Ebinger v. United States

155 F. Supp. 565, 140 Ct. Cl. 82, 1957 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 123
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedOctober 9, 1957
DocketNo. 49615
StatusPublished

This text of 155 F. Supp. 565 (Ebinger 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
Ebinger v. United States, 155 F. Supp. 565, 140 Ct. Cl. 82, 1957 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 123 (cc 1957).

Opinion

Littheton, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff, Henry Grissing,1 sues to recover (1) increased [84]*84retired pay for tbe period from July 2, 1936 through January 6,1942, to which plaintiff claims he is entitled by virtue of active duty service performed for more than 6 years and 10 months between 1929 and 1936, (2) increased retired pay for the period from April 25, 1946 through September 30, 1949, to which plaintiff claims he is entitled by virtue of active duty service performed for more than 4 years and 4 months during World War II, and (3) good conduct increases for both periods. The parties agree that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact, and both have moved for summary judgment.

It is plaintiff’s position that under the provisions of section 203 of the Naval Eeserve Act of June 25,1938, 52 Stat. 1175, 1178, and under the provisions of section 208 added to the 1938 Act by the Act of August 10,1946, 60 Stat. 993, 994, he is entitled to receive increased retired pay plus good conduct increases for both periods in suit. Defendant concedes that plaintiff is entitled to the increased retired pay claimed for the period from April 25, 1946 through September 30, 1949, on the authority of the holdings of this court in Sanders v. United States, 120 C. Cls. 501, and Hulse v. United States, 133 C. Cls. 848, cert. den. March 25, 1957, 353 U. S. 916. Defendant moves for summary judgment dismissing the petition insofar as it seeks to recover good conduct increases for both periods, on the ground that in the Hulse case, supra, this court has held that such increase is not permissible under section 208 of the 1946 Act. Defendant has also moved for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s claim for increased retired pay under section 208 for the period from July 2,1936 through January 6,1942, on the ground that section 208 permits the counting of additional active duty performed after transfer to the Fleet Eeserve only where such service is performed in time of war or national emergency, whereas the additional service of which plaintiff bases his claim for increased retired pay during this period was performed in peacetime between 1929 and 1936.

Plaintiff first enlisted in the United States Navy on August 15,1906, and served therein through continuous terms of enlistment until July 19, 1922, when he was transferred to the Fleet Eeserve with credit for 16 years’ and 22 days’ [85]*85service for transfer purposes. Under the law then in effect, plaintiff received retainer pay computed on the basis of one-third of his base pay, plus a longevity pay increase.

On August 29, 1929, plaintiff was recalled to active duty and served thereon until July 1, 1936, when he was again released to inactive status and placed on the retired list with retired pay computed on the basis of one-third of his base pay, plus longevity pay reflecting 22 years’ service.

On September 8,1939, the President of the United States issued Proclamation No. 2352, C. F. R. (1939 Supp.) pp. 59-60, and Executive Order 8245 C. F. R. (1939 Supp.) p. 216, declaring the existence of a national emergency and authorizing the Armed Forces to increase their strength. Pursuant to such proclamation and executive order, many Fleet Reservists including this plaintiff were recalled to active duty. Plaintiff’s recall to active duty took place on January 7, 1942 and he served thereon for an additional period of 4 years, 3 months and 18 days until April 24,1946 when he was released to inactive duty for the third time. Again the Navy computed plaintiff’s retired pay on the basis of one-third of his base pay, plus a longevity pay increase based on 27 years’ active service.

Under the laws in effect at the times of plaintiff’s three releases to inactive duty in the Fleet Reserve, a man, transferred to the Fleet Reserve after 16 or more but less than 20 years of enlisted service in the Navy, was entitled to retainer pay computed on the basis of one-tMrd of his active duty pay at the time of transfer. If the transfer to the Fleet Reserve took place after more than 20 years’ service in the Navy, retainer pay was computed on the basis of one-half active duty pay. Subsequent active duty performed by a so-called sixteen-year Fleet Reservists could not have the effect of placing that man in the twenty-year category upon release to inactive duty even where the additional active duty performed on recall was sufficient to make his total active duty in excess of 20 years, and such a man’s retainer or retired pay would continue to be computed on the basis of one-third his active duty pay.2

[86]*86On August 10, 1946, Congress enacted legislation (60 Stat. 993) amending the Naval Eeserve Act of June 25, 1938, supra, and providing in section 3 thereof for the retroactive payment of increased retired pay to members of the sixteen-year Fleet Eeserve who had been recalled to active duty after July 1, 1925 and served on extended active duty pursuant to such recall. It was the position of plaintiff and others similarly situated, that under section 208 (which section 3 of the 1946 Act added to the Naval Eeserve Act of 1938), they became entitled to count the additional active duty performed by them on recall in the computation of their retainer or retired pay, and if that additional time made their total active duty exceed twenty years, their retainer or retired pay should be computed on the basis of one-half of their active duty pay. Acting pursuant to a decision of the Comptroller General, 26 Comp. Gen. 804, 814, 815, the Navy Department declined to make any adjustment in the retired pay of plaintiff for either period in suit.3 The adjustment requested, if it had been granted, would have given plaintiff retired pay computed on the basis of one-half of his base pay, plus longevity, rather than on the basis of one-third of his base pay, plus longevity, which he was given.

The pertinent provisions of the statutes under which plaintiff urges he is entitled to the increased retired pay for the two periods in suit and under which defendant contends plaintiff is not entitled to such increased retired pay, are set forth below.

Section 203 of the Naval Eeserve Act of 1938, supra, as amended, provides :

Men serving in the Eegular Navy, who, having enlisted therein on July 1, 1925, or prior thereto, or who having been discharged thereirom prior to July 1,1925, and reenlisted in the Eegular Navy within three months from the date of discharge, or who were serving in the Naval Eeserve Force on July 1, 1925, in an enrollment entered into within four months from the date of their discharge from the Eegular Navy and thereafter reenlisted in the Eegular Navy within three months from the date of their discharge from the Naval Eeserve created [87]*87by tbe Act of February 28, 1925, shall be entitled to be transferred to the Fleet Eeserve on the completion of sixteen or more years’ naval service, and when so transferred shall, except when on active duty, be entitled to receive, if they have had sixteen but less than twenty years5 naval service, pay at the rate of one-third the base pay they were receiving at the time of transfer, plus all permanent additions thereto, and if they have had twenty or more years’ naval service, pay at the rate of one-half

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Related

Sanders v. United States
120 Ct. Cl. 501 (Court of Claims, 1951)
Hulse v. United States
137 F. Supp. 745 (Court of Claims, 1956)
Hulse v. United States
353 U.S. 916 (Supreme Court, 1957)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
155 F. Supp. 565, 140 Ct. Cl. 82, 1957 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 123, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ebinger-v-united-states-cc-1957.