Opinion ID: 616443
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: The agency removed Ms. Diggs from her GS-343-09 Management Analyst Position based on two charges: (1) rude, disruptive, aggressive, or intimidating behavior; and (2) misrepresentation. Both charges stemmed from Ms. Diggs's conduct on January 17, 2008. As to the first charge, the agency alleged that Ms. Diggs verbally berated her supervisor, Ms. Charlene Dean, approached her in a hostile manner, and told Ms. Dean that she would be sorry. The agency further alleged that, later that day, Ms. Diggs spoke to another supervisor, Ms. Renee C. Brown, in an agitated manner with her voice raised, was rude and threatening to a coworker, and disobeyed an instruction from Ms. Brown. With respect to the second charge, the agency alleged that Ms. Diggs misrepresented some of these events to other agency officials. Ms. Diggs appealed her removal to the Board, denying the charges in their entirety. She also alleged that the agency removed her in retaliation for prior Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) activity, specifically earlier claims of sex discrimination. After a hearing, the Administrative Judge (AJ) issued an initial decision affirming the agency's removal action. The AJ found that the agency proved its charges, the penalty was reasonable, and Ms. Diggs failed to prove her affirmative defense of retaliation. Ms. Diggs filed a petition for review, requesting that the full Board reconsider the AJ's Initial Decision. Though the Board concluded that the petition did not meet the criteria for review, it reopened the case on its own motion pursuant to 5 C.F.R. § 1201.118. Finding no error in the Initial Decision, the Board affirmed. On August 31, 2010, Ms. Diggs filed a petition with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) seeking review of the Board's final decision. In her petition, Ms. Diggs argued that her removal was in retaliation for complaints of sex discrimination she registered with the EEOC in late 2007. Upon review of the record, the EEOC found that, though Ms. Diggs had established a prima facie case of discriminatory retaliation given her record of prior protected activity, the evidence supported the conclusion that her removal was not motivated by retaliatory animus. Ms. Diggs also appealed the Board's final decision to this court. Upon initial review of Ms. Diggs's appeal, we determined that, given recent developments in the law, there was some question regarding our jurisdiction to consider claims from federal-sector employees who assert claims of retaliation based on earlier EEO activity. Given our obligation to assess the contours of federal jurisdiction in every case, we entered an order inviting supplemental briefing from the parties regarding this important question. Diggs v. U.S. Dep't of Hous. & Urban Dev., No. 2010-3193, Dkt. No. 26 (Fed.Cir. Jul. 29, 2011) (order inviting further briefing). Both parties filed briefs asking this court to exercise jurisdiction over Ms. Diggs's appeal. [1] Id., Dkt. Nos. 31, 32. Though we have considered the parties' submissions carefully, for the reasons set forth below, we disagree with both Ms. Diggs and the government regarding the scope of our jurisdiction.