Opinion ID: 380402
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 9 For our purposes, the facts may be briefly summarized. Plaintiff was Acting Tour II Superintendent at the Rincon Annex of the United States Post Office in San Francisco. His duties included the supervision of several postal clerks engaged in compiling and reporting information on the volume of mail handled by various distribution operations at Rincon Annex. He was charged with the falsification of mail volume records, or with directing his subordinates to falsify the records and, after an administrative hearing and appeal, discharged. 10 The Notice of Removal served upon Appellant (See 5 U.S.C. 7513(b)(1)) relied upon the affidavits of four of his subordinates. Three of the affiants aver that they had either falsified records at Appellant's direction or had observed him directing others to falsify the records. 1 11 At the administrative hearing the officer who took the affidavits laid a proper foundation for their admission, testifying that each affiant was warned both orally and in writing of his or her constitutional rights and was given an opportunity to review and revise the statement before swearing to it. The affidavits were received into evidence without objection. No later motion to strike the affidavits was made. 12 On direct examination each of the affiants attempted to disavow his or her affidavit. Affiant Scroggins completely disavowed the affidavit on direct examination but refused to answer any questions on cross examination, presumably on self-incrimination grounds. Evidence was later admitted that clearly contradicted his statement on direct examination that he had never reweighed mail. Additionally, another witness, Inspector Johns, testified that Scroggins had admitted to him that he had reweighed mail at Appellant's behest. 13 Affiant Gaffey denied on direct his averment that he had been promised additional overtime or a step increase in salary in return for falsifying the records, but otherwise apparently affirmed his averment that Appellant directed him to falsify records. 2 14 Affiant Whitley totally disavowed her affidavit and testified that she was coerced into signing it. 15 Inspector Johns was the only other major witness. He testified that he had observed widespread falsification during Appellant's tenure as supervisor, and introduced statistical evidence that tended to show falsification in Appellant's unit. Other evidence corroborated Johns' testimony that falsification was occurring, although this testimony, like Johns', did not directly tie the falsification to Appellant. 16 As noted, Appellant did not challenge the admissibility of the affidavits at any time during the administrative process. At most, he argued the weight that should be given to the affidavits. The hearing examiner found that the affidavits were more credible evidence than the statements made on direct examination, in part because of the witnesses' refusal to answer questions put in cross examination and because portions of the affidavit were corroborated by other evidence. This conclusion was sustained by the Appeals Review Board. II