The Court says that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was within its authority to interpret that a document such as an intake questionnaire could be construed as a “charge” under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The case involved an age discrimination claim brought by a group of couriers against Federal Express Corp. The company had sought to have the case dismissed because it claimed that the completion of the intake questionnaire was not a charge, and the EEOC did not treat it as a charge.

The Court majority agrees with the EEOC’s position that the filing should be construed as a request by the employee for the agency to take whatever action is necessary to vindicate his or her rights. Federal Express Corp. v. Holowecki