Pursuant to 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5, the court has determined that thi s opinio n should not * be publishe d an d is not precedent except under the limited circu mstance s set forth in 5 T H C IR . R. 47.5 .4. 

### INTHE UNI TED S TATESCOU RT OFAPPEALS

FORTHE FIFTH CIRCU IT

N o. 09- 50869 Su m m ar y Cal endar

R AY M O N D H R YA N , P l a i n ti ff - A p p ell a n t v. D E P A R T M E N T O F T H E A IR F O R C E , D efen da n t- A pp el l ee

A pp ealf

rom t h e U n i t ed S t ates D i st ri ctC ou rt f or t h e W est ern D i st ri ctof T exas, Sa n A n t on i o U SD C N o. 5: 08- C V

- 927

B ef ore JO L L Y , W IE N E R , an d E L R O D , C i rcui tJu dg es . P E R C U R I A M: * Raym o nd H

. R ya n appe al s t he di s t r i c tc o ur t ’ s di s m i s s alo f hi s c o m pl ai nt i n w h i c h h e s o u g h tj u d i c i a lr e v i e w o f a f i n a ld e c i s i o n o f

t h e Me r i tS y s t e ms Prot ec t i on B oar d (“M SPB” )

. Becaus e t he di st r i c tc our tc or r ec t l y de t er m i ned t hat i tl a c k e d s u b j e c tmat t e rj u r i s d i c t i o n , we AF FI RM

. United States Court of App eals Fifth Circuit 

### F I L E D April20, 2010 Lyle W . Cayce Clerk Case: 09-50869 Document: 00511085305 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/20/2010N o. 09- 50869

2 I

. Ryan w as e m pl o ye d a s a c ivi l i an ae r o s pa c e e ngi ne e rf o rt he D e pa r t m e nt of t h e A ir F o r c e . In S ep tem b er 2 0 0 5 , R ya n w a s rea ssign ed f rom T ex a s to O kl ahom a. H e w as or der ed t o r epo rt for dut y i n O kl ahom a o n N ove m ber28, 2005, buthe r eques t ed a del ay be c ause of hi s m edi c alc ondi t i on. In M ar c h 2006, t h e A i rF o r c e t e r mi n a t e d R y a n ’ s e mp l o y me n t o n g r o u n d s o f e x c e s s a b s e n t e e i s m, based on h i s fai l u re t o r eport f or w ork i n O klahom a. R yan rec eived severance pa y f r o m t he Ai rFo rce at thatt i m e . Rya n c hal l e nge d hi s r e m o va lb e f o r e t he M S P B

. H e contended t h at hi s d i s c har gew as becau se of di sabi l i t y di scr i m i n ati on and i n re t al i at i on f

orhi s w hi st l ebl ow i ng ac t ivi t i es . A n adm i ni st r at ive l aw j udge ( “A L J”) hel d an evi den t i ary h eari n g an d s u st ai n ed t h e rem oval. R yan app eal ed to th e fu ll M S P B

. I n a n Opi ni o n a nd Or de rdat e d O c t o be r4, 2 00 7, t he M SPB he l d t hatt he A L J h a d com m i tted pro ced u ra l erro r w h i ch req u i red th a t R ya n be reins tated to hi s j ob. The M SP B or der ed t he A i rFor c e t o c ance lR yan’ s r em ovalef fec t ive M arch 21 , 200 6 an d to i ssue a check t o h i m forthe ap propri ate am ou n tof back pa y no l at e rt han s i xt y da ys af t e rt he dat e of

t he M SPB ’ s de c i s i o n. H o w e ve r , t he M S P B also u p h eld th e A L J ’ s f i n d i n g th a t R ya n h a dfa i l ed to pro ve disa b i l i ty di sc r i m i nat i on and w hi st l ebl ow er r et al i at i on and, ac c or di ngl y, i taf f i r m ed t hat po r t i o n o f

t he ALJ’ s de c i s i o n. A no t i c e a ppe nde d t o the M S P B ’ s O pi ni o n a nd O rder i n f

orm ed R yan t h at he coul d f i l e a civi la ction againstt h e A i r Force on bot h hi s d i s c r i m i na t i o n c l a i m s a ndh i s o t he rc l a i m s i n a n a p p r o p r i a t e f e d e r al d is tr ic t c o u r t, “n o la te rth a n 3 0 ca le n d a rd a y s a fte ry o u rre c e ip t o f th is o r d e r .” H e di d n otdo so. I n t he m eant i m e, and i n c om pl i ance w i t h t he r ei nst at em entand bac k pay
o r d e r , th e A irF o r c e d ir e c te d R y a n t o r e p o r t t o w o r k a t h is a s s ig n m e n t in O klahom a on O ct ober 15, 200 7. H e fai l ed to report , cl ai m i n g t h at he need ed

“ of f i c i al t r avel or der s” and pro of of t he r ei nst at em ent of hi s em pl oym ent
. In Case: 09-50869 Document: 00511085305 Page: 2 Date Filed: 04/20/2010N o. 09- 50869

