Lachiewicz v. Merit System Protection Board

566 F. App'x 927
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedJune 5, 2014
Docket2014-3052
StatusUnpublished

This text of 566 F. App'x 927 (Lachiewicz v. Merit System Protection Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lachiewicz v. Merit System Protection Board, 566 F. App'x 927 (Fed. Cir. 2014).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

Renata Lachiewicz seeks review of the decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board (“Board”), dismissing her petition as untimely filed and forwarding her claims alleging breach of a settlement agreement to the appropriate regional office. We affirm.

Background

Ms. Lachiewicz was employed as an immigration officer in the Vermont Service Center of the Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“agency”). On May 17, 2010, the agency removed Ms. Lachiewicz from her position. Ms. La-chiewicz appealed the removal to the Northeastern Regional Office of the Board, but entered into a settlement agreement with the agency before the appeal was heard. The administrative judge reviewed the agreement and concluded that the parties had understood and voluntarily entered into it. Ms. Lachiewicz’s removal appeal was then dismissed based on the settlement agreement. The Board’s decision stated: “This initial decision will become final on September 29, 2010 unless a petition for review is filed by that date or the Board reopens the case on its own motion.” Respondent’s Appendix (“R.A.”) 2. It also stated that Ms. Lachiewicz could file a petition for enforcement with the regional Board office after the decision became final, if she had reason to believe the agency was not complying with the agreement.

More than two years later, on December 19, 2012, Ms. Lachiewicz filed a petition for review asking the Board to reopen her removal appeal. She alleged that she had entered into the agreement as a result of duress and that the agency had not complied with the agreement. Ms. Lachiewicz filed a motion requesting a waiver of the time limit for her review petition based on mental impairment and physical injuries. The Board denied Ms. Lachiewicz’s motion, explaining that she did not identify the period during which she was impaired, did not provide evidence of her medical condition or explain why such evidence was unavailable, and did not describe the effects of her medical condition. The Board found that she had alleged breach of the agreement, but that these allegations did not constitute grounds for waiving the filing time limit. The Board dismissed the petition for review of the Board’s dismissal as untimely filed. The Board forwarded Ms. Lachiewicz’s claims that the agency was not complying with the agreement to the regional office for adjudication.

Ms. Lachiewicz petitioned this court for review of the Board’s decision. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(9).

Discussion

Our scope of review in an appeal from a Board decision is limited. Paine v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 467 F.3d 1344, 1346 (Fed.Cir.2006). We must affirm the Board’s decision unless it is “(1) arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law; (2) ob *929 tained without procedures required by law, rule, or regulation having been followed; or (3) unsupported by substantial evidence.” 5 U.S.C. § 7703(c); see also Rocha v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 688 F.3d 1307, 1310 (Fed.Cir.2012); Paine, 467 F.3d at 1346. A petitioner “bears a ‘heavy burden’ to overturn the Board’s determination that good cause has not been shown for her untimely filing.” Turman-Kent v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 657 F.3d 1280, 1282 (Fed. Cir.2011) (quoting Zamot v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 332 F.3d 1374, 1377 (Fed.Cir.2003) & citing Mendoza v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 966 F.2d 650, 653 (Fed.Cir.1992) (en banc)).

A petition for review of a Board decision must be filed within 35 days of the decision’s issuance or within 30 days of the petitioner’s receipt of the decision if the petitioner shows that she received the decision more than 5 days after it issued. 5 C.F.R. § 1201.114(e); see 5 U.S.C § 7701(e)(1). If the petition is filed late, the Board may waive the time limit if the petitioner establishes good cause for the delay. Rocha, 688 F.3d at 1310; Zamot, 332 F.3d at 1377 (Fed.Cir.2003). To obtain a waiver, a petitioner must provide “[t]he reasons for failing to request an extension before the deadline for the submission, and a specific and detailed description of the circumstances causing the late filing, accompanied by supporting documentation or other evidence.” 5 C.F.R. § 1201.114(g). Although the Board’s regulations do not define the circumstances that constitute good cause, relevant considerations include:

the length of the delay; whether appellant was notified of the time limit or was otherwise aware of it; the existence of circumstances beyond the control of the appellant which affected his ability to comply with the time limits; the degree to which negligence by the appellant has been shown to be present or absent; circumstances which show that any neglect involved is excusable neglect; a showing of unavoidable casualty or misfortune; and the extent and nature of the prejudice to the agency which would result from waiver of the time limit.

Alonzo v. Dep’t of Air Force, 4 MSPB 262, 4 M.S.P.R. 180, 184 (1980) (footnotes omitted); see also Walls v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 29 F.3d 1578, 1582 (Fed.Cir.1994) (quoting Alonzo, 4 MSPB 262, 4 M.S.P.R. at 184). With respect to delays allegedly resulting from medical impairment, the Board has held that petitioners must “affirmatively identify medical evidence that addresses the entire period of delay and explain how the illness prevented a timely filing.” Ford-Clifton v. Dep’t of Veterans Affairs, 661 F.3d 655, 659 (Fed.Cir.2011) (affirming Board where there was “no accompanying explanation of how th[e] condition [deep vein thrombosis] prevented a timely filing” (citing Jerusalem v. Dep’t of the Air Force, 107 M.S.P.R. 660, 663, aff'd, 280 Fed.Appx. 973 (Fed.Cir.2008); Lacy v. Dep’t of Navy, 78 M.S.P.R. 434, 437 (1998))); see also Turman-Kent, 657 F.3d at 1282 (“The Board did not abuse its discretion in demanding a well-documented explanation of the cause for [the petitioner’s six-year] delay in filing her appeal.”).

Here, the Board found that Ms. La-chiewicz did not establish good cause.

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

Related

Jerusalem v. Merit Systems Protection Board
280 F. App'x 973 (Federal Circuit, 2008)
Paine v. Merit Systems Protection Board
467 F.3d 1344 (Federal Circuit, 2006)
Juanita C. Mendoza v. Merit Systems Protection Board
966 F.2d 650 (Federal Circuit, 1992)
TURMAN-KENT v. Merit Systems Protection Bd.
657 F.3d 1280 (Federal Circuit, 2011)
FORD-CLIFTON v. Department of Veterans Affairs
661 F.3d 655 (Federal Circuit, 2011)
Carlton A. Walls v. Merit Systems Protection Board
29 F.3d 1578 (Federal Circuit, 1994)
Rafael Zamot v. Merit Systems Protection Board
332 F.3d 1374 (Federal Circuit, 2003)
Rocha v. Merit Systems Protection Board
688 F.3d 1307 (Federal Circuit, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
566 F. App'x 927, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lachiewicz-v-merit-system-protection-board-cafc-2014.