Court Opinion

ID: 9406556
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-07-01 06:00:21.977602+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:20:31.331984
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                   MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

JUDITH DUCKWORTH 1,                               DOCKET NUMBER
            Appellant,                            AT-0752-17-0303-I-1

             v.

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY,                           DATE: June 30, 2023
            Agency.

            THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 2

      Robert H. Weinfeld, Okatie, South Carolina, for the appellant.

      Deborah E. Shah, Fort Gordon, Georgia, for the agency.

1
  After the petition for review submissions were filed, the appellant’s representative
filed a motion for substitution, explaining that Ms. Duckworth died on March 16, 2023,
and requesting that Richard and Kevin Duckworth, Ms. Duckworth’s heirs, be
substituted in her place. Petition for Review File, Tab 25. The motion includes a copy
of a death certificate documenting the appellant’s death and a copy of her last will and
testament naming Richard and Kevin Duckworth as primary remainder beneficiaries of
her estate. Id. at 4, 7-17. If an appellant dies, the processing of an appeal will only be
completed upon substitution of a proper party. 5 C.F.R.§ 1201.35(a). Motions to
substitute must be filed with the Board within 90 days after the death of a party except
for good cause shown. 5 C.F.R. § 1201.35(b). The appellant’s representative filed the
motion to substitute 11 days after the appellant’s death. Thus, the motion was timely
filed, and Richard and Kevin Duckworth are proper individuals to substitute for the
appellant. Accordingly, we grant the appellant's motion for substitution and continue
with the processing of this appeal. Both Ms. Duckworth and Richard and Kevin
Duckworth will be referred to as “the appellant.”
2
   A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add
significantly to the body of MSPB case law. Parties may cite nonprecedent ial 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

                                          BEFORE

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

                                      FINAL ORDER

¶1        The appellant has filed a petition for review of the initial decision, which
     dismissed for lack of jurisdiction her appeal of her removal. Generally, we grant
     petitions such as this one only in the following circumstances: the initial decision
     contains erroneous findings of material fact; 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).
¶2        Effective January 13, 2017, the agency removed the appellant from her
     GS-11 Nurse position based on alleged misconduct. Initial Appeal File (IAF),
     Tab 9 at 25-30.     The agency’s removal notice provided the appellant with
     accurate and complete notice of her right to challenge her removal via the
     negotiated grievance procedure, a Board appeal, a mixed -case discrimination
     complaint, or a whistleblower reprisal complaint with the Office of Special
     Counsel. Id. at 26-29. The notice further informed the appellant that she could
     elect one of these four options and that whichever option she chose first would
                                                                                       3

     preclude her right to pursue the other three options. Id. at 26. On January 20,
     2017, she grieved her removal, and, on March 10, 2017, the agency issued a
     decision denying her grievance on its merits. Id. at 32-34, 67-69.
¶3        On February 10, 2017, the appellant appealed her removal to the Board and
     requested a hearing. IAF, Tab 1 at 2. After issuing appropriate notice of the
     applicable burdens and elements of proof and considering the appellant’s
     response, IAF, Tabs 10-11, the administrative judge issued an initial decision in
     which he found that the appellant’s removal was grievable under the applicable
     collective bargaining agreement; the appellant invoked the negotiated grievance
     procedure when she filed her January 20 challenge to the removal; her challenge
     was a grievance regardless of whether she subjectively inten ded her challenge to
     be a grievance; and, because the appellant filed her grievance before she filed her
     appeal, her appeal was precluded by 5 U.S.C. § 7121(e). IAF, Tab 14, Initial
     Decision (ID) at 5-6. The administrative judge dismissed her appeal for lack of
     jurisdiction without a hearing. Id. at 1, 7. The appellant has filed a petition for
     review challenging the administrative judge’s decision.      Petition for Review
     (PFR) File, Tab 1.
¶4        Matters that are covered under both a negotiated grievance procedure and
     the Board’s chapter 75 jurisdiction, such as the appellant’s removal, may, at the
     employee’s discretion, be grieved under the negotiated grievance procedure or
     appealed to the Board under 5 U.S.C. § 7701, but not both.                5 U.S.C.
     § 7121(e)(1); Pirkkala v. Department of Justice, 123 M.S.P.R. 288, ¶ 6 (2016).
     The employee is deemed to have made a binding election under section
     7121(e)(1) when she has timely filed either a grievance or an appeal, whichever
     occurs first. 5 U.S.C. § 7121(e)(1); Pirkkala, 123 M.S.P.R. 288, ¶ 6. Bargaining
     unit employees and their exclusive representatives each have independent rights
     to grieve matters within the scope of the grievance procedure.        Kendrick v.
     Department of Veterans Affairs, 74 M.S.P.R. 178, 181 (1997).          If the union
     grieves a matter without the employee’s explicit consent, the union’s grievance
                                                                                     4

