Opinion ID: 185615
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Alleged Discriminatory and Retaliatory Treatment

Text: 5 Appellant joined the FAA as a Senior System Engineer in 1991. Am. Compl. ¶ 7, reprinted in Joint Appendix (J.A.) 91-92. She was quickly promoted to the position of Acquisition Oversight Analyst, where she exercised an oversight function for many of the major programs at FAA. Part of her job was to report on problems concerning safety, fraud, mismanagement, and abuse. Id. ¶¶ 9-10, reprinted in J.A. 92. In 1992, Ms. Stella received an exceptional performance rating and was nominated for awards. Decl. of Marie Stella (Stella Decl.) ¶ 9, reprinted in J.A. 41-42. 6 In her oversight capacity, appellant identified and reported on serious problems with various major FAA programs. For example, she found improper cost estimates and other irregularities in the FAA's Oceanic Program. She reported these to a supervisor and to the Office of the Inspector General. The contract at issue was eventually terminated in 1999, allegedly for the reasons appellant had pointed out years earlier. Am. Compl. ¶¶ 12-13, reprinted in J.A. 92. Ms. Stella also found problems with other programs, including the Advanced Automation System Program. After reporting the problems, Ms. Stella was removed as the senior system engineer for that project. Id. ¶ 16, reprinted in J.A. 93. She also found major safety, technical, and funding problems with the FAA's Data Link program. The Office of the Inspector General is reportedly addressing these problems now, but only after the FAA allegedly expended a billion dollars of federal funds. Id. ¶ 17, reprinted in J.A. 93-94. 7 After pointing out these and other instances of fraud, waste, and abuse, appellant allegedly received unwarranted criticism of her work and frequently was removed from oversight positions. She also was excluded from meetings where she had active oversight responsibilities. Id. ¶¶ 20-21, reprinted in J.A. 95. After appellant reported her findings to the Office of the Inspector General, the representative from that office informed her that her safety was in danger, that she should watch her back, that she should keep her documents in a safe place, and that her career with the FAA was over. Id. ¶ 37, reprinted in J.A. 98. Ms. Stella alleged that her work computer, desk, house, and barn were broken into, and that the FAA did nothing to address these incidents. Id. ¶ 42, reprinted in J.A. 99. 8 Appellant also alleged that she was treated worse than her male co-workers. She alleged that the FAA failed to give her credit for an award she had received, removed her from oversight responsibilities, and assigned her to work for a lower-level male employee. Id. ¶¶ 31-33, reprinted in J.A. 9697. She alleged that supervisors and colleagues gave her unwarranted bad performance evaluations, made sexually stereotyped remarks about her, and made rude comments regarding equal employment opportunity charges she had filed. Id. ¶¶ 25-28, 35, reprinted in J.A. 96-97. Ms. Stella also alleged that the FAA took no corrective action when assorted co-workers and managers used loud sexual language and received pornographic material on the Internet, disseminated offensive e-mails about her, and told her they would not work for a woman and were praying for God to punish her. Stella Decl. ¶¶ 1-4, 14, reprinted in J.A. 40-1, 43; Am. Compl. ¶¶ 22-24, reprinted in J.A. 95-96. 9 Appellant alleged that since 1995, she has applied for two SES positions for which she was qualified, but not selected. Am. Compl. ¶ 51, reprinted in J.A. 101; Stella Decl. ¶ 8, reprinted in J.A. 41. She also applied for lateral transfers to high-visibility program management positions that she alleged would make her more likely to be promoted to SES. Am. Compl. ¶ 51, reprinted in J.A. 101; Stella Decl. ¶ 6, reprinted in J.A. 41. Less qualified males were selected, and many of the males selected for the lateral transfers have since advanced to SES. Am. Compl. ¶ 51, reprinted in J.A. 101. 10 Finally, appellant pointed to an atmosphere of FAA animus towards women. An SES manager conducted an investigation and found that other women at FAA corroborated appellant's accounts of sex discrimination. Decl. of Loni Czekalski ¶ 5, reprinted in J.A. 49-50. The women who were interviewed recounted stories of career opportunities that went to men rather than to women, and of inappropriate remarks about women. Id. ¶ 6, reprinted in J.A. 50.