Court Opinion

ID: 9402077
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-06-15 06:00:14.729051+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:19:57.245134
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                        MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

     CECILIA ROTELLI,                                DOCKET NUMBER
                   Appellant,                        SF-315H-17-0113-X-1

                  v.

     DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY,                         DATE: June 14, 2023
                 Agency.

             THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1

           Cecilia Rotelli, Auburn, Washington, pro se.

           Basil R. Legg, Jr., Esquire, North Charleston, South Carolina, for the
             agency.

                                           BEFORE

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

                                       FINAL ORDER

¶1         This case is before the Board pursuant to a compliance initial decision of
     the administrative judge finding the agency in partial noncompliance with a
     settlement agreement. Rotelli v. Department of the Navy, MSPB Docket No. SF-

     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        A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add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 Parties may cite nonprecedential orders,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

     315H-17-0113-C-1, Compliance File, Tab 15, Compliance Initial Decision (CID).
     For the reasons discussed below, we now find the agency in compliance and
     DISMISS the petition for enforcement.

        DISCUSSION OF ARGUMENTS AND EVIDENCE ON COMPLIANCE
¶2        The appellant was terminated from her position in November 2016. Rotelli
     v. Department of the Navy, MSPB Docket No. SF-315H-17-0113-I-1, Final Order
     (July 15, 2022); Petition for Review (PFR) File, Tab 8. The appellant filed an
     appeal of her termination.     Rotelli v. Department of the Navy, MSPB Docket
     No. SF-315H-17-0113-I-1, Initial Appeal File (IAF), Tab 1.       While the appeal
     was pending, the parties entered into a settlement agreement. IAF, Tab 25. The
     settlement agreement provided, in pertinent part:

           (1)      The Agency will rescind its Notice of Termination during
                 Probationary Period dated November 3, 2016 and will initiate
                 actions to cancel and remove from Appellant’s Official Personnel
                 File the SF-52 and SF-50 removing Appellant from Federal
                 Service as of November 3, 2016. The Agency will replace the
                 existing SF-50 with an SF-50 showing Appellant voluntarily
                 resigned from Federal service effective April 18, 2017.

     Id. at 1. The administrative judge issued an initial decision dated February 17,
     2017, entering the settlement agreement into the record for enforcement purposes
     and dismissing the appeal. IAF, Tab 30, Initial Decision at 3.
¶3        On October 31, 2017, the appellant filed a petition for review of the initial
     decision, requesting that the Board “review the settlement agreement and the case
     itself, and the decision to approve.” PFR File, Tab 2 at 4. The appellant also
     claimed that the agency failed to comply with the settlement agreement by
     updating her personnel file to reflect her voluntary resignation. Id. On July 15,
     2022, the Board dismissed the petition for review as untimely filed, but forwarded
     the appellant’s allegations of noncompliance to the regional office for docketing
     as a petition for enforcement. Final Order at 5-6; PFR File, Tab 8.
                                                                                             3

¶4         In a January 17, 2023 compliance initial decision, after providing the
     parties with the opportunity to file evidence and argument regarding the
     compliance issue, the administrative judge found that the agency had not
     complied, in part, with the settlement agreement, because it failed to expunge all
     references to the appellant’s November 3, 2016 termination from her Official
     Personnel File (OPF). CID at 7. Although the agency had removed from the
     appellant’s OPF the Standard Form (SF) 50 and SF-52 which referred to the
     November termination, the administrative judge found that the OPF still
     contained four documents which clearly referred to appellant’s November 3, 2016
     termination “in the context of FEHB [Federal Employee Health Benefits] and
     Federal Employees’ Gorup [sic] Life Insurance (FEGLI) coverage, and a narrative
     form issued in lieu of an SF-1150, Record of Leave Data, for employee data
     transfer.”   Id.    The administrative judge ordered the agency to “expunge
     references to the appellant’s November 3, 2016 termination from he r OPF, i.e.,
     delete entirely the four pages described above, or redact the extant references on
     those pages, and to ensure no additional references exist in her OPF.” CID at 10. 2

                                           ANALYSIS
¶5         A settlement agreement is a contract and, as such, will be enforced in
     accordance with contract law.          Burke v. Department of Veterans Affairs,
     121 M.S.P.R. 299, ¶ 8 (2014). The Board will enforce a settlement agreement
     that has been entered into the record in the same manner as a final Board decision

