Secretary of Labor v. United Mine Services (Commission decision, July 18, 2013)

Plain-English summary

United Mine Services said it mailed a penalty-contest notice two days after receiving the proposed assessment. MSHA had no record of the filing, and the company learned of the discrepancy from a later delinquency notice. The Secretary did not oppose reopening but urged the company to ensure reliable future filings. The Commission reopened the final assessment in the interest of justice and remanded the matter for proceedings on the merits. It directed the Secretary to file a penalty petition within 45 days.

Decision snapshot

• Governing provisions: 30 U.S.C. § 815(a); 29 C.F.R. §§ 2700.1(b) and 2700.28
• Outcome: The final penalty assessment was reopened and the matter was remanded for further proceedings.
• Key point: A claim of timely mailing may support reopening when MSHA has no record of receipt and the operator acts after learning of the discrepancy.

Full text (FMSHRC public release)



FEDERAL
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION

1331 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW, SUITE
520N

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004-1710

July 18, 2013

SECRETARY OF LABOR, 

MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH 

ADMINISTRATION (MSHA) 

v.

UNITED MINE SERVICES 

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Docket No. WEST 2013-402-M

A.C. No. 10-01913-304344 U532

BEFORE: Jordan, Chairman;
Young and Nakamura, 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 January 28, 2013, the Commission received from United Mine Services (“UMS”) a motion seeking to reopen a penalty assessment that had become a final order of the Commission pursuant to section 105(a) of the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. § 815(a).

Under section 105(a) of the Mine
Act, an operator who wishes to contest a proposed penalty must notify the Secretary of Labor no later than 30 days after receiving the proposed penalty assessment. If the operator fails to notify the Secretary, the proposed penalty assessment is deemed a final order of the Commission. 30 U.S.C. § 815(a).

We
have held, however, that in appropriate circumstances, we possess jurisdiction to reopen uncontested assessments that have become final Commission orders under section 105(a). Jim Walter Res., Inc., 15 FMSHRC 782, 786-89 (May 1993) (“JWR”). In evaluating requests to reopen final section 105(a) orders, the Commission has found guidance in Rule 60(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure under which, for example, a party could be entitled to relief from a final order of the Commission on the basis of mistake, inadvertence, or excusable neglect. See 29 C.F.R. § 2700.1(b) (“the Commission and its Judges shall be guided so far as practicable by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure”); JWR, 15 FMSHRC at 787. We have also observed that default is a harsh remedy and that, if the defaulting party can make a showing of good cause for a failure to timely respond, the case may be reopened and appropriate proceedings on the merits permitted. See Coal Prep. Servs., Inc., 17 FMSHRC 1529, 1530 (Sept. 1995).

Records of the Department of
Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) indicate that the proposed assessment was delivered on October 30, 2012, and became a final order of the Commission on November 29, 2012. UMS asserts that it mailed a timely notice of contest on November 1, 2012. The Secretary notes that MSHA has no record of receiving the contest form. UMS discovered the discrepancy after receiving a delinquency notice, dated January 14, 2013. The Secretary does not oppose the request to reopen and urges the operator to take steps to ensure that future penalty contests are timely filed.

Having
reviewed UMS’ request and the
Secretary’s response, in the interest of justice, we hereby reopen this matter and remand it to the Chief Administrative Law Judge for further proceedings pursuant to the Mine Act and the Commission’s Procedural Rules, 29 C.F.R. Part 2700. Accordingly, 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.

/s/ Mary Lu Jordan

Mary Lu Jordan, Chairman

/s/Michael G. Young

Michael G. Young, Commissioner

/s/ Patrick K. Nakamura

Patrick K. Nakamura, Commissioner

Distribution:

Cole A. Wist, Esq.

Holland & Hart, LLP

6380 South Fiddlers Green Circle, Suite 500

Greenwood Village, CO 80111

[email protected]

W. Christian Schumann, Esq.

Office of the Solicitor

U.S. Department of Labor

1100 Wilson Blvd., Room 2220

Arlington, VA 22209-2296

Melanie Garris

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

1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W., Suite
520N

Washington, D.C.
20004-1710