Blackwell v. BD. OF ANIMAL HEALTH

784 So. 2d 996, 2001 WL 482320
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedMay 8, 2001
Docket2000-SA-00012-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 784 So. 2d 996 (Blackwell v. BD. OF ANIMAL HEALTH) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blackwell v. BD. OF ANIMAL HEALTH, 784 So. 2d 996, 2001 WL 482320 (Mich. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

784 So.2d 996 (2001)

Cassandra M. BLACKWELL, Appellant,
v.
The MISSISSIPPI BOARD OF ANIMAL HEALTH, Appellee.

No. 2000-SA-00012-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

May 8, 2001.

*997 William Larry Latham, G. Todd Burwell, Jackson, Attorneys for Appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by Robert W. Graves, Avery Mounger Lee, Attorneys for Appellee.

BEFORE SOUTHWICK, P.J., LEE, and THOMAS, JJ.

THOMAS, J., for the Court:

¶ 1. Cassandra M. Blackwell appeals an order of the Circuit Court of Hinds County, Mississippi reversing a decision by the Mississippi Employee Appeals Board. Aggrieved, Blackwell perfected this appeal, raising the following issues as error:

I. WHETHER CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN OVERTURNING THE EMPLOYEE APPEALS BOARD'S FINDING THAT THE BOARD OF ANIMAL HEALTH ACTED ARBITRARILY AND CAPRICIOUSLY IN DENYING BLACKWELL'S REQUEST TO WITHDRAW HER RESIGNATION?
II. WHETHER THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN OVERTURNING THE HEARING OFFICER'S DECISION TO ADMIT INTO EVIDENCE THE 1998 LEGISLATIVE PEER REPORT ON THE BOARD OF ANIMAL HEALTH AND TESTIMONY BY BLACKWELL CONCERNING THAT REPORT?
III. WHETHER BLACKWELL WAS HARASSED AND THEN DENIED CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT IN VIOLATION OF MISS.CODE ANN. § 25-9-173 (Rev.1991)?
IV. WHETHER THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE AGENCY TO REINSTATE BLACKWELL TO HER FORMER *998 POSITION OR THE EQUIVALENT?

¶ 2. We hold that the circuit court's decision should be affirmed.

FACTS

¶ 3. Blackwell was employed by the Board of Animal Health (BAH) as a Bacteriologist III. On September 3, 1997, Blackwell submitted her resignation in writing to Dr. Frank Y. Rogers. Blackwell's letter of resignation simply stated, "Effective April 1, 1998, I hearby resign my position as Bacteriologist III at the Mississippi Board of Animal Health Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory." Dr. Rogers was employed by the BAH as the state veterinarian and director of the veterinary diagnostic laboratory, and as such was an agent of the BAH from 1990 until June 30, 1998. The BAH accepted her resignation in writing on October 7, 1997.

¶ 4. On March 18, 1998, Blackwell sent a letter to Dr. Rogers requesting that her letter of resignation be withdrawn. Dr. Rogers had the authority to accept or reject Blackwell's request to rescind her resignation, but told Blackwell that he would have to check on the ongoing application process and that he would get back to her in three days. Dr. Rogers checked with the personnel board and found that fifteen people had submitted an application for the position. The day after Blackwell attempted to withdraw her resignation, Dr. Rogers gave her a letter stating that the BAH would not allow her to withdraw her resignation. Blackwell was never dismissed or subjected to disciplinary action by the BAH. Blackwell's last day of work was March 31, 1998. Blackwell filed her notice of appeal with the Mississippi Employee Appeals Board (EAB) on April 3, 1998.

