Patent opinions from the Eastern District of Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Weekly Digest
Fed. Cir.

In re Salazar, No. 12-M110 (Fed. Cir. July 20, 2012)

Denied
Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Case No.
No. 12-M110
Decided
July 20, 2012
Judge
Per curiam
Document
Nonprecedential Opinion
Length
3 pages

Nore: This order is nonprecedential. Gnited States Court of Appeals

for the Federal Circuit

IN RE MARTIN F. SALAZAR,

Petitioner.

Miscellaneous Docket No. 110

On Petition for Writ of Mandamus to the Merit Systems Protection Board. .

Before LOURIE, SCHALL, and DYK, Circuit Judges.

Figure on page 1 of the opinion

ORDER

Martin F. Salazar petitions for a writ of mandamus to compel the Merit Systems Protection Board to docket two of his appeals. The Board responds. Salazar replies.

On February 19, 2010, Salazar filed an appeal to the Board seeking reinstatement of his retirement annuity. On December 4, 2010, Salazar filed another appeal seeking reinstatement of his retirement annuity. The Board did not docket this second filing as a new appeal because the filing was essentially the same as Salazar’s February 19, 2010 appeal, which was still pending before the Board. Salazar filed yet another appeal seeking reinstatement of his retirement annuity on September 26, 2011, which the2 IN RE SALAZAR 2 Board also did not. docket as a new appeal. On June 8, 2011, Salazar filed an appeal that sought reinstatement of his health benefits. The Board docketed that appeal regarding health benefits. On January 7, 2011, an administrative judge dismissed Salazar’s February 19 appeal that sought reinstatement of his retirement annuity. Salazar sought full Board review, and the Board afÏrmed the administrative judge's decision, as modified, and sustained the OfÏce of Personnel Management's decision to not reinstate his retirement annuity. Salazar petitioned this court for review of the Board's final order in that case.

Figure on page 2 of the opinion

In October of 2011, Salazar contacted the Board by telephone to learn the status of his December 4, June 8, and September 26 filings. The Board informed Salazar that his filings requesting the same relief as his February 19, 2010 filing would not be docketed as new appeals. This petition for writ of mandamus followed. ~

The remedy of mandamus is available only in extraordinary situations to correct a clear abuse of discretion or usurpation of judicial power. In re Calmer, Inc., 854 F.2d 461, 464 (Fed. Cir. 1988). A party seeking a writ bears the burden of proving that it has no other means of attaining the relief desired, Mallard v. U.S. Dist. Court for the Southern Dist. of Iowa, 490 U.S. 296, 309 (1989), and that the right to issuance of the writ is “clear and indisputable.” Allied Chem. Corp. v. Daiflon, Inc., 449 US. 33, 35 (1980).

Based on the papers submitted, Salazar has not met his burden of showing entitlement to a writ. Salazar has not shown that the Board was required to file multiple appeals of the same matter.

Accordingly, It Is ORDERED THAT:

Figure on page 3 of the opinion

33 IN RE SALAZAR

Salazar’s petition for writ of mandamus is denied.

For THE COURT

JUL 20 2012 ‘sf Jan Horbaly

Date Jan Horbaly

Clerk

ec: Martin F. Salazar

Calvin Morrow, Esq.

s8

Das us conrt e

FOR JUL 20 2012

JAN HORBALY

CLERK

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Cite this opinion

In re Salazar, No. 12-M110 (Fed. Cir. July 20, 2012).

Record ID
CAFC-12-M110-20120720
Permalink
https://patentcasewatch.com/opinions/CAFC-12-M110-20120720

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