Court Opinion

ID: 9881644
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-03 16:00:43.591605+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:14:01.180768
License: Public Domain

Case: 23-1695     Document: 15    Page: 1   Filed: 10/03/2023

           NOTE: This order is nonprecedential.

   United States Court of Appeals
       for the Federal Circuit
                  ______________________

                CHARLES DERECK ADAMS,
                       Petitioner

                             v.

      MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD,
                    Respondent
              ______________________

                        2023-1695
                  ______________________

    Petition for review of the Merit Systems Protection
 Board in No. DC-0752-20-0303-I-1.
                 ______________________

                      ON MOTION
                  ______________________

   Before DYK, CUNNINGHAM, and STARK, Circuit Judges.
 PER CURIAM.
                        ORDER
    In response to the court’s order to show cause, the
 Merit Systems Protection Board (“Board”) moves to dis-
 miss. Charles Dereck Adams opposes dismissal.
     This court previously affirmed the Department of De-
 fense’s decision to remove Mr. Adams from his position af-
 ter his security clearance was revoked. See Adams v. Dep’t
Case: 23-1695     Document: 15     Page: 2    Filed: 10/03/2023

 2                                              ADAMS v. MSPB

 of Def., 688 F.3d 1330, 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2012). Years later,
 he filed the underlying appeal at the Board asserting that
 members of the agency committed an “Abuse of Power and
 Obstruction of Evidence[] [and] discrimination” by alleg-
 edly wrongfully removing him. App. 29. The administra-
 tive judge dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. Mr. Adams
 filed a petition for review from that decision to the Board,
 but that petition was dismissed as untimely. Mr. Adams
 then filed this petition for review and has indicated in his
 filings that he does not wish to abandon his discrimination
 claims.
      Under 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(9), this court has jurisdic-
 tion to review a final order or final decision of the Board
 except in “[c]ases of discrimination subject to the provisions
 of [5 U.S.C. §] 7702.” 5 U.S.C. § 7703(b)(1)(A), (b)(2). Alt-
 hough under Perry v. Merit Systems Protection Board, 582
 U.S. 420, 431–32 (2017), we must ordinarily transfer so-
 called mixed cases to federal district court even when the
 Board dismisses for lack of jurisdiction, such cases must
 involve (1) a non-frivolous allegation of “an action which
 the employee . . . may appeal to the” Board and (2) “that a
 basis for the action was [covered] discrimination.” 5 U.S.C.
 § 7702(a)(1); see Perry, 582 U.S. at 431. We need not reach
 any definitive resolution as to whether this is a mixed case
 because we would dismiss regardless of how we would an-
 swer that question.
     If we were to look at Mr. Adams’ allegations before the
 Board as naked allegations of “abuse of power” and “ob-
 struction of justice,” divorced from any personnel action
 plausibly appealable to the Board, we would conclude that
 this is not a mixed case but that dismissal is still appropri-
 ate because Mr. Adams has failed to allege that he was af-
 fected by an action appealable to the Board. See, e.g., 5
 U.S.C. § 7512 (“Actions covered”). We would reach the
 same outcome if we were to alternatively take the view that
 Mr. Adams was attempting to relitigate his prior removal,
 rendering this a mixed case, as it would not be in the
Case: 23-1695      Document: 15   Page: 3     Filed: 10/03/2023

 ADAMS v. MSPB                                              3

 interest of justice to transfer such a frivolous challenge
 that was adjudicated more than a decade ago.
    Accordingly,
    IT IS ORDERED THAT:
    (1) The Board’s motion is granted. This case is dis-
 missed.
    (2) Any pending motions are denied as moot.
    (3) Each side shall bear its own costs.
                                      FOR THE COURT

 October 3, 2023                      /s/ Jarrett B. Perlow
       Date                           Jarrett B. Perlow
                                      Clerk of Court