June 11, 2001
In the Matter of the Petition by
ALEXANDER ECONOMOS
507 Winterthur Lane
Newark, DE 19700-4131
P.S. Docket No. AO 01-124
APPEARANCE FOR PETITIONER:
Charles Scialla
453 Preakness Avenue, #5
Paterson, NJ 07502-1121
APPEARANCE FOR RESPONDENT:
Larissa O. Taran, Esq.
Employment & Labor Law
United States Postal Service
475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Room 6534
Washington, DC 20260-1150
INITIAL DECISION
Petitioner, Alexander Economos, a former Postal Service employee, filed a Petition for Hearing, stating that $720.16 had been deducted from his terminal leave check for an "accountability shortage." He also stated that he was not responsible for the debt and that the deduction had been made without following the provisions of 39 C.F.R. Part 966.
The Petition was docketed on April 19, 2001. A Notice of Docketing was sent to Respondent, the United States Postal Service, on April 20, 2001, stating that an Answer was due within 30 days. No Answer was filed and, on May 31, 2001, an Order was issued stating that, if Respondent intended to contest this case, an Answer must be received in this office not later than June 8, 2001. The Order further stated that, if an Answer or other appropriate pleading was not received by that date, the Petition may be granted without further notice.
Respondent received the May 31 Order on June 5, 2001 but has failed to respond. Accordingly, the Petition is granted. Respondent may not collect $720.16 from Petitioner and must return any amount that has been withheld.