Opinion ID: 836139
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Circumstances Leading to Accused's Resignation

Text: Beginning in late 1991, the accused developed a contentious relationship with the newly appointed State Judge Advocate at the ONG, Colonel Noteboom. Noteboom was a member of the ONG reserves, whose regular duty consisted of one weekend of service each month and a 15 day period of training each year. As the full-time Judge Advocate, the accused's job was to function as Noteboom's day-to-day representative at the ONG. The accused, however, refused to acknowledge Noteboom's authority as his supervisor. Specifically, the accused believed that Noteboom had been appointed unlawfully and that, as a reservist, Noteboom was not authorized to give legal advice when he was not on active duty. Eventually, the ONG Chief of Staff intervened to direct the accused to accept Noteboom as a superior officer. Over the next two years, the conflict between the accused and Noteboom escalated. The accused continued to believe that Noteboom was appointed unlawfully and also filed formal complaints with his superior officers, accusing Noteboom of negligence and incompetence. When Noteboom counseled the accused regarding the accused's performance and placed him on a work improvement plan, the accused filed additional complaints with the Air National Guard Commander and the State Inspector General, accusing both Noteboom and the ONG Chief of Staff of retaliating against his whistle-blowing activities. The Adjutant General of the ONG, Major General Katke, found those complaints to be without merit and, in February 1993, issued a letter of reprimand to the accused. The accused subsequently filed complaints against Noteboom with the Oregon State Bar, the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), and the Oregon Attorney General. The thrust of those complaints, as with his prior complaints, was that the ONG improperly had appointed Noteboom as the State Judge Advocate and, therefore, that Noteboom was usurping the duties and responsibilities of the accused. The accused also maintained that all negative personnel actions that the ONG had taken against him, including Major General Katke's letter of reprimand, were in retaliation for his blowing the whistle on Noteboom's unlawful appointment. As a result of the accused's complaints against him, Noteboom requested that the ONG remove him from the accused's chain of command, pending a formal military investigation into the various charges. The ONG granted that request and, in May 1993, appointed an independent military investigator, Colonel Mansfield, to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the accused's allegations. In his final report, Mansfield concluded that, although it was true that Noteboom's appointment was technically deficient, [2] the accused's persistent questioning of Noteboom's judgment, authority, and competence was not justified. Moreover, Mansfield concluded that the accused's allegations that adverse personnel actions taken against him were in retaliation for his whistle blowing were groundless. Mansfield recommended that the ONG terminate the accused as the full-time Judge Advocate. In October 1993, the ONG and the accused reached an agreement whereby the accused would resign his full-time position and dismiss all pending actions against the ONG in exchange for being permitted to keep his military position in the reserves until he was eligible for retirement. However, one week before resigning, the accused filed a final whistle blower complaint with the Pentagon's Defense Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline, insisting that the personnel actions that the ONG had taken against him were in retaliation for his prior complaints about Noteboom's appointment and performance. There is no evidence in the record that the Pentagon responded to that complaint.