Erenreich v. United States

164 Ct. Cl. 214, 1964 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 41, 1964 WL 8593
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedJanuary 24, 1964
DocketNo. 34-62
StatusPublished

This text of 164 Ct. Cl. 214 (Erenreich 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
Erenreich v. United States, 164 Ct. Cl. 214, 1964 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 41, 1964 WL 8593 (cc 1964).

Opinions

Durfer,

Judge, delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff, a former employee in classified civil service of the United States Information Agency, seeks to recover back salary on the ground that her separation from her position as a GS-7 Information Specialist was procedurally defective. Both parties have moved for summary judgment on the pleadings.

Shortly after plaintiff’s reemployment by the Agency in 1955 she repeatedly protested, verbally and in writing, to her superiors against what she considered to be malassignment to clerical and typing functions not commensurate with her training, talents, education, ratings and previous assignments.

In February, 1960 plaintiff initiated a grievance action through her counsel. Following an extensive hearing, her grievance appeal was rejected by the Director of the Agency on June 7, 1960, on the ground that the evidence submitted to the Hearing Board did not substantiate her allegations, a conclusion which the Board had also reached.

During this period of time, upon complaint to Agency officials by her supervisor that plaintiff was spending large amounts of time away from her desk, she was orally admonished and later advised in writing by her supervisors that she would be allowed thirty minutes each day, in addition to her forty-five minute lunch period, for non-business periods away from her desk, and that any additional absences would be charged to leave. At this time her attorney repeated a previous instruction that she had the right to counsel at such disciplinary meetings, and was not to attend any of such further meetings, nor to make any written statements without his presence or approval. On March 22, with prior supervisory approval, plaintiff was absent from her desk on [217]*217official business for about an hour. Upon her return, she answered inquiries of her supervisor as to her absence, and the next day was asked to submit a written statement as to her whereabouts during the period of her absence in excess of the time allowed. Plaintiff refused to submit the statement, then refused to report to the personnel office, and the next day refused twice to report to a superior as directed, on the grounds that she was ill and was entitled to counsel in such disciplinary matters.

Shortly thereafter, on March 25, I960, plaintiff received a notice from the Agency proposing her separation on the basis of four charges, each of which set forth in detail a separate refusal by plaintiff to submit a statement or to report to her superiors as directed by them. At a subsequent hearing, plaintiff conceded that she had not complied with the requests and directives as recited in the charges, giving as justification for her refusal her illness, and her reliance in good faith upon the advice of her counsel. The Hearing Board found each of the four charges sustained and thereafter on July 1,1960 plaintiff was dismissed by order of the Director of Personnel of the Agency, who concurred with the findings of the Hearing Board. The charges read as follows:

1. Shortly after 4:00 p.m. of March 23, 1960, in your office, Boom 2065, Tempo-B Building, in the Copyright Clearance Section of the Administrative Staff of the Broadcasting Service, you refused to comply with a request made orally to you by your immediate supervisor, Miss Evelyn Eisenstadt, to furnish a written statement of your whereabouts from approximately 3:15 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. on March 22,1960 in reference to an appointment on official business on March 22,1960. Specifically, you were asked orally by Miss Eisenstadt (1) the time of your appointment, (2) with whom you had met, (3) how long the appointment lasted, and (4) at what time you had returned to your office from the appointment.
2. At approximately 5:10 p.m. on March 23,1960, you were directed by telephone by your next higher supervisor, Mr. Walter Mylecraine, Administrative Officer of the Broadcasting Service, to report immediately to Mr. Eugene Brame, Assistant Chief, Domestic Operations [218]*218Branch, Personnel Division, in his office in Room 2427 of the North Health, Education and Welfare Building. You refused to report to Mr. Brame.
3. At approximately 9:45 a.m. on the morning of March 24, 1960, you were directed orally by Miss Eisenstadt to report at 10:00 a.m. on that date to Mr. Mylecraine in his office. You refused to do so.
4. At approximately 10:20 a.m. on the morning of March 24, 1960, in a telephone conversation with Mr. Mylecraine you again refused to comply with his request to report immediately to his office. He asked you for the written statement requested by Miss Eisenstadt in response to the questions listed in Charge 1 specified above. You refused to furnish this to him.

Plaintiff first contends that the charge as to her refusal to comply with directives fails to state that such refusal was made with insubordinate or other reprehensible intent, and therefore failed to put plaintiff on “fair notice” within the area defined by previous “fair notice” rulings in cases involving the requirements of the Lloyd-La Follette Act, Section 6,37 Stat. 555, as amended, 5 U.S.C. § 652(a).

The Agency regulations on procedure provide as follows:

§ 565.25 Preferment of Charges.
# * * * *
d. Specificity of Charges
The letter of charges will state any and all reasons for the proposed adverse action, specifically and in detail, including dates, specific instances and other data, sufficient to enable the employee to understand fully the charges and to join issue adequately with the proposed action.

Upon their face, the charges are sufficiently clear, specific and detailed to inform plaintiff with reasonable certainty and precision of the causes for her proposed removal. Plaintiff has not cited, nor are we aware of any pertinent procedural requirement that under a clear and detailed charge of refusal to comply with specific instructions, such refusal must be specifically attributed to insubordinate or other reprehensible intent.

Plaintiff next contends that no orderly recognition was given and no Agency finding was made with regard to her [219]*219defense of good faith reliance on advice of counsel in refusing to comply with directives to report to her superiors as to 'her absence from work.

Plaintiff concedes that she is not aware of any ruling of this court precisely defining agency obligations to make findings on “affirmative defenses,” and “that it is not necessary to decide whether good faith reliance on advice of counsel is an affirmative defense which the Agency must accept in all cases, or even in the instant case.”

In Schmidt v. United States, 145 Ct. Cl. 632 (1959), this court held that refusal of the Civil Service Commission to rule on whether the reassignment of a civil service employee was for alleged political purposes, in effect denied plaintiff the protection to which he was entitled under the Civil Service Act. The court reasoned that if the order of reassignment was for political purposes, and not for the good of the service, it was unlawful and that a refusal to obey such an order would not be insubordination. Therefore, it was incumbent upon the Civil Service Commission to decide this issue.

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Related

Thompson v. Texas Mexican Railway Co.
328 U.S. 134 (Supreme Court, 1946)
McGuire v. United States
145 Ct. Cl. 17 (Court of Claims, 1959)
Schmidt v. United States
145 Ct. Cl. 632 (Court of Claims, 1959)

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Bluebook (online)
164 Ct. Cl. 214, 1964 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 41, 1964 WL 8593, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/erenreich-v-united-states-cc-1964.