Kremer v. Chem. Constr. Corp. - 456 U.S. 461, 102 S. Ct. 1883 (1982)

Rule:

28 U.S.C.S. § 1738 requires federal courts to give the same preclusive effect to state court judgments that those judgments would be given in the courts of the State from which the judgments emerged.

Facts:

Petitioner Rubin Kremer filed an employment discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the EEOC, as required by the Act, referred the charge to the New York State Division of Human Rights (NYHRD), the agency charged with enforcing the New York law prohibiting employment discrimination. The NYHRD rejected the claim as meritless and was upheld on administrative appeal. The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court affirmed. Subsequently, a District Director of the EEOC ruled that there was no reasonable cause to believe that the discrimination charge was true and issued a right-to-sue letter. Petitioner then brought a Title VII action in Federal District Court. Ultimately, the District Court dismissed the complaint on res judicata grounds, and the Court of Appeals affirmed. Petitioner sought review.  

Issue:

Did the lower courts err in dismissing the petitioner’s complaint on res judicata grounds? 

Answer:

No.

Conclusion:

The Court affirmed the judgment, holding that, because there was no affirmative showing of a clear legislative purpose in Title VII to deny res judicata or collateral estoppel effect to a state court judgment affirming that a claim of employment discrimination was unproved, and because the state procedures provided for the determination of such claims offered a full and fair opportunity to litigate the merits, the federal courts were required to grant full faith and credit to the state court judgment.