(a) Except to the extent that a person has actual and timely notice of the terms thereof, a person may not in any manner be required to resort to, or be adversely affected by, a matter required to be published in the Federal Register under Sec. 1206.200(a) and not so published.
(b) A final order, opinion, statement of policy, interpretation, or staff manual or instruction that affects a member of the public may be relied upon, used, or cited as precedent by NASA against any member of the public only if it has been indexed and either made available or published as provided by Sec. 1206.200(b) or if the member of the public has actual and timely notice of the terms thereof.
(c) Failure to make available an Agency record required to be made available under this part could provide the jurisdictional basis for a suit against NASA under 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(4) (B) through (G), which provides as follows:
(B) On complaint, the District Court of the United States in the district in which the complainant resides, or has his principal place of business, or in which the Agency records are situated, or in the District of Columbia, has jurisdiction to enjoin the Agency from withholding Agency records and to order the production of any Agency records improperly withheld from the complainant. In such a case the court shall determine the matter de novo, and may examine the contents of such Agency records in camera to determine whether such records or any part thereof shall be withheld under any of the exemptions set forth in subsection (b) of this section, and the burden is on the Agency to sustain its action.
(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the defendant shall serve an answer or otherwise plead to any complaint made under this subsection within 30 days after service upon the defendant of the pleading in which such complaint is made, unless the court otherwise directs for good cause shown.
[(D) Repealed. Pub. L. 98-620, Title IV, 402(2), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3335, 3375.]
(E) The court may assess against the United States reasonable attorney fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred in any case under this section in which the complainant has substantially prevailed.
(F) Whenever the court orders the production of any Agency records improperly withheld from the complainant and assesses against the United States reasonable attorney fees and other litigation costs, and the court additionally issues a written finding that the circumstances surrounding the withholding raise questions whether Agency personnel acted arbitrarily or capriciously with respect to the withholding, the Special Counsel shall promptly initiate a proceeding to determine whether disciplinary action is warranted against the officer or employee who was primarily responsible for the withholding. The Special Counsel, after investigation and consideration of the evidence submitted, shall submit his findings and recommendations to the administrative authority of the Agency concerned and shall send copies of the findings and recommendations to the officer or employee or his representative. The administrative authority shall take the corrective action that the Special Counsel recommends.
(G) In the event of noncompliance with the order of the court, the district court may punish for contempt the responsible employee, and in the case of a uniformed service, the responsible member.
