Alvar v. United States

CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJuly 16, 2025
Docket25-1131
StatusUnpublished

This text of Alvar v. United States (Alvar 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.

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Alvar v. United States, (uscfc 2025).

Opinion

In the United States Court of Federal Claims SUSHMA ANDREW ALVAR,

Plaintiff, No. 25-cv-1131 v. Filed: July 16, 2025 THE UNITED STATES,

Defendant.

ORDER

Plaintiff Sushma Andrew Alvar, proceeding pro se, alleges a series of crimes and asks the

Court to “deport & arrest international & domestic Asian Indians involved in such crimes.” ECF

No. 1 (Compl.) at 2–3. This Court lacks jurisdiction to hear Plaintiff’s claims for two independent

reasons. First, because Plaintiff fails to cite a money-mandating source of law, and second,

because the Court lacks authority to grant Plaintiff the relief she seeks. Accordingly, the Court

must dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint. See Rule 12(h)(3). Put simply, Plaintiff has filed in the wrong

court.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff brings claims against various Government agencies, including the Department of

Energy (DOE), Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Department of Homeland Security.

Compl. at 1. Plaintiff also purports to bring this case on behalf of “The People of the United States

of America.” 1 Id. Plaintiff alleges a series of crimes or bad acts. Id. at 2. These include, among

1 Plaintiff cannot bring a claim on behalf of the United States against the United States. See Taylor v. United States, No. 25-cv-932, 2025 WL 1589283, at *1 n.1 (Fed. Cl. June 5, 2025). As this Court has explained, “if the United States were both Plaintiff and Defendant, there could be no true controversy” as required by Article III of the United States Constitution. Id. (citing other similar claims, failing to “deport violent illegal Asian Indians,” “arrest & report/serve caught

violating criminals from India, Kuwait, London, Qatar,” or “investigate violent crimes by

cyberhackers cloning/stealing invention devices & notebooks of importance to infrastructure &

medicine.” Id. Plaintiff also alleges “murder/ bodily harm of veterans & my daughter.” Id. As

relief, Plaintiff seeks over $10 billion in damages and asks the Court to “deport & arrest

international & domestic Asian Indians involved in such crimes” described in Plaintiff’s

Complaint. Id. at 3; ECF No. 1-1.

APPLICABLE LEGAL STANDARDS

“The Court of Federal Claims is a court of limited jurisdiction.” Marcum LLP v. United

States, 753 F.3d 1380, 1382 (Fed. Cir. 2014). Generally, the Tucker Act defines this Court’s

jurisdiction. RadioShack Corp. v. United States, 566 F.3d 1358, 1360 (Fed. Cir. 2009) (citing 28

U.S.C. § 1491(a)(1)). The Tucker Act vests this Court with jurisdiction over any suit against the

United States for money damages “founded either upon the Constitution, or any Act of Congress

or any regulation of an executive department, or upon any express or implied contract with the

United States . . . in cases not sounding in tort.” 28 U.S.C. § 1491(a)(1). The Tucker Act does not

create any “substantive rights” against the United States. Me. Cmty. Health Options v. United

States, 590 U.S. 296, 322 (2020) (quoting United States v. Navajo Nation, 556 U.S. 287, 290

(2009)). Instead, “a plaintiff must identify a separate source of substantive law that creates the

right to money damages.” Fisher v. United States, 402 F.3d 1167, 1172 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc).

Richardson v. Ramirez, 418 U.S. 24, 36 (1974)); see also Brookfield Relocation Inc. v. United States, 113 Fed. Cl. 74, 77−78 (2013) (citing Chi. & Grand Trunk R. Co. v. Wellman, 143 U.S. 339, 344–45 (1892)). Construing Plaintiff’s pleadings liberally, the Court understands Plaintiff to bring claims only on her own behalf. See Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (citing Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976)).

