De Groot v. United States

7 Ct. Cl. 2
CourtSupreme Court of the United States
DecidedDecember 15, 1871
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 7 Ct. Cl. 2 (De Groot v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of the United States primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
De Groot v. United States, 7 Ct. Cl. 2 (U.S. 1871).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Miller

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is the first appeal from. the Court of Claims which we have been called upon to consider since the rules framed by this court regulating such appeals, and the inconsistency between the record presented and the requirements of those rules calls for some observations in this place.

This case, having been decided before they were published, comes under the provisions of the second rule. That rule requires, in addition to the pleadings of the parties and the orders of the court, a specification of the matters alleged for error to be certified by the court, if presented to it correctly by [5]*5the appellant, and if not correctly stated by him, to be modified according to the truth of the case by the court. The object of this rule, as well as the first, is to present in simple form the questions of law which arose in the progress of the case, and which were decided by the court adversely to appellant. Only such statement of facts is intended to be brought to this court as may be necessary to enable it to decide upon the correctness of the propositions of law ruled by the Court of Claims, and that is to be presented in the shape of the facts found by that court to be established by the evidence (in such form) as to raise the legal question decided by the court. It should not include the evidence in detail.

We have here, beside this simple statement, a record of two hundred and forty pages of printed matter, of which it is fair to say that two hundred are details of evidence excluded by the rule. We were inclined at first to dismiss the appeal for want of a proper record, but upon a closer examination it was discovered that the court below had in good faith complied with the rule, so far as to give the certified statement of the facts found, and of their legal conclusions thereon, and this, with the pleadings, judgment, and other orders in the case, enables us to examine the alleged error in the rulings of the court within the principles we have stated.

The court, however, has, at the request of claimant’s counsel, returned the evidence on both sides, which makes the bulky and useless part of the record. We take this occasion to say, that we shall adhere strictly to the rules ire have prescribed, and shall regard no other matter found in the transcripts sent to us than what they allow, and that in proper cases the costs of the useless part of the record will be taxed against the party who brings it here.

With these preliminary remarks, we proceed to examine the merits of the case. It is a claim against the United States founded on an award. The statement of facts by the court below informs us that the claimant has not seen proper to submit any evidence to sustain his original cause of action, but rests his case entirely upon the validity and conclusiveness of the award made by the Secretary of War.”

Among other conclusions of law, the court held the following-in reference to this award, which, as they dispose of the case, are all that we need consider. . :

[6]*6“ 1st. That by including in the award the value or price of the real estate upon which the brick-yard was located, Floyd exceeded the powers conferred upon him by the joint resolutions of Congress.

“.2d. That having commingled such allowances with the general finding in such manner as to be incapable of separation, it thereby vitiated the whole award.

“4th. Floyd having thus exceeded the powers conferred upon him, it was competent for Congress to disaffirm his acts and revoke the authority conferred upon him, by a repeal of the resolution under which he acted.”

That part of the record which is here decided not to be within the submission is thus stated in the award itself: u It must be remembered that when Mr. De Groot’s contract was surrendered he delivered to the United States the brick-yard at Hunting Park, with its appurtenances, machinery, and improvements. All these he would have retained had his contract been carried out. But this property was surrendered to the United States incompliance with the requirements of the joint resolution of March, 3d, 1857. It was, I think, clearly the intention of Congress to make compensation for the loss which he • thus sustained. And, accordingly, in addition to the damages already allowed, it is proper to refund to Mr. De Groot such items of expenditure as were necessarily involved in the purchase and improvement of his brick-yard and its appurtenances. These are stated on the schedule, which is supported by vouchers amounting to..!. $29,323 22

Add estimated profits. 86,922 81

Add price to brick delivered and surrendered by Do Groot. 28,603 34

Total amount.$144,852 37”

The award then deducts certain payments made, leaving a balance of $119,234.46.

The joint resolution above mentioned of March 3, 1857, lies at the foundation of this claim, and it authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to settle and adjust with all the parties respectively interested therein, on principles of justice and equity, all damages, losses, and liabilities incurred or sustained by said parties on account of their contract for manufacturing brick for the-Washington Aqueduct, and contained [7]*7this provision.: “That the said parties first surrender to the United States all the brick made, together with all the machines and appliances, and other personal property prepared for executing the said contract, and that said contract be canceled.

It is pretty clear that without this proviso the Secretary could have acted on no other principle than that of compensating the parties interested for losses and damages growing out of a suspension or abandonment of the contract by the Government, and that this must have been based upon the position of the parties as they stood at the time the resolution passed. What brick the claimants had delivered would have been the property of the United States. All the brick they had on hand not delivered, with the materials, tools, machines, and grounds, would have been the property of claimants, and the damages growing out of this branch of the inquiry would have been the loss sustained by these being rendered useless or less valuable to their owners, because no longer required in fulfilling the contract to make brick.

In what respect, then, does the proviso change this basis of estimating damages? It changes it by requiring the claimants to transfer to the United States certain things they were using-in the manufacture of brick for the Government, and allowing compensation for the value of those things, instead of damages for their deterioration. The things thus to be surrendered were “ all the brick made, together with all the machinery and appliances, and other personal property prepared for executing the contract.”

It is not possible to hold that the land on which the bricks were made, or any improvement on it which had become part of the realty, comes within any of the classes of property here enumerated. It was not bricks; it was not machinery or appliances, and it was not personal property. The phrase “ other personal property ” implies that .only personal- property had been previously described.

It is true that the Secretary of War, in making his award, did not derive his power to act as arbitrator from the joint resolution which we have been construing, but from another joint resolution of June 15,1860.

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Related

Sanborn v. United States
27 Ct. Cl. 485 (Court of Claims, 1892)
Rice v. United States
122 U.S. 611 (Supreme Court, 1887)
Rice v. United States
21 Ct. Cl. 413 (Court of Claims, 1886)
Ford v. United States
19 Ct. Cl. 596 (Court of Claims, 1884)
Young v. United States
12 Ct. Cl. 648 (Court of Claims, 1876)

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Bluebook (online)
7 Ct. Cl. 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/de-groot-v-united-states-scotus-1871.