Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians v. United States

16 Cl. Ct. 75, 1988 U.S. Claims LEXIS 204, 1988 WL 140007
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedDecember 23, 1988
DocketNo. 71-87L
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 16 Cl. Ct. 75 (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of 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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Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians v. United States, 16 Cl. Ct. 75, 1988 U.S. Claims LEXIS 204, 1988 WL 140007 (cc 1988).

Opinion

OPINION

ROBINSON, Judge.

This case is before the court on the defendant’s motion for summary judgment filed pursuant to Rule 56(b) of the Rules of the United States Claims Court (RUSCC). In their complaint, plaintiffs, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, et al., allege that the Department of the Interior should have granted their request for increased funds for the Cherokee Central School under 25 U.S.C. § 2008(b), which provides for equivalent funding for schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). In its motion for summary judgment, defendant argues that the Claims Court does not have jurisdiction over this claim because the statute and regulations relied upon as the basis of jurisdiction do not mandate the payment of money. Defendant also argues that the plaintiffs have failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, as there are no funds available to grant the relief requested. In its reply, the defendant asserts that the government does not have a fiduciary duty to provide funding; therefore, breach of a fiduciary duty is not a basis of jurisdiction. Defendant’s motion for summary judgment is granted for the reasons discussed below.

FACTS

In 1978, Congress enacted 25 U.S.C. § 2008 to provide for funding of schools operated by the BIA. Subsection (b) of the statute provides for comparability payments, which ensure that per student funding for BIA schools is equal to per student funding for public schools in the same area.

The relevant regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Interior to implement 25 U.S.C. § 2008(b) are 25 CFR §§ 39.17 and 39.78. Under these provisions, the funding must come from the Formula Implementation Set-Aside Fund. The Set-Aside Fund was funded for comparability payments in fiscal year 1980. The Set-Aside Fund budget for fiscal years 1981 to 1983 did not include appropriations for comparability funding. No appropriations have been made to the Set-Aside Fund since fiscal year 1983. Since fiscal year 1987 there has been a moratorium against implementation of 25 U.S.C. § 2008(b) pending submission of a report by the BIA to Congress.

In April 1986, John D. Wahnee, the Agency Principal of the Cherokee Central School, requested additional funding in the amount of $409,573.50 pursuant to 25 CFR § 39.17. Dr. Lawrence Isaac, Jr. of the Office of Indian Education Programs, Department of the Interior, denied the request because the request was incomplete and the Set-Aside Fund had not been funded for fiscal year 1986. Plaintiffs appealed the decision and were again denied the requested funding. The data submitted were apparently incorrect, and the corrected data did not qualify for the comparability funding. The Honorable Ross O. Swimmer, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, denied the plaintiffs’ final appeal on the grounds of inadequate documentation and the Congressional moratorium against implementation during fiscal year 1987. Plaintiffs now seek relief in this court.

Defendant has moved for summary judgment, arguing that the Claims Court does not have jurisdiction since the plaintiffs do not rely on a money mandating statute, and that the plaintiffs have failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, because there are no available funds. In its opposition brief, plaintiffs contend that this court has jurisdiction because 25 U.S. C. § 2008(b) and 25 CFR §§ 39.17 and 39.78 do mandate the payment of money. In addition, plaintiffs assert that there are available funds to grant relief in the instant case. Plaintiffs also argue that this court has jurisdiction because there has been a breach of the fiduciary duty owed by the government to the plaintiffs. In reply, the defendant counters that no fiduciary relationship exists which requires the government to provide the requested funding. Defendant also asserts that no other funds may be used to provide the requested funding.

[77]*77DISCUSSION

Summary disposition requires that no genuine dispute exists as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. 242, 247, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2509-10, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The movant has the burden of establishing that there is no material fact in dispute and that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 157, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 1608, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970); Molinaro v. Fannon/Courier Corp., 745 F.2d 651, 653-54 (Fed.Cir.1984). The party opposing the motion has the burden of showing sufficient evidence that there is a genuine issue of material fact in dispute. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). “The evidence of the non-movant is to be believed, and all justifiable inferences are to be drawn in his favor ...” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. at 255, 106 S.Ct. at 2513. In the instant case, the defendant has persuaded the court that the motion for summary judgment should be granted.

The United States Claims Court is a court of limited jurisdiction. Congress provided a waiver of sovereign immunity in the Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1491, which states:

The United States Claims Court shall have jurisdiction to render judgment upon any claim against the United States 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, or for liquidated damages not sounding in tort.

The Tucker Act is a jurisdictional statute; it does not create substantive rights which are enforceable against the United States for money damages. United States v. Testan, 424 U.S. 392, 398, 96 S.Ct. 948, 953, 47 L.Ed.2d 114 (1976). The Tucker Act grants jurisdiction only when an independent substantive right for money damages exists. Thus, the statute relied upon by plaintiffs must be fairly interpreted as mandating the payment of money. Eastport Steamship Corp. v. United States, 178 Ct.Cl.

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16 Cl. Ct. 75, 1988 U.S. Claims LEXIS 204, 1988 WL 140007, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eastern-band-of-cherokee-indians-v-united-states-cc-1988.