Court Opinion

ID: 9963119
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-24 17:00:54.251165+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:24:41.264181
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                   MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

NICHOLAS ALEXANDER                              DOCKET NUMBER
  HARRISON,                                     DC-1221-18-0302-W-1
             Appellant,

             v.
                                                DATE: April 23, 2024
SMALL BUSINESS
  ADMINISTRATION,
             Agency.

        THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1

      Nicholas Alexander Harrison , Washington, D.C., pro se.

      Claudine Landry , Esquire, and Sherrie Abramowitz , Esquire, Washington,
        D.C., for the agency.

                                      BEFORE

                           Cathy A. Harris, Chairman
                        Raymond A. Limon, Vice Chairman

                                  FINAL ORDER

      The appellant has filed a petition for review of the initial decision that
dismissed his individual right of action (IRA) appeal for lack of Board
jurisdiction. Generally, we grant petitions such as this one only in the following
circumstances: the initial decision contains erroneous findings of material fact;
1
   A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add
significantly to the body of MSPB case law. Parties may cite nonprecedential orders,
but such orders have no precedential value; the Board and administrative judges are not
required to follow or distinguish them in any future decisions. In contrast, a
precedential decision issued as an Opinion and Order has been identified by the Board
as significantly contributing to the Board’s case law. See 5 C.F.R. § 1201.117(c).
                                                                                         2

the initial decision is based on an erroneous interpretation of statute or regulation
or the erroneous application of the law to the facts of the case; the administrative
judge’s rulings during either the course of the appeal or the initial decision
were not consistent with required procedures or involved an abuse of discretion,
and the resulting error affected the outcome of the case; or new and material
evidence or legal argument is available that, despite the petitioner’s due
diligence, was not available when the record closed.            Title 5 of the Code of
Federal Regulations, section 1201.115 (5 C.F.R. § 1201.115).                  After fully
considering the filings in this appeal, we conclude that the petitioner has not
established any basis under section 1201.115 for granting the petition for review.
Therefore, we DENY the petition for review and AFFIRM the initial decision,
which is now the Board’s final decision. 5 C.F.R. § 1201.113(b).
       On September 26, 2017, the appellant applied for a Veterans Affairs
Specialist position with the agency. Initial Appeal File (IAF), Tab 4 at 9. The
appellant then applied for a Business Opportunity Specialist position with the
agency on October 25, 2017. IAF, Tab 6 at 36. The appellant filed a complaint
with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) on November 21, 2017, alleging that
the agency did not select him for either of these positions in reprisal for previous
whistleblowing disclosures. 2 IAF, Tab 1 at 6-7, 10. OSC informed the appellant
on January 31, 2018, that the investigation into his complaint was closed without
further action and that he could file an IRA appeal with the Board. Id. at 10-11.
The agency informed the appellant on January 31, 2018, that it did not select him
for the Business Opportunity Specialist position and informed him on
February 27, 2018, that it did not select him for the Veterans Affairs Specialist
2
  In the initial decision, the administrative judge stated that the record does not reflect
when the appellant filed his complaint with OSC. IAF, Tab 7, Initial Decision at 4.
However, the appellant indicated that he filed his complaint with OSC on November 21,
2017. IAF, Tab 1 at 6. Any error by the administrative judge regarding this fact did
not prejudice the appellant’s substantive rights nor did it create any grounds to depart
from the conclusions in the initial decision. See Panter v. Department of the Air Force,
22 M.S.P.R. 281, 282 (1984) (holding that an adjudicatory error that is not prejudicial
to a party’s substantive rights provides no basis for reversal of an initial decision).
                                                                                   3

position.     IAF, Tab 6 at 25-26.    The appellant filed his Board appeal on
February 5, 2018. IAF, Tab 1. After the parties responded to the jurisdictional
order, the administrative judge issued an initial decision dismissing this appeal
for lack of jurisdiction, as the appellant failed to demonstrate exhaustion of his
administrative remedies with OSC prior to filing his IRA appeal with the Board.
IAF, Tab 4, Tab 6, Tab 7, Initial Decision (ID) at 1-6.
      In the absence of an action directly appealable to the Board, only
allegations of protected disclosures of information or protected activity, along
with personnel actions, that an appellant first raises and exhausts with OSC may
be considered by the Board in an IRA appeal. Mason v. Department of Homeland
Security, 116 M.S.P.R. 135, ¶ 8 (2011); see 5 U.S.C. §§ 1214(a)(3), 2302(b)(8),
(b)(9).     This requirement is met when an appellant has provided OSC with a
sufficient basis to pursue an investigation that might lead to corrective action.
Chambers v. Department of Homeland Security, 2022 MSPB 8, ¶¶ 10-11.
      As the administrative judge found in the initial decision, the appellant
could not have provided OSC with a sufficient basis to pursue an investigation
into his allegation that the nonselections were in reprisal for his prior
whistleblowing, as he had yet to even learn that he was not selected for the
positions when he filed his complaint with OSC.           ID at 3-6.    Due to the
appellant’s premature complaint to OSC, he failed to exhaust his administrative
remedies.
      On review, the appellant claims to have learned of his nonselection for the
Veterans Affairs Specialist position before the agency sent him notice on
February 27, 2018. Petition for Review (PFR) File, Tab 1 at 5. However, the
appellant does not provide the date that he supposedly gained this knowledge.
Relatedly, the appellant asserts that due to the length of time that passed after he
applied for the positions and the lack of response from the agency, it was
reasonable to assume that he was not selected for either position when he filed his
complaint with OSC. PFR File, Tab 1 at 5-6, Tab 4 at 5. The appellant did not
                                                                                   4

