Abercrombie v. Clarke

920 F.2d 1351, 1990 WL 210477
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedDecember 26, 1990
DocketNo. 89-2407
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 920 F.2d 1351 (Abercrombie v. Clarke) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Abercrombie v. Clarke, 920 F.2d 1351, 1990 WL 210477 (7th Cir. 1990).

Opinion

RIPPLE, Circuit Judge.

The petitioners (referred to collectively as the Directors) served during the relevant period as directors of the Rushville National Bank of Rushville, Indiana (Bank). They seek review of a decision of the Comptroller of the Currency (Comptroller) that assessed civil money penalties against [1353]*1353them for violations of cease and desist orders. For the following reasons, we affirm the decision of the Comptroller.

I BACKGROUND

A. Statutory Authority

The Comptroller is authorized to order banks and their directors to cease and desist from any violations of law or “unsafe or unsound practice.” 12 U.S.C. § 1818(b)(1). Such cease and desist orders may be imposed by consent or may be mandated after a hearing. Id. The Comptroller has discretionary authority to seek enforcement of cease and desist orders in actions brought in federal district courts, id. § 1818(i)(l), or to impose civil money penalties for violation of such orders, id. § 1818(i)(2). For the period in question, the provision authorizing civil money penalties read in pertinent part:

Any insured bank which violates or any officer, director, employee, agent, or other person participating in the conduct of the affairs of such a bank who violates the terms of any order which has become final and was issued pursuant to subsection (b), (c), or (s) of this section, shall forfeit and pay a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 per day for each day during which such violation continues .... As used in this section, the term “violates” includes without any limitation any action (alone or with another or others) for or toward causing, bringing about, participating in, counseling, or aiding or abetting a violation.

Id. § 1818(i)(2)(i).1 The amount of the penalty was to reflect “the size of financial resources and good faith of the insured bank or person charged, the gravity of the violation, the history of previous violations, and such other matters as justice may require,” Id. § 1818(i)(2)(ii).

The statute also set out certain procedural requirements. It required the Comptroller to issue a written notice, id. § 1818(i)(2)(i), and permitted those receiving such notice to request an administrative hearing, id. § 1818(i)(2)(iii). After such a hearing, the Comptroller made a final decision with respect to penalties. Those against whom civil money penalties were assessed could petition for review by the court of appeals. Id. § 1818(i)(2)(iv).

B. Procedural History

1. Initial administrative proceedings

Pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 1818(b)(1), the Comptroller and the Bank, through the Directors, entered into a cease and desist order (Consent Order) on June 29, 1983. This Consent Order consisted of sixteen articles, which outlined steps that the Directors were to take to improve the safety and soundness of the Bank. Additional examinations and meetings between regulators and the Directors followed. Regulators expressly warned the Directors that they faced the assessment of civil money penalties if they failed to comply with the Consent Order. An amended Consent Order was agreed to on June 19, 1984. Regulators continued to find violations of the amended Consent Order. For example, the January 31, 1985 examination2 found violations of ten articles. The letter transmitting the report of this evaluation to the Directors again warned them that they faced the assessment of civil money penalties. Moreover, on June 21, 1985, each Director was sent a letter notifying him that the Comptroller was

considering whether to assess civil money penalties against the individual members of the Board of Directors.... Any such assessment will be founded upon our determination that the individual members of the Board of Directors vio[1354]*1354lated the provisions of 12 U.S.C. § 1818 by failing to substantially comply with the Order to Cease and Desist dated June 29, 1983, and its Amendment dated June 19, 1984.

Ex. OCC24 at 1.

The Comptroller issued a Notice of Assessment of a Civil Money Penalty against the Directors on October 25, 1985.3 The October 1985 Notice indicated that the penalties were to be issued on the basis of violations of the amended Consent Order, as outlined in the report of the January 31, 1985 examination. The Notice did not specify on which days the alleged violations occurred, nor did it expressly indicate that the violations were continuing as of the date of the Notice. Director Hedrick was assessed a civil money penalty of $15,000, and Directors Abercrombie, Calloway, Eck-el, and Sloan were assessed $10,000 each.4

The Directors requested an administrative hearing. Before the hearing could be held, however, the Directors filed a motion asking the administrative law judge (ALJ) to dismiss the proceedings. The Directors cited Larimore v. Comptroller of Currency, 789 F.2d 1244 (7th Cir.1986) (en banc), for the proposition that the Comptroller lacked authority to impose personal liability against them without filing suit in district court. The Directors further argued that civil money penalties could not be assessed administratively for past violations because the use of the present tense verb “continues” in the penalty clause of 12 U.S.C. § 1818(i)(2)(i)5 “requires the violation to be in the present tense.” Respondent’s [sic] Br. in Support of Their Motion to Dismiss at 2. The AU denied this motion.

2. Judicial proceedings

The Directors then filed suit in district court, seeking to enjoin the administrative proceedings. See Abercrombie v. Office of Comptroller of Currency, 641 F.Supp. 598 (S.D.Ind.1986). Again relying on Lari-more and on their contention that the present tense language of subsection 1818(i)(2)(i) authorized the Comptroller to impose civil money penalties only for continuing violations, the Directors argued that the agency lacked jurisdiction to impose the penalties. See id. at 601. The district court concluded, however, that the court lacked jurisdiction over the Directors’ action. Id. at 600. The court noted that 12 U.S.C. § 1818(i)(l) strictly limited the jurisdiction of courts to enjoin administrative proceedings involving civil money penalties. Id. Moreover, the statute provided for review of final agency action by the courts of appeal. See id. (citing 12 U.S.C. § 1818(i)(2)(iv)).

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Bluebook (online)
920 F.2d 1351, 1990 WL 210477, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/abercrombie-v-clarke-ca7-1990.