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OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE              LA 200, John Adams Building, 110 Second Street, S.E.              Washington, DC 20540-1999
_________________________THOMAS  J. DEVLIN,       Appellant,             v.                                  Case No. 01-AC-373(RP)                                                  June 17 , 2004OFFICE OF THE ARCHITECTOF THE CAPITOL         Appellee._________________________
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 November 18, 2003, Hearing Officer Sylvia               Bacon issued the attached Decision and Judgment. The Hearing Officer               concluded that the Respondent had not engaged in age discrimination               in not promoting the Complainant from his position of Building Inspector,               pay grade GS-08. 

The Board has considered the decision in light               of the record, the petition for review, and the parties’ briefs.               The Board finds that the Hearing Officer’s conclusions are               supported by substantial evidence and affirms the Hearing Officer’s               determination that the record does not establish proscribed discrimination.               *See Office of the Architect of the Capitol v. Office of Compliance,               et al.,* 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 4541 (Fed. Cir. 03/11/2004); *Francisca               Laguna v. Office of the Architect of the Capitol,* Case No.               02-AC-54(CV,FL) (Board of Directors Decision, dated April 8, 2004).               We rely upon the Hearing Officer’s finding and conclusion               that the Appellant did not prove that his age motivated the Appellee’s               failure to promote him. In so holding, we do not and need not rule               on the alternate finding that the Appellant’s non-promotion               was not an actionable adverse action. *See Francisca Laguna v.               Office of the Architect of the Capitol, supra.*

We are satisfied that the Hearing Officer applied               the correct legal standards in analyzing this case; although she               did not cite the case law manifesting that controlling discrimination               proof paradigm that guided her analysis . We do not agree with the               Appellant that the decision is independently deficient for its failure               to cite case law. “[I]t is the validity of the judgment, not               the quality of any opinion supporting it, that has legal significance,               and the court’s failure to cite any cases has no relevance               to whether the court reached the correct legal result.” *James               Constant v. United States,*929 F.2d 654, at 657 (Fed Cir. 1991).

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 merits determination               of no discrimination in this matter.

It is so ordered

 Issued, Washington, D.C. : June 17, 2004

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

 I hereby certify that on this 17th day of June,               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

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

 Office of the Architect of the Capitol              c/o John Clifford and Peter Butcher, Esqs.              1620 L. Street, N.W., Suite 625              Washington, DC 20036-5631

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

 Peggy Tyler, 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 

 

 

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