Ryan ch all e n ge d thi s Feb ru ary 2 0 0 8 t er m in atio n in a s e p ar at e l aws uit th at i s no w 1 pendinginOklahoma. The Air Force ha s filed acounterclai m inth at lawsuit torecover the severance p ayth at Ryan receive d after his first terminationinMarch 200 6. 3 Feb r uar y 20 08 , Ryan ’ s e m pl o ym e ntw i t h t he Ai rFo r c e w as t e r m i nat e d as e c o nd t i m e, t hi s t i m e f

orhi s fai l ure t o r epo r tt o w or k i n O kl ahom a. 1 A s w e ha ve n ot ed, R yan di d n otseek f u rt h er r evi ew of t h e M S P B ’ s O ct ober 4, 2 00 7 de c i s i o n o n hi s di s c r i m i nat i o n c l ai m s . I ns t e ad , i n D e c e m be r2 00 7, he f i l e d wi t h t he M SPB a pe t i t i o n f o re nf o r c e m e nto f

t he O c t o be r4 , 2 00 7 de c i s i o n. H e di d n otm ak e an y ref erence to hi s di scr i m i n ati on cl ai m s i n hi s pet i t i on f or en forcem en t. I n Apr i l2 00 8, t he A L J den i e d Rya n’ s pe t i t i o n f o re nf o r c e m e nt , ho l di ng t h at t h e A i r Force had est abli shed t h at i tcancel ed R yan ’ s r em oval as di rect ed by t he M SP B i n i t s O c t obe r4, 2007 O pi ni on and O r der

. The A LJ co ncl uded t hat R ya n w a s n ot en ti tl ed to b a ck p a y be ca u se he con ti n u ed to b e ab sen t fr o m h is
a ssign ed l oca ti on i n O k l a h om a ev en after h i s rein statem en t. I n M a y2 0 0 8 , R y a n fi le d w it h th e M S P B a p e t it io n fo r r e v ie w o f th e A L J ’s A p r il 2 0 0 8 d e c is io n . In S e p te m b e r2 0 0 8 , th e M S P B is s u e da F in a l O r d e rin
w hi c h i tdeni ed t he pet i t i on. A not i c e a ppended t o t he o r deri nf or m ed Ryan t hat he ha d t he r i ghtt o r e que s ttha t the U n i t e d St at e s Cour to f Appe al s f

o rt he Fed e r alCi r c ui tr e vi e w t hatde c i s i o n. Inst ead , R yan fi l ed t h i s civi la ct i on in t h e federaldi st ri ctcourti n T exas, c h a lle n g in gth e M S P B ’ s S e p te m b e r2 0 0 8 F in a l O r d e r . R y a n a lle g e din h is
com pl ai n tt h at t h e A i r F orce ha d vi ol ated h i s ri gh t s u n der t h e C ivi lR i gh t s A ct
o f 1 96 4, t he Reha bi l i t at i o n Ac to f 1 97 3, t he A m e r i c ans w i t h D i s ab i l i t i e s A c t , t he Fam i l y M e di c alL e av e A c t , and va r i o us ot he rfe de r alst at ut e s –c l ai m s t hathe h a d n o t m a d e in h is p e tit io n b e fo r e t h e M S P B

. T h e d is tr ic t c o u r t d is m is s e dh is
c om pl ai nton t he gr ound t hati tl ac ked s ubj ec tm at t erj uri sdi c t i on be c ause R yan h ad not r ai sed cl ai m s of di scr i m i n ati on i n t he M SPB a dm i ni s t r ativeproceedi n gs. Case: 09-50869 Document: 00511085305 Page: 3 Date Filed: 04/20/2010N o. 09- 50869

4 II. W e revi ew t h e di st ri ctcourt ’ s di sm i ssalf or la ck o f s u bj ectm att er j ur i s di c t i o n de no vo . Wi l l i am s v . W y nne , 53 3 F. 3d3 60 , 3 64 ( 5t h Ci r . 2 00 8)

. The U n i t ed S t ates C ou rtof A pp eal s f or t h e F ederalC i rcui tha s excl u sive j u ri sdi ct i on t o revi ew f

i n alorders of

t h e M S P B , except i n a case i n vol vi n g di scr i m i n ati on c la im s , in w h ic h ca s e th e e m p lo y e e m a ys e e k r e v ie w o f th e M S P B ’ s d e c is io n in fe d e r a l d is tr ic t c o u r t. S ee B lak e v. D ep’ tof t h e A i r Force , 7 9 4 F

. 2 d17 0 , 17 2 ( 5 th C ir . 1 9 8 6 ); seealso 2 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 9 5 (a )(9 ); 5 U .S .C . § § 7 7 0 2 , 7 7 0 3 (b ). A l t h ou gh R yan ’ s f

i rstchal l en ge t o hi s r em oval i n cl u ded al l egati on s of di sc r i m i nat i on, t hos e pr oc ee di ngs ar e l ong pas se d; and fat alt o hi s c l ai m t oday i s t hat he di d not se ek r evi ew of t hatM SP B dec i si on o f O c t obe r4, 2007. I tw as t h at deci si on i n w h i ch t h e M S P B hel d that R yan ha d fai l ed to prove h i s c h arges o f d is c r im in a tio n . In s te a d , in h is s e c o n da d m in is tr a tiv e a c tio n , R y a n o n ly peti t i on ed f

or enf orcem en tof

t h at deci si on , rel ati n g t o rei n st atem en tan d ba ck pa y. R yan di d n ota l l ege di scr i m i n ati on eith er i n hi s pet i t i on f or enf orcem en tof t h e M S P B ’ s O ct ober 4, 200 7 deci si on , or i n hi s M ay 20 08 p et i t i on f or r evi ew of t h e A L J’ s den i alof

hi s pet i t i on f

or enf orcem en t
. A ccor di n gl y, t h e di st ri ctcourt
c o r r e c tlyco n c lu d e d th a t itla c k e ds u b j e c t m a tt e rju r is d ic tio n . SeeB lake , 794 F

. 2 d at 17 2
. III. Forth e f

o r e g o i n gr e a s o n s , th e d i s t r i c tc o ur t ’ s di s m i s s alo f Ryan ’ s c o m pl ai nt fo rla c k o f s u bje c t m a tt e rju r is d ic tio n is AF F I RMED. Case: 09-50869 Document: 00511085305 Page: 4 Date Filed: 04/20/2010