raise this argument below in response to the administrative judge’s jurisdictional
order. IAF, Tab 4 at 4-10. The Board will generally not consider an argument
raised for the first time in a petition for review absent a showing that it is based
on new and material evidence not previously available despite the party’s due
diligence. Banks v. Department of the Air Force, 4 M.S.P.R. 268, 271 (1980).
There has been no showing of these circumstances; thus, we need not consider the
appellant’s argument.
      Notwithstanding, the evidence does not support the appellant’s contention,
as the agency contacted him in between the dates that he applied for each position
and November 21, 2017, to advise him that the hiring managers for each position
were further considering his applications. IAF, Tab 6 at 33-34. The amount of
time between the appellant’s applications and the communications from the
agency was not so excessive to support the finding that the appellant reasonably
inferred that the agency did not select him prior to November 21, 2017, the date
that he filed his complaint with OSC. IAF, Tab 1 at 6. On November 28, 2017,
the agency also scheduled an interview with the appellant for the Business
Opportunity Specialist position. IAF, Tab 6 at 28. Contrary to the appellant’s
assertion on review, there was no reasonableness standard for the administrative
judge to apply when assessing the amount of time between the appellant’s
application and notice from the agency regarding the status of his application.
PFR File, Tab 4 at 5.
      On review, the appellant contends that he must be allowed to challenge his
nonselections as the nonselections have now occurred. PFR File, Tab 1 at 6. In
the initial decision, the administrative judge observed that, because the appellant
has now learned of his nonselections for the positions in question, he may file a
new complaint with OSC and pursue a new IRA appeal if OSC does not pursue
corrective action.   ID at 6.   In fact, the appellant filed a second IRA appeal
                                                                                      5

regarding these claims after he exhausted his administrative remedies with OSC. 3
In an April 20, 2018 initial decision, an administrative judge dismissed that
appeal for lack of jurisdiction because the appellant failed to nonfrivolously
allege that he made disclosures protected by the whistleblower protection statutes.
Harrison v. Small Business Administration, MSPB Docket No. DC-1221-18-0400-
W-1, Initial Decision (Apr. 20, 2018). The appellant has not filed a petition for
review of that initial decision, and thus, it is the final decision of the Board. See
5 C.F.R. § 1201.113 (stating that an initial decision issued by an administrative
judge becomes the Board’s final decision 35 days after issuance if no petition for
review is filed).

                         NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS 4
      You may obtain review of this final decision. 5 U.S.C. § 7703(a)(1). By
statute, the nature of your claims determines the time limit for seeking such
review and the appropriate forum with which to file.              5 U.S.C. § 7703(b).
Although we offer the following summary of available appeal rights, the Merit
Systems Protection Board does not provide legal advice on which option is most
appropriate for your situation and the rights described below do not represent a
statement of how courts will rule regarding which cases fall within their
jurisdiction.   If you wish to seek review of this final decision, you should
immediately review the law applicable to your claims and carefully follow all
filing time limits and requirements. Failure to file within the applicable time
limit may result in the dismissal of your case by your chosen forum.

3
  See Bump v. Department of the Interior, 64 M.S.P.R. 326, 331-33 (1994) (holding that
a jurisdictional dismissal of a prior IRA appeal for failure to exhaust administrative
remedies with OSC did not bar a second IRA appeal of the same claim after OSC
remedies were exhausted).
4
  Since the issuance of the initial decision in this matter, the Board may have updated
the notice of review rights included in final decisions. As indicated in the notice, the
Board cannot advise which option is most appropriate in any matter.
                                                                                         6

      Please read carefully each of the three main possible choices of review
below to decide which one applies to your particular case. If you have questions
about whether a particular forum is the appropriate one to review your case, you
should contact that forum for more information.

      (1) Judicial review in general . As a general rule, an appellant seeking
judicial review of a final Board order must file a petition for review with the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which must be received by the court
within 60 calendar days of the date of issuance of this decision.                5 U.S.C.
§ 7703(b)(1)(A).
      If you submit a petition for review to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Federal   Circuit,   you   must   submit   your   petition    to   the   court    at   the
following address:
                              U.S. Court of Appeals
                              for the Federal Circuit
                             717 Madison Place, N.W.
                             Washington, D.C. 20439

      Additional information about the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit is available at the court’s website, www.cafc.uscourts.gov. Of particular
relevance is the court’s “Guide for Pro Se Petitioners and Appellants,” which is
contained within the court’s Rules of Practice, and Forms 5, 6, 10, and 11.
      If you are interested in securing pro bono representation for an appeal to
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, you may visit our website at
http://www.mspb.gov/probono for information regarding pro bono representation
for Merit Systems Protection Board appellants before the Federal Circuit. The
Board neither endorses the services provided by any attorney nor warrants that
any attorney will accept representation in a given case.

