Summary of Decisions -December 14, 2020 - December 18, 2020

On December 16, 2020, the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) issued an order denying Mr. Erik DeBenedictis' (Appellant) appeal of an OHA Administrative Judge's initial agency decision under the Department of Energy's (DOE) Contractor Employee Protection Program, codified at Part 708 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Part 708). The appeal alleged that the Administrative Judge made material errors of fact and law which led him to deny the Appellant's complaint on the basis that his alleged disclosure was not protected under Part 708. The OHA Director found that the Administrative Judge properly concluded that the Appellant did not reasonably believe that he had disclosed an abuse of authority and therefore that his disclosure was not protected under Part 708. Accordingly, OHA denied the appeal. OHA Case No. WBA-20-0003.