Sutton v. United States

65 Fed. Cl. 800, 2005 U.S. Claims LEXIS 158, 2005 WL 1395025
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJune 13, 2005
DocketNo. 03-90C
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 65 Fed. Cl. 800 (Sutton v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sutton v. United States, 65 Fed. Cl. 800, 2005 U.S. Claims LEXIS 158, 2005 WL 1395025 (uscfc 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

MARGOLIS, Senior Judge.

This case is before the Court on Cross-Motions For Judgment Upon The Administrative Record, defendant’s Motion to Dismiss, and plaintiffs Opposition to Proceedings on Remand. Plaintiff, James G. Sutton, challenges the Army’s March 27, 2002 decision to involuntarily discharge him from active duty status. He requests reinstatement with back pay and allowances, correction of his military records, and removal of all references to the Army’s involuntary discharge action from his records. After careful consideration of the parties’ briefs and oral argument, this Court DENIES plaintiffs motion, GRANTS defendant’s motion for judgment upon the administrative record, GRANTS defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiffs request to remove an Officer Evaluation Report (OER), and OVERRULES plaintiffs Opposition to Proceedings on Remand.

FACTS

Plaintiff enlisted in the United States Army Reserve on September 17, 1981. On April 5, 2000, after plaintiff had accumulated over 17 years of active service, the Brigade Executive Officer initiated an investigation, under the provisions of Army Regulation (AR) 15-6, into twelve allegations of misconduct against plaintiff. These allegations were based on two alleged acts: (1) that Sutton had an adulterous affair with Ms. Dana Garza, an unmarried female contract employee at his base at Ford Hood, Texas; and (2) that Sutton operated a vending machine business for profit in his work area without authorization. On June 19, 2000, the investigating officer sent a memorandum reporting his findings to the Commander. (Adm.Rec.56). The memo stated that there was sufficient evidence to substantiate eight of the twelve alleged acts of misconduct and recommended that plaintiff be relieved of his company command and that he “receive appropriate disciplinary/administrative action.” (Adm.Rec.59). On December 20, 2000, plaintiff was relieved of his command.

On January 7, 2001, plaintiff received a relief-for-cause OER for the period of September 1, 1999 through December 20, 2000. On January 31, 2001, Major General George Higgins, Commander, III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas -(MG Higgins), notified plaintiff that, based on the investigating officer’s findings, he was considering utilizing proceedings under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of [801]*801Military Justice (UCMJ) for non-judicial punishment for violation of four separate articles of the UCMJ. Plaintiff did not demand trial by court-martial and requested that his hearing in the Article 15 proceedings be closed. MG Higgins held an Article 15 proceeding on April 12, 2001. At the proceeding Sutton pled as follows:

1) Guilty to the disobedience offense by contacting Ms. Garza between April 4 and April 30, after his commander’s cease and desist order on. April 3. (Article 90, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 890, Willfully Disobeying a Superior Commissioned Officer).
2) Guilty with substitutions and exceptions to making 4 false statements to the AR 15-6 investigating officer regarding contacts with Ms. Garza. (Violation of Article 107, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 907, False Official Statements).
3) Not Guilty to adultery, by wrongfully having sexual intercourse with Ms. Garza on about January 19 and March 23, 2000. (Violation of Article 133, 10 U.S.C. § 933, Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman (Adultery)).
4) Not Guilty to conduct not becoming an officer by wrongfully and dishonorably installing and operating unauthorized vending machines in the work area. (Violation of Article 133, 10 U.S.C. § 933, Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman (Improper Installation/Operation of Vending Machines)).

MG Higgins found Sutton guilty of the first three allegations and not guilty of the fourth allegation. On April 17, 2001, plaintiff elected not to appeal the Article 15. MG Higgins directed that the Article 15 be filed in plaintiff’s performance fiche of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) and did not take any further administrative or criminal actions against plaintiff.

On May 15, 2001, after reviewing plaintiffs OMPF, plaintiffs Full Time Support Management Directorate recommended plaintiff for consideration by the Department of the Army Active Duty Board (DAADB)1 in accordance with AR 600-8-24, Personnel-General: Officer Transfers and Discharges, ¶ 2-31 (July 21, 1995). Plaintiff submitted a statement in rebuttal to the proposed DAADB action, accompanied by a rebuttal packet. After reviewing plaintiffs DAADB file, including his rebuttal packet, the Commander of the Army Reserve Personnel Command directed that plaintiffs case be submitted to the DAADB to determine whether plaintiff should be released from active duty because of “misconduct, moral or professional dereliction of duty.” After reviewing plaintiffs case, the DAADB recommended that plaintiff be released from active duty with an Honorable characterization. Subsequently, the Deputy Assistant Secretary (Army Review Boards) followed the DAADB’s recommendation and released Sutton from active duty with an Honorable characterization of service. Plaintiff was separated from active duty on March 27, 2002. Plaintiff elected not to appeal the DAADB decision and instead filed suit in this Court, seeking judicial review of the Army’s decision to involuntarily separate him from active duty status.

DISCUSSION

In this action, there are four main issues: (1) whether this Court has subject matter jurisdiction over plaintiffs request that the Court order defendant to set aside an OER that defendant claims was not before the DAADB when it considered whether to release Sutton from active duty; (2) whether the DAADB provisions are void because they are inconsistent with the Department of Defense Directive (DODD) governing separation of Reserve Officers from active duty; (3) whether the DAADB process is unconstitutionally vague and arbitrary; and (4) whether the DAADB process violated plaintiffs Fifth Amendment right to due process. Defendant moves for dismissal of plaintiffs first claim, and judgment upon the administrative record for plaintiffs other claims. In response, plaintiff moves for judgment upon the administrative record.

[802]*802 Subject Matter Jurisdiction to Set Aside an Officer Evaluation Report

Plaintiff requests that this Court order defendant to set aside an OER conducted for the period September 1999 to December 2000. In the OER, the rating official recommended that Sutton be separated from the Army Reserve based on the AR 15-6 investigation that was then ensuing. Specifically, the rating official referred to the alleged improper relationship as the reason for his recommending that Sutton be separated from the Army Reserve. Plaintiff claims that DAADB decided to refer Sutton’s case for involuntary release based on the Article 15 punishment and the relief-for-cause OER.

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Bluebook (online)
65 Fed. Cl. 800, 2005 U.S. Claims LEXIS 158, 2005 WL 1395025, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sutton-v-united-states-uscfc-2005.