Yellow Freight System Inc. v. Donnelly

by John Paul Stevens

United States Supreme Court

494 U.S. 820

Yellow Freight System Inc.  v.  Donnelly

No. 89-431  Argued: Feb. 28, 1990. --- Decided: April 17, 1990

Syllabus

After respondent filed a charge against petitioner alleging employment discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued her a Notice of Right to Sue, which did not identify the forum in which she might sue, but did advise her that she must bring suit within 90 days. Within that period, she filed a complaint in an Illinois county court, alleging that petitioner had discriminated against her on the basis of her sex in violation of the State Human Rights Act. After petitioner filed a motion to dismiss-and outside the 90-day period-respondent moved to amend her complaint to allege that the facts already pleaded also constituted a violation of Title VII. Petitioner removed the case to the Federal District Court and moved to dismiss, contending that, because the state court lacked jurisdiction over a Title VII claim, the original filing in state court could not toll the 90-day period. The District Court rejected this contention and, after a trial on the merits, entered judgment for respondent, which the Court of Appeals affirmed.

Held: Federal courts do not have exclusive jurisdiction over Title VII actions. The fact that Title VII contains no language that expressly confines jurisdiction to federal courts or ousts state courts of their jurisdiction is strong evidence that Congress did not intend to divest state courts of concurrent jurisdiction. Although most legislators, judges, and administrators who have been involved in the enactment and interpretation of Title VII may have expected that such litigation would be processed exclusively in federal courts, such anticipation cannot overcome the presumption, recently reaffirmed in Tafflin v. Levitt, 493 U.S. 455, 110 S.Ct. 792, 107 L.Ed.2d 887 that state courts have the inherent authority, and are competent, to adjudicate federal claims. Pp. 823-826.

874 F.2d 402 (C.A.7 1989), affirmed.

STEVENS, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.

Jeffrey Ivan Pasek, Philadelphia, Pa., for petitioner.

John J. Henely, Michael W. Rathsack, Chicago, Ill., for respondent.

Justice STEVENS delivered the opinion of the Court.

Notes