2 This Court must dismiss claims outside its subject matter jurisdiction and “must address

jurisdictional issues, even sua sponte, . . . whether raised by a party or not.” St. Bernard Par. Gov’t

v. United States, 916 F.3d 987, 992–93 (Fed. Cir. 2019); Kissi v. United States, 493 F. App’x 57,

58 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (citing Rule 12(h)(3)) (“If the Court of Federal Claims determines that it lacks

subject matter jurisdiction, it must dismiss the claim.”); Rule 12(h)(3). When considering whether

this Court has jurisdiction, this Court “accepts as true all uncontroverted factual allegations in the

complaint, and construes them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.” Estes Express Lines v.

United States, 739 F.3d 689, 692 (Fed. Cir. 2014). The Court liberally construes complaints filed

by pro se plaintiffs because pro se filings, “however inartfully pleaded, must be held to less

stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” Erickson, 551 U.S. at 94 (quoting

Estelle, 429 U.S. at 106). However, pro se plaintiffs must still prove by a preponderance of the

evidence that this Court has subject matter jurisdiction. Roman v. United States, 61 F.4th 1366,

1370 (Fed. Cir. 2023); see also Colbert v. United States, 617 F. App’x 981, 983 (Fed. Cir. 2015)

(“No plaintiff, pro se or otherwise, may be excused from the burden of meeting the court’s

jurisdictional requirements.” (italics added)).

DISCUSSION

The Court must dismiss Plaintiff’s Complaint as the Court lacks jurisdiction over Plaintiff’s

claims for two independent reasons. First, Plaintiff fails to “identify a separate source of

substantive law that creates the right to money damages.” Fisher, 402 F.3d at 1172. Rather,

without citing any provision of law—let alone a substantive, money-mandating source of law—

Plaintiff alleges a series of bad actions or inactions by the Government or Asian Indians. 2 Compl.

2 It is unclear whether Plaintiff alleges that the United States or individuals, such as those Plaintiff seeks to have deported, committed these bad acts. Compl. at 2–3. To the extent Plaintiff seeks relief against anyone but the United States, those claims are dismissed as this Court may only hear “claim[s] against the United States.” 28 U.S.C. § 1491(a); United States v. Sherwood, 312 U.S.

3 at 2–3. Thus, because Plaintiff does not identify any substantive source of law or, more

specifically, a money-mandating source of law, this Court lacks jurisdiction over Plaintiff’s claims.

Lofton, 2025 WL 350360, at *1 (“A plaintiff attempting to sue the United States in the Claims

Court first must ‘identify a substantive right for money damages against the United States separate

from the Tucker Act itself’ before the court can address the claim’s merits.” (quoting Todd v.

United States, 386 F.3d 1091, 1094 (Fed. Cir. 2004))). 3 Indeed, Plaintiff’s only monetary claim is

for over $10 billion.

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Related

Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway Co. v. Wellman
143 U.S. 339 (Supreme Court, 1892)
United States v. King
395 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1969)
Richardson v. Ramirez
418 U.S. 24 (Supreme Court, 1974)
Estelle v. Gamble
429 U.S. 97 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Erickson v. Pardus
551 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 2007)
United States v. Navajo Nation
556 U.S. 287 (Supreme Court, 2009)
RadioShack Corp. v. United States
566 F.3d 1358 (Federal Circuit, 2009)
Roynell Joshua v. The United States, on Motion
17 F.3d 378 (Federal Circuit, 1994)
Kissi v. United States
493 F. App'x 57 (Federal Circuit, 2012)
Brandt v. United States
710 F.3d 1369 (Federal Circuit, 2013)
Brookfield Relocation Inc. v. United States
113 Fed. Cl. 74 (Federal Claims, 2013)
Estes Express Lines v. United States
739 F.3d 689 (Federal Circuit, 2014)
Marcum LLP v. United States
753 F.3d 1380 (Federal Circuit, 2014)
St. Bernard Parish Government v. United States
916 F.3d 987 (Federal Circuit, 2019)
Fisher v. United States
402 F.3d 1167 (Federal Circuit, 2005)
Etagz, Inc. v. Flambeau, Inc.
617 F. App'x 981 (Federal Circuit, 2015)

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