Opinion ID: 691017
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Menendez and Plaisance Procedural History

Text: 13 On April 6, 1990, NOAA issued Menendez a NOVA assessing a civil penalty of $12,000 for the knowing and unlawful failure to use a TED while shrimping aboard the F/V JERYD ALLEN in the Gulf of Mexico on March 26, 1990. On April 18, 1990, NOAA issued Plaisance a NOVA assessing a civil penalty of $8,000 for a similar violation aboard the F/V CAPT. MENUE in the Gulf of Mexico on March 6, 1990. The NOVAs notified Menendez and Plaisance that they could (1) admit the charged violation, (2) seek to have the NOVA modified to conform to actual facts or law, or (3) request a hearing in writing within thirty days. On June 13, 1990, Menendez and Plaisance requested a hearing through their representative Tee John Mialjevich, the president of Concerned Shrimpers of America and a well-known representative of shrimpers in previous administrative and lobbying matters. The cases were assigned to ALJ Hugh Dolan. 14 On June 15, 1990, the ALJ issued an order to show cause directing the parties to address the issue of whether Mialjevich should be removed from his representative status. Mialjevich filed a letter opposing the proposal but did not request a hearing. On July 27, 1990, the ALJ issued an order barring Mialjevich from representing Menendez, Plaisance, and others, citing his unsuccessful representation of shrimpers in other administrative hearings and his history of encouraging shrimpers to flout the regulations requiring TEDs. The order instructed that any submissions or correspondence received [from Tee John Mialjevich] on or after August 1, 1990 relating to the representation of others will not be considered as a timely filing and will be returned without action. 15 On August 3, 1994, the ALJ issued an order directing Menendez, Plaisance, and others to show cause why their cases should not be disposed of in the same manner as the case of In the Matter of Tommy V. Nguyen et al. A copy of the decision in that case was attached to the order. 7 This August 3, 1990, order to show cause instructed Menendez, Plaisance, and others to respond by September 4, 1994, and reiterated that they may represent themselves, retain Counsel, or appear through a representative other than Mr. Mialjevich. On September 4, 1990, Margaret Mialjevich, Menendez's and Plaisance's new representative, responded to the order to show cause by facsimile, asking the ALJ to allow[ ] each respondent a chance to redeem themself [sic] in person, in front of you at a hearing, where they can each dispute the facts of their case (as seen by themself [sic], explain certain circunstances [sic] beyond their control, and their financial status. The ALJ refused to act on Margaret Mialjevich's facsimile, and, without prior notice, by means of a sua sponte letter dated September 10, 1990, he returned the facsimile to her with instructions that any future submissions from her, Tee John Mialjevich, or the Concerned Shrimpers of America would be returned without answer. Unlike Tee John Mialjevich, Margaret Mialjevich was summarily disbarred without notice and opportunity to respond. 8 On September 19, 1990, the ALJ dismissed Plaisance's and Menendez's cases for failure to file a timely response to the August 3, 1990, Order to Show Cause. Menendez and Plaisance argue that Margaret Mialjevich's September 4, 1990, facsimile was their timely response to the Order to Show Cause. 16 Menendez and Plaisance did not file petitions for reconsideration with the ALJ, nor did they file petitions for discretionary review with the Administrator of NOAA. 9 Thus, the decision of the ALJ in the Menendez and Plaisance cases became final on October 19, 1990. 15 C.F.R. Sec. 904.271(d). No suits were filed on behalf of Menendez, Plaisance, or others in federal court. On November 26, 1990, NOAA issued a written demand for payment to Plaisance and Menendez. NOAA sent several additional letters to Menendez and Plaisance demanding payment. Menendez and Plaisance did not respond to these demand letters. On May 7, 1992, the government filed suits under 16 U.S.C. Sec. 1540 against Menendez and Plaisance in the district court below to collect the civil penalty assessed by the ALJ, plus interest. The government moved to limit review to the administrative records and for summary judgment in its favor. Menendez and Plaisance did not oppose the government's motion to limit review to the administrative record and moved for summary judgment in their favor, arguing that the ALJ's rejection of their two requests for a hearing constituted a denial of due process. 17 In a judgment entered on August 23, 1993, the district court granted the government's motions for summary judgment against Menendez and Plaisance. In granting summary judgment in favor of the government, the district court did not reach Menendez's and Plaisance's due process arguments because it held that they had waived their right to appeal all procedural issues relating to the conduct of the administrative hearing. The district court, however, did comment that [i]t certainly does not appear to this Court that the ALJ had the discretion to deny a hearing once one had been timely requested simply because the ALJ did not approve of the defendant's representatives. Menendez and Plaisance filed timely notices of appeal.