This subpart contains the specific rules that apply to Department proceedings to enforce the provisions of the Statute, and the rules, regulations, orders and other requirements issued by the Department, as well as the filing of informal and formal complaints. Except as modified by this subpart, the provisions of subpart A of this part apply.

Assistant General Counsel, when used in this subpart, refers to the Assistant General Counsel for Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings.

Complainant refers to the person filing a complaint.

Parties, when used in this subpart, include the Office of the Assistant General Counsel, the respondent, the complainant, and any other person permitted to intervene under § 302.20.

Respondent refers to the person against whom a complaint is filed.

Any person may submit in writing to the Assistant General Counsel an informal complaint with respect to anything done or omitted to be done by any person in contravention of any provision of 49 U.S.C. Subtitle VII or any requirement established thereunder. Such informal complaints need not otherwise comply with the provisions of this part. Matters so presented may, if their nature warrants, be handled by correspondence or conference with the appropriate persons. Any matter not disposed of informally may be made the subject of an enforcement proceeding pursuant to this subpart. The filing of an informal complaint shall not bar the subsequent filing of a formal complaint.

(a) Filing. Any person may make a formal complaint to the Assistant General Counsel about any violation of the economic regulatory provisions of 49 U.S.C. Subtitle VII or of the Department's rules, regulations, orders, or other requirements. Every formal complaint shall conform to the requirements of §§ 302.3 and 302.4, concerning the form and filing of documents. The filing of a complaint shall result in the institution of an enforcement proceeding only if the Assistant General Counsel issues a notice instituting such a proceeding as to all or part of the complaint under § 302.406(a) or the General Counsel does so under § 302.406(c).

(b) Amendment. A formal complaint may be amended at any time before service of an answer to the complaint. After service of an answer but before institution of an enforcement proceeding, the complaint may be amended with the permission of the Assistant General Counsel. After institution of an enforcement proceeding, the complaint may be amended only on grant of a motion filed under § 302.11.

(c) Insufficiency of formal complaint. In any case where the Assistant General Counsel is of the opinion that a complaint does not sufficiently set forth matters required by any applicable rule, regulation or order of the Department, or is otherwise insufficient, he or she may advise the complainant of the deficiency and require that any additional information be supplied by amendment.

(d) Joinder of complaints or complainants. Two or more grounds of complaints involving substantially the same purposes, subject or state of facts may be included in one complaint even though they involve more than one respondent. Two or more complainants may join in one complaint if their respective causes of complaint are against the same party or parties and involve substantially the same purposes, subject or state of facts. The Assistant General Counsel may separate or split complaints if he or she finds that the joinder of complaints, complainants, or respondents will not be conducive to the proper dispatch of the Department's business or the ends of justice.

(e) Service. A formal complaint, and any amendments thereto, shall be served by the person filing such documents upon each party complained of, upon the General Counsel, and upon the Assistant General Counsel.

(a) Answers. Within fifteen (15) days after the date of service of a formal complaint, each respondent shall file an answer in conformance with and subject to the requirements of § 302.408(b). Extensions of time for filing an answer may be granted by the Assistant General Counsel for good cause shown.

(b) Offers to satisfy. A respondent in a formal complaint may offer to satisfy the complaint through submission of facts, offer of settlement or proposal of adjustment. Such offer shall be in writing and shall be served, within fifteen (15) days after service of the complaint, upon the same persons and in the same manner as an answer. The submittal of an offer to satisfy the complaint shall not excuse the filing of an answer.

(c) Motions to dismiss. Motions to dismiss a formal complaint shall not be filed prior to the filing of a notice instituting an enforcement proceeding with respect to such complaint or a portion thereof.

(a) Within a reasonable time after an answer to a formal complaint is filed, the Assistant General Counsel shall either:

(1) Issue a notice instituting a formal enforcement proceeding in accordance with § 302.407 or

(2) Issue an order dismissing the complaint in whole or in part, stating the reasons for such dismissal.

(b) An order dismissing a complaint issued pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section shall become effective as a final order of the Department thirty (30) days after service thereof.

(c) Whenever the Assistant General Counsel has failed to act on a formal complaint within a reasonable time after an answer is due, the following motions may be addressed to the General Counsel:

(1) By the complainant to institute an enforcement proceeding by docketing the complaint upon a showing that it is in the public interest to do so; and

(2) By the respondent to dismiss the complaint upon a showing that it is in the public interest to do so.

