Abida MAHROOM, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, Defendant-Appellee

Mahroom, proceeding pro se, filed an administrative complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charging employment discrimination by her former employer, the Defense Language Institute of the federal government. She alleged that she had been forced to resign because she had participated in activities protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. On May 29, 1982, she received from the Com mission a right-to-sue letter with notice that her charge had been denied. The notice informed Mahroom that she had thirty days from the receipt of the notice in which to file a civil action in the appropriate federal District Court. The question presented here is whether she timely commenced suit by filing a complaint in the District Court.

On June 17, 1982, Mahroom wrote a letter to the District Court stating that she wished to pursue her case but had not yet been able to secure a lawyer. In addition, she attached to the letter a copy of the Commission decision and its right-to-sue letter. Thus, the District Court was apprised of all relevant jurisdictional facts as well as a statement of all the underlying facts. In response the District…