Case: Bradley v. United States Agency for International Development

1:26-cv-00950 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia

Filed Date: March 18, 2026

Case Ongoing

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Case Summary

This case challenges a 2025 reduction in force at the United States Agency for International Development (“USAID”), alleging that federal agencies and Department of Government Efficiency ("DOGE") officials orchestrated the removal of older employees and replaced them with younger workers in violation of federal employment laws. More than 170 current and former USAID foreign service officers and other employees, all over age 40, filed a lawsuit against USAID, the United States State Department, …

More than 170 current and former USAID foreign service officers and other employees, all over age 40, filed a lawsuit against USAID, the United States State Department, the United States Office of Management and Budget, the United States Office of Personnel Management, and the United States DOGE Services on March 18, 2026, in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The plaintiffs alleged that defendants conducted a pretextual reduction in force at USAID in 2025, terminating older employees without individualized performance assessment while simultaneously promoting a public campaign emphasizing that young officials were replacing "older legacy employees". Per the complaint, DOGE officials, many in their twenties and thirties, oversaw the terminations while promoting ageist messaging about injecting "young blood" into the federal workforce. The plaintiffs began being placed on involuntary administrative leave on February 23, 2025, and many were subsequently terminated between July and September 2025. After terminating the employees under the guise that their positions were being eliminated, defendants allegedly began rehiring younger workers through the State Department for the same or similar functions. Plaintiffs brought claims alleging violations of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Older Worker Benefits Protection Act, the Administrative Leave Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act. Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief, damages, back pay, front pay, benefits, attorneys' fees, and other remedies. The case was assigned to District Judge Rudolph Contreras.

This case is ongoing.

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Summary Authors

Benjamin Glicksman (6/10/2026)

Jinan Abufarha (3/21/2026)

People

For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72513309/parties/bradley-v-united-states-agency-for-international-development/

Judge(s)

Contreras, Rudolph (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Byrnes, Kevin Edward (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Defendant

Brown, Allison Ilene (District of Columbia)

Judge(s)

Contreras, Rudolph (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Byrnes, Kevin Edward (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Defendant

Brown, Allison Ilene (District of Columbia)

Attorney Contact Information via CourtListener

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

	Document
1 1:26-cv-00950	Complaint	March 18, 2026	March 18, 2026 Complaint
7 1:26-cv-00950	First Amended Complaint Bradley et al. v. United States Agency for International Development et al.	April 9, 2026	April 9, 2026 Complaint
11 1:26-cv-00950	Notice of Voluntary Dismissal Bradley et al. v. United States Agency for International Development et al.	June 3, 2026	June 3, 2026 Pleading / Motion / Brief

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Docket

See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72513309/bradley-v-united-states-agency-for-international-development/

Last updated July 28, 2026, 4:05 p.m.

