Opinion ID: 187050
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Third Claim: Retroactive Application of Annual Leave Policy

Text: Appellant contends that she suffered unlawful retaliation when she was retroactively charged annual leave for attending witness depositions related to this lawsuit. In February 2001, Ms. Wiley approached her then-supervisor, Rebecca McMenamin, about taking administrative leave  paid leave that is not charged against an employee's allotted annual leave  to attend witness depositions. McMenamin responded via email, indicating that administrative leave was unavailable in such circumstances. Email from Rebecca McMenamin to Verla Wiley et al. (2/14/01), J.A.2077. That same day, appellant discussed the administrative leave issue with William Ohlhausen, Deputy General Counsel for BBG. Ohlhausen sent an email the following day indicating that he was unable to reach a conclusion as to whether administrative leave was authorized in Wiley's circumstances, and needed to research the issue further. Email from William Ohlhausen to Verla Wiley et al. (2/15/01), J.A. 61. Appellant continued attending depositions. On October 5, 2001, guidelines applicable to all Voice of America employees were issued, delineating when employees could use administrative leave in connection with Title VII matters. Memorandum, J.A. 2113-14. These guidelines prohibited employees from taking official time to attend depositions other than their own. After this policy issued, McMenamin emailed appellant to inform her that she would be charged annual leave for the depositions she had previously attended; McMenamin's email noted that [t]his policy indicates there is no change from the guidance I first sent you on February 14th, 2001. Email from Rebecca McMenamin to Verla Wiley et al. (10/9/01), J.A. 2125. Appellant was subsequently charged 56 hours of annual leave for time she spent attending depositions other than her own. Appellant claims that BBG's decision to retroactively charge her annual leave was unlawful retaliation. As the District Court found, however, appellant cannot overcome the legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for BBG's decision to charge her annual leave: No statute, regulation, or policy authorized administrative leave for an employee in appellant's circumstances. In fact, during the time period at issue here, neither BBG's internal Manual of Operations nor the Negotiated Labor Management Agreement between Local 1812 and BBG authorized administrative leave for employees in appellant's situation. BBG Manual of Operations, J.A. 1765-68; Negotiated Labor Management Agreement, J.A. 1764. Appellant can hardly claim retaliation when she has not shown that she was entitled to paid leave. The October 2001 guidelines may have clarified the situation, but they did not cause appellant to lose anything to which she was entitled before the guidelines were issued. Furthermore, McMenamin's February 14, 2001 email to Ms. Wiley provided appellant with more than adequate notice that an attempt to take such leave would likely be unsuccessful. Appellant's decision to continue attending depositions after receiving Ohlhausen's email was, in the words of the District Court, a calculated risk. Kemi Southey-Cole v. Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, Civ. A. No. 99-00975 at 16 (D.D.C. Oct. 2, 2006). [N]o reasonable jury could infer retaliation from the agency's decision to comply with existing law and agency agreements. Id. at 22.