(d) The General Counsel may grant, deny, or defer any of the motions, in whole or in part, and take appropriate action to carry out his or her decision.

(a) Whenever in the opinion of the Assistant General Counsel there are reasonable grounds to believe that any economic regulatory provision of 49 U.S.C. Subtitle VII, or any rule, regulation, order, limitation, condition, or other requirement established pursuant thereto, has been or is being violated, that efforts to satisfy a complaint as provided by § 302.405 have failed, and that the investigation of any or all of the alleged violations is in the public interest, the Assistant General Counsel may issue a notice instituting an enforcement proceeding before an administrative law judge.

(b) The notice shall incorporate by reference the formal complaint submitted pursuant to § 302.404 or shall be accompanied by a complaint by an attorney from the Office of the Assistant General Counsel. The notice and accompanying complaint, if any, shall be formally served upon each respondent and each complainant.

(c) The proceedings thus instituted shall be processed in regular course in accordance with this part. However, nothing in this part shall be construed to limit the authority of the Department to institute or conduct any investigation or inquiry within its jurisdiction in any other manner or according to any other procedures that it may deem necessary or proper.

(d) Whenever the Assistant General Counsel seeks an assessment of civil penalties in an enforcement proceeding, he or she shall serve on all parties to the proceeding a notice of the violations alleged and the amount of penalties for which the respondent may be liable. The notice may be included in the notice instituting a formal enforcement proceeding or in a separate document.

(e) In any proceeding in which civil penalties are sought, any decisions issued by the Department shall state the amount of any civil penalties assessed upon a finding of violation, and the time and manner in which payment shall be made to the United States.

(a) Within fifteen (15) days after the date of service of a notice issued pursuant to § 302.407, the respondent shall file an answer to the complaint attached thereto or incorporated therein unless an answer has already been filed in accordance with § 302.405. Any requests for extension of time for filing of an answer to such complaint shall be filed in accordance with § 302.11.

(b) All answers shall be served in accordance with § 302.7 and shall fully and completely advise the parties and the Department as to the nature of the defense and shall admit or deny specifically and in detail each allegation of the complaint unless the respondent is without knowledge, in which case, his or her answer shall so state and the statement shall operate as a denial. Allegations of fact not denied or controverted shall be deemed admitted. Matters alleged as affirmative defenses shall be separately stated and numbered and shall, in the absence of a reply, be deemed to be controverted. Any answer to a complaint, or response to a notice, proposing the assessment of civil penalties shall specifically present any matters that the respondent intends to rely upon in opposition to, or in mitigation of, such civil penalties.

(c) The DOT decisionmaker or the administrative law judge may, in his or her discretion, require or permit the filing of a reply in appropriate cases; otherwise, no reply may be filed.

Failure of a respondent to file and serve an answer within the time and in the manner prescribed by § 302.408 shall be deemed to authorize the DOT decisionmaker or administrative law judge, as a matter of discretion, to find the facts alleged in the complaint incorporated in or accompanying the notice instituting a formal enforcement proceeding to be true and to enter such orders as may be appropriate without notice or hearing, or, as a matter of discretion, to proceed to take proof, without notice, of the allegations or charges set forth in the complaint or order; Provided, that the DOT decisionmaker or administrative law judge may permit late filing of an answer for good cause shown.

The DOT decisionmaker or Chief Administrative Law Judge may, upon his or her own initiative, or upon motion of any party, consolidate for hearing or for other purposes, or may contemporaneously consider, two or more enforcement proceedings that involve substantially the same parties or issues that are the same or closely related, if he or she finds that such consolidation or contemporaneous hearing will be conducive to the dispatch of business and to the ends of justice and will not unduly delay the proceedings.

(a) At any time after an answer has been filed, any party may file with the DOT decisionmaker or the administrative law judge a motion to dismiss or a motion for summary judgment, including supporting affidavits. The procedure on such motions shall be in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (28 U.S.C.), particularly Rules 6(d), 7(b), 12, and 56, except that answers and supporting papers to a motion to dismiss or for summary judgment shall be filed within seven (7) days after service of the motion.

(b) Parties may petition the DOT decisionmaker to review any action by the administrative law judge granting summary judgment or dismissing an enforcement proceeding under the procedure established for review of an initial decision in § 302.32.

