|  |  

OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE              LA 200, John Adams Building, 110 Second Street, S.E.              Washington, DC 20540-1999
_________________________ROBERT SOLOMON,       Complainant,             v.                                  Case No. 03-AC-28(CV, RP)                                                  Date: September 23, 2004OFFICE OF THE ARCHITECTOF THE CAPITOL         Respondent._________________________
Before the Board of Directors: Susan               S. Robfogel, Chair; Barbara L. Camens, Alan V. Friedman; Roberta               L. Holzwarth; Barbara Childs Wallace, Members.

On March 1, 2004, Hearing Officer               Michael Doheny issued the attached Order Granting Respondent’s               Motion to Dismiss Complaint. The Hearing Officer concluded that               the Complainant’s retaliation claim herein was barred by the               doctrine of claim preclusion, in essence, because it arose and was               addressable in the Complainant’s earlier case before the Office               of Compliance, which resulted in a final Board of Directors’               Decision in the Respondent’s favor. *Robert Solomon v.               Office of the Architect of the Capitol,* Case No. 02-AC-34(CV,RP)               (October 24, 2003). 

We agree with the Hearing Officer’s conclusion               and disposition of this case. The Complainant seeks, through a retaliation               claim brought under Section 207(a)1 of the CAA, 2 U.S.C. § 1317(a),               to relitigate the credibility of a Respondent witness in his earlier               Board adjudicated case. Complainant claims that in his earlier religious               accommodation case, Respondent’s witness provided contradictory               testimony bearing upon Respondent’s undue hardship defense               in reprisal for Complainant bringing that case. Complainant avers               that the witness, despite testifying in his deposition that he lacked               knowledge regarding the costs of engaging a temporary employee to               replace him during his requested annual leave period, also provided               a declaration in that proceeding affirming that such an accommodation               would incur additional costs for the Respondent.              The credibility of the subject testimony and the adjudication of               the underlying undue hardship issue were directly before the hearing               officer in Complainant’s earlier case. Complainant had the               opportunity at that time to confront the witness during cross-examination               with his allegedly inconsistent prior statements. Complainant’s               instant claim, as Hearing Officer Doheny found, is simply Complainant’s               attempt to relitigate the claim that he unsuccessfully presented               in his earlier case. It is plainly barred under the doctrines of               claim and issue preclusion. See *Ziggy Bajbor v. Office of the               Architect of the Capitol,* Case No. 01-AC-377(RP) (May 30, 2003).

ORDER: Pursuant to Section 406(e) of the Congressional               Accountability Act and Section 8.01(d) of the Office’s Procedural               Rules, the Board affirms the Hearing Officer’s dismissal of               this matter.

*It is so ordered.*

Issued, Washington, D.C.: September 23, 2004

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

 I hereby certify that on this 23rd day of September,               2004, I delivered a copy of this Decision of the Board of Directors               to the following parties by the below identified means:

 First-Class Mail Postage-Prepaid              & Facsimile Mail 

 Jeffrey H. Leib, Esq.              Attorney at Law              5104 34th Street, N.W.              Washington, D.C. 20008

 First-Class Mail Postage-Prepaid,               & Facsimile Mail (w/o Hearing Officer               Decision)

 Edgard Martinez, Esq.              Office of Architect of the Capitol              Office of Employment Counsel              Ford House Building, Room H2-202              Washington, D.C. 20515

              ___________________              Kisha L. Harley              Office of Compliance 

  

1The Board is concerned               with the repeated attempts by Complainant’s counsel to resurrect               adjudicated claims through the retaliation provisions of section               207(a). Concerns with the manner in which claims and defenses are               litigated must be raised within the case, either to the Hearing               Office or to the Board for review. Respondent has not sought sanctions               and the Board will not impose them sua sponte in this action. Instead,               the Board trusts that publication of this Decision, as well as its               decisions in *Ziggy Bajbor v. Office of the Architect of the               Capitol,* Case No. 03-AC-377 (May 30, 2003), and *Thomas               J. Devlin v. Office of the Architect of the Capito*l, Case No.               03-AC-19 (September 22, 2004), may have some prophylactic effect               on litigants who might be inclined to engage in similar conduct.

Questions or comments regarding this service? Contact wwwadmin@compliance.gov.
 
  |
|--|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|