Best way to respond to USPS Affidavit Request as a Complainant?
Throwaway for obvious reasons.
Help! This is a Federal EEOC case, no mixed case, no grievance and no MSPB involvement. I am *hypothetically* fighting a formal case as a previously separated employee with USPS, and I recently got a request for written testimony to support my claims.
I have about 9 days to finish this (I’ve been spending days doing research on what and what NOT to say, like using “I” statements etc). I have a non-attorney representative at the moment, and would prefer to wait out seeking legal counsel for when I receive my ROI, which isn’t due for another few months. I just glanced through my investigator’s 30-page request for affidavit (as well as affidavit for compensatory damages) and a lot of the questions are phrased very… well, sly. This is to be expected considering the agency gets to pick out the investigator.
Anyways, my question is for anyone that can give insight, preferably on a first-person basis (i.e. won a federal case and/or received a settlement offer) on the most effective way to pharse my answers?
Here’s an example question.
- Did you have seniority over the employee that was selected for the position over you?
I have tons of comparative and direct evidence overall, but I don’t have answers for some of the questions, like the one above.
Would it be okay to plainly say “I am not sure”?
And is there a template of some sort I should follow to maximize my chances of proving discrimination for the evidence I do have?
Much Obliged!