Court Opinion

ID: 9955810
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-29 16:00:36.547727+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:15:24.088584
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                    MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

    DONNELL E. HILL,                               DOCKET NUMBER
                  Appellant,                       DA-0752-17-0319-I-1

               v.

    DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY,                    DATE: March 28, 2024
                Agency.

         THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1

        Donnell E. Hill , Dallas, Texas, pro se.

        Michael L. Salyards , Esquire, Dallas, Texas, 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, which
sustained his removal.      On petition for review, the appellant argues that the
administrative judge erred in finding that the agency proved the absence without
leave charge and that the appellant failed to prove his affirmative defenses .
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   A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add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 Parties may cite nonprecedential orders,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).
      Regarding the appellant’s affirmative defenses of discrimination and equal
employment opportunity (EEO) reprisal, the administrative judge found that the
appellant did not prove that a prohibited consideration was a motivating factor in
the agency’s removal action. Initial Appeal File, Tab 23, Initial Decision (ID)
at 19-22.   The motivating factor standard applies to claims of reprisal for
engaging in activity protected under Title VII and the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act (ADEA).        See Pridgen v. Office of Management and Budget ,
2022 MSPB 31, ¶¶ 20-22, 30. To the extent that the appellant claims reprisal for
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prior EEO activity based on Title VII or the ADEA, we see no error in the
administrative judge’s findings. 1 ID at 19-22.
      However, since the issuance of the initial decision in this matter, the Board
has recognized that a more stringent standard applies to retaliation claims based
on activity protected under the Rehabilitation Act, such that an appellant must
prove that his activity was a “but-for” cause of the retaliation . Desjardin v. U.S.
Postal Service, 2023 MSPB 6, ¶ 33; Pridgen, 2022 MSPB 31, ¶¶ 44-47. To the
extent that the appellant claims retaliation for prior disability -based EEO activity,
his failure to meet the lesser burden of proving that his protected activity was a
motivating factor in his removal necessarily means that he failed to meet the more
stringent “but-for” standard that applies to his claim. See Desjardin, 2023 MSPB
6, ¶ 33; Haas v. Department of Homeland Security, 2022 MSPB 36, ¶ 32.
Accordingly, we conclude that the appellant did not prove this affirmative
defense.

                         NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS 2
      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).
1
  The Board has clarified that the methods of proof for these claims are (1) direct
evidence; (2) circumstantial evidence; and (3) some combination of direct and indirect
evidence. Pridgen v. Office of Management and Budget, 2022 MSPB 31, ¶¶ 23-24, 30
(clarifying Savage v. Department of the Army , 122 M.S.P.R. 612 (2015), and Gardner v.
Department of Veterans Affairs, 123 M.S.P.R. 647 (2016)). No one method is the
exclusive path to a finding of liability. Id., ¶¶ 23. Here, although the administrative
judge discussed the distinction between direct and circumstantial evidence, there is no
allegation that he disregarded any type of evidence. ID at 19-22. Moreover, we find
that the administrative judge properly considered the documentary and testimonial
evidence as a whole in finding that the appellant did not prove this affirmative defense.
Id. Because we discern no error with the administrative judge’s motivating factor
analysis, we do not reach the question of whether discrimination or retaliation was a
“but-for” cause of the removal action. See Pridgen, 2022 MSPB 31, ¶ 20-22, 29-33.
2
  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.
                                                                                       4

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.
      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.
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      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
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
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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 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. 3
3
   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.
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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
Board neither endorses the services provided by any attorney nor warrants that
any attorney will accept representation in a given case.

The All Circuit Review Act is retroactive to November 26, 2017. Pub. L. No. 115-195,
132 Stat. 1510.
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      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.