Opinion ID: 490093
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the pab's treatment of chen's claim

Text: 44 Because the PAB reconsidered Chen's claim under the incorrect legal standard, we remand without reaching the merits of his claim. As we have previously noted, it would be error for this court to decide, without giving the board an opportunity to do so in the first instance, whether substantial evidence supported the Presiding Member's decision. See, e.g., Ommaya v. National Institutes of Health, 726 F.2d 827, 830-31 (D.C. Cir.1984). This is not a case where there is only one supportable conclusion that the board could draw, and thus where remand would be futile. Cf. American Federal of Government Employees v. FLRA, 778 F.2d 850, 862 n. 19 (D.C. Cir.1985). On remand, the PAB may have to consider Chen's appeal from the GAO's adverse personnel actions against him, and his claim that those actions were retaliatory. These are two different, although related inquiries, and the burdens of proof fall differently in each case. 45
46 GAO employees are prohibited from engaging in discriminatory personnel practices, including retaliation for the exercise of any appeal rights. 4 C.F.R. Sec. 2.5(a), (i). Retaliation cases are reviewed by this court in much the same way as Title VII suits, following a well-established pattern of presentation and evidentiary burdens. See Williams v. Boorstin, 663 F.2d 109, 116 (D.C. Cir.1980) (adopting McDonnell-Douglas v. Green sequence of proof for discrimination cases, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 to Title VII retaliation cases), cert. denied, 451 U.S. 985, 101 S.Ct. 2319, 68 L.Ed.2d 842 (1981). 47 The petitioner must make out a prima facie case of retaliation before the case may proceed and before the employer must make any showing whatsover. Once that prima facie case is made, however, the burden of coming forward shifts to the employer to demonstrate a legitimate, non-retaliatory reason for the adverse action against the plaintiff, in this case, the denial of a within-grade salary increase followed by discharge. If the employer fulfills that burden, the employee must then come forward and show, by preponderance of the evidence, that the employer's articulated rationale for the allegedly retaliatory action, is pretextual. Finally, in most situations, the employer is permitted one last defense: by clear and convincing evidence, the defendant must prove that the plaintiff would have been fired anyways, even absent retaliation. Williams v. Boorstin, 663 F.2d at 116-17. 8 48 There appears to be no dispute that Chen has made out a prima facie case of retaliation. He has shown that he engaged in protected activity of which his employer had knowledge (i.e., Chen's original EEO complaint against the GAO), that he was adversely affected by an action of his employer, and a causal relationship between the two. See Grant v. Bethlehem Steel Corp., 622 F.2d 43, 46 (2d Cir.1980). The causal relationship may be inferred from adverse action that closely follows protected activity. E.g., Hochstadt v. Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, 425 F.Supp. 318, 325 (D.Mass.), aff'd, 545 F.2d 222 (1st Cir.1976). In order to reject Chen's claim that the GAO's adverse action against him was retaliatory, the PAB had to find that the GAO met its burden of coming forward with a legitimate nonretaliatory reason for denying Chen his within-grade salary increase and subsequently firing him. Although the ultimate burden of persuasion with respect to retaliation remains with the petitioner throughout, see Texas Dept. of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981), if the GAO does not put forward a legally sufficient explanation, id. at 255, 101 S.Ct. at 1094, Chen's prima facie case would remain unrebutted and he would prevail. 49 The GAO cited Chen's inadequate performance as the reason for both denying Chen his within-grade salary increase and eventually discharging him. The agency asserted that he performed poorly on three separate tasks: the literature search, the learning center evaluation plan, and the draft chapter on GAO courses. Dr. Medlin, Chen's supervisor, testified as to the deficiencies he found in Chen's work. The PAB accepted the GAO's explanation as sufficient and supported by substantial evidence. PAB Dec. at 9, J.A. 15. 50 Chen has argued at each stage in this litigation that the GAO's purported rationale for denying him his salary increase and discharging him was pretextual and that the adverse actions were actually reprisals for this successful EEO complaint. The Presiding Member reviewed all the evidence and testimony and found that the GAO's articulated reasons were pretextual. Dec. of the Presiding Member at 61, J.A. 135. The Presiding Member found that the preponderance of the evidence, including but not limited to the following examples, ... provides reasonable basis to support inferences of retaliatory motives. Id. (emphasis added). 9 51 The full PAB reviewed the five particular examples listed in the Presiding Member's opinion and decided that the evidence was insufficient to support his conclusions. PAB Dec. at 12-14, J.A. 18-20. But the PAB reviewed the Presiding Member's findings of pretext in a de novo review posture, describing their duty as correct[ing] any decision which was contrary to the overall weight of the record evidence. PAB Dec. at 14, J.A. 20. They declined to state in even greater detail the areas of our disagreement with the Decision below, Id., and plainly substituted their judgment as to what the record as a whole proved, for that of the Presiding Member. Despite his clear statement to the contrary, the PAB assumed that the Presiding Member's finding of retaliation was based solely on the five examples described in his decision. Moreover, the PAB gave no weight to the Presiding Member's credibility determinations, and ignored his extensive discussions of the evidence supporting each of his findings. 52 On remand, the PAB must consider carefully the Presiding Member's findings and explanations, and give deference to his credibility determinations. The board can overturn the Presiding Member's decision only if it concludes that his original decision was not supported by substantial evidence. 53
54 Although Title VII law does not ordinarily require a defendant-employer to prove the substance of his articulated nondiscriminatory explanation for the adverse action, in this case, the PAB assumed, and we have no occasion to question, that the GAO would have had to justify its decision to deny Chen's salary increase and eventually discharge him under other statutory provisions. 10 On an appeal of an adverse action under 5 U.S.C. Sec. 7701, the agency bears the burden of proof set out in that section. See Jackson v. Veterans Administration, 768 F.2d at 1329. 55 The majority and dissenting opinions of the PAB disagreed as to the standard of proof under which the GAO had to justify its decision to deny Chen's within-grade salary increase. 11 Despite acknowledging that this circuit has overturned it, the PAB followed its own precedent, Kienzle v. GAO, 1 PAB 28 (1981), holding that such a personnel action must be supported by substantial evidence. 12 The dissent correctly noted that the law of this circuit requires a preponderance of the evidence to support a within-grade denial, see White v. Department of the Army, 720 F.2d 209 (D.C.1983), and opposed the board's assertion of nonacquiescence, PAB Dissent at 2-3, J.A. 25-26. Since we have retained jurisdiction over this case, on remand, the PAB must apply the clearly established law of this circuit, i.e., the preponderance of evidence standard. 13