Stone v. Secretary of the Air Force ( 2021 )


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  • Case: 20-1233   Document: 53     Page: 1    Filed: 10/19/2021
    NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.
    United States Court of Appeals
    for the Federal Circuit
    ______________________
    BILLIE O. STONE, DBA STOBIL ENTERPRISE,
    Appellant
    v.
    SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE,
    Appellee
    ______________________
    2020-1233
    ______________________
    Appeal from the Armed Services Board of Contract Ap-
    peals in Nos. 61688, 61689, Administrative Judge Richard
    Shackleford.
    ______________________
    Decided: October 19, 2021
    ______________________
    BILLIE O. STONE, San Antonio, TX, pro se.
    GEOFFREY MARTIN LONG, Commercial Litigation
    Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Jus-
    tice, Washington, DC, for appellee. Also represented by
    BRIAN M. BOYNTON, MARTIN F. HOCKEY, JR., PATRICIA M.
    MCCARTHY.
    ______________________
    Before NEWMAN, LOURIE, and O’MALLEY, Circuit Judges.
    Case: 20-1233     Document: 53      Page: 2    Filed: 10/19/2021
    2                       STONE   v. SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE
    PER CURIAM.
    Billie O. Stone appeals from the decision of the Armed
    Services Board of Contract Appeals (“the Board”) denying
    his monetary claim against the Department of the Air
    Force. Appeals of Stobil Enter., Nos. 61688, 61689, 2019
    ASBCA LEXIS 19 (Jan. 18, 2019) (“Decision”). Stone’s
    claim against the Air Force stems from a dispute over a
    contract for the removal and replacement of a door. For the
    following reasons, we dismiss the appeal for lack of juris-
    diction.
    BACKGROUND
    Stone d/b/a/ Stobil Enterprise specializes in door instal-
    lations. In January 2018, the Air Force submitted a Re-
    quest for Quotation (RFQ) for the removal and replacement
    of a door. SAppx 14. 1 The RFQ’s Statement of Work (SOW)
    stated in relevant part:
    PROJECT SCOPE: The contractor shall furnish
    all supervision, labor, transportation[,] materials,
    tools, incidentals, equipment, and Quality Assur-
    ance to remove existing Overhead Door and install
    new Overhead Door, hardware, and electric mo-
    tors. . . .
    PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The requirements of
    this project are but not limited to the following: Re-
    move one (1) each steel overhead door and replace
    with new 25’ by 21’ heavy duty rolling overhead
    door with electric operators.
    Id. at 30.
    1 “SAppx” refers to the appendix attached to the gov-
    ernment’s response brief.
    Case: 20-1233     Document: 53     Page: 3    Filed: 10/19/2021
    STONE   v. SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE                      3
    Stone submitted a quote in response to the RFQ. Sub-
    sequently, the Air Force awarded Stone the contract. Id.
    at 20.
    After inspecting the door, Stone sent an email to the
    Air Force contract specialist informing her that the drum,
    which assists in the door’s electrical operation, was dam-
    aged. Id. at 23. He wrote that he could replace the drum,
    but that it would add an additional cost to the existing con-
    tract. Id. The contract specialist responded that, under
    the SOW, Stone would need to replace the drum at no ad-
    ditional cost. Id. at 24. She pointed out that the SOW re-
    quired removal and replacement of the door and a drum is
    “part of the electrical operation” of the door. Id.
    Stone disagreed and submitted a claim to the contract-
    ing officer for $126,000. Id. at 28. The claim encompassed,
    among other things, costs for purchase of materials and
    “harm; undue hardship; and loss of credit standing with
    the [m]anufacturer for nonpayment of the supplied materi-
    als procured for the Government’s requirement.” Id. The
    contracting officer denied Stone’s claim. Id. at 38. Shortly
    thereafter, the Air Force terminated its contract with Stone
    because he failed to complete the task by the required date.
    Id. at 39.
    Stone appealed to the Board pursuant to the Small
    Claims Procedure. 
    41 U.S.C. § 7106
    (b). The Board sus-
    tained the contracting officer’s denial of Stone’s monetary
    claim and termination of the contract. See Decision, 2019
    ASBCA LEXIS 19, at *10–12. According to the Board, per
    the SOW, Stone should have replaced the drum at no addi-
    tional cost. The Board acknowledged that the drum was
    not mentioned in the contract, but credited the govern-
    ment’s argument that it was industry practice to replace
    the drum when replacing the door. 
    Id.
     The Board also de-
    nied Stone’s motion for reconsideration. Appeals of Stobil
    Enter., Nos. 61688, 61689, 2019 ASBCA LEXIS 211, at *7
    (July 23, 2019).
    Case: 20-1233     Document: 53      Page: 4    Filed: 10/19/2021
    4                       STONE   v. SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE
    DISCUSSION
    Our jurisdiction to review decisions of the Board is lim-
    ited. The Contract Disputes Act defines this court’s juris-
    diction to entertain appeals from Board decisions
    adjudicated pursuant to the Small Claims Procedure. It
    provides that such decisions are “final and conclusive and
    may not be set aside except in cases of fraud.” 
    41 U.S.C. § 7106
    (b)(4); see also § 7107. To invoke this court’s juris-
    diction to review the Board’s decision, an appellant must
    make a “non-frivolous allegation of fraud in the board pro-
    ceedings.” Palmer v. Barram, 
    184 F.3d 1373
    , 1380 (Fed.
    Cir. 1999).
    Stone alleges that the Board acted fraudulently in
    making its decision. According to Stone, the Board “vio-
    lat[ed] . . . federal statute[s]” and “failed to execute proper
    review.” Appellant’s Br. 11, 13. The government responds
    that we lack jurisdiction over Stone’s appeal because he
    has failed to non-frivolously allege fraud. Specifically, the
    government contends that Stone’s fraud allegations are
    conclusory and unsupported.
    We agree with the government that we lack jurisdic-
    tion over this appeal. Although Stone makes general alle-
    gations that the Board acted fraudulently in reaching its
    decision, he provides no specific evidence in support of
    those allegations. For example, Stone states that the
    Board “suppressed” evidence, but he provides no such ex-
    amples. Appellant’s Br. 19. He also asserts that the Board
    misrepresented facts and was therefore deceptive, but
    again, he offers no actual evidence of deception. See id. at
    14. At bottom, Stone’s arguments amount to a disagree-
    ment with the Board’s determination. Because Stone has
    failed to make a non-frivolous allegation of fraud, we do not
    have jurisdiction to review this appeal.
    Case: 20-1233     Document: 53     Page: 5   Filed: 10/19/2021
    STONE   v. SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE                     5
    CONCLUSION
    We have considered Stone’s remaining arguments but
    find them unpersuasive. For the foregoing reasons, we dis-
    miss the appeal. 2
    DISMISSED
    2    Stone filed a motion for supplemental briefing,
    which we granted on March 29, 2021. ECF No. 35. Subse-
    quently, Stone filed another motion, requesting that we va-
    cate the March 29, 2021 order allowing the briefing. ECF
    No. 36. We deny Stone’s request.
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 20-1233

Filed Date: 10/19/2021

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 12/7/2021