Acceptance Insurance Companies Inc. v. United States

84 Fed. Cl. 111, 2008 U.S. Claims LEXIS 278, 2008 WL 4415077
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedSeptember 25, 2008
DocketNo. 03-2794
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 84 Fed. Cl. 111 (Acceptance Insurance Companies Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Acceptance Insurance Companies Inc. v. United States, 84 Fed. Cl. 111, 2008 U.S. Claims LEXIS 278, 2008 WL 4415077 (uscfc 2008).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

WHEELER, Judge.

In this Fifth Amendment takings case, Plaintiff Acceptance Insurance Companies, Inc. (“Acceptance”) seeks just compensation for damages resulting from the actions of the Risk Management Agency (“RMA”) in blocking the proposed sale of certain crop insur-anee policies and other tangible and intangible insurance assets to a private third party purchaser. This case is before the Court on Defendant’s motion under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Court of Federal Claims (“RCFC”) to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. For the reasons stated below, the Court finds that Plaintiff has failed to state an actionable claim, and accordingly, Defendant’s motion to dismiss is GRANTED.

Background1

Acceptance, a publicly-traded insurance holding company based in Nebraska, alleges that the United States, through the regulatory actions of the RMA,2 effected a taking of Plaintiffs property by blocking the proposed sale of certain of its crop insurance assets to a private third party purchaser. Am. Compl. at H 24.

During the time relevant to this dispute, Acceptance held a wholly-owned subsidiary, American Growers Insurance Company (“American Growers”), through which Acceptance engaged in the crop insurance and property and casualty insurance businesses. See id. at H 7. American Growers was in the business of underwriting a substantial number of insurance policies within the federal crop insurance program, as well as crop insurance policies pursuant to state insurance laws that are not a part of the federal crop insurance program. Id. As a private insurance company reinsured by the FCIC, American Growers was regulated by the FCIC and was required to, among other things, use the coverage levels, prices, premium rates, and transitional yields determined by the FCIC. Id. at H 8.

[113]*113In November 2002, American Growers announced that it had suffered a $130 million loss in the third quarter. Pl.’s Resp. at 3, June 20, 2008. As a result, American Growers’ policyholder surplus fell far below the minimum amount required by the state insurance regulator, the Nebraska Department of Insurance (“NDOI”). Id. In order to remedy this situation, Acceptance, on November 18, 2002, entered into a non-binding letter of intent with Rain and Hail, LLC (“Rain and Hail”) detailing the terms of a proposed sale of most of Acceptance’s “crop insurance assets.” Am. Compl. at 1110. Although structured as a sale of assets, the proposed transaction was in fact a sale by Acceptance of American Growers. Id. at U11. Generally, Rain and Hail agreed to purchase this property from Acceptance for a fair market value determined to be not less than $21.5 million. Id. at 111110,12.

After Acceptance and Rain and Hail executed the letter of intent, on or about November 20, 2002, Rain and Hail’s president and other representatives met with RMA officials to discuss the terms of the proposed sale. Id. at 1114. Shortly thereafter, however, the deal began to fall apart. Plaintiff alleges that on November 22, 2002, RMA administrator Ross Davidson advised Acceptance and Rain and Hail that the RMA would not approve the proposed transaction. Id. at 1115. Plaintiff asserts that Mr. Davidson rejected the transaction because it would be detrimental to the interests of farmers and taxpayers. Id. at H16.

After the RMA’s rejection of the sale on the terms proposed, Rain and Had ultimately determined not to purchase American Growers’ policies. Plaintiff alleges that absent the exercise of Mr. Davidson’s regulatory authority to reject the proposed sale, the transaction would have taken place and Acceptance would have received fair market value for its property. Id. at 1117. Thus, according to Plaintiff, the RMA essentially rendered Acceptance’s property worthless through its action in rejecting the proposed sale. Id. at 1119.

Moreover, on the same day as the collapse of the Rain and Hail deal, and in view of American Growers’ already precarious financial position, the NDOI placed American Growers under supervision, freezing the business and prohibiting transfer of any crop insurance policies. Pl.’s Resp. at 4, June 20, 2008. The RMA continued to control the disposition of American Growers’ crop insurance portfolio through its ultimate liquidation, subsequently transferring the crop insurance policies to other approved crop insurance providers, including Rain and Hail. Id. Acceptance received no compensation from the distribution of these policies. Id.

Acceptance filed its Fifth Amendment takings claim in this Court on December 12, 2003. The transfer of Acceptance’s assets, accomplished by the RMA without compensation to Acceptance, as well as the RMA’s exercise of control over the crop insurance polices, and its redistribution of the policies to other private crop insurers, forms the basis of Plaintiffs regulatory takings claim. Id.

Defendant filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to RCFC 12(b)(1) or, in the alternative for summary judgment, which Senior Judge Robert H. Hodges denied on August 13, 2004. On February 10, 2006, Defendant filed a renewed motion to dismiss pursuant to RCFC 12(b)(1) or, in the alternative for summary judgment. Among other things, Defendant argued that Congress granted the United States district courts exclusive jurisdiction over suits challenging the RMA’s actions concerning the FCIC. Def.’s Mot. To Dismiss at 11, Feb. 10, 2006. Following oral argument, this Court granted Defendant’s motion and concluded that, because Congress withdrew this Court’s Tucker Act jurisdiction over claims against the FCIC, the case should be transferred to a United States district court under 28 U.S.C. § 1631. Acceptance Ins. Cos., Inc. v. United States, 72 Fed.Cl. 299, 305 (2006). This Court transferred the case to the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska, which denied Plaintiffs motion to transfer the case back to this Court. Acceptance Ins. Cos., Inc. v. United States, No. 8:06CV609, 2006 WL 3538946, at *4 (D.Neb. Dec.7, 2006). Plaintiff appealed and on October 2, 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that because Plaintiffs suit [114]*114did not involve the FCIC, but rather was a suit against the United States, 7 U.S.C. § 1506(d) did not divest this Court of jurisdiction to hear the case. Acceptance Ins. Cos., Inc. v. United States, 503 F.3d 1328, 1338 (Fed.Cir.2007). The Federal Circuit thus reversed the district court’s denial of Plaintiffs motion for retransfer and instructed the district court to transfer the suit back to this Court. Id. at 1338-39. Defendant then filed the present motion to dismiss on April 30, 2008. Briefing on Defendant’s motion was completed on July 7, 2008, and the Court heard oral argument on July 17, 2008.

Discussion

A. RCFC 12(b)(6) Standard of Review

It is well-settled that a complaint should be dismissed under RCFC 12(b)(6) “when the facts asserted by the claimant do not entitle him to a legal remedy.” Lindsay v. United States,

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Bluebook (online)
84 Fed. Cl. 111, 2008 U.S. Claims LEXIS 278, 2008 WL 4415077, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/acceptance-insurance-companies-inc-v-united-states-uscfc-2008.