Nestor v. Pratt & Whitney
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
466 F.3d 65 (2d Cir. 2006)
Nestor (plaintiff) won an employment discrimination claim against Pratt & Whitney (defendant) before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CCHRO), a ruling upheld on appeal through the Connecticut courts. Because the CCHRO could not award damages or attorney's fees, Nestor obtained an EEOC right-to-sue letter and filed a Title VII suit in federal court seeking those remedies; the district court granted Pratt summary judgment on res judicata grounds, and Nestor appealed.
Whether a successful state-agency employment-discrimination claimant may sue in federal court for damages and other remedies that were unavailable in the state administrative proceeding.