ECF Number	Description	Date	Link Date / Link
1	COMPLAINT against All Defendants with Jury Demand ( Filing fee $ 405 receipt number ADCDC-12307357) filed by JAIME OBERLANDER, JEANETTE NORMAND, CHELSEA KAUFMAN, TAHALIA BARRETT CHANG, TIMOTHY MELVIN, MARIA DELORES HERMOSILLO, KYLE ABBATTISTA, WILLIAM BRADLEY, ANNA HOFFMAN, MARK NEWTON, KALIM HANNA, KEVIN SMITH, PAMELA J. MORRIS, MICHELLE LINDER, JULIA NENON, XAVIER PRECIADO, ALEXIS JONES, MICAH ANDREW GLOBERSON, HEATHER WIRICK, JAMIE LEWIS, PAUL E. EDWARDS, ADAM NORIKANE, JEAN ROBERTS OLIVERAS, BRANDON FENLEY, ELIZABETH WAGER, ADMIR SERIFOVIC, JANNIE KWOK, DANIELLE TEDESCO, JASON GILPIN, JENNIFER LAAKSO, DANI NEWCOMB, JESSICA CARLSON, RYAN SHELBY, ALEXIS POLOVINA, MARIKA ANNE OLSON, SHARLENE BAGGA-TAVES, MARY EDWARDS, WENDY RICH-ORLOFF, MELISSA FRASER, MICHAEL TESKE, CAITLIN HALL, CHONG HUN PARK, MICHELLE DAPRA, DANIELLE BASH, CHRISTINE OBESTER, JESSIE SNAZA, SIOBHAN PANGERL, GARY SHU, KAREN JAMES, MARK CHILDERHOSE. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons Proposed, # 3 Summons Proposed, # 4 Summons Proposed, # 5 Summons Proposed, # 6 Summons Proposed, # 7 Summons Proposed, # 8 Summons Proposed, # 9 Summons Proposed, # 10 Summons Proposed, # 11 Summons Proposed, # 12 Summons Proposed)(Byrnes, Kevin) (Entered: 03/18/2026) 1 Civil Cover Sheet View on PACER 2 Summons Proposed View on PACER 3 Summons Proposed View on PACER 4 Summons Proposed View on PACER 5 Summons Proposed View on PACER 6 Summons Proposed View on PACER 7 Summons Proposed View on PACER 8 Summons Proposed View on PACER 9 Summons Proposed View on PACER 10 Summons Proposed View on PACER 11 Summons Proposed View on PACER 12 Summons Proposed View on PACER	March 18, 2026	March 18, 2026 Clearinghouse
2	SEALED DOCUMENT filed by KYLE ABBATTISTA, SHARLENE BAGGA-TAVES, DANIELLE BASH, WILLIAM BRADLEY, JESSICA CARLSON, TAHALIA BARRETT CHANG, MARK CHILDERHOSE, MICHELLE DAPRA, MARY EDWARDS, PAUL E. EDWARDS, BRANDON FENLEY, MELISSA FRASER, JASON GILPIN, MICAH ANDREW GLOBERSON, CAITLIN HALL, KALIM HANNA, MARIA DELORES HERMOSILLO, ANNA HOFFMAN, KAREN JAMES, ALEXIS JONES, CHELSEA KAUFMAN, JANNIE KWOK, JENNIFER LAAKSO, JAMIE LEWIS, MICHELLE LINDER, TIMOTHY MELVIN, PAMELA J. MORRIS, JULIA NENON, DANI NEWCOMB, MARK NEWTON, ADAM NORIKANE, JEANETTE NORMAND, JAIME OBERLANDER, CHRISTINE OBESTER, JEAN ROBERTS OLIVERAS, MARIKA ANNE OLSON, SIOBHAN PANGERL, CHONG HUN PARK, ALEXIS POLOVINA, XAVIER PRECIADO, WENDY RICH-ORLOFF, ADMIR SERIFOVIC, RYAN SHELBY, GARY SHU, KEVIN SMITH, JESSIE SNAZA, DANIELLE TEDESCO, MICHAEL TESKE, ELIZABETH WAGER, HEATHER WIRICK re 1 Complaint,,,,, (This document is SEALED and only available to authorized persons.)(Byrnes, Kevin) (Entered: 03/18/2026)	March 18, 2026	March 18, 2026
3	SUMMONS (11) Issued Electronically as to All Defendants, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachments: # 1 Notice and Consent)(zjm) (Entered: 03/19/2026)	March 19, 2026	March 19, 2026
	Case Assigned/Reassigned	March 19, 2026	March 19, 2026
	Case Assigned to Judge Rudolph Contreras. (zjm)	March 19, 2026	March 19, 2026
4	RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed as to the United States Attorney. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney on 3/19/2026. Answer due for ALL FEDERAL DEFENDANTS by 5/18/2026. (Byrnes, Kevin) (Entered: 03/27/2026)	March 27, 2026	March 27, 2026
5	RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed on United States Attorney General. Date of Service Upon United States Attorney General 03/27/2026. (Byrnes, Kevin) (Entered: 04/09/2026)	April 9, 2026	April 9, 2026
6	RETURN OF SERVICE/AFFIDAVIT of Summons and Complaint Executed. AMY GLEASON served on 4/3/2026; SCOTT KUPOR served on 3/27/2026; MARCO RUBIO served on 3/30/2026; UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT served on 3/30/2026; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE served on 3/27/2026; UNITED STATES DOGE SERVICES served on 4/3/2026; UNITED STATES OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET served on 4/3/2026; UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT served on 3/27/2026; RUSSELL VOUGHT served on 4/3/2026 (Attachments: # 1 Summons R. Vought, # 2 Summons M. Rubio, # 3 Summons OPM, # 4 Summons OMB, # 5 Summons S. Kupor, # 6 Summons A. Gleason, # 7 Summons Department of State, # 8 Summons DOGE)(Byrnes, Kevin) (Entered: 04/09/2026)	April 9, 2026	April 9, 2026
