Cubellis v. Costar

65 F.R.D. 49, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6830
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 10, 1974
DocketCiv. A. No. 74-400
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 65 F.R.D. 49 (Cubellis v. Costar) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cubellis v. Costar, 65 F.R.D. 49, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6830 (W.D. Pa. 1974).

Opinion

OPINION

ROSENBERG, District Judge.

The plaintiff, Victor P. Cubellis, filed a complaint, as amended, at the above entitled number, against the defendants, Alexander Costar and Mary L. Costar, his wife, and the Secretary of the Army, United States of America and the District Engineer for the Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District, seeking both preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against an alleged eviction of his trailer from the Marina Park in Clark, Pennsylvania. In response the defendants, the operators of the park, Alexander Costar and his wife, Mary L. Costar, filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. The Secretary of the Army and the District Engineer for the Corps of Engineers also filed a motion to dismiss. Briefs were submitted and a hearing had on the motions.

The plaintiff alleges in his complaint that he is a citizen and resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania; that he had a written lease from the defendants Costars for the term of five months for the use of a certain plot of land upon which to keep a recreation trailer; that the lease expired on November 15, 1973, but that he obtained an oral lease to remain in possession until May 1, 1974; that the recreation area is owned by the United States Government; that the land is leased by the United States Government to the defendants Costars and that the Costars variously sublet parts of their leasehold; that the lease from [50]*50the Government to the Costars provides for the supervision, general control and regulation of all sub-tenants in accordance with the requirements of the Government ; that the lease from the United States to the defendants Costars is for the term of 25 years from August 8, 1967 to August 7, 1992; that during the term of the oral lease between the Costars and the plaintiff, the Costars by a writing dated November 15, 1973, informed the plaintiff that his lease would not be renewed and that his camping privileges would be terminated on May 1, 1974; that by reason of the ownership by the Government of this land for recreation purposes for the general public, the defendants Costars cannot impose any limited term or leasehold upon the plaintiff; that the attempt of the defendants Costars to evict the plaintiff without providing him with a reason is in violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments relating to due process and is in violation of the National Parkways Act, 16 U.S.C. § 460d and the Civil Rights Act,' 42 U.S.C. § 1981 et seq.; and that because the land basically owned by the United States Government is for recreation purposes of the public as a whole, it creates in its occupants rights similar in character to the property rights recognized in low-cost housing projects which are federally financed or subsidized.

The defendants Costars, by their motion to dismiss, attack the plaintiff’s complaint as being invalid on its face because no state action is here involved or threatened; that the plaintiff has no contractual right justifying his continuing occupancy of the premises; that the fact that the land is basically owned by the United States Government does not automatically give this court jurisdiction; and that there are no legal precedents or authority to force the defendants Costars to renew the camping privileges for the plaintiff’s trailer.

The defendants’, the Secretary of the Army and the District Engineer for the Corps of Engineers, in their motion to dismiss rely, in substance, upon the same bases as the Costars. Additionally, however, these defendants also raise the defense of sovereign immunity.

When considering a motion to dismiss a complaint, the court must view all the allegations contained therein as true. Gardner v. Toilet Goods Assn., 387 U.S. 167, 87 S.Ct. 1526, 18 L.Ed.2d 704 (1967). In particular, a Civil Rights Act suit should not be dismissed at the pleadings stage unless it appears to a certainty that the plaintiff is entitled to no relief under any state of facts which could be proved in support of his claim. Holmes v. New York City Housing Authority, 398 F.2d 262, C.A. 2, 1968.

This action finds no legal authority upon which it may rely. Counsel for the plaintiff has admitted this at the hearing. The plaintiff seeks to embrace this case in the category of public housing actions where municipal or authority landlords have sought to evict tenants without notice and without hearing. There are, however, differences between the two categories.

As stated in the National Housing Act, 12 U.S.C. § 1701t: “The Congress affirms the national goal, as set forth in section 1441 of Title 42, of ‘a decent home and suitable living environment for every American family’.” This policy was also enunciated in the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, Pub.Law 89-117, 79 Stat. 451 (August 10, 1965). Accordingly, the courts have supported this Congressional purpose of these enactments as the plaintiff correctly asserts in the case of public housing projects. But none of these are applicable to the allegations of the instant case.

In Joy v. Daniels, 479 F.2d 1236, C.A. 4, 1973, the findings recognized a public housing lessee’s property right, terminable only by cause other than lease expiration, because of the Congressional policy of “providing a decent home [51]*51with stability and security) for every American family, and of prohibiting arbitrary and discriminatory action, bolstered by FHA regulations and customs ...”

In McQueen v. Druker, 317 F.Supp. 1122 (D.C.Mass., 1970), the District Court held that the landlord financially assisted by Federal and State funds may not evict a tenant without giving him a notice specifying good cause. Again, however, this was based upon the legislative goal of decent housing. The court said at page 1129:

“ . . . the general goal of both national and state housing programs is to provide for the necessitous persons a decent home and a suitable living environment. This includes adequate, safe, and sanitary quarters. But it also implies an atmosphere of stability, security, neighborliness, and social justice.”

None of these apply to summer trailers in a recreation center. Here the regular domicile of the plaintiff is in New Castle. It cannot be said under these circumstances that the trailer in the park “provide[s] for the necessitous persons a decent home and a suitable living environment.”

In the present situation the Government provided no residential or living quarters for the needy portion of our nation, but provided only recreation facilities. We have no expression from Congress which would entitle an occupant of the land for the summer use of his trailer to occupy the land beyond the term of his lease.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
65 F.R.D. 49, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6830, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cubellis-v-costar-pawd-1974.