An employee of the Federal Aviation Administration who was subject to a reduction in force (RIF) filed an appeal with the MSPB. But he had already joined a class action lawsuit so the MSPB dismissed his appeal but his name was also withdrawn from the class action lawsuit as a result of a motion from his attorney. Left out despite the numerous initial options, he went to federal court to try for a more favorable outcome.

Through a notice of removal back in 2002, a settlement agreement, and litigation before the MSPB, the Postal Service has been trying hard to resolve litigation by a former supervisor that the agency had originally proposed to fire from her job in Omaha. The agency may have finally succeeded after a decision from a federal court.

Can using a government computer to set up a website with unauthorized material lead to losing a federal job? This Navy employee found out the answer after he posted material discussing his job duties and his unhappiness with his job and co-workers.

A rancher filed a lawsuit against employees of the Bureau of Land Management contending with numerous examples that he had suffered several years of harassment and intimidation because he would not grant an easement on his property. The court agreed with the government’s position that when the federal government is the “intended beneficiary of the allegedly extortionate acts,” then the act does not apply. The court concluded that the federal employees could not be sued individually for their campaign against the ownership rights of the rancher.

A federal employee who is subject to discipline will sometimes argue that the discipline was in retaliation for whistleblowing activity and that the discipline should be overturned. In this Air Force case, an employee admitted manipulating a process to steer contracts to one company but says the disciplinary action was retaliation. The court doesn’t buy it and leaves the 30-day suspension in place.

Multiple appeal procedures can muddle a case. In this instance, a federal employee who took leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for a terminally ill husband took the leave under false pretenses. But an EEOC ruling on the employee’s harassment case complicates the issue. A federal court send the case back to the MSPB to “resolve inconsistencies, if any.”