Chief Chambers Files Federal Tort  Claim

In No Way Indicates an Offer to Settle

December 2, 2005 - Before the two-year anniversary of the actions taken against Chief Chambers by officials in the Department of the Interior passed, Chief Chambers, through her attorneys, filed a claim for damages pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act, seeking 2.2 million dollars.  While she continues to fight to return to her job, she and her attorneys believed it was important to not allow the statute of limitations to pass, which would have prohibited her from filing a claim of this sort in the future. 

The filing of this claim for damages in no way indicates an offer to settle the case with the Department of the Interior.  Chief Chambers’ focus has been – and remains – her reinstatement as the Chief of the United States Park Police. 

In addition to this claim, Chief Chambers has an active Privacy Act suit in federal court seeking the production of her performance evaluation which she has evidence and independent testimony to show existed and was a positive one.  This evaluation covers the period of time that coincides with some of the administrative charges later placed against her.

In the meantime, Chief Chambers awaits a response from the Merit Systems Protection Board to the appeal filed with them in December 2004 asking that they review the decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board Administrative Judge who, in October 2004, upheld four of the six administrative charges against Chief Chambers and her termination.  The board is not bound by a deadline for issuing a decision.  Until this step is concluded, Chief Chambers is precluded from asking a federal court to look at her case.