      (2) Judicial   or    EEOC    review    of   cases      involving   a   claim      of
discrimination . This option applies to you only if you have claimed that you
                                                                                  7

were affected by an action that is appealable to the Board and that such action
was based, in whole or in part, on unlawful discrimination. If so, you may obtain
judicial review of this decision—including a disposition of your discrimination
claims —by filing a civil action with an appropriate U.S. district court ( not the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit), within 30 calendar days after you
receive this decision.    5 U.S.C. § 7703(b)(2); see Perry v. Merit Systems
Protection Board, 582 U.S. 420 (2017). If you have a representative in this case,
and your representative receives this decision before you do, then you must file
with the district court no later than 30 calendar days after your representative
receives this decision. If the action involves a claim of discrimination based on
race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or a disabling condition, you may be
entitled to representation by a court-appointed lawyer and to waiver of any
requirement of prepayment of fees, costs, or other security.        See 42 U.S.C.
§ 2000e-5(f) and 29 U.S.C. § 794a.
      Contact information for U.S. district courts can be found at their respective
websites, which can be accessed through the link below:
      http://www.uscourts.gov/Court_Locator/CourtWebsites.aspx .
      Alternatively, you may request review by the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) of your discrimination claims only, excluding
all other issues . 5 U.S.C. § 7702(b)(1). You must file any such request with the
EEOC’s Office of Federal Operations within 30 calendar days after you receive
this decision. 5 U.S.C. § 7702(b)(1). If you have a representative in this case,
and your representative receives this decision before you do, then you must file
with the EEOC no later than 30 calendar days after your representative receives
this decision.
      If you submit a request for review to the EEOC by regular U.S. mail, the
address of the EEOC is:
                                                                                      8

                            Office of Federal Operations
                     Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
                                  P.O. Box 77960
                             Washington, D.C. 20013

      If you submit a request for review to the EEOC via commercial delivery or
by a method requiring a signature, it must be addressed to:
                            Office of Federal Operations
                     Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
                                 131 M Street, N.E.
                                   Suite 5SW12G
                             Washington, D.C. 20507

      (3) Judicial     review   pursuant     to   the    Whistleblower      Protection
Enhancement Act of 2012 . This option applies to you only if you have raised
claims of reprisal for whistleblowing disclosures under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8) or
other protected activities listed in 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(9)(A)(i), (B), (C), or (D).
If so, and your judicial petition for review “raises no challenge to the Board’s
disposition of allegations of a prohibited personnel practice described in section
2302(b) other than practices described in section 2302(b)(8), or 2302(b)(9)(A)(i),
(B), (C), or (D),” then you may file a petition for judicial review either with the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit or any court of appeals of
competent jurisdiction. 5   The court of appeals must receive your petition for
review within 60 days of the date of issuance of this decision.               5 U.S.C.
§ 7703(b)(1)(B).

5
   The original statutory provision that provided for judicial review of certain
whistleblower claims by any court of appeals of competent jurisdiction expired on
December 27, 2017. The All Circuit Review Act, signed into law by the President on
July 7, 2018, permanently allows appellants to file petitions for judicial review of
MSPB decisions in certain whistleblower reprisal cases with the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Federal Circuit or any other circuit court of appeals of competent jurisdiction.
The All Circuit Review Act is retroactive to November 26, 2017. Pub. L. No. 115-195,
132 Stat. 1510.
                                                                                  9

      If you submit a petition for judicial review to the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Federal Circuit, you must submit your petition to the court at the
following address:
                             U.S. Court of Appeals
                             for the Federal Circuit
                            717 Madison Place, N.W.
                            Washington, D.C. 20439

      Additional information about the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit is available at the court’s website, www.cafc.uscourts.gov. Of particular
relevance is the court’s “Guide for Pro Se Petitioners and Appellants,” which is
contained within the court’s Rules of Practice, and Forms 5, 6, 10, and 11.
      If you are interested in securing pro bono representation for an appeal to
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, you may visit our website at
http://www.mspb.gov/probono for information regarding pro bono representation
for Merit Systems Protection Board appellants before the Federal Circuit. The
Board neither endorses the services provided by any attorney nor warrants that
any attorney will accept representation in a given case.
      Contact information for the courts of appeals can be found at their
respective websites, which can be accessed through the link below:
      http://www.uscourts.gov/Court_Locator/CourtWebsites.aspx .

FOR THE BOARD:                        ______________________________
                                      Gina K. Grippando
                                      Clerk of the Board
Washington, D.C.