Harper v. United States

104 Fed. Cl. 287, 2012 WL 1072308, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 317
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedApril 2, 2012
DocketNo. 11-45C
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 104 Fed. Cl. 287 (Harper v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harper v. United States, 104 Fed. Cl. 287, 2012 WL 1072308, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 317 (uscfc 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

CHRISTINE O.C. MILLER, Judge.

This case is before the court after supplemental briefing on defendant’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which this court can grant relief and subsequent motion for judgment on the administrative record. The issue for decision is whether, based on the facts pleaded in the complaint, plaintiffs discharge from the United States Marine Corps (the “Marine Corps”) was lawful, thus rendering him ineligible for reenlistment in the Marine Corps and thereby removing him from the purview of the Military Pay Act, 37 U.S.C. § 204 (2006). Supplemental briefing followed the filing of the administrative record, and the parties addressed what became plaintiffs challenge to a correction board’s denial of relief. Thereafter, defendant moved for judgment on the administrative record, and plaintiff filed another supplemental brief in order to respond to defendant’s motion based on the administrative record. Argument is deemed unnecessary.

BACKGROUND AND FACTS

Until the administrative record was filed, plaintiffs complaint was the source of factual allegations, including the attachments to the parties’ first round of briefs. Billy D. Harper (“plaintiff’) enlisted in the Marine Corps on October 16, 2000. See Compl. filed Jan. 14, 2011, ¶ III. Prior to deploying to Iraq, in February 2007, plaintiff failed a urinalysis by testing positive for cocaine. See Compl. ¶¶ V-VI. On March 16, 2007, special court-martial charges were preferred against plaintiff for his alleged violation of Article 112a, Uniform Code of Military Justice (“UCMJ”). See Compl. ¶ VI; see 10 U.S.C. § 912a (2006).1 Rather than face a court martial, on October 30, 2007, plaintiff elected to enter into a “Pretrial Agreement,”2 whereby plaintiff agreed to plead guilty at Commanding Officer’s Nonjudicial Punishment (“NJP”) to violating section 912a and to waive his right to an administrative separation board in exchange for the withdrawal of the preferred court-martial charge. See Compl. ¶ VII. The NJP was conducted on November 14, 2007, and plaintiff was found guilty by his commanding officer of wrongful use of cocaine and reduced to the rank of corporal.3 See Compl. ¶ IX.

[290]*290On January 3, 2008, plaintiff was informed that he was to be administratively separated from the Marine Corps as the result of his violation of section 912a. See Compl. ¶ X. A mere seven days later, plaintiff again tested positive for illicit drug use, and on January 23, 2008, special court-martial charges again were preferred against plaintiff. See Compl. ¶¶ XI-XII. As a result of these charges, the administrative separation processing was postponed. The court-martial charges were withdrawn in April 2008, because the Marine Corps had decided to investigate plaintiff more thoroughly, thus introducing the possibility of bringing additional court-martial charges against him. See Compl. ¶ XIII. On September 23, 2008, special court-martial charges stemming from the second drug incident, as well as a driving under the influence offense and undisclosed civilian offenses, were preferred against plaintiff. See Compl. ¶¶ XV, XVII.

Subsequent to this reinstitution of court-martial charges against plaintiff, his enlistment term expired. See Compl. ¶ XX. Accordingly, plaintiff was placed on a “legal hold” status pursuant to Marine Corps Order (“MCO”) P1900.16F ¶ 1008(1)(b)(1) (June 6, 2007), pending resolution of the court martial.4 See Compl. ¶ XVII. On January 26, 2009, plaintiff was acquitted of all charges and removed from legal hold. See Compl. ¶¶ XVIII, XX. Plaintiff was discharged summarily from the Marine Corps on February 26, 2009. Affidavit of Billy D. Harper, July 12, 2011, Pl.’s Br. filed July 13, 2006, App. ¶ 2.

According to plaintiff’s “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty” (plaintiffs “DD-214”), plaintiff received an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps. Def.’s Br. filed May 20, 2011, Att. A, at 1. Plaintiffs DD-214 states that plaintiff was separated pursuant to MCO P1900.16F ¶ 1005 (titled “DISCHARGE FOR EXPIRATION OF ENLISTMENT OR FULFILLMENT OF SERVICE OBLIGATION”). Accordingly, the DD-214 shows that the “Reason for Separation” was “NON-RETENTION ON ACTIVE DUTY” and lists a “Separation Code” of “JGH2” indicating “involuntary discharge (no further service).” See MCO P1900.16F, Def.’s Br. filed May 20, 2011, Att. at 1; Compl. ¶ XXI. Finally, plaintiffs DD-214 lists the “Reentry Code” of “RE-4B,” thereby indicating that “there is a military or civil record of in-service illegal drug involvement and there is no potential for further service.” See id.

On May 16, 2009, plaintiff attempted to remove all notations regarding his violation of section 912a from his official file and to revise his DD-214 “Reentry Code” by submitting an application for relief to the Board for Correction of Naval Records (the “BCNR”). See Compl. ¶ XXVIII. This request for relief was denied on August 4, 2010. See id. ¶ XXIX. Following the denial of his application to the BCNR, plaintiff filed suit in the United States Court of Federal Claims on January 14, 2011, requesting that his administrative separation be set aside and that he be reinstated in the Marine Corps with all appropriate back pay and allowances.

After initial briefing was completed on August 8, 2011, the court was at a loss to understand exactly what relief plaintiff was seeking. Objecting that plaintiff was making arguments that were not based on allegations in his complaint, defendant obviously was responding to evolving allegations and arguments. Whether plaintiff was seeking review of the BCNR’s decision had not been established, and no administrative record was on file.

[291]*291The court ordered defendant to file the administrative record and plaintiff to file a supplemental brief, to which defendant was to respond, addressing the following:

By January 2, 2012, plaintiff shall file a supplemental brief addressing two issues: first, whether and to what extent plaintiff is appealing the action of the BCNR; and second, with specific references to documents included in the Administrative Record or any applicable statutes or regulations, the exact nature of plaintiffs challenge to the Reentry Code provided on plaintiffs DD-214 (for example, is plaintiff stating that the code reflects the results of non-judicial punishment that he did not accept? or that an applicable regulation has been violated because the code does not operate as a basis for barring reenlistment? or that an applicable regulation disallows any reference to the subject of non-judicial proceedings that plaintiff has disavowed? or that the conviction that stands due to failure to appeal may be the basis for the code, but that an applicable regulation disallows reference to it? or that reenlistment is a matter of right, such that plaintiff had a right to reenlist? or that plaintiff otherwise qualifies under an applicable regulation for reenlistment? or that the code cannot operate as an effective bar?).

Order entered Nov. 17, 2011, ¶ 4 (amending order entered Nov. 2, 2011).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
104 Fed. Cl. 287, 2012 WL 1072308, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 317, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harper-v-united-states-uscfc-2012.