Community Bank & Trust v. United States

54 Fed. Cl. 352, 2002 U.S. Claims LEXIS 306, 2002 WL 31505834
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedNovember 8, 2002
DocketNo. 01-571C
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 54 Fed. Cl. 352 (Community Bank & Trust 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
Community Bank & Trust v. United States, 54 Fed. Cl. 352, 2002 U.S. Claims LEXIS 306, 2002 WL 31505834 (uscfc 2002).

Opinion

OPINION and ORDER

FUTEY, Judge.

This takings case is before the court on defendant’s motion to dismiss and plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment. Defendant argues that plaintiffs claim has not been timely filed and fails to state a valid takings claim. Defendant asserts also that this court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over the claim. Plaintiff Community Bank and Trust (“Community”) opposes dismissal and cross-moves for summary judgment as to liability for an alleged taking.

Factual Background

Plaintiff is a bank chartered by the state of Texas and has been in operation since 1935.1 In 1980 the United States Congress (“Congress”) passed the Monetary Control Act, Pub.L. 96-221, Title I, 94 Stat. 132 (“MCA”). The act requires all banks to maintain certain funds in their vaults and in reserve accounts at the Federal Reserve Bank. Plaintiff alleges that the Federal Reserve derives income from those funds and passes the income to the United States Treasury (“Treasury”) each year. Plaintiff asserts that such income is the bank’s property and the payment of this income to the United States constitutes a taking.

The Federal 'Reserve system is the nation’s central bank. It was established by Congress in 1913 to implement monetary policy and control aspects of the banking industry, among other purposes. On the authority of the Federal Reserve Act, twelve regional reserve banks were created to further these ends. The Reserve Banks act to implement monetary policy at the direction of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (“Board of Governors”). The Federal Reserve also provides various commercial services to member banks such as cheek clearing, wire transferring, and the safekeeping of securities.2

Initially, only national banks (ie.,. those chartered by the Comptroller of the Currency) were required to become members of the Federal Reserve system. State-chartered banks had the option of joining and many did, in part to receive the system’s commercial services. Maintaining “sterile” reserves against checking accounts and other deposits, pursuant to the Federal Reserve Act, is a significant cost of membership. The reserves are considered “sterile” because the funds so designated cannot be used for other purposes.

Reserves are held in either of two forms: deposits at the Federal Reserve Bank or as Federal Reserve Notes stored at the member bank, otherwise known as “vault cash.” 12 U.S.C. § 461(c). Deposits at the Federal Reserve Bank are non-interest bearing.3 Funds deposited as reserves are unavailable to be loaned out. Holding cash in a bank’s vault likewise precludes those funds from being loaned out, resulting in the same loss of income opportunity.

[354]*354The high rates of inflation during the late 1970s increased the cost to banks of maintaining reserves. In response, some state-chartered banks dropped their Federal Reserve membership, thereby avoiding the need to maintain a reserve account with the Federal Reserve Bank. Congress soon sought to reverse this trend since the Federal Reserve’s capacity to implement monetary policy is in some measure dependent on the size of reserve deposits. The MCA increased deposits by requiring reserves not only from national banks, but also from state-chartered banks and depository institutions with no Federal Reserve membership. Plaintiff has maintained the required reserves as vault cash and in accounts with the Federal Reserve since 1980.

Plaintiff alleges that the funds in its reserve account are used by the Federal Reserve to purchase Treasury securities and to make loans to other banks, and that such investments by the Federal Reserve earn interest.4 It also alleges a mechanism by which its vault cash is used by the Federal Reserve to offset purchases of Treasury securities which in turn generate income for the Federal Reserve. Plaintiff states that interest and other net earnings of the Federal Reserve bank are paid each year to the Treasury.5 In addition, plaintiff alleges that it is the owner of this income following the rule that “interest follows principal” as recognized in Webb’s Fabulous Pharmacies, Inc. v. Beckwith, 449 U.S. 155, 101 S.Ct. 446, 66 L.Ed.2d 358 (1980) and Phillips v. Washington Legal Found., 524 U.S. 156, 118 S.Ct. 1925, 141 L.Ed.2d 174 (1998). Plaintiff asserts, therefore, that defendant has taken its property by paying the income to the Treasury.

Defendant acknowledges that Treasury securities are purchased with the funds deposited by plaintiff, that such investments earn income, and that the income is paid to the Treasury.6 Defendant argues, however, that once funds are deposited with the Federal Reserve the money belongs to the Federal Reserve. Following the “interest follows principal” rule, defendant concludes that any interest on such funds belongs to defendant and, therefore, nothing owned by plaintiff is taken.

Discussion

I. Motion to Dismiss

Plaintiff filed its complaint on October 3, 2001. On January 4, 2002, defendant filed a motion to dismiss. Defendant asserted that plaintiffs claim is barred by the statute of limitations, that plaintiff fails to state a valid takings claim, and that any potential claim predicated on an “illegal exaction” under due process is beyond the jurisdiction of this court. Defendant supplemented its motion to dismiss on June 12, 2002,7 asserting a lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

In ruling on a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction under RCFC 12(b)(1), the court must accept as true the complaint’s undisputed factual allegations and construe the facts in the light most favorable to plaintiff. See Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974); see also Hamlet v. United States, 873 F.2d 1414, 1415 (Fed.Cir.1989); Farmers Grain Co. v. United States, 29 Fed.Cl. 684, 686 (1993). A plaintiff must make only a prima facie showing of jurisdictional facts through the submitted material in order to avoid a defendant’s motion to dismiss. See Raymark Indus. v. United States, 15 Cl.Ct. 334, 338 (1988) (citing Data Disc, Inc. v. Systems Tech. Assocs., Inc., 557 F.2d 1280, 1285 (9th Cir.1977)). If the undisputed facts reveal any possible basis on which the non-moving party might prevail, the court must deny the motion. See Scheuer, 416 U.S. at 236, 94 S.Ct. 1683; see also Lewis v. United States, 32 Fed.Cl. 59, 62 [355]*355(1994). If, however, the motion challenges the truth of the jurisdictional facts alleged in the complaint, the court may consider relevant evidence in order to resolve the factual dispute. See Rocovich v. United, States, 933 F.2d 991, 994 (Fed.Cir.1991); see also Lewis, 32 Fed.Cl. at 62.

A. Time-Barred

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54 Fed. Cl. 352, 2002 U.S. Claims LEXIS 306, 2002 WL 31505834, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/community-bank-trust-v-united-states-uscfc-2002.