¶ 5. On October 1, 1998, a hearing was held before the Honorable Roosevelt Daniels, II, hearing officer of the EAB. In Daniels' opinion and order of November 3, 1998, he stated that the issue in this case was whether the employee could withdraw her resignation after her resignation has already been accepted by the BAH. Daniels found that the BAH was arbitrary and capricious in denying Blackwell the right to withdraw her resignation, and he ordered her to be reinstated with back pay. The full board of the EAB affirmed Daniels' findings. The BAH petitioned the circuit court of Hinds County for a writ of certiorari to review this matter. The circuit court found that the employee had no right to withdraw her accepted resignation. The circuit court reversed the order of the full board of the EAB and rendered judgment for the BAH. It is from this reversal that Blackwell now appeals.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 6. This Court's standard of review of an administrative agency's findings and decisions is well established. An agency's conclusions must remain undisturbed unless the agency's order 1) is not supported by substantial evidence, 2) is arbitrary or capricious, 3) is beyond the scope or power granted to the agency, or 4) violates one's constitutional rights. A decision by an administrative agency is arbitrary and capricious only where it is unsupported by any evidence. Hall v. Board. of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, 712 So.2d 312 (¶ 21) (Miss.1998). A rebuttable presumption exists in favor of the administrative agency, and the challenging party has the burden of proving otherwise. United Cement Co. v. Safe Air for the Environ., 558 So.2d 840, 842 (Miss.1990). Lastly, this Court must not reweigh the facts of the case or insert its judgment for that of the agency. Miss. Public Serv. Comm'n v. Merchants Truck Line, Inc., 598 So.2d 778, 782 (Miss.1992).

*999 ¶ 7. This Court uses a de novo standard of review when passing on questions of law. Ellis v. Anderson Tully Co., 727 So.2d 716 (¶ 14) (Miss.1998). Generally, an administrative agency is accorded deference, but when the agency has misapprehended a controlling legal principle, no deference is due, and our review is de novo. ABC Manufacturing Corp. v. Doyle, 749 So.2d 43 (¶ 10) (Miss.1999). We are aware of our duty of deference to agency interpretation and practice in areas of administration by law committed to their responsibility. Nevertheless, agency fact finding and legal interpretation is subject to judicial review and where, as here, the conclusions reached by the EAB are contrary to law, this deference must give way. Young v. Miss. State Tax Comm'n, 635 So.2d 869, 870 (Miss.1994). In a case where an administrative agency errs as a matter of law, courts of competent jurisdiction should not hesitate to intervene. Grant Ctr. Hosp. of Miss., Inc. v. Health Group of Jackson, Miss., Inc., 528 So.2d 804, 808 (Miss.1988).

ANALYSIS

I.

WHETHER CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN OVERTURNING THE EMPLOYEE APPEALS BOARD'S FINDING THAT THE BOARD OF ANIMAL HEALTH ACTED ARBITRARILY AND CAPRICIOUSLY IN DENYING BLACKWELL'S REQUEST TO WITHDRAW HER RESIGNATION?

¶ 8. The EAB held that the BAH acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner by denying Blackwell the right to withdraw her resignation. The circuit court reversed this finding and held that a government employee may not withdraw his/her resignation from his job before the effective date if the resignation has already been accepted by the employing agency. The circuit court stated that once Blackwell's resignation had been accepted by the agency, she had no right to withdraw it, even with the agency's consent. BAH argues that even if the agency may have been arbitrary and capricious in denying the attempted withdrawal, this would not change the outcome, since the attempted withdrawal had no legal effect.

¶ 9. The circuit court found the issue before the court of whether a state employee may withdraw his job resignation after the resignation has already been accepted by the agency to be an issue of first impression in the state of Mississippi. To address this issue the circuit court looked to the law from surrounding jurisdictions and an opinion from the Mississippi Attorney General's Office. In a case similar to the case at bar, the Mississippi Attorney General's opinion stated that the resignation could not be withdrawn. The Miss. Atty. Gen.'s Opinion, 1981, states as follows:

While there is authority to the contrary, see, e.g.,

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Bluebook (online)
784 So. 2d 996, 2001 WL 482320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blackwell-v-bd-of-animal-health-missctapp-2001.