Opinion ID: 440195
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: conciliation

Text: 4 Prudential vigorously argues on appeal that the EEOC failed to satisfy its statutory duty to conciliate in good faith and consequently the trial court erred in failing to dismiss the action on this ground. The ADEA states that [b]efore instituting any action under this section, the [EEOC] shall attempt to eliminate the discriminatory practice or practices alleged, and to effect voluntary compliance with the requirements of this chapter through informal methods of conciliation, conference, and persuasion. 29 U.S.C. Sec. 626(b). This jurisdictional provision embodies the congressional intent that enforcement be effected wherever possible without resorting to formal litigation. Marshall v. Sun Oil Co. 592 F.2d 563, 565 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 826, 100 S.Ct. 49, 62 L.Ed.2d 33 (1979) (Sun Oil I ). 5 This court has recognized that the ADEA is remedial and humanitarian legislation and should be liberally interpreted to effectuate the congressional purpose of ending age discrimination in employment. Dartt v. Shell Oil Co. 539 F.2d 1256, 1260 (10th Cir.1976), aff'd per curiam by an equally divided court, 434 U.S. 99, 98 S.Ct. 600, 54 L.Ed.2d 270 (1977). Accordingly, we have refused to dismiss cases where the EEOC failed to exhaust fully its duty to conciliate because to do so would severely hamper enforcement of the ADEA and would be incompatible with the humanitarian nature of the Act. Sun Oil I, 592 F.2d at 566. We have concluded instead that when the EEOC initially makes a sufficient albeit limited effort to conciliate, the minimal jurisdictional requirement of the Act is satisfied and the action is therefore properly before the court. Id. Once this initial effort is made, if the district court finds that further conciliation efforts are required the proper course is to stay proceedings until such informal conciliation can be concluded. Id. 6 Courts have recognized that [b]ecause conciliation involves at least two parties, we must evaluate one party's efforts with an eye to the conduct of the other party. Marshall v. Sun Oil Co., 605 F.2d 1331, 1335 (5th Cir.1979) (Sun Oil II ); see also Marshall v. Hartford Fire Insurance Co., 78 F.R.D. 97, 103 (D.Conn.1978). Conciliation is thus a flexible and responsive process which necessarily differs from case to case. The EEOC may make a sufficient initial effort without undertaking exhaustive investigations or proving discrimination to the employer's satisfaction, Sun Oil II, 605 F.2d at 1334-35, so long as it makes a sincere and reasonable effort to negotiate by providing the defendant an adequate opportunity to respond to all charges and negotiate possible settlements. Hartford Fire Insurance Co., 78 F.R.D. at 107. 7 In this case the EEOC informed Prudential of the identity of the charging parties, the specific allegations of misconduct, and the remedy sought by each party, and on several occasions it invited conciliation. The record reveals a series of overtures by the EEOC to which Prudential made no meaningful response. Prudential obviously was aware both that litigation could follow failure to conciliate and of the requirements of the Act. We conclude that the EEOC's initial effort was sufficient under Sun Oil I, 592 F.2d at 566-67, particularly in view of Prudential's insistent refusal to undertake any significant dialogue, its outright rejection of the EEOC's initial settlement proposals, and its refusal to offer any serious counterproposals. The trial court properly refused to dismiss the action because, under the circumstances, Prudential was given a reasonable opportunity before suit was filed to respond and negotiate. 8 In line with Sun Oil I, the court exercised its discretion to stay the suit forty-five days to provide the parties an additional opportunity to conduct conciliation. The conciliation proceedings were recorded at Prudential's insistence. The trial court found that the record of these talks was relevant to Prudential's claim that the EEOC had failed initially to negotiate in good faith because this record revealed the pre-filing conciliation in a new light. Based on Prudential's conduct at the recorded meeting, the court observed that the maneuvering in the correspondence that was submitted by Prudential regarding pretrial conciliation was misleading. Rec., supp. vol. I, at 19-20. The court noted Prudential's almost intransigent resistance to any good faith negotiation and the efforts of the Commission attorney to at least open the door for meaningful conciliation. Id. at 19. The court justifiably concluded that Prudential's conduct at this meeting was an accurate reflection of its attitude in the earlier conciliation, and held that Prudential was in no position to object to a lack of good faith conciliation by the EEOC. We agree with this conclusion.