Velikonja, Maria v. Gonzales, Alberto ( 2006 )


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  •  United States Court of Appeals
    FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT
    Argued September 12, 2006           Decided October 17, 2006
    No. 05-5030
    MARIA VELIKONJA,
    APPELLANT
    v.
    ALBERTO GONZALES, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS
    ATTORNEY GENERAL,
    APPELLEE
    Consolidated with
    05-5303
    Appeals from the United States District Court
    for the District of Columbia
    (No. 03cv00832)
    (No. 04cv01001)
    John F. Karl, Jr. argued the cause and filed the briefs for
    appellant.
    Charles W. Scarborough, Attorney, U.S. Department of
    Justice, argued the cause for appellee. With him on the brief
    were Peter D. Keisler, Assistant Attorney General, Kenneth L.
    Wainstein, U.S. Attorney, and Marleigh D. Dover, Attorney.
    2
    Before: TATEL and BROWN, Circuit Judges, and EDWARDS,
    Senior Circuit Judge.
    Opinion for the court filed Per Curiam.
    PER CURIAM: This case arises from a pair of disciplinary
    investigations launched by the FBI’s Office of Professional
    Responsibility (OPR) against former FBI employee Maria
    Velikonja. The OPR investigated claims made by Velikonja’s
    supervisor that she had repeatedly falsified arrival times on her
    time sheets. Ms. Velikonja brought suit alleging that the level
    of scrutiny to which she was subjected, the unusual delay of the
    proceedings, and the severity of the penalty imposed on her
    were all undertaken for either discriminatory or retaliatory
    reasons in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
    Velikonja also alleged that the government violated the Privacy
    Act, the Due Process Clause, and the First Amendment. The
    district court held for the government on each issue. Velikonja
    v. Mueller, 
    315 F. Supp. 2d 66
     (D.D.C. 2004); Velikonja v.
    Mueller, 
    362 F. Supp. 2d 1
     (D.D.C. 2004); Velikonja v.
    Gonzales, No. 04-1001, slip op. (D.D.C. June 30, 2005).
    We reverse the District Court’s dismissal of Count I of
    Velikonja’s first complaint. In Count I, Velikonja alleged that
    the second time the FBI referred her to the OPR it did so for
    discriminatory and retaliatory reasons. The government argues
    that Velikonja’s discrimination claim fails because mere
    investigation by a disciplinary body cannot constitute an adverse
    employment action. See Brown v. Brody, 
    199 F.3d 446
    , 457
    (D.C. Cir. 1999). We need not decide that issue, however,
    because Velikonja has alleged that “FBI officials referred [her]
    to OPR in order to prevent [her] from receiving promotions until
    the OPR complaints are finally resolved.” 1st Am. Compl. ¶ 46.
    And, at oral argument, the government conceded that preventing
    an employee from receiving a promotion constitutes an adverse
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    employment action. See Stewart v. Ashcroft, 
    352 F.3d 422
    , 427
    (D.C. Cir. 2003); Cones v. Shalala, 
    199 F.3d 512
    , 521 (D.C. Cir.
    2000). Therefore, this claim survives a motion to dismiss and
    we are constrained to remand for further consideration by the
    District Court.
    Count I of Velikonja’s first complaint also alleges
    retaliation in violation of Title VII. The District Court’s
    decision, however, was issued before Burlington Northern &
    Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White, 
    126 S. Ct. 2405
     (2006). There,
    the Supreme Court held that a Title VII plaintiff need not allege
    an adverse employment action to state a claim for retaliation, but
    rather must show that the employer’s actions are “harmful to the
    point that they could well dissuade a reasonable worker from
    making or supporting a charge of discrimination.” 
    Id. at 2409
    .
    Velikonja alleges–allegations that we must accept as true at this
    stage of the litigation, Rochon v. Gonzales, 
    438 F.3d 1211
    , 1216
    (D.C. Cir. 2006)–that she was subject to a lengthy investigation,
    that she was prevented from receiving promotions during the
    pendency of the investigation, and that “the FBI has placed a
    cloud over [her] career, which effectively prevents her from
    obtaining other career-enhancing assignments for which she is
    highly qualified.” 1st Am. Compl. ¶ 40. Because a reasonable
    jury could find that the prospect of such an investigation could
    dissuade a reasonable employee from making or supporting a
    charge of discrimination, we reverse the dismissal of
    Velikonja’s retaliation claim and remand for further
    consideration by the District Court.
    In all other respects, we affirm for the reasons given in the
    District Court’s thorough and well-reasoned opinions.
    Specifically, the District Court correctly granted summary
    judgment as to Counts II and III of Velikonja’s first complaint.
    Velikonja failed to introduce evidence showing that OPR
    resolves comparable investigations of male employees more
    4
    quickly than it did hers or that the OPR’s non-discriminatory
    explanations for the length of the investigation and the severity
    of the penalty were pretextual. Velikonja v. Mueller, 
    362 F. Supp. 2d 1
    , 8-13 (D.D.C. 2004). The District Court properly
    granted summary judgment on Velikonja’s First Amendment
    retaliation claim, Count V of her first complaint, because
    Velikonja introduced no evidence establishing a causal link
    between her speech and the government’s actions against her.
    Velikonja, 
    362 F. Supp. 2d at 24
    . Moreover, even if there were
    such a link, Velikonja’s claim to money damages would be
    barred by the principle of sovereign immunity. Clark v. Library
    of Congress, 
    750 F.2d 89
    , 102-04 (D.C. Cir. 1984). The District
    Court correctly granted summary judgment on Velikonja’s
    Privacy Act claim, Count VI of her first complaint. Id. at 13-23.
    Among other deficiencies, Velikonja failed to introduce
    evidence showing that any alleged violations of the Privacy Act
    were “intentional or willful.” 5 U.S.C. § 552a(g)(4); Laningham
    v. United States Navy, 
    813 F.2d 1236
    , 1242 (D.C. Cir. 1987).
    Finally, the District Court correctly dismissed Velikonja’s
    constructive discharge claim, Count II of her second complaint,
    which similarly lacks merit. Velikonja v. Gonzales, No. 04-
    1001, slip op. at *7-12 (D.D.C. June 30, 2005).
    So ordered.