Martinez v. United States

18 Cl. Ct. 559, 1989 U.S. Claims LEXIS 226, 1989 WL 131649
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedNovember 3, 1989
DocketNo. 20-89C
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 18 Cl. Ct. 559 (Martinez v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martinez v. United States, 18 Cl. Ct. 559, 1989 U.S. Claims LEXIS 226, 1989 WL 131649 (cc 1989).

Opinion

OPINION

NETTESHEIM, Judge.

This case is before the court after argument on defendant’s motion for summary judgment and plaintiff’s opposition thereto.

[560]*560FACTS

Jose A. Martinez (“plaintiff”), a dishonorably discharged non-commissioned officer of the United States Army (the “Army”), brings suit alleging illegal discharge. Plaintiff seeks an order voiding his court-martial conviction, correcting his military records to expunge the court-martial, awarding him backpay, and reinstating him to active duty.

Plaintiff enlisted in the Army on September 13, 1971, after having served approximately one and one-half years in the United States Marine Corps. He completed two combat tours in Vietnam for which he was awarded the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and other decorations. On May 14, 1982, while stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, plaintiff, then a staff sergeant, allegedly acted with disrespect toward a fellow staff sergeant and a superior sergeant first class and with disobedience toward the same sergeant first class and was charged accordingly. Plaintiffs immediate commander, Captain Timothy R. Ascani, found plaintiff guilty, basing his decision upon review only of the documents of record. A plenary investigation into the May 1982 incident was not undertaken. Captain Ascani relieved plaintiff of his supervisory duties.

Due in part to the above incident, plaintiff received an unfavorable Enlisted Evaluation Report (“EER”) on August 9, 1982, rating plaintiff as substandard and possessing a poor attitude. Plaintiff refused to accept the EER and would not acknowledge its validity with his signature. He also refused to accept nonjudicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 815 (1982), and instead elected trial by court-martial.

On August 12, 1982, plaintiff filed a request for redress of grievances with Captain Ascani under Article 138, 10 U.S.C. § 938, alleging improper denial of requests for an investigation of the May 1982 incident. This request was denied. Plaintiff then submitted an undated second request to Captain Ascani’s superior officer, Maj. Gen. Robert M. Elton, which was also denied.

On October 7, 1982, plaintiff reversed his position with respect to discipline for the May 1982 incident and accepted nonjudicial punishment for these offenses. His punishment included demotion from grade E-6 (staff sergeant) to E-5 (sergeant) and forfeiture of $520.00 pay per month for two months.

Also on October 7, 1982, plaintiff first learned of new charges pending against him consisting of allegations of sodomy, bribery, indecent acts with a male service-member, communication of a threat, solicitation of a subordinate to introduce marijuana onto a military installation, use of marijuana, transfer of marijuana to a subordinate servicemember, and unlawful assault consummated by a battery against an enlisted servicemember. These offenses allegedly took place between July 15 and October 7, 1982. The prosecutor so charged plaintiff on October 7, and plaintiff was immediately imprisoned in a homosexual observation cell.

Service on plaintiff of the corresponding court-martial charges occurred on October 12, 1982, with additional charges served on November 3, 1982. Plaintiff was subjected to solitary pretrial confinement for 103 days prior to his trial. The general court-martial trial took place on January 17-18, 1983, and plaintiff pleaded not guilty to all charges.

During trial the Army called three principal witnesses, each of whom received immunity in exchange for his testimony. First, Specialist Fourth Class (“SP-4”) David M. Dunham testified that while at plaintiffs apartment, he became intoxicated and passed out fully clothed on the living room floor. When he awoke, he was naked from the waist down, and plaintiff, who was also partially naked, was on top of him. SP-4 Dunham further stated that plaintiff specifically asked him to sell marijuana to other soldiers at Fort Lewis. According to SP-4 Dunham, plaintiff offered him a $100.00 bribe, which he refused, to keep quiet about the incident at plaintiffs apartment.

Second, Pvt. James B. Michel testified that he and plaintiff drank alcohol and [561]*561smoked marijuana in each other’s presence in plaintiff’s apartment. The witness stated that plaintiff made homosexual advances toward him while the former was asleep on plaintiff’s living room floor. Pvt. Michel stated that he awoke to find both himself and plaintiff naked from the waist down, with plaintiff on top of him. Plaintiff also allegedly asked Pvt. Michel to sell marijuana on the base and promised to give him ten grams of marijuana if Pvt. Michel sold $100.00 of the substance and brought the money to plaintiff. Pvt. Michel testified that he agreed and placed the marijuana in his room locker. Before the marijuana could be sold, however, it was stolen. When Pvt. Michel informed plaintiff that his marijuana was stolen and that plaintiff had lost the $100.00, plaintiff became agitated and began continually harassing and threatening Pvt. Michel. These hostilities culminated with plaintiff’s physical attack upon Pvt. Michel in Michel’s room.

Finally, SP-4 Larry D. England testified against plaintiff. He stated that both plaintiff and he became intoxicated and smoked marijuana belonging to SP-4 England at plaintiff’s apartment. SP-4 England also claimed that plaintiff made sexual advances toward him while he was passed out on plaintiff’s living room floor.

While in pretrial confinement, plaintiff wrote at least two letters, one each to SP-4 Dunham and Pvt. Gary J. Floriddia, both of which were introduced into evidence during the court-martial proceeding. Both letters pleaded with the recipients to retract their allegations and asked each to influence others to do the same, by urging that “[a]ll they have to do is say they can’t support their allegations because they were trying to get even with me.” Regarding the upcoming court-martial, the letter to SP-4 Dunham read, in part: “I’m going to admit everything [England] and I have done. If I go down, then I’m taking everyone I can, and that means bad discharges for us. I have a lot of proof for everything I say about anybody.” Concerning marijuana use, the Floriddia letter read in part: “[M]ake sure they don’t say anything about their being over to my house and smoking dope____” Plaintiff further stated in this letter that “[i]f you can convince ... [England and Dunham] to get out of this bullshit, and the only way is for them to tell their CO [commanding officer] that they lied about me and Michel is lying about everything else, I can handle Michel ____” Neither letter made any express reference to the sex-related charges and no physical evidence of marijuana was introduced at trial.

At the outset of the court-martial, the head judge noted that several counts of wrongful fraternization had been dismissed on motion and dismissed others, so that a total of four had been dropped. Consequent to the court-martial, plaintiff was found guilty of four marijuana-related offenses, one specification of an assault consummated by a battery, one specification of wrongful solicitation to commit an offense, and two specifications of obstruction of justice.

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Related

Jose A. Martinez v. The United States
914 F.2d 1486 (Federal Circuit, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
18 Cl. Ct. 559, 1989 U.S. Claims LEXIS 226, 1989 WL 131649, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martinez-v-united-states-cc-1989.