Opinion ID: 168767
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Circumstantial Evidence of Retaliatory Motive

Text: 31 Dr. Hall argues the ARB's determination that he failed to prove a causal nexus between his protected activity and the alleged hostility against him is not supported by substantial evidence. As support for his contention that he was subjected to this hostility because he engaged in protected conduct, he cites the evidence we previously discussed and rejected as direct evidence of discrimination, as well as evidence (1) that the Army has a policy of retaliating against whistleblowers; (2) that Dugway did not follow procedure in dealing with Dr. Hall in different situations; (3) that the timing of certain alleged hostile acts is so close in time to his protected activity to justify finding retaliation; (4) that Dugway subjected his work product to hostile editing; and (5) that the ARB should have payed more credence to the ALJ's positive credibility determination regarding Dr. Hall. We have reviewed Dr. Hall's assertions on appeal, the ARB's decision, and the record on appeal, including the ALJ's RD & O, and find that substantial evidence supports the ARB's conclusions. In so finding, we acknowledge that a reasonable person may infer that the Army's alleged hostility against Dr. Hall was related to his protected activity. Our standard of review, however, is not de novo. We are charged only with determining whether the Board's decision to the contrary is supported by substantial evidence, which we have already described as more than a scintilla, but less than a preponderance of the evidence. See Zoltanski, 372 F.3d at 1200. 32 First, the ARB rejected Dr. Hall's contention that there was a clear Army policy that treated employees who reported to outside agencies as disloyal and subject to discipline. As support for his contention that the ARB erred in this determination, he points to: (1) a statement by General Akin in a Dugway newsletter that he had deep concern with employees who reported outside their chain of command; (2) a Defense Investigative Services (DIS) report that stated that one of Dr. Hall's supervisors said Dr. Hall admitted to blowing the whistle in the past but that Dr. Hall has improved in this respect and is more willing to work through proper channels; (3) Dugway's treatment of fellow Dugway employee Judy Moran; and (4) Dr. Hall's testimony that a supervisor made reference to Dr. Hall as one who cannot be trusted not to report to the state environmental agency. 33 Substantial evidence supports the ARB's conclusion that Dr. Hall failed to prove that Dugway had a policy of retaliation against whistleblowers. First, the alleged statement by General Akin does not appear in the record (nor did it appear in the record before the ARB). Second, the statements in the DIS report regarding Dr. Hall's whistle-blowing are evidence as to Dugway's knowledge of Dr. Hall's protected activities, but that fact is not contested. Taken in its full context, the statement indicates legitimate employer concern with employee performance—the statement forms part of a discussion of a supervisor's concerns with Dr. Hall's productivity and difficulty in handling work situations, evidenced by his tendency to go straight to supervisors without attempting to resolve problems on his own. Third, substantial evidence supports the ARB's determination that Dugway's treatment of Ms. Moran does not evidence a retaliation policy. Dr. Hall relies upon the ALJ's conclusion that Ms. Moran credibly testified that Dugway would not hesitate to conceal environmental violations to the State. As the ARB points out, the testimony of one witness that Dugway generally may conceal environmental violations does not conclusively prove that Dugway has a policy of retaliation against whistleblowers, much less that Dr. Hall's supervisors took retaliatory action against him for reporting environmental violations. In rejecting the ALJ's credibility determination of Ms. Moran, the ARB recognized conflicting evidence in the record showing that Dugway did not retaliate against Ms. Moran as Dr. Hall alleged and noted the testimony of three other employees who engaged in whistle-blowing activity but experienced no retaliation from Dugway. The ARB clearly and logically stated its reasons for finding against the ALJ's determination that there was a policy of retaliation at Dugway as alleged by Ms. Moran. Finally, that Dugway managers believed Dr. Hall [could not] be trusted does not require a conclusion that Dugway had a policy of retaliating against whistleblowers because the record also contained evidence that other employees engaged in whistle-blowing but suffered no disciplinary actions. 