|  |  

OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE              LA 200, John Adams Building, 110 Second Street, S.E.              Washington, DC 20540-1999
_________________________VIATEUR COMMEREE      Complainant,             v.                                       Case No. 02-AC-30 (DA, RP)                                                       Date: August 11, 2003OFFICE OF THE ARCHITECT  OF 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. 

DECISION OF THE BOARD OF               DIRECTORS

 On February 6, 2003, Hearing Office Curtis E.               von Kann issued the attached Order dismissing this disability discrimination               and reprisal complaint on the basis that it was untimely and, therefore,               he was without jurisdiction to entertain the matter. The Complainant               timely filed a petition for review of the Hearing Officer’s               decision and a supporting brief. The Respondent employing office               filed a brief in opposition to the petition for review. 

 Upon due consideration of the Hearing Officer’s               Order, and the parties’ filings, the Board has decided to               affirm the dismissal Order but for the reasons explained below.

 Complainant alleges herein that he did not prevail               in earlier companion discrimination lawsuits (circa 1999-2001) against               the Respondent because the Respondent had discriminatorily misrepresented               important facts and law to both the federal trial and appellate               courts. Complainant, in essence, is seeking the relief he would               have received had he succeeded before those courts.

 The Hearing Officer concluded that he lacked               jurisdiction to entertain the complaint because the Complainant               had not complied with the 180-day time limitation imposed by Section               402(a) of the Congressional Accountability Act, 2 U.S.C. §               1402(a). Contrary to the Hearing Officer, we note that the 180-day               time limitation is in the nature of a statute of limitations rather               than a jurisdictional requirement. Accordingly, it is subject to               equitable tolling, but only in extraordinary and carefully circumscribed               instances.*See, Clarence Seay, Jr. v. Tennessee Valley Authority,               et al., 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 16022 (6th Cir. 08/06/2003); Monday               v. Secretary of the Army, 845 F.2d 1051, 1057* (D.C. Cir. 1988);               *Charles A. Hughes, III v. The Office of the United States Sergeant-               at- Arms,* Office of Compliance Case No. 98-SN-56 (RP) (September               8, 1999); *Kenneth F. Thompson v. The Capitol Police Board*,               120 F. Supp. 2d 78 (2000); *Gloria Halcomb v. Office of Senate               Sergeant-at-Arms*, 209 F. Supp.2d 175 (2002). 

 However, we do not decide whether the Complaint               was timely filed, as we hold that the Complaint does not state a               cause of action under the Act as a matter of law. The Hearing Officer               explicitly declined to rule whether Respondent’s aforementioned               alleged misrepresentations before the courts could be held to constitute               new and independent acts of discrimination and retaliation against               the Complainant. Subsequent to the Hearing Officer’s decision               and in the context of another case, the Board applied the preclusive               legal doctrines of res judicata and collateral estoppel to bar consideration               of an independent retaliation complaint predicated upon a party’s               litigating tactics in an earlier case before the Office of Compliance.               *See Ziggy Bajbor v. Office of the Architect of the Capitol*,               Case No. 01-AC-377 (RP) (May 30, 2003). We believe that doctrine               is fully applicable to this case. As we held in Bajbor, a party               must deal with its opponent’s litigation actions before that               very tribunal hearing the substantive claims. The doctrines of*res judicata* and *collateral estoppel*preclude a party               from collaterally challenging that tribunal’s judgment by               bringing a new action before the Office of Compliance. The Office               simply will not entertain such complaints.

 For the foregoing reasons, the Hearing Officer’s               Order dismissing the complaint **is affirmed**.

*It is so ordered.*

              Issued: at Washington, D.C., August 11, 2003

**CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE**              I hereby certify that on this 11th day of August 2003, I delivered               a copy of this Decision of the Board of Directors to the following               parties by the identified means:

**First-Class Mail Postage-Prepaid**

 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)**

 Peggy L. B. Tyler, Esq.                Office of the Architect of the Capitol                Office of Employment Counsel                Ford House Office Building, Rm H2-202                2nd and D Streets, SW                Washington, D.C. 20515

              ___________________              Kisha L. Harley              Office of Compliance 

  

Questions or comments regarding this service? Contact wwwadmin@compliance.gov.
 Read Accompanying             Hearing Officer's Decision |
|--|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|