     does not constitute an election on the part of the employee and does not preclude
     a later Board appeal. Id.
¶5        Here, the appellant’s January 20 memorandum did not explicitly state that it
     constituted a “grievance,” but it was addressed to the agency official who would
     have heard the matter if it had been a grievance, and it sought in substance to
     reverse the removal action.   IAF, Tab 9 at 32-34.     The applicable collective
     bargaining agreement defines a “grievance” as:
           [A]ny complaint:
           (1) By an employee concerning any matter relating to the
           employment of the employee;
           (2) By an employee or the parties concerning:
             (a) The effect or interpretation, or claim of breach, of this
           Agreement;
              (b) Any claimed violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of
           any law, rule, or regulation affecting conditions of employment.
     Id. at 54-55 (Labor Management Agreement, Article 34, Section 2.a).           The
     administrative judge found, and we agree, that the appellant’s memorandum,
     regardless of any deficiencies in traditional grievance form and regardless of the
     appellant’s intent, fell squarely within the contract’s broad definition of
     “grievance.” ID at 6. Moreover, the agency’s removal notice clearly informed
     the appellant of the various remedies available to her and the consequ ences of
     making an election. IAF, Tab 9 at 26-29. Shortly after the appellant filed her
     grievance, she attended a Step 3 grievance meeting with the Deputy Commander
     for Inpatient Services. Id. at 64, 67-68. The appellant contended that she had not
     intended to file a grievance, and the parties rescheduled the meeting so the
     appellant’s preferred union representative could attend. Id. at 63-64, 67-68. The
     Deputy Commander documented the request to reschedule in an email in which
     she referred to the rescheduled meeting as a Step 3 meeting. Id. at 64. At that
     point, the union also claimed that the appellant’s January 20 memorandum was
     not a grievance, and it requested to cancel the meeting. Id. at 63. However,
                                                                                       5

     neither the appellant nor the union attempted to withdraw the grievance until after
     the agency issued its Step 3 decision. Thus, the Deputy Commander had before
     her a memorandum from the appellant in which the appellant contes ted the
     removal action; as the Colonel stated in her Step 3 decision, if the memorandum
     was not a grievance, “there was no clarification provided as to what this . . .
     memo was in the alternative.” Id. at 68. Under these circumstances, the fact that
     the appellant knew that the agency considered the memorandum to be a grievance
     and she proceeded anyway lends support to the conclusion that her January 20
     memorandum was a grievance.
¶6        On review, the appellant reiterates the arguments she made below.         PFR
     File, Tab 1. She contends, for example, that the January 20 memorandum was not
     a Step 3 grievance because the document did not identify itself as such as
     required by the negotiated grievance procedure.      Id. at 2, 5.   The negotiated
     grievance procedure contains no such requirement. IAF, Tab 9 at 54-58. She
     further contends that the agency failed to prove that the memorandum constituted
     a grievance. PFR File, Tab 1 at 5. The burden of proving Board jurisdiction over
     her appeal is on the appellant, not the agency.
¶7        Moreover, the appellant alleges that she intended the January 20
     memorandum to be an “appeal” under the agency’s Open Door Policy, which she
     filed on the advice of a colleague. Id. at 4-5. The memorandum does not refer to
     the Open Door Policy.     In any event, the appellant does not explain why she
     chose to follow the advice of a colleague, rather than follow the clear instructions
     that the agency provided her in its notice of appeal rights, including information
     on whom to contact if she had questions or needed further information .
¶8        The appellant further contends that the January 20 memorandum cannot be
     deemed a Step 3 grievance because there is no preceding grievance at Step 1 or
     Step 2.   PFR File, Tab 5 at 2.     However, the negotiated grievance procedure
     explicitly provides that grievances concerning the removal from Federal service
     bypass Step 1 and Step 2 and proceed directly to Step 3. IAF, Tab 9 at 57.
                                                                                          6

