Involuntary Separation Group v. USAGM
Former VOA employees file individual appeals with the MSPB
By appellants Sonya Laurence Green, Kane Farabaugh, Amy Katz and Ajdin Muratovic
Published
A group of 59 former Voice of America and U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) employees has filed individual appeals with the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), seeking remedies that could include reinstatement and back pay after employees accepted separation offers last year amid fears of widespread layoffs.
The filings follow a May 6, 2026, ruling by MSPB Administrative Judge Paul DiTomasso declining a request to adjudicate the matter as a class action when it was first submitted on April 6, 2026, as “Green v. USAGM.” The judge noted that while a class was not certified, affected employees who wished to participate could file individual appeals by June 10, 2026, and later seek consolidation. The appellants are following that procedural recommendation.
The appeals challenge the legality of the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA), and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) offers made through the USAGM after March 5, 2025. The appellants argue that these separation offers are legally “voidable” because they were authorized during a period when a federal court found Kari Lake lacked legal authority to act on behalf of the agency.
“Today’s filing marks the next step in our legal case,” said Sonya Laurence Green, an appellant and former senior editor at VOA. “Last year, careers were upended in a matter of days as employees were forced to make difficult choices under the threat of widespread layoffs, and we are now seeking to return to our jobs.”
The appellants continue to argue that many VOA employees accepted separation offers amid fears of a Reduction in Force (RIF), as broader efforts were underway to rapidly reduce the federal workforce. They say affected employees include experienced journalists, editors, and language service professionals who dedicated their careers to VOA’s mission of delivering independent, fact-based news to audiences around the world.
“By filing these individual appeals together, we are recognizing the shared nature of what many VOA journalists experienced,” said Kane Farabaugh, an award-winning former VOA correspondent. “While these are individual cases, they reflect common concerns raised by a broad group of dedicated professionals affected by the same actions.”
Through the MSPB, the appellants are seeking remedies that could include reinstatement and back pay for affected employees who chose to participate in the legal action. A total of 59 former employees joined the appeal, representing a substantial group of VOA and USAGM employees challenging the separation offers.
“We have always maintained that these separation offers were not truly voluntary, but were accepted under duress,” said Amy Katz, former Acting Chief of the VOA Kurdish Service and an appellant. “We believe this legal process will bring greater transparency to how these decisions were made as employees faced the prospect of mass layoffs.”
The appellants are represented by Gilbert Employment Law.