(a) At any time after an answer has been filed, any party may file with the DOT decisionmaker or administrative law judge and serve upon the opposing side a written request for the admission of the genuineness and authenticity of any relevant documents described in and exhibited with the request or for the admission of the truth of any relevant matters of fact stated in the request with respect to such documents.

(b) Each of the matters of which an admission is requested shall be deemed admitted unless within a period designated in the request, not less than ten (10) days after service thereof, or within such further time as the DOT decisionmaker or the administrative law judge may allow upon motion and notice, the party to whom the request is directed serves upon the requesting party a sworn statement either denying specifically the matters of which an admission is requested or setting forth in detail the reasons why he or she cannot truthfully either admit or deny such matters.

(c) Service of such request and answering statement shall be made as provided in § 302.7. Any admission made by a party pursuant to such request is only for the purposes of the pending proceeding, or any proceeding or action instituted for the enforcement of any order entered therein, and shall not constitute an admission by him or her for any other purpose or be used against him or her in any other proceeding or action.

Evidence of previous violations by any person or of any provision of 49 U.S.C. Subtitle VII or any requirement thereunder found by the Department or a court in any other proceeding or criminal or civil action may, if relevant and material, be admitted in any enforcement proceeding involving such person.

A prehearing conference may be held in an enforcement proceeding whenever the administrative law judge believes that the fair and expeditious disposition of the proceeding requires one. If a prehearing conference is held, it shall be conducted in accordance with § 302.22.

After the issues have been formulated, whether by the pleadings or otherwise, the administrative law judge shall give the parties reasonable written notice of the time and place of the hearings. Except as may be modified by the provisions of this subpart, the procedures in §§ 302.17 to 302.38 governing the conduct of oral evidentiary hearings will apply.

With consent of the administrative law judge, appearances may be entered without request for or grant of permission to intervene by interested persons who are not parties to the proceeding. Such persons may, with the consent of the administrative law judge, cross-examine a particular witness or suggest to any party or counsel therefor questions or interrogations to be asked witnesses called by any party, but may not otherwise examine witnesses and may not introduce evidence or otherwise participate in the proceeding. However, such persons may present to both the administrative law judge and the DOT decisionmaker an oral or written statement of their position on the issues involved in the proceeding.

(a) The General Counsel and the respondent may agree to settle all or some of the issues in an enforcement proceeding at any time before a final decision is issued by the DOT decisionmaker. The General Counsel shall serve a copy of any proposed settlement on each party and shall submit the proposed settlement to the administrative law judge for approval. The submission of a proposed settlement shall not automatically delay the proceeding.

(b) Any party to the proceeding may submit written comments supporting or opposing the proposed settlement within ten (10) days from the date of service.

(c) The administrative law judge shall approve the proposed settlement, as submitted, if it appears to be in the public interest, or otherwise shall disapprove it.

(d) Information relating to settlement offers and negotiations will be withheld from public disclosure if the General Counsel determines that disclosure would interfere with the likelihood of settlement of an enforcement proceeding.

All motions for the suspension of the economic operating authority of an air carrier during the pendency of proceedings to revoke such authority shall be filed with, and decided by, the DOT decisionmaker. Proceedings on the motion shall be in accordance with § 302.11. In addition, the DOT decisionmaker shall afford the parties an opportunity for oral argument on such motion.

Whenever any party to a proceeding, in which an order of the Department has been issued pursuant to section 46101 of 49 U.S.C. Subtitle VII or an injunction or other form of enforcement action has been issued by a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to section 46106 of 49 U.S.C. Subtitle VII, believes that changed conditions of fact or law or the public interest require that said order or judicial action be modified or set aside, in whole or in part, such party may file with the Department a motion requesting that the Department take such administrative action or join in applying to the appropriate court for such judicial action, as the case may be. The motion shall state the changes desired and the changed circumstances warranting such action, and shall include the materials and argument in support thereof. The motion shall be served on each party to the proceeding in which the enforcement action was taken. Within thirty (30) days after the service of such motion, any party so served may file an answer thereto. The Department shall dispose of the motion by such procedure as it deems appropriate.

Repeal, revision or amendment of any of the economic regulatory provisions of 49 U.S.C. Subtitle VII or of the Department's rules, regulations, orders, or other requirements shall not affect any pending enforcement proceeding or any enforcement proceeding initiated thereafter with respect to causes arising or acts committed prior to said repeal, revision or amendment, unless the act of repeal, revision or amendment specifically so provides.