Alexander v. United States

52 Fed. Cl. 710, 2002 U.S. Claims LEXIS 143, 2002 WL 1299994
United States Court of Federal Claims·Decided June 12, 2002·No. No. 01-540C·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

ORDER

MILLER, Judge.

Before the court is defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiffs claims for reinstatement to his position as a National Guard technician and/or for back pay or, in the alternative, for severance pay. At issue is whether the court has jurisdiction over claims brought by National Guard technicians or whether such claims lie within the exclusive jurisdiction of the state adjutants general. As plaintiff is proceeding pro se, the court ordered additional briefing in lieu of oral argument.

FACTS

Michael J. Alexander (“plaintiff’) was employed as a civilian instructor pilot with the Michigan Air National Guard (“MANG”). MANG suspended plaintiffs security clearance based on allegations that plaintiff abused alcohol. On July 28, 1995, plaintiffs commander ordered plaintiff to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (‘Wright-Patterson”) for 30 days of unprescribed alcohol rehabilitation, instructing plaintiff that failure to comply with the order would result in his termination. Plaintiff did not attend alcohol rehabilitation treatment and was terminated as a technician on September 29, 1995, for failing to maintain flying status and required security clearance. According to the Notification of Personnel Action sent to plaintiff, MANG considered plaintiff to have resigned his position voluntarily and thus to be ineligible for severance pay.

On October 28, 1995, MANG further informed plaintiff that, if he did not attend [712] alcohol rehabilitation treatment, he would be dishonorably discharged from the National Guard unless he voluntarily resigned first. Plaintiff resigned.

At the request of plaintiffs congressional representative in 1998 and 1999, the Inspector General of the Department of Defense investigated the circumstances of plaintiffs resignation. In his report dated August 23, 2001, the Inspector General concluded that, although plaintiffs commander had authority to ground plaintiff and order him to seek treatment for alcoholism, his order that plaintiff seek 30-day treatment at Wright-Patterson exceeded his authority. The Inspector General concluded, first, that two evaluators at the local base already had determined that plaintiff did not have an alcohol problem and that the commander’s order therefore violated applicable Air Force regulations. Second, plaintiff was not eligible for the rehabilitation program at Wrighb-Patter-son because his condition was not incurred “in the line of duty.” Third, contrary to plaintiffs termination order, plaintiff had not lost his security clearance. Because plaintiffs commander lacked authority to suspend plaintiffs security clearance, plaintiff still maintained security clearance at the time of his termination. In sum, the Inspector General concluded that plaintiffs termination was not in accordance with regulatory provisions.

According to defendant, plaintiff subsequently and unsuccessfully sought reinstatement. The Declaration of Major General E. Gordon Stump, the Adjutant General of Michigan, asserts that plaintiff twice sought and was denied reinstatement. On the second attempt, plaintiff submitted the Inspector General’s report. General Stump takes the position that he is not bound by that report and explains that, in his opinion, the managerial errors noted by the Inspector General do not prove plaintiffs fitness for a civilian technician position.

Plaintiff now sues in the Court of Federal Claims, alleging violations of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment; the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment as applicable to the Federal Government; and violations of the National Guard Technicians Act of 1968, 32 U.S.C. § 709 (2000) (the “NGTA”). Plaintiff alleges that neither his employment termination nor his resignation from the National Guard was voluntary, and he seeks reinstatement and/or back pay under the Back Pay Act, 5 U.S.C. § 5596 (2000). Alternatively, plaintiff seeks severance pay under 5 U.S.C. § 5595(b) (2000).

Defendant moves to dismiss under RCFC 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(4) on the grounds that plaintiff mooted his right to reinstatement by voluntarily resigning from the National Guard; that review of plaintiffs termination lies exclusively with the Adjutant General of Michigan; and that, in any case, plaintiffs termination involves internal military affairs and thus does not present a justiciable controversy that this court could resolve. Supplemental briefing was ordered on the issue of whether remand to Michigan’s Adjutant General was appropriate and whether RCFC 60.1 provides for such a remand. Defendant also was to address the question of an appropriate remedy short of reinstatement. The court noted that plaintiffs jurisdictional argument implicated material outside the pleadings and ordered the filing of proposed findings of fact related to the jurisdictional issue only. See Indium Corp. of Amer. v. Semi-Alloys, Inc., 781 F.2d 879, 884 (Fed.Cir.1985) (if motion to dismiss raises question as to truth of jurisdictional allegations in complaint, court may consider, in deciding 12(b)(1) motion, evidentiary matters outside pleadings). Upon reviewing the supplemental briefs, the court in an order entered on April 10, 2002, determined that remand was not appropriate.

DISCUSSION

1. Standards for motion to dismiss

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Alexander v. United States, 52 Fed. Cl. 710, 2002 U.S. Claims LEXIS 143, 2002 WL 1299994 (uscfc 2002).

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