process that considers all important evidence and provides all relief that is due to the victims of the NRP.

A status conference with the EEOC Administrative Judge is scheduled for March 20, 2019. We expect that the Administrative Judge will issue an order regarding these issues some time after the March 20, 2019 status conference. We will provide an update after the status conference.

Status Update – Class proposes “case management order” that would establish a comprehensive claims determination process

Now that the Postal Service has disputed every individual claim for relief (over 28,000), the EEOC must establish a fair and efficient claims determination process in accordance with EEOC rules. The EEOC has never been faced with a claimant class this large.

On February 11, 2019, Class Counsel filed a proposed “Case Management Order” to establish a comprehensive claims determination process. Our submission may be viewed here.

As you will see, our proposal addresses both fairness and efficiency. Our proposed “Case Management Order” calls for immediate processing of 50 initial claims, including opportunities for limited discovery. This proposal is consistent with many other successful class actions. Experience shows that the claims determination process speeds up tremendously after the initial batch of claims is addressed. In other words, a process starting with 50 claims can ramp up to 500 claims, and so on. Our approach would lead to the fastest means of considering all Class Member claims in a fair manner.

Our proposed “Case Management Order” is carefully tailored to this unprecedented case. Our proposal recognizes the limits on the EEOC’s case-processing capacity, as well as the Postal Service’s unyielding opposition to fair resolution of your claims. As always, we pledge to continue our hard fight for forward progress, advancing as far as possible, as fast as possible.

The Postal Service will submit its response to our proposed “Case Management Order” in approximately 15 days. After that, the EEOC Administrative Judge assigned to this case will issue an order regarding the claims determination process. We will promptly provide an update on this website as soon as that information is available.

We deeply appreciate your extraordinary patience as this lengthy process moves forward. Without your patience and persistence, the Postal Service would have won without a fight. We will do everything in our power to reward your patience by fighting for a fair and reasonable determination of your individual claims for relief.