     2
       The compliance initial decision informed the agency that, if it decided to take the
     actions required by the decision, it must submit to the Clerk of the Board, within the
     time limit for filing a petition for review under 5 C.F.R. § 1201.114(e), a statement that
     it has taken the actions identified in the compliance initial decision, along with
     evidence establishing that it has taken those actions. CID at 10-11; see 5 C.F.R.
     § 1201.183(a)(6)(i). The compliance initial decision also informed the parties that they
     could file a petition for review if they disagreed with the compliance initial decision.
     CID at 11; see 5 C.F.R. §§ 1201.114 (e), 1201.183(a)(6)(ii). Neither party petitioned
     for review of the compliance initial decision.
                                                                                       4

     or order.   Id.   In a proceeding to enforce a settlement agreement, the party
     alleging noncompliance with the agreement has the burden of proof. Modrowski
     v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 97 M.S.P.R. 224, ¶ 7 (2004). However, when
     an appellant makes specific allegations of noncompliance, as appellant did here, it
     is the agency’s burden to produce relevant evidence within its control showing
     compliance with its agreement or showing good cause for its failure to comply.
     Id.
¶6         On February 15, 2023, the agency filed a statement of compliance
     representing that it had sent the required paperwork to the Navy Office of Human
     Resources (OHR) for removal or redaction of the identified documents and
     verification that no other documents in appellant’s OPF referred to the
     November 3, 2016 termination; and stating that agency counsel awaited
     verification from OHR that these actions had been taken. Rotelli v. Department
     of the Navy, MSPB Docket No. SF-315H-17-0113-X-1, Compliance Referral File
     (CRF), Tab 1 at 3.
¶7         After requesting and receiving an extension of time, the agency filed a
     supplement to the statement of compliance on March 6, 2023.          CRF, Tab 5.
     Attached to the supplement is a declaration by an agency paralegal attesting to the
     actions the agency took to comply with the January 17, 20 23 compliance initial
     decision, including expunging the references to the November 3, 2016
     termination cited by the administrative judge, and searching for, and removing,
     other references to the termination in the OPF.     Id. at 6-7.   The agency also
     attached supporting documents, which include a copy of the final revised and
     redacted version of appellant’s OPF.     Id. at 6-224    On March 14, 2023, the
     appellant filed a “Response to the Acknowledgement Order dated February 16,
     2023,” asking that the Board consider the “ramifications and repercussions”
     resulting from the agency’s non-compliance and requesting that the agency send
                                                                                          5

     her “copies of education and certificates obtained” during her employment. 3
     CRF, Tab 6 at 11.
¶8         In its submissions, the agency produced evidence demonstrating that it has
     removed all references to the November 3, 2016 termination from appellant’s
     OPF and thus complied with the settlement agreement.           The appellant has not
     rebutted this evidence. Accordingly, we find the agency in compliance with the
     settlement agreement and the final order in the underlying case, and DISMISS the
     petition for enforcement. 4
¶9         This is the final decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board in this
     compliance proceeding.        Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section
     1201.183(c)(1) (5 C.F.R. § 1201.183(c)(1)).

                       NOTICE TO THE APPELLANT REGARDING
                             YOUR RIGHT TO REQUEST
                            ATTORNEY FEES AND COSTS
           You may be entitled to be paid by the agency for your reasonable attorney
     fees and costs. To be paid, you must meet the requirements set out at Title 5 of
     the United States Code (5 U.S.C.), sections 7701(g), 1221(g), or 1214(g). The
     regulations may be found at 5 C.F.R. §§ 1201.201, 1201.202, and 1201.203. If
     you believe you meet these requirements, you must file a motion for attorney fees
     WITHIN 60 CALENDAR DAYS OF THE DATE OF THIS DECISION.                             You
     must file your attorney fees motion with the office that issued the initial decision
     on your appeal.

     3
       To the extent the appellant seeks to require the agency to send her copies of her
     “education and certificates obtained,” CRF, Tab 6 at 10, she has no authority to impose
     additional obligations on the agency outside of those established in the existing
     settlement agreement.
     4
       The agency’s June 13, 2023 request for a status conference is denied based on our
     finding of compliance.
                                                                                         6

                           NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS 5
      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 t ime
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:

5
  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.
                                                                                   7

                             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
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
                                                                                  8

requirement of prepayment of fees, costs, or other securi ty.       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:
                            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
                                                                                      9

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. 6   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).
      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

6
   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.
                                                                           10

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.