Opinion ID: 3062827
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Evidence Supporting the Charges Against Him

Text: Brown argues that insufficient evidence supports the charges against him of insubordination and inappropriate conduct. We disagree. With regards to insubordination, the record establishes that Brown received a memo from his superiors ordering him to stop commenting on his qualifications on his lab reports, and that after receiving this memo, Brown still wrote “see memo” on several reports. In order to establish insubordination, an agency must show a willful refusal to obey an order of a superior that the employee was not entitled to disobey. Fleckenstein v. Dep’t of Army, 63 M.S.P.R. 470, 473 (1994). We find eminently reasonable the AJ’s conclusion that by writing “see memo” Brown intended to continue to communicate his belief regarding his qualifications. Thus, Brown disobeyed an order. Brown has failed to establish that he was entitled to disobey this order. With regards to inappropriate conduct, the record establishes that Brown sent an email questioning whether one of his superiors was “in a coma” or 1 The district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to strike the declarations of Cipolla and Pignone. 5 had been “led down a garden path.” Again, we find the AJ’s determination to be reasonable – i.e., that Brown’s using a disrespectful tone, even assuming Brown was voicing legitimate complaints, was inappropriate conduct. In light of the foregoing, we conclude that the determination that Brown was insubordinate and engaged in inappropriate conduct was not arbitrary and capricious and was supported by substantial evidence.