¶9          Next, the appellant alleges that the agency lacks the authority to decide
      whether the January 20 memorandum constituted a grievance. PFR Fil e, Tab 1
      at 3-4. The agency may interpret the parties’ contract however it wishes , and, if
      the union believes that the agency’s interpretation is incorrect, it has remedies
      available under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute.
      5 U.S.C. §§ 7101-7135. As to the appellant, however, the administrative judge
      correctly found that it was her burden to prove jurisdiction over her appeal. ID
      at 1-2.   Because her burden required her to show that the January 20
      memorandum was not a valid election, she has had the opportunity and the
      obligation to show that the agency was wrong to consider the memorandum to be
      a grievance, which she failed to do.       She also has not explained why she
      considered a submission under the Open Door Policy to be a valid means of
      challenging her removal when the agency provided her clear notice of her four
      options (which did not include an Open Door Policy appeal) and informed her of
      the preclusive effect of whichever route she chose first. We find, therefore, that
      the administrative judge correctly dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
¶10         The appellant avers that the administrative judge was biased against her
      because he issued a jurisdictional show cause order before she had fully
      responded to the motion to dismiss that prompted the show cause order. PFR
      File, Tab 1 at 1. In making a claim of bias or prejudice against an administrative
      judge, a party must overcome the presumption of honesty and integrity that
      accompanies     administrative   adjudicators.       Oliver   v.   Department       of
      Transportation, 1 M.S.P.R. 382, 386 (1980). Here, the administrative judge was
      obligated to provide the notice of the burdens and elements of proof contained in
      the show cause order even if the appellant already had responded meaningfully to
      the agency’s motion to dismiss. That the administrative judge chose to issue the
      show cause notice before the appellant responded to the motion to dismiss did not
      prejudice the appellant’s substantive rights.     In any event, an administrative
      judge’s case-related rulings are not a proper basis for finding bias absent some
                                                                                            7

      extrajudicial conduct that reflects a deep-seated favoritism or antagonism that
      would make fair judgment impossible. Vaughn v. Department of the Treasury,
      119 M.S.P.R. 605, ¶ 18 (2013).        The appellant has not demonstrated that the
      administrative judge’s actions here constituted bias.
¶11         Finally, the appellant has submitted numerous documents on review.
      Because they are all already in the record below, they do not constitute new and
      material evidence, and we therefore have not relied on them. 3                Meier v.
      Department of the Interior, 3 M.S.P.R. 247, 256 (1980).

                               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

      3
        On July 27, 2022, the appellant filed a motion seeking leave to file an ad ditional
      pleading regarding the application of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Lucia v.
      Securities and Exchange Commission, 138 S.Ct. 2044 (2018), to her appeal. PFR File,
      Tab 21. The appellant did not raise an objection to the nature of the administrative
      judge’s appointment below. In McClenning v. Department of the Army, 2022 MSPB 3,
      the Board found that an Appointments Clause challenge must be raised before the
      administrative judge and that the Board will not address the merits of such a claim
      raised for the first time on review. Thus, the appellant has not shown the need for the
      additional submission, and the motion is accordingly denied.                 5 C.F.R.
      § 1201.114(a)(5).
      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.
                                                                                       8

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.
      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.
                                                                                  9

      (2) Judicial   or   EEOC    review    of   cases   involving   a   claim   of
discrimination. This option applies to you only if you have claimed that you
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 c laim 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:
                                                                                     10

                            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 peti tions 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 Novemb er 26, 2017. Pub. L. No. 115-195,
132 Stat. 1510.
                                                                                11

      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 w ebsite 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:                            /s/ for
                                          Jennifer Everling
                                          Acting Clerk of the Board
Washington, D.C.