Ayala v. United States

16 Cl. Ct. 1, 1988 U.S. Claims LEXIS 169, 1988 WL 123691
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedOctober 4, 1988
DocketNo. 441-87C
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 16 Cl. Ct. 1 (Ayala v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ayala v. United States, 16 Cl. Ct. 1, 1988 U.S. Claims LEXIS 169, 1988 WL 123691 (cc 1988).

Opinion

ORDER

HARKINS, Senior Judge.

This case is before the court on defendant’s motion to dismiss pursuant to RUSCC 12(b)(1), for lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter, and RUSCC 12(b)(4), failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Plaintiff’s complaint seeks retroactive promotion, back pay, medical benefits and damages arising from a transfer from the Selected Marine Corps Reserves (SMCR) (reservists drilling and receiving pay) to the Independent Ready Reserves (IRR) (reservists in billets for which pay is not authorized). Plaintiff’s claim for back pay clearly is within the subject matter jurisdiction of this court. Defendant’s motion under RUSCC 12(b)(4), failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, does not rest on subject matter jurisdiction. Material outside the pleadings was presented and not excluded. Accordingly, defendant’s motion is treated as one for summary judgment, and disposed of as provided in RUSCC 56.

Plaintiff, represented pro se, has pursued his claims in two actions in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and has sought relief before the Board for the Correction of Naval Records (BCNR). The material facts are not in dispute.

Oral argument was held on May 25, 1988. At the close of argument, defendant was directed to file a supplemental brief that addressed the issues identified by the district court in its order transferring the claims to this court: plaintiff’s claim for additional back pay under the Reservists Pay Mandating Statute (37 U.S.C. § 206 (1982)) and his claims of discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Equal Employment Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e-l et seq. (1982)). Defendant has filed a supplemental brief and plaintiff has not exercised his option to file a response.

Gunnery Sergeant Jesus Roberto Ayala enlisted in the Marine Corps on December 21, 1966, and was transferred to Vietnam • in August 1967. During the next year he participated in 15 combat operations and was wounded in action on three occasions. He was awarded three Purple Heart Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal with four stars, Vietnam Cross for Gallantry and Presidential Unit Citation. He was released from active duty and transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve on December 18, 1970. In 1971, plaintiff began participating in the active reserve as a “drilling reservist” in the SMCR. Through successive enlistments, he continued in the SMCR until April 27, 1983, at which time he was transferred to the IRR.

Plaintiff contends that the April 27,1983, transfer to the IRR was the result of racial discrimination and a conspiracy to discriminate. These claims have been investigated by the Marine Corps and considered by the BCNR. The BCNR denied plaintiff’s discrimination claims and his request for promotion and promotional back pay but granted his request for reinstatement and pension benefits at his existing rank, and granted in part his request for back pay. [3]*3The BCNR determined that plaintiff’s transfer, although not based upon illegal discrimination, was improper because of procedural irregularities. On May 5, 1986, the BCNR found “the existence of an injustice warranting a corrective action." This finding was based upon the conclusion that plaintiff’s transfer to the IRR was not voluntary but was involuntary, and therefore subject to procedural safeguards with which there had not been compliance.

The BCNR directed that plaintiff’s naval records be corrected to show that he was not transferred from the SMCR to the IRR on April 27, 1983, but has continued to serve in the SMCR continuously since that date, earning sufficient points in the succeeding years for those years to qualify as creditable for retirement from the Marine Corps Reserve. On August 13, 1986, the BCNR amended its recommendation and directed that plaintiff’s record be further corrected to reflect attendance at a sufficient number of drills to earn the 50 points required for retirement so as to authorize the expenditure of funds to reflect such attendance.

Plaintiff’s record has been corrected in accordance with the BCNR decision, and back pay in the net amount of $4,261.24 has been tendered to him. As of December 20, 1986, he has been credited with 20 years satisfactory service, making him eligible to retire and to draw retirement pay commencing at age 60. In November 1986, to protect his retirement eligibility, his enlistment was extended for 90 days. On February 5, 1987, plaintiff re-enlisted for 4 years.

In the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, plaintiffs first action was filed May 17, 1985, seeking retroactive pay and promotion, medical care, pension benefits and $17 million in damages. Ayala v. United States, 624 F.Supp. 259 (S.D.N.Y.1985). That case was dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under the Federal Tort Claims Act (Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135, 71 S.Ct. 153, 95 L.Ed. 152 (1950)) and for failure to exhaust administrative remedies before the BCNR.

In the second action filed July 21, 1986, 86 CIV 4963 (RWS), the court stated:

Ayala’s claims for damages for alleged racial discrimination and conspiracy to discriminate can be interpreted as claims under Title VII, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e-l et seq., the Reservists Pay Mandating Statute, 37 U.S.C. § 206 (1982), the Ku Klux Klan Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3), the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2671 et seq., or as a Bivens-type claim under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Plaintiffs claims based on the Federal Tort Claims Act and the Bivens-type claims were dismissed under the authority of Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135, 71 S.Ct. 153, 95 L.Ed. 152 (1950) and Chappell v. Wallace, 462 U.S. 296,103 S.Ct. 2362, 76 L.Ed.2d 586 (1983). Inasmuch as plaintiffs back pay claims were found to exceed $10,-000, the case was transferred to this court in the interest of justice pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1631 (1982).

The standard applicable to claims presented pro se requires the pleadings and motion papers to be examined to determine whether, in the light most favorable to plaintiff, they can be construed as stating a claim for which relief can be granted under any theory within the court’s jurisdiction. Haines v. Kemer, 404 U.S. 519, 520-21, 92 S.Ct. 594, 595-96, 30 L.Ed.2d 652 (1971).

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16 Cl. Ct. 1, 1988 U.S. Claims LEXIS 169, 1988 WL 123691, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ayala-v-united-states-cc-1988.