Nathaniel A. Boone v. Mechanical Specialties Company
Opinion
Opinion
Anderson, J.
Boone appeals from the dismissal of his Title VII action against Mechanical Specialties Company (Mechanical). We find that the district court correctly found that Boone’s claim was barred by laches, and affirm.
I. BACKGROUND
Boone began working at Mechanical in 1960. He was discharged on October 17, 1969. Boone contends that his discharge was caused by racial discrimination. Mechanical counters this by claiming that it was Boone’s poor job performance and inability to get along with his fellow employees.
On October 29, 1969, Boone filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), alleging that he had been wrongfully discharged. And, on November 6, 1969, he filed a similar complaint with the California Fair Employment Practice Commission. This California charge was dismissed on May 11, 1970. Additionally, prior to his discharge, Boone had filed a discrimination charge with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance. This was dismissed on April 24, 1970, “as being unsubstantiated by fact.”
Meanwhile, Boone’s EEOC charge remained pending for almost seven years, until August 3, 1976, when Boone requested and received a right-to-sue letter. Finally, on…