Kempinski v. Greene

189 F. Supp. 877, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3249
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 7, 1960
DocketCiv. A. No. 28144
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 189 F. Supp. 877 (Kempinski v. Greene) 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
Kempinski v. Greene, 189 F. Supp. 877, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3249 (E.D. Pa. 1960).

Opinion

CLARY, District Judge.

The matter is now before the Court on plaintiff’s and defendant’s cross motions for summary judgment. Originally scheduled for hearing in this action was a motion of the defendant to dismiss under Rule 12 or, in the alternative, motion for summary judgment under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A.

After argument on the original motion, counsel for the defendant, the United States Attorney, requested permission to file a supplemental brief, which was granted. Attached to defendant’s original brief (Docket Paper No. 4) were several Exhibits, “A” to “G” inclusive, which were not part of the record of the case. Attached to- defendant’s supplemental brief (Docket Paper No. 5) were additional Exhibits, “H” to “M” inclusive, and the complete document of the original Exhibit “D”. Because in a motion for summary judgment these Exhibits could not be considered, as they were not part of the record, the Court called a conference of the attorneys, in the nature of a pre-trial, and as a result of that conference, the parties, through their attorneys, stipulated (Docket Paper No. 6) that the Exhibits attached to defendant’s brief and supplemental brief (Docket Papers Nos. 4 and 5) might be considered as part of the record with the same force and effect as though admitted in evidence at a trial, and further stipulated that such documents together with the exhibits attached to the complaint of the plaintiff constitute the entire record of the case to be presented to the Court. Plaintiff thereupon filed his motion for summary judgment under Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Docket Paper No. 7).

The operative facts out of which this case arose are as follows: On June 5, 1946, the plaintiff, a World War II veteran, was appointed a classified substitute railway postal clerk in the Post Office Department of the United States. Under the Act of July 31, 1946, 5 U.S.C.A. § 645a et seq., as a veteran, he was given service seniority as of November 8, 1943. [879]*879On October 1, 1947 he was appointed a regular clerk and worked at the Philadelphia Terminal of the Postal Transportation Service from August 1, 1948 until September 30, 1957. On September 18th and September 25, 1957, plaintiff was notified in writing by J. A. Stephens, Terminal Superintendent, that because of certain charges filed against him, it was proposed to remove him from his position or to take such further disciplinary action as might be determined to be appropriate as the result of the above mentioned charges. Plaintiff led a reply denying the charges, but on September 27, 1957, the Terminal Superintendent notified him (plaintiff) that he would be suspended from active duty on a non-pay status effective September 30, 1957 for a period not to exceed 30 days “pending a decision as to the action to be taken on the charges”.

On October 7, 1957 the Terminal Superintendent recommended to the District Postal Manager of Philadelphia that plaintiff be removed from his position. On October 8, 1957 the District Postal Manager, R. A. Moon, by written memorandum directed the Terminal Superintendent to remove the plaintiff from the postal service effective October 28, 1957. The plaintiff was notified by letter, signed by the said District Postal Manager, R. A. Moon, that he would be discharged from his position on October 28, 1957. Plaintiff was also advised that he might appeal to the United States Civil Service Commission for the Third Circuit Civil Service Region which, in fact, he did. Plaintiff’s removal was sustained by the Third United States Civil Service Region as well as by the United States Civil Service Commission Board of Appeals and Review.

Plaintiff thereupon filed his complaint in this Court on June 3, 1960, alleging jurisdiction under the Act of Aug. 1912, 5 U.S.C.A. § 652, and the Administrative Procedural Act of June 11, 1946, 5 U.S.C.A. § 1009. The complaint charged that the removal of the plaintiff from employment as aforesaid was arbitrary, capricious, unwarranted, without proper cause and contrary to law; that the removal was improper and void of any legal effect in that it was without authority and without a lawful delegation of authority from the Postmaster General of the United States to the District Postal Manager. It also asked a hearing de novo and that a preliminary and final injunction be issued restraining the defendant from continuing the illegal removal of the plaintiff and directing reinstatement of the plaintiff to his position of distribution clerk in the Postal Transportation Service, Philadelphia Terminal, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The sole question at issue before the Court is whether the Postmaster General has properly delegated, through channels, authority to the District Postal Manager to discharge the plaintiff. It is the opinion of the Court after careful study of all the documents submitted that proper delegation has been established and the defendant must prevail in this action.

The fundamental basis of the right of the Postmaster General to delegate responsibility will be found in Volume 14 (1949) of the Federal Register at page 5226 under date of August 23, 1949. The President transmitted to the Congress, pursuant to the Reorganization Act of 1949, approved June 20, 1949, 5 U.S.C.A. § 133z et seq., Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1949, relating to the Post Office Department; subparagraph (b) of Section 1, 5 U.S.C.A. following section 133z-15, reading as follows:

“The Postmaster General is hereby authorized to delegate to any officer, employee, or agency of the Post Office Department designated by him such of his functions as he deems appropriate”.

Pursuant to the authority therein granted, the Postmaster General by Order No. 55750 of October 11, 1954, effective October 18, 1954, established a regional headquarters in Philadelphia under a Regional Operations Manager. There was also by the same Order established the office of Regional Controller [880]*880and a Regional Personnel Manager administratively responsible to the Regional Operations Manager. The Order provided that functions such as were later listed in the Order, formerly discharged by various headquarters, bureaus and offices in Washington, will now be discharged by the Regional Staff. (Emphasis supplied.) Among personnel functions listed were “review and disposition of disciplinary actions”. The aforesaid Order was refined further by the Postmaster General’s Order No. 55809, dated January 3, 1955, creating in each region the office of Regional Director, which officer “is hereby vested with general jurisdiction over the postal affairs in his respective region, including all the powers, duties, functions, and jurisdiction which have been, or which may in the future be, delegated to each officer and employee under his supervision. The Regional and District Officers and Employees shall perform their duties under the supervision of the Regional Director (including the person acting as such officer) in charge of each region.”

To implement this directive, there was issued an Organizational Chart No. 824 in conjunction with Post Office Organization and Administration transmittal letter No.

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
189 F. Supp. 877, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3249, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kempinski-v-greene-paed-1960.