7	AMENDED COMPLAINT against All Defendants with Jury Demand filed by JAIME OBERLANDER, JEANETTE NORMAND, CHELSEA KAUFMAN, TAHALIA BARRETT CHANG, TIMOTHY MELVIN, MARIA DELORES HERMOSILLO, KYLE ABBATTISTA, WILLIAM BRADLEY, ANNA HOFFMAN, MARK NEWTON, KALIM HANNA, KEVIN SMITH, PAMELA J. MORRIS, MICHELLE LINDER, JULIA NENON, XAVIER PRECIADO, ALEXIS JONES, MICAH ANDREW GLOBERSON, HEATHER WIRICK, JAMIE LEWIS, PAUL E. EDWARDS, ADAM NORIKANE, JEAN ROBERTS OLIVERAS, BRANDON FENLEY, ELIZABETH WAGER, ADMIR SERIFOVIC, JANNIE KWOK, DANIELLE TEDESCO, JASON GILPIN, JENNIFER LAAKSO, DANI NEWCOMB, JESSICA CARLSON, RYAN SHELBY, ALEXIS POLOVINA, MARIKA ANNE OLSON, SHARLENE BAGGA-TAVES, MARY EDWARDS, WENDY RICH-ORLOFF, MELISSA FRASER, MICHAEL TESKE, CAITLIN HALL, CHONG HUN PARK, MICHELLE DAPRA, DANIELLE BASH, CHRISTINE OBESTER, JESSIE SNAZA, SIOBHAN PANGERL, GARY SHU, KAREN JAMES, MARK CHILDERHOSE.(Byrnes, Kevin) (Entered: 04/09/2026)	April 9, 2026	April 9, 2026 Clearinghouse
8	SEALED DOCUMENT filed by KYLE ABBATTISTA, SHARLENE BAGGA-TAVES, DANIELLE BASH, WILLIAM BRADLEY, JESSICA CARLSON, TAHALIA BARRETT CHANG, MARK CHILDERHOSE, MICHELLE DAPRA, MARY EDWARDS, PAUL E. EDWARDS, BRANDON FENLEY, MELISSA FRASER, JASON GILPIN, MICAH ANDREW GLOBERSON, CAITLIN HALL, KALIM HANNA, MARIA DELORES HERMOSILLO, ANNA HOFFMAN, KAREN JAMES, ALEXIS JONES, CHELSEA KAUFMAN, JANNIE KWOK, JENNIFER LAAKSO, JAMIE LEWIS, MICHELLE LINDER, TIMOTHY MELVIN, PAMELA J. MORRIS, JULIA NENON, DANI NEWCOMB, MARK NEWTON, ADAM NORIKANE, JEANETTE NORMAND, JAIME OBERLANDER, CHRISTINE OBESTER, JEAN ROBERTS OLIVERAS, MARIKA ANNE OLSON, SIOBHAN PANGERL, CHONG HUN PARK, ALEXIS POLOVINA, XAVIER PRECIADO, WENDY RICH-ORLOFF, ADMIR SERIFOVIC, RYAN SHELBY, GARY SHU, KEVIN SMITH, JESSIE SNAZA, DANIELLE TEDESCO, MICHAEL TESKE, ELIZABETH WAGER, HEATHER WIRICK re 7 Amended Complaint,,, (This document is SEALED and only available to authorized persons.)(Byrnes, Kevin) (Entered: 04/09/2026)	April 9, 2026	April 9, 2026
9	NOTICE of Appearance by Allison Ilene Brown on behalf of All Defendants (Brown, Allison) (Entered: 05/06/2026)	May 6, 2026	May 6, 2026
10	MOTION for Extension of Time to File Answer re 7 Amended Complaint,,, or File Responsive Pleading by UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE, UNITED STATES DOGE SERVICES, UNITED STATES OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, RUSSELL VOUGHT. (Brown, Allison) (Entered: 05/06/2026)	May 6, 2026	May 6, 2026
	Order on Motion for Extension of Time to Answer	May 8, 2026	May 8, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines	May 8, 2026	May 8, 2026
	MINUTE ORDER granting 10 Defendants' Motion for Extension of Time: Notwithstanding Plaintiffs' partial objection, it is hereby ORDERED that Defendants' answer to Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint shall be due on or before July 2, 2026. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Rudolph Contreras on 05/08/2026. (lcrc3)	May 8, 2026	May 8, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines: Answer due by 7/2/2026. (tj)	May 8, 2026	May 8, 2026
11	NOTICE of Voluntary Dismissal by ANDREA PESTONE CAPELLAN, CLARK PEARSON, MEGHAN WATERS (Byrnes, Kevin) (Entered: 06/03/2026)	June 3, 2026	June 3, 2026 RECAP
12	NOTICE of Voluntary Dismissal by GARY SHU (Byrnes, Kevin) (Entered: 06/29/2026)	June 29, 2026	June 29, 2026
13	NOTICE of Appearance by Esam Al-Shareffi on behalf of All Defendants (Al-Shareffi, Esam) (Entered: 07/02/2026)	July 2, 2026	July 2, 2026
14	MOTION to Dismiss by AMY GLEASON, SCOTT KUPOR, MARCO A. RUBIO, UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE, UNITED STATES DOGE SERVICES, UNITED STATES OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, RUSSELL VOUGHT. (Attachments: # 1 Memorandum in Support, # 2 Text of Proposed Order)(Al-Shareffi, Esam) (Entered: 07/02/2026) 1 Memorandum in Support View on RECAP 2 Text of Proposed Order View on PACER	July 2, 2026	July 2, 2026
15	Extension of Time to File Response/Reply	July 10, 2026	July 10, 2026
	Order on Motion for Extension of Time to File Response/Reply	July 10, 2026	July 10, 2026
	Set/Reset Deadlines	July 14, 2026	July 14, 2026

