Opinion ID: 1712271
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: hearing officer's recusal

Text: Urwiller alleges that the hearing officer should have recused herself and argues that the district court erred in failing to reverse on that basis. Urwiller, a member of the PSC at the time of the hearing, claims that because the hearing officer applied with but was turned down for a position with the PSC, she should have recused herself because of potential bias toward Urwiller. According to Department rules and regulations, the hearing officer shall be unbiased and impartial as to the subject proceeding. 247 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 1, § 003.03 (1998). Further, No Hearing Officer shall participate in an appeal in which they have an interest. For good cause shown or on the Director's own motion, the Hearing Officer may recuse his or herself from conducting the hearing. Motions for recusal shall be made in writing to the Director and must be received no later than three (3) days prior to the date of the hearing. 247 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 1, § 003.04 (1998). In formal agency adjudications, as in court proceedings, due process requires a neutral, or unbiased, adjudicatory decisionmaker. Central Platte NRD v. State of Wyoming, 245 Neb. 439, 513 N.W.2d 847 (1994). Administrative adjudicators serve with a presumption of honesty and integrity. Id. In Dowd v. First Omaha Sec. Corp., 242 Neb. 347, 495 N.W.2d 36 (1993), we noted that judges and arbitrators are subject to the same ethical standards. See State v. Pattno, 254 Neb. 733, 579 N.W.2d 503 (1998). By extension, the same standards apply to administrative hearing officers. Factors that may indicate partiality or bias on the part of an adjudicator are a pecuniary interest in the outcome of the proceedings, a familial or adversarial relationship with one of the parties, and a failure by the adjudicator to disclose the suspect relationship. Dowd, supra . Urwiller argues that the hearing officer met two of these criteria: she had an adversarial relationship with Urwiller because of her application to and rejection by the PSC and she failed to disclose that relationship prior to the hearing. A party seeking to disqualify an adjudicator on the basis of bias or prejudice bears the heavy burden of overcoming the presumption of impartiality. State v. Bjorklund, 258 Neb. 432, 604 N.W.2d 169 (2000); Pattno, supra . An adjudicator should recuse himself or herself when a litigant demonstrates that a reasonable person who knew the circumstances of the case would question the adjudicator's impartiality under an objective standard of reasonableness, even though no actual bias or prejudice is shown. Gibilisco v. Gibilisco, 263 Neb. 27, 637 N.W.2d 898 (2002). See, also, Bjorklund, supra ; Jim's, Inc. v. Willman, 247 Neb. 430, 527 N.W.2d 626 (1995), disapproved on other grounds, Gibilisco, supra . Urwiller does not allege bias or prejudice on the part of the hearing officer, and no bias or prejudice is apparent in the record. Urwiller argues only that the hearing officer's failure to recuse herself made him uncomfortable; he does not present any ruling or occurrences that prevented him from receiving a fair hearing. The hearing officer accepted Urwiller's testimony regarding his inability to remember his interaction with Paulsen and included it in her findings of fact. Other than her PSC interview with Urwiller and four other commissioners, the hearing officer stated that she did not have any personal contact with Urwiller, although she did recognize Urwiller's name when the Department appointed her as hearing officer for Urwiller's case. Even though Urwiller's motion to recuse was untimely, the hearing officer stated that she was willing to recuse herself on account of his alleged discomfort if Urwiller would waive the 45 day statutory requirement; Urwiller, however, refused to waive the 45-day requirement. The hearing officer openly discussed her previous contact with Urwiller and asserted her lack of bias or personal prejudice, stating that she would have recused herself had she felt any conflict. Under these facts, the district court correctly concluded that Urwiller did not overcome the presumption of impartiality in favor of the hearing officer, nor did he effectively demonstrate that a reasonable person who knew the circumstances of the case would question the hearing officer's impartiality under an objective standard of reasonableness. See Pattno, supra . Nothing in the record indicates that the district court's ruling on this issue was arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, outside the confines of the law, or unsupported by competent evidence. See Young v. Neth, 263 Neb. 20, 637 N.W.2d 884 (2002). Urwiller's first assignment of error is without merit.