34 Second, the ARB also rejected Dr. Hall's contention that instances of irregular procedure proves that he was retaliated against. First, he argues that Commander Como's recommendation to revoke Dr. Hall's security clearance without waiting for a response from Dr. Hall showed inadequate investigation and irregular procedure, both of which prove retaliatory motive in that decision. We have already held that Egan prohibits both the Board's and this Court's inquiry in the motives behind security clearance review. Although Egan does allow review of an agency's compliance with its own procedures, Dr. Hall does not provide us with the procedure that Commander Como should have but failed to follow. 7 35 Also as an example of irregular procedure, Dr. Hall argues that Lieutenant Colonel Kiskowski's failure in a February 1997 meeting to comply with procedure requiring advance notice to union officials of meetings with union employees is evidence of retaliatory motive. The ARB concluded that although Lieutenant Colonel Kiskowski did fail to follow procedure in this respect, Dr. Hall failed to prove that this failure was in retaliation for his protected conduct. The ARB martialed substantial evidence to support its finding that the meeting was called as a result of Dr. Hall's deficient work performance, and not evidence of retaliatory motive. 36 Third, Dr. Hall argues that the ARB failed to take account of retaliatory actions that occurred so close in time to his protected activity as to justify an inference of retaliatory motive. A factfinder may infer retaliatory motive from the fact that a hostile action is taken shortly after an employee's protected activity, see, e.g., Weaver v. Chavez, 458 F.3d 1096, 1098 (10th Cir.2006), but it is not required to do so. Dr. Hall was reassigned to the JOD shortly after he engaged in protected activity. The ARB found, however, and the record supports, that Dr. Hall's temporary reassignment to the JOD was motivated by supervisors' desire to give Dr. Hall an environment in which he had better opportunity for advancement and to separate quarreling employees in the Chem Lab. Moreover, the ARB found that the transfer could not even be characterized as a hostile act, and we find the record supports this conclusion for the reasons stated in the ARB's Order. 37 Fourth, the ARB rejected the ALJ's view of the evidence supporting Dr. Hall's claim that hostile editing contributed to a hostile work environment. Dr. Hall alleged that Christine Wheeler, a Dugway technical editor who edited Dr. Hall's work, made it impossible for him to complete a report on time. The ALJ agreed, in part because he believed Ms. Wheeler was arrogant. The ARB rejected the ALJ's conclusion, noting that Ms. Wheeler's purported arrogance alone does not prove that she intentionally obstructed Dr. Hall's efforts to finish his report or that if she did obstruct his report it was because of his protected activity. To support its rejection of the ALJ's credibility determination, the ARB referred to evidence in the record that Ms. Wheeler's edits were routine, prompt, and clear and noted the testimony of Jim Barnett, a union vice president, that Ms. Wheeler's editing of Dr. Hall's report was like her editing of other people's work, including his own. Although the record does contain testimony from union official Michael LeFevre that he believed it was possible that Ms. Wheeler intentionally blocked Dr. Hall's report, the ALJ made no credibility determinations with respect to this witness and, given the other record evidence, the evidence is sufficiently substantial even under the heightened credibility standard to reject the ALJ's conclusion as to the charge of hostile editing. 38 Finally, Dr. Hall objects to the ARB's rejection of the ALJ's across-the-board credibility determination in favor of Dr. Hall in the face of conflicting and substantial evidence in the record. The ALJ found that Dr. Hall took good notes and is an honest, conscientious and dedicated individual, and therefore generally credited his testimony. The ARB found that the ALJ evaluated only Dr. Hall's credibility, despite the fact that 50 witnesses testified, 40 of whom testified against Dr. Hall. See Be-Lo Stores v. N.L.R.B., 126 F.3d 268, 279 (4th Cir.1997) (rejecting ALJ's generalized, conclusory statement about credibility determinations with respect to multiple witnesses). The ARB also explained that the ALJ failed to weigh or to discuss the reasons for discounting conflicting evidence. See Brindisi v. Barnhart, 315 F.3d 783, 787-88 (7th Cir.2003) (rejecting ALJ's conclusions for lack of adequate discussion of conflicting evidence). It is not illogical for the ARB to question the ALJ's credibility determination favoring Dr. Hall in this respect. 39