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Case Details

State / Territory:

District of Columbia

Case Type(s):

Public Benefits/Government Services

Special Collection(s):

Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government

Appointments/Civil Service

Key Dates

Filing Date: March 18, 2026

Case Ongoing: Yes

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

174 current and former USAID employees, all over age 40

Plaintiff Type(s):

Private Plaintiff

Public Interest Lawyer: No

Filed Pro Se: No

Class Action Sought: No

Class Action Outcome: Not sought

Defendants

Federal

United States Agency for International Development

United States Department of State

United States DOGE Services

United States Office of Management and Budget

United States Office of Personnel Management

Defendant Type(s):

Jurisdiction-wide

Case Details

Causes of Action:

Administrative Leave Act, 5 U.S.C. § 6329a

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. §§ 621 et seq.

Other Dockets:

District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-00950

Available Documents:

Complaint (any)

Trial Court Docket

Outcome

Prevailing Party: None Yet / None

Relief Sought:

Attorneys fees

Damages

Injunction

Stay of government action

Relief Granted:

None yet

Source of Relief:

None yet

Issues

General/Misc.:

Government services

Discrimination Area:

Discharge / Constructive Discharge / Layoff

Disparate Treatment

Seniority

Discrimination Basis:

Age discrimination

Presidential/Gubernatorial Authority:

Civil Service

DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency)

Recommended Citation

Case Summary of Bradley v. United States Agency for International Development, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47944/ (last updated 3/21/2026).