Johnson v. United States

107 Fed. Cl. 379, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 1149, 2012 WL 4356214
United States Court of Federal Claims·Decided September 21, 2012·No. No. 12-18·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND FINAL ORDER

BRADEN, Judge.

I. RELEVANT FACTS.1

On September 13, 2006, Ms. Peggy Johnson (“Plaintiff”) and the United States Postal Service (“USPS”) entered into an agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) to resolve claims that Plaintiff submitted to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”). PX 2. The Settlement Agreement provided that USPS would enhance [USPS’s] retirement contribution to [Plaintiff] for each of the three preceding years by retroactively promoting [her] from an EAS-17 as follows: beginning on January 24, 2004 the contribution will be for an annual salary of $68,151.00, as reflecting her promotion to an EAS-24; beginning on January 22, 2005 the contribution will be for an annual salary of $76,725.00 as reflecting her promotion to an EAS-24; and beginning on January 21, 2006 the contribution will be for an annual salary of $86,316.00, as reflecting her promotion to an EAS-24.

PX 2 at ¶ 8.

The Settlement Agreement also provided that Plaintiffs “attorney will be paid attorney’s fees in the amount of $17,500.00.” PX 2 at ¶ 8. In exchange, Plaintiff agreed to withdraw all claims pending against the USPS and retire on January 31, 2007. PX 2 at ¶ 4, 7.

In addition, the Settlement Agreement provided that,

[Plaintiff] may only seek to enforce this Settlement Agreement pursuant to those parts of the [EEOC] regulations which address the matter of enforcement. Any breach of this Agreement shall be enforced in accordance with 29 C.F.R. § 1614.504, which provides, among other things, that “if [Plaintiff] believes that the agency has failed to comply with the terms of a settlement agreement or final decision, [Plaintiff] shall notify the EEO Director, in writing, of the alleged noncompliance within 30 days of when [Plaintiff] knew or should have known of the alleged noncompliance” and that “[Plaintiff] may request that the terms of settlement agreement be specifically implemented or, alternatively, that the complaint be reinstated for further processing from the point processing ceased.”

PX 2 at ¶ 13 (quoting 29 C.F.R. § 1614.504(a)).

Pursuant to subsection (b) of that regulation, “the complainant may appeal to the [EEOC] for a determination as to whether [381]*381the agency has complied with the terms of the settlement agreement or decision.” 29 C.F.R. § 1614.504(b). “[I]f the Commission determines that the agency is not in compliance ... it may order such compliance or it may order that the complaint be reinstated for further processing from the point processing ceased.” 29 C.F.R. § 1614.504(c).

On December 13, 2006, however, Plaintiff sent a letter to the USPS’s EEO Director alleging a breach of the Settlement Agreement and serving notice that she did not intend to retire on January 31, 2007. Am. Compl. ¶ 20. On or about January 31, 2007, Plaintiff was placed on “Leave Without Pay.” Am. Compl. ¶¶ 20-21.

On February 15, 2007, the USPS issued a decision determining that: the USPS did not breach the Settlement Agreement, and Plaintiff failed to retire on January 31, 2007 although the USPS made the required “enhanced” retirement contributions. PX 3. The USPS indicated that the intent of the latter provision “was ... not to award [Plaintiff] a level 24 or back pay.” PX 3. The February 15, 2007 USPS decision also provided that Plaintiffs attorney would be “compensated in the amount of $17,500 for attorney fees.” PX 3.

On April 23, 2007, Plaintiff submitted an application for retirement. Am. Compl. ¶ 24.

On July 26, 2007, following Plaintiffs appeal, the EEOC affirmed the February 15, 2007 USPS decision that “the [Settlement Agreement did] not entitle [Plaintiff] to a merit pay correction,” because the Settlement Agreement states that the purpose of the promotion was “ ‘to enhance the [USPS] retirement contribution,’” as consideration for Plaintiffs agreement “to waive receipt of any increased back pay from the [USPS].” PX 4 at 3 (quoting the Settlement Agreement). The EEOC also dismissed Plaintiffs contention that “the retirement papers given to her by the [USPS] were ‘not right,’ and totally different from those she requested directly from [the Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”) ].” PX 4 at 4.2 Specifically, the EEOC determined that “the agreement only requires that the agency request (and deliver) the annuity estimate, not that it certify its accuracy.” PX 4 at 4.

The EEOC decision also included a right-to-sue provision titled “Complainant’s Right To File A Civil Action (S0900)[,]” providing that Plaintiff had “the right to file a civil action in an appropriate United States District Court within ninety (90) calendar days from the date that [Plaintiff] reeeive[s] this decision.” PX 4 at 5 (bold in original).

On August 13, 2007, the USPS responded to an e-mail from Plaintiffs counsel, informing him that “all of the information from the settlement agreement was input into [USPS’s] systems and should have been transferred to [the Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”) ].” PX 7. The USPS reaffirmed that it would “do everything in [its] control to fully honor the settlement agreement.” PX 7.

On August 31, 2007, Plaintiffs counsel sent a letter to OPM requesting an investigation “to insure that the [USPS] fully complies with the Settlement Agreement by depositing the amounts necessary to increase her “High-3 Average Salary amount to $77,366.00.” PX 8 at 2. OPM, however, was unable to locate “any record that the [USPS] had made the required enhanced retirement contribution.” Am. Compl. ¶ 29.

On December 20, 2007, Plaintiff initiated a civil case in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland for breach of the Settlement Agreement. See Johnson v. Potter, No. 07-3419 (D.Md. Dec. 20, 2007).

On March 11, 2008, PlaintifPs counsel sent a letter to the USPS alleging a breach of the Settlement Agreement. PX 9. The letter demanded specific performance “pursuant to the procedures set forth [in] EEOC Regulation 29 C.F.R. § 1614.504(a).” PX 9 at 2. The USPS did not respond. Am. Compl. ¶ 8.

On May 29, 2008, Plaintiff filed an appeal of the EEOC’s July 26, 2007 decision, arguing that the USPS failed to comply with the terms of the Settlement Agreement in that PlaintifPs “High-3 Average Salary” calculation did not “reflect the enhanced retirement [382]*382contributions promised in the agreement.” PX 1 at 1-2.

On June 9, 2008, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland dismissed Plaintiffs December 20, 2007 Complaint, without prejudice, in light of Plaintiffs pending pursuit of an administrative claim. See Johnson v. Potter, No. 07-3419, slip op. at 1-2 (D. Md. June 9, 2008).

On January 26, 2009, the EEOC dismissed Plaintiffs appeal as duplicative of the 2007 appeal. PX 1 at 2.

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

Johnson v. United States, 107 Fed. Cl. 379, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 1149, 2012 WL 4356214 (uscfc 2012).

107 Fed. Cl. 379 (Johnson v. United States) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Yu v. United States
Federal Claims, 2020
Farrell v. United States
Federal Claims, 2015
Mata v. United States
107 Fed. Cl. 618 (Federal Claims, 2012)