Leistiko v. Secretary of the Army

922 F. Supp. 66, 152 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2101, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3626
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedMarch 20, 1996
Docket5:92 CV 0173, 5:93 CV 0067
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 922 F. Supp. 66 (Leistiko v. Secretary of the Army) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leistiko v. Secretary of the Army, 922 F. Supp. 66, 152 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2101, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3626 (N.D. Ohio 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

KATZ, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and/or for Summary Judgment. For the following reasons, Defendants’ Motion will be granted.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Fred A. Leistiko was employed as a National Guard Supervisory Aircraft Pilot, GM-2181-14, a federal civilian technician position subject to the provisions of 32 U.S.C. § 709. The National Guard Technician position is a hybrid military-civilian position that required Leistiko also to maintain dual status as both a member of the Ohio National Guard and as a federal civilian technician. Leistiko was further required to maintain status as a “rated aviator.”

On May 18, 1990, Leistiko experienced a neurological incident during an Ohio National Guard helicopter flight. Three months later, Leistiko was medically disqualified from further aviation service, both because of evidence that Leistiko had suffered a grand mal seizure in the helicopter, and because Leisti-ko has cardiac arrhythmia. Either medical impairment alone is permanently disqualifying.

Effective January 25, 1991, Leistiko was terminated by the Ohio National Guard from his federal civilian technician position due to his medical disqualification from further aviation service.

Leistiko responded to the termination notice by seeking outside review of his termination through a number of avenues, both administrative and judicial. Ultimately, he filed the amended complaint in this Court that is the subject of Defendants’ motion for summary judgment. For his first cause of action, Plaintiff complains that Defendants denied him due process by terminating him without notice or a hearing. For his second cause of action, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants discriminated against him on the basis of disability, and failed reasonably to accommodate him. For his third cause of action, Plaintiff alleges violations of the Veterans Reemployment Rights Act.

Defendants have moved for summary judgment on all counts. They claim that the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiffs claims. Defendants argue further that, even if the Court has jurisdiction to decide Plaintiff’s claims, Plaintiff cannot prevail on the merits.

II. SUMMARY JUDGMENT STANDARD

As an initial matter, the Court sets forth the relative burdens of the parties once a motion for summary judgment is made. Summary judgment must be entered “against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Of course, the moving party always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of “the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any,” which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Id. 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. at 2553. The burden then shifts to the *70 nonmoving party who “must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 250, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2511, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986) (iquoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e)).

Once the burden of production has so shifted, the party opposing summary judgment cannot rest on its pleadings or merely reassert its previous allegations. It is not sufficient “simply [to] show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1356, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). Rather, Rule 56(e) “requires the nonmoving party to go beyond the [unverified] pleadings” and present some type of evidentiary material in support of its position. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. at 2553. Summary judgment shall be rendered if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c).

III. PLAINTIFF’S DUE PROCESS CLAIM

A Jurisdictional Basis for Plaintiff’s Claim

The Defendants have asserted that there is no basis on which this Court can exercise jurisdiction over Plaintiffs due process claim. In order to establish that this Court has jurisdiction over Plaintiffs claim against the federal government, Plaintiff must demonstrate two things: that a statutory grant of jurisdiction exists, and that the government has expressly and unequivocally waived its sovereign immunity with regard to the type of claim Plaintiff wishes to raise. Since Plaintiff alleges violations of federal law in his first cause of action, 28 U.S.C. § 1331 provides the Court a statutory grant of jurisdiction. However, Plaintiff must also look beyond the jurisdictional statute for a separate waiver of sovereign immunity that allows him to bring his claim. United States v. Mitchell, 445 U.S. 535, 538, 100 S.Ct. 1349, 1352, 63 L.Ed.2d 607 (1980). “The United States, as sovereign, is immune from suit save as it consents to be sued ... and the terms of its consent to be sued in any court define that court’s jurisdiction to entertain the suit.” United States v. Sherwood, 312 U.S. 584, 586, 61 S.Ct. 767, 769-70, 85 L.Ed. 1058 (1941). All waivers are construed strictly in favor of the sovereign. See McMahon v. United States, 342 U.S. 25, 27, 72 S.Ct. 17, 19, 96 L.Ed. 26 (1951).

Plaintiff has cited the Court to a number of sources for his claimed waiver of the government’s sovereign immunity. The Court addresses each of these statutes in turn.

1. Administrative Procedure Act

First, Plaintiff claims that the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. §§ 701 et seq., waives sovereign immunity for his claim. The APA does contain a limited waiver of sovereign immunity.

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Bluebook (online)
922 F. Supp. 66, 152 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2101, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3626, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leistiko-v-secretary-of-the-army-ohnd-1996.