Opinion ID: 166561
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Exhaustion as a Jurisdictional Prerequisite to Suit

Text: 54 It is well-established that Title VII requires a plaintiff to exhaust his or her administrative remedies before filing suit. See Ingels v. Thiokol Corp., 42 F.3d 616, 624-25 (10th Cir.1994); Jones v. Runyon, 91 F.3d 1398, 1399 (10th Cir.1996). The ADEA's exhaustion requirement is somewhat less well-established in this circuit, but it is nonetheless clear that such a requirement exists. See Foster, 365 F.3d at 1194. 55 Unlike many other circuits, we have held that a plaintiff's exhaustion of his or her administrative remedies is a jurisdictional prerequisite to suit under Title VII—not merely a condition precedent to suit. See Jones, 91 F.3d at 1399 n. 1. Because the ADEA and Title VII have virtually identical requirements with respect to the filing of EEOC charges, see Foster, 365 F.3d at 1194, our holdings on the jurisdictional effect of Title VII filings determine the jurisdictional effect of ADEA filings. See In re Smith, 10 F.3d at 724. As a result, we hold that a plaintiff's exhaustion of his or her administrative remedies is a jurisdictional prerequisite to suit under the ADEA. 56 In this case, Shikles failed to exhaust his administrative remedies. Thus, the district court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over his claim.