Secretary of Labor v. John R. Hurley (Commission decision, December 10, 2009)

Plain-English summary

MSHA sought an individual penalty against John Hurley under Mine Act section 110(c) and attempted to deliver the assessment by Federal Express. Hurley did not receive it despite trying to do so. After a delinquency notice arrived, his counsel obtained a copy from MSHA and immediately filed a contest. The Commission held that proper assessment notice had never been given and that Hurley's contest was timely once he received notice. It treated the reopening motion as moot and remanded the case for assignment to a judge and a penalty petition.

Decision snapshot

• Governing provisions: 30 U.S.C. §§ 815(a) and 820(c); 29 C.F.R. §§ 2700.25 through 2700.28
• Outcome: The reopening motion was moot because the assessment never became final, and the case was remanded for ordinary penalty proceedings.
• Key point: The contest period does not run before an individual receives proper notice of a proposed section 110(c) penalty.

Full text (FMSHRC public release)

Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission

FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION

601 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, NW

SUITE 9500

WASHINGTON, DC 20001

December 10, 2009

SECRETARY OF LABOR,

MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH

ADMINISTRATION (MSHA)

v.

JOHN R. HURLEY

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Docket No. VA 2010-7

A.C. No. 44-06685-182175 A

BEFORE: Jordan, Chairman; Duffy, Young, and Cohen, Commissioners

ORDER

BY THE COMMISSION:

This matter arises under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, 30 U.S.C.
§ 801 et seq. (2006) (“Mine Act”). On October 5, 2009, the Commission received a motion by counsel seeking to reopen a penalty assessment against John R. Hurley under section 110(c) of the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. § 820(c), that may have become a final order of the Commission pursuant to section 105(a) of the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. § 815(a).

Under the Commission’s Procedural Rules, an individual charged under section 110(c) has 30 days following receipt of the proposed penalty assessment within which to notify the Secretary of Labor that he or she wishes to contest the penalty. 29 C.F.R. § 2700.26. If the individual fails to notify the Secretary, the proposed penalty assessment is deemed a final order of the Commission. 29 C.F.R. § 2700.27.

On April 14, 2009, the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) issued Proposed Assessment No. 00182175 A to Hurley relating to Citation No. 6629283, which had been issued on December 19, 2007. The record indicates that MSHA sought to deliver the assessment by Federal Express, but Hurley never received the assessment, despite his efforts to do so. Soon after Hurley received a delinquency notice from MSHA regarding the assessment, his counsel made arrangements to obtain a copy of the assessment from MSHA and immediately filed a notice of contest. The Secretary of Labor does not oppose reopening in this instance.

The record indicates that Hurley never received proper notification of the proposed penalty assessment as required under Commission Procedural Rule 25.

Under the circumstances
of this case, we conclude that Hurley timely notified the Secretary that he wished to contest the proposed penalty once he had such notice.

Because the proposed penalty assessment did not become not a final order of the Commission, we will treat the motion to reopen as moot. We remand this matter to the Chief Administrative Law Judge for assignment to a judge. This case shall proceed pursuant to the Mine Act and the Commission’s Procedural Rules, 29 C.F.R. Part 2700. Consistent with Rule 28, the Secretary shall file a petition for assessment of penalty within 45 days of the date of this order. See 29 C.F.R. § 2700.28.

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Mary Lu Jordan, Chairman

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Michael F. Duffy, Commissioner

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Michael G. Young, Commissioner

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Robert F. Cohen, Jr., Commissioner

Distribution:

Robert H. Beatty, Jr., Esq.

Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP

215 Don Knotts Blvd., Suite 310

Morgantown, WV 26501

W. Christian Schumann, Esq.

Office of the Solicitor

U.S. Department of Labor

1100 Wilson Blvd., Room 2220

Arlington, VA 22209-2296

Myra James, Chief

Office of Civil Penalty Compliance

MSHA

U.S. Dept. Of Labor

1100 Wilson Blvd., 25th Floor

Arlington, VA 22209-3939

Chief Administrative Law Judge Robert J. Lesnick

Federal Mine Safety & Health Review Commission

601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Suite 9500

Washington, D.C. 20001-2021