Opinion ID: 201338
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: EQB Hearings

Text: 9 Hearings on the proposed fine began in September 2002. The Public Interest finished presenting its affirmative case on February 12, 2004, and Esso began its defense on March 15, 2004. Following a recess to allow substitution of the attorney for the Public Interest, hearings resumed on August 10, 2004 and are ongoing as Esso continues to present its defense. 10 The hearing examiner (HE), Yolanda Torres-Roque, is paid by the EQB from the same fund into which a fine would be deposited; she can be terminated without cause. Her employment contract with the EQB states that she acknowledges that in the performance of her professional function she has a complete duty of loyalty towards the agency, which includes not having adverse interest to said governmental entity. Her job is to preside over the hearings and to make recommendations to the Board, which can adopt or reject them. 11 The hearings have been contentious, generating a flurry of motions on such issues as discovery, scheduling, and evidentiary matters. The HE's ruling on two of these motions, one relating to the availability of discovery and the other to a statute of limitations claim, resulted in appeals to the courts of Puerto Rico, as discussed below. In November 2003, during the course of the proceedings, Esso also filed with the HE a motion for expedited recommendation of dismissal which raised constitutional claims similar to those now before us. The HE and EQB Governing Board (Board) have yet to rule on this motion. 12