Razik v. United States

525 F.2d 1028, 208 Ct. Cl. 265, 1975 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 259
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedNovember 19, 1975
DocketNo. 340-74
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 525 F.2d 1028 (Razik 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
Razik v. United States, 525 F.2d 1028, 208 Ct. Cl. 265, 1975 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 259 (cc 1975).

Opinion

Dueeee, Senior Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

In this appeal we are asked to review the process by which plaintiff was removed from his career Civil Service position. Plaintiff, by way of motion for summary judgment, challenges only the how, and not the why, of his removal, and seeks back pay and position restoration. Defendant’s cross-motion for summary judgment denies the existence of any procedural errors in plaintiff’s removal, and seeks sustentation of the various administrative appellate decisions uniformly upholding plaintiff’s removal.

As we are in agreement with defendant’s position, its cross-motion for summary judgment is granted; plaintiff’s motion is denied, and his petition dismissed.

[268]*268Ismail A. Razik entered the Federal Civil Service in November 1967 as a Grade GS-10 Writer-Editor in the Publications Division of the United States Information Agency (hereafter USIA or Agency). Pie subsequently advanced to Grade GS-11 in 1969, received career tenure in 1970, and advanced again to Grade GS-12 in 1971. By change of occupation code, plaintiff was reclassified as a Foreign Information Specialist, Grade GS-12, in the Press and Publications Service, Publications Division, al-Majal Magazine Branch of the USIA in 1973.

Plaintiff’s involvement in several disruptive incidents between September 1972 and May 1973 prompted the USIA to propose removal of plaintiff from his position. The Agency notified plaintiff on August 3, 1973 of its proposed action. The Agency’s notice of proposed removal specifically charged plaintiff with “repeated uncooperative, obstructive, insubordinate behavior and intemperate language.” This notice detailed specific incidents supportive of the Agency’s charges, and advised plaintiff of his appeal rights. Plaintiff responded in writing to the Agency’s letter of charges on August 13, 1973. In his reply, plaintiff largely admitted the occurrence of the events leading to the Agency’s proposed removal of plaintiff. In his written response, plaintiff offered mitigating explanations of his actions, and requested the USIA to reconsider and abandon its removal proposal. On August 21,1973, the Agency notified plaintiff that, after full consideration of the written response, the Agency considered that its charges were supported by the evidence and warranted plaintiff’s removal. The Agency’s letter set September 7, 1973 as the effective date of plaintiff’s removal, and again advised plaintiff of his appeal rights. Following receipt of this letter, plaintiff initiated an intra-agency appeal, and requested a hearing. The USIA afforded plaintiff an evidentiary-type hearing before a qualified State Department Hearing Examiner, and extended plaintiff’s removal date.

In a letter report to the Agency the Hearing Examiner found “the Government’s arguments convincing and supportive of the charges” and “recommended that the Agency proceed to remove Mr. Razik from his position.” In assessing [269]*269the Agency’s case against plaintiff, the Hearing Examiner broke down the Agency’s charge of “repeated uncooperative, obstructive, insubordinate behavior and intemperate language” to:

“Charge 1 — Uncooperative and Obstructive behavior. ♦ * # #
Charge 2 — Insubordinate behavior. * # # * *
Charge 3 — Intemperate language. * * * * *?>

Under each of the enumerated charges the Hearing Examiner cited evidence from the hearing record supportive of the charges. As to plaintiff’s case, the Examiner saw “no reason, cultural or other for [plaintiff’s] subsequent thoroughly immature behavior.”

In addition to recommending that the Agency proceed with plaintiff’s removal, the Hearing Examiner went on to make two further recommendations. The Examiner recommended that the Agency retroactively grant plaintiff a within grade increase previously withheld, and repay plaintiff for a previous three-day suspension. The Hearing Examiner recommended these latter two courses of action to undo what the Examiner considered to be overriding procedural flaws in the Agency’s execution of those disciplinary measures. Neither the denial of the within grade increase nor the suspension were facts relied -on by the Agency to substantiate its removal case against plaintiff.

The USIA’s Deputy Director accepted the Examiner’s removal recommendation, and notified plaintiff by letter on December 6,1973 of his removal, effective at the close of business on the following day to promote the efficiency of the Federal service. The Agency’s Deputy Director disregarded the Hearing Examiner’s latter two recommendations because, as he informed plaintiff:

[The Hearing Examiner’s] duties under Sections 771.209 and 771.213 of the regulations are limited solely to matters relating to the Agency’s decision to -remove you from your position. The denial of your within-grade [increase] and your three-day suspension are not “reasons” for your removal, nor are they a part of the present appeal. Accordingly, they cannot, and did not become a part of his conclusions as to the necessity of your removal.

[270]*270Plaintiff initiated a timely appeal of the USIA’s removal decision to the Civil Service Commission’s Appeals Examining Office on December 10,1973. That office on review of the Agency’s decision, while not sustaining in all respects the elements of the USIA’s charges, found that the Agency had complied with the procedural requirements of the law and the regulations in effecting plaintiff’s removal, and that the Agency’s removal action was based on sustained charges, and was not arbitrary, unreasonable or capricious.

Plaintiff pursued a further appeal of the Civil Service Commission’s Appeals Examining Office’s decision to the Civil Service Commission’s Appeals Review Board. On careful review of the entire record, that Board, while disagreeing with some of the Hearing Examiner’s actions in the case, and some of the Appeals Examining Office’s review conclusions, concurred with the Appeals Examining Office’s determination that the Agency had complied with all mandatory procedural requirements in effecting plaintiff’s removal, and affirmed the Appeals Examining Office’s determination that plaintiff’s removal was for such cause as would promote the efficiency of the Federal service.

Plaintiff brought a timely appeal to this court for review of the administrative actions culminating in his removal from the Federal, service. In pressing his appeal, plaintiff contends that his removal is invalid on two broad grounds. Plaintiff argues one, that the USIA’s failure to follow both Civil Service Commission and its own regulations, invalidates his removal. Second,, plaintiff asserts that the various review decisions upholding his removal were arbitrary, unwarranted and capricious as to nullify his removal. Under these two charges, plaintiff lists six specific procedural errors.

Plaintiff’s prime argument is that the USIA’s Deputy Director violated certain personnel regulations in making the appellate decision accepting the Hearing Examiner’s removal recommendation, but disregarding the Examiner’s other two recommendations. For this argument, plaintiff relies on Civil Service Commission Regulation section 771.219 (5 C.F.R. 771.219 (1973)), and section 566.5 of the USIA’s Manual of Operations and Administration.

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

Related

Pittman v. United States
Federal Claims, 2017
Prenger v. Moody
845 S.W.2d 68 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1992)
Devine v. Brisco
733 F.2d 867 (Federal Circuit, 1984)
Bradbie v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
705 F.2d 1331 (Federal Circuit, 1983)
Wise v. United States
603 F.2d 182 (Court of Claims, 1979)
Athas v. United States
597 F.2d 722 (Court of Claims, 1979)
Bruzzone v. Hampton
433 F. Supp. 92 (S.D. New York, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
525 F.2d 1028, 208 Ct. Cl. 265, 1975 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 259, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/razik-v-united-states-cc-1975.