Didonato v. Zilmer

983 F. Supp. 2d 531, 2013 WL 5707881, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150682
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 21, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. 10-4205
StatusPublished

This text of 983 F. Supp. 2d 531 (Didonato v. Zilmer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Didonato v. Zilmer, 983 F. Supp. 2d 531, 2013 WL 5707881, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150682 (E.D. Pa. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

McLAUGHLIN, District Judge.

The petitioner, Scott DiDonato,1 is a former United States Marine who has filed a petition for relief under the mandamus [533]*533statutes and the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. § 701 et seq., against the former Commandant and the former Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Department of the Navy, and the United States. DiDonato requests mandamus relief that the Court compel the Marine Corps to reenlist him. DiDonato also alleges that the Department of the Navy’s Board for Correction of Naval Records (“BCNR” or “the Board”) violated the APA by refusing to upgrade his reenlistment code from RE-4 (not recommended for reenlistment) to RE-1 (eligible for reenlistment), and he seeks an order from this Court that the reenlistment code be changed.

The respondents filed a motion for summary judgment, which was followed by an opposition, reply briefing, supplemental submissions, and an oral argument held on November 4, 2011. At oral argument, the petitioner limited his suit to a claim that the 2010 decision by the BCNR to keep the petitioner’s reenlistment code as RE-4 rather than change it to RE-1 was arbitrary and capricious under the APA. Hr’g Tr. at 43-44, ECF No. 17.

On May 2, 2012, the Court subsequently ordered that the motion for summary judgment was denied without prejudice. On May 23, 2012, the Court ordered that the petitioner’s application to amend his reenlistment code was remanded to the BCNR in order for the BCNR to address both the application and the issues raised in the Court’s May 2, 2012 Order.

Following the BCNR’s reevaluation of DiDonato’s case in light of the Court’s May 2, 2012 Order, the respondents filed a supplemental brief in support of the government’s motion for summary judgment. In that brief, the respondents refer to their prior summary judgment submissions as addressing the principal legal and factual questions before the Court. Therefore, the Court considers that supplemental brief as a renewed motion for summary judgment, and the Court will consider the parties’ previous filings on the motion for summary judgment, along with supplemental briefing following the remand. DiDonato responded to both the issues raised in the May 2, 2012 Order and what he characterizes as BCNR’s arbitrary and capricious review of his application on remand.

For the following reasons, the Court will now grant the respondents’ motion for summary judgment.

I. Relevant Summary Judgment Record

This Court’s review of an administrative decision is limited to the administrative record. Baugh v. Mabus, No. 10-440, 2011 WL 1103851, at *4 (E.D.Pa. Mar. 25, 2011) (citing Marshall v. Lansing, 839 F.2d 933, 943-44 (3d Cir.1988)), aff'd sub nom. Baugh v. Sec’y of the Navy, 504 Fed.Appx. 127 (3d Cir.2012).

The Court will therefore consider the certified administrative record submitted by the respondents in two parts on November 15, 2011 (Docket No. 16), and December 14, 2011 (Docket No. 20). The Court will also consider the documents the BCNR reviewed on remand, which included many of the summary judgment filings before this Court. The respondents submitted the following documents to the Court after the remand: (1) a February 19, 2013 letter from the Executive Director of the BCNR, W. Dean Pfeiffer (“Pfeiffer Letter”), Resp’t Supplemental Br., Ex. 3, and (2) a May 24, 2012 affidavit from Frances S. Poleto (“Poleto Aff.”), Resp’t Supplemental Br., Ex. 11.

Based on the petitioner’s representations at oral argument, the Court limits its consideration of the facts to those relevant to the issue of whether the BCNR’s 2010 [534]*534decision not to upgrade DiDonato’s reenlistment code was arbitrary and capricious under the APA.

A. Service and Discharge

Scott DiDonato served in the United States Marine Corps from October 1999 until January 9, 2001. DiDonato alleges various mistreatments by superior officers during that time, which caused him to take two unauthorized absences (“UAs”) from service. During both absences, DiDonato complained to his congressman about his treatment and ultimately returned voluntarily to service.

Facing charges for the latter UA, DiDonato requested an “other than honorable” (“OTH”) discharge in lieu of trial by special court-martial (also called a Separation in Lieu of Trial by Court Martial or “SiLT”). Cert. R. at 000047-48. Upon his discharge, which took effect on January 9, 2001, DiDonato was given a reentry code of RE-4 (not recommended for reenlistment). Cert. R. at 000170; see also Cert. R. at 000075 (amended character of service).

B. 2003-01/ Attempt to Upgrade Discharge Status and Reenlist

In 2003, DiDonato sought to reenlist. He contacted officers in the Marine Corps who allegedly gave him incorrect advice and engaged in fraudulent activity by placing false documents in his military file. Following this incorrect advice, DiDonato petitioned the BCNR to upgrade his reenlistment code. In June 2004, the BCNR denied his request. Cert. R. at 000028-30, 000083-84.

C. 2008 Upgrade of Discharge Status

In November 2008, DiDonato submitted an application to the Naval Discharge Review Board (“NDRB”) to upgrade his “other than honorable” discharge. His request was successful, and on December 22, 2009, the NDRB upgraded his discharge to “general (under honorable conditions).” Cert. R. at 000068. The NDRB’s rationale was that DiDonato should have been given an opportunity to retrain for a different position in the Marines (known as a Military Occupational Specialty or “MOS”) before he was discharged, and that his discharge characterization was too harsh. The NDRB, however, did not change the “narrative reason” for DiDonato’s discharge, which remained “In Lieu of Trial by Court Martial.” Cert. R. at 000069-74; see also Pet’r Opp’n, ECF No. 9, at 22-28 (corrected NDRB decision).

D.2010 BCNR Reenlistment Code Change Denial

In February 2010, DiDonato again applied to the BCNR for an upgrade to his reenlistment code based upon his upgraded discharge status by the NDRB and his allegations of past misconduct by the Navy.

According to the certified administrative record from the BCNR, DiDonato’s 2010 application to change his reenlistment code was reviewed by Frances S. Poleto, the head of the Performance Evaluation Review Branch of the Manpower Management Division (“MMER”). Poleto sent a memorandum to the Executive Director of the BCNR along with ten enclosures and the recommendation that DiDonato’s reenlistment code remain RE^l. Cert. R. at 000037-38. On March 31, 2010, DiDonato’s counsel responded to Poleto’s memorandum, objecting to many of Poleto’s characterizations and conclusions. Pet’r Resp. 11/30/11, Ex. 6, ECF No. 19-1, at 79-81. The March 31 letter was apparently reviewed by Poleto but not included in [535]*535the BCNR certified record.2 Cert. R. at 000031.

On April 1, 2010, W. Dean Pfeiffer, the Executive Director of the BCNR, denied DiDonato’s request.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Orloff v. Willoughby
345 U.S. 83 (Supreme Court, 1953)
John F. Kreis v. Secretary of the Air Force
866 F.2d 1508 (D.C. Circuit, 1989)
Scott Didonato v. United States
448 F. App'x 208 (Third Circuit, 2011)
Junius Baugh v. Secretary Navy
504 F. App'x 127 (Third Circuit, 2012)
Lechliter v. Secretary Defense
181 F. App'x 266 (Third Circuit, 2006)
Marshall v. Lansing
839 F.2d 933 (Third Circuit, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
983 F. Supp. 2d 531, 2013 WL 5707881, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150682, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/didonato-v-zilmer-paed-2013.