The Office of Federal Operations (OFO) recently reversed a USPS decision to dismiss a  reprisal claim and ordered an investigation. The decision serves to illuminate the basic elements of a  reprisal claim.

The law protects Federal Employees that have participated in  EEO activity against  reprisal by their supervisors and Federal Employing Agency. When the Federal Employee alleges  reprisal, the adverse action they allege as retaliatory need not be on that materially alter the terms and conditions of employment (i.e., [...]

Federal Agencies that take an adverse action against a Federal Employee based on “failure to  follow leave procedures” will have to prove certain elements of that charge before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

An Agency may take adverse action against a Federal Employee for failure to follow leave procedures so long as the federal employee is clearly on notice of the leave procedure, the leave procedure is legitimate, and the federal employee has been informed of the likelihood of discipline [...]

An Agency can take disciplinary action or adverse action against a Federal Employee for being Absent Without Leave (AWOL).  Rarely, however, is the Federal Employee both absent from work and absent without approved leave.  Adverse actions involving AWOL before the  MSPB often involve questions of doctors’ appointments, improper denials of annual and/or sick leave, etc.

Therefore, if an Agency takes an adverse action against a Federal Employee for AWOL, it must prove its charges before the  MSPB.  In order to prove [...]

In October, a Senate Panel vetted two of President Obama’s nominees for the Merit Systems Protection Board.  The nominees are Susan Tsui Grundmann  (nominated as chair of the MSPB) and Anne Marie Wagner (nominated to be her vice chairman).   The panel was chaired by Senatory Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), who has in the past introduced legislation for reform of the Federal Whistleblower Protection Act.

In his opening statement, chairman Akaka  focused on what he [...]

When a Federal Employee negotiates a settlement of an MSPB appeal, he or she is entitled to the benefit  bargained for in the agreement.  A recent MSPB case illustrates how the MSPB Administrative Judge and the MSPB Full Board review settlement agreements entered into by Parties. Felch v. Navy, 2009 MSPB 160 (August 24, 2009).

First, the MSPB should look to the law of contracts in interpreting settlement agreements.  (N.B. – Contract law interprets contracts by first looking to the contract [...]

Occasionally, we see a proposal letter that is so poorly or broadly worded that the Federal Employee is not fully informed of the charges that the Agency has brought against them.

When removing a Federal Employee, Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) case law is clear that 5 U.S.C. § 7513(b)(1) requires that the Federal government Agency give the Federal employee advance writtten notice stating the specific reasons for the proposed adverse action. The MSPB has consistently held that a Federal employee [...]

Both the MSPB and the EEOC afford Appellants (or Complainants) the opportunity to pursue discovery.   While the timelines and the amounts of discovery allowed are quite different, the basic ideas of what discovery is and how it should be used are very similar.

There are six (6) primary types of discovery in litigation in the United States (click on the links for the particular type of discovery you want to read about:
Requests for Admission (Click on link to read more [...]

Attorney Chris Attig, an attorney with experience before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), discusses how the Administrative Judge considers the credibility of witnesses at an MSPB hearing.

Both the MSPB and the EEOC afford Appellants (or Complainants) the opportunity to pursue discovery.   While the timelines and the amounts of discovery allowed are quite different, the basic ideas of what discovery is and how it should be used are very similar.

There are six (6) primary types of discovery in litigation in the U.S (click [...]

This post is part of a continuing series describing the general discovery tools available to Federal Employees who are Appellants before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and/or Complainants before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Both the MSPB and the EEOC afford Appellants (or Complainants) the opportunity to pursue discovery.  While the timelines and the amounts of discovery allowed are quite different, the basic ideas of what discovery is and how it should be used are very similar.

There are [...]