Golden Pacific Bancorp and Miles P. Jennings, Jr. v. United States

15 F.3d 1066, 1994 WL 32041
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedApril 19, 1994
Docket92-5141
StatusPublished
Cited by144 cases

This text of 15 F.3d 1066 (Golden Pacific Bancorp and Miles P. Jennings, Jr. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Golden Pacific Bancorp and Miles P. Jennings, Jr. v. United States, 15 F.3d 1066, 1994 WL 32041 (Fed. Cir. 1994).

Opinion

SCHALL, Circuit Judge.

Appellants, Golden Pacific Bancorp (Golden Pacific) and Miles P. Jennings, Jr., appeal from an order of the United States Claims Court, No. 91-1242C (April 28, 1992), dismissing their complaint seeking compensation for a taking under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Golden Pac. Bancorp v. United States, 25 Cl.Ct. 768 (1992). 1

Golden Pacific is a bank holding company and owns approximately 90 percent of the stock of Golden Pacific National Bank (Bank). Jennings owns 6,400 shares of the stock of Golden Pacific. Golden Pacific and Jennings filed an action in the Claims Court alleging that the actions of the Comptroller of the Currency (Comptroller) in declaring the Bank insolvent and appointing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver constituted a taking for which they were entitled to compensation under the Fifth Amendment. The Claims Court granted the government’s motion for summary judgment after concluding that the actions of the Comptroller did not constitute a compen-sable taking. Id. at 771. 2 For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the judgment of the Claims Court.

BACKGROUND

The pertinent facts are not in dispute. The Bank was a national bank, with its principal place of business in New York City. Id. at 769. The Bank was chartered pursu *1069 ant to 12 U.S.C. § 27 (1988) 3 and subject to the regulatory authority of the Comptroller pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 1 (1988). Id.

Acting on an informant’s tip, the Comptroller undertook a surprise investigation of the Bank on June 17, 1985. Id. The Comptroller’s actions were taken as a result of the Bank’s practice of issuing “yellow” certificates of deposit (Yellow CDs). Id. The Bank purportedly regarded Yellow CDs as non-book “investments” made by it on behalf of the CD holders. Id. Based upon his investigation, however, the Comptroller determined that the Yellow CDs were, in fact, deposits. Id. As deposits, the Yellow CDs were liabilities of the Bank, and the Bank was required to maintain offsetting assets, or it would be technically insolvent. Id, 4 Since the Comptroller was not satisfied that the Bank possessed such assets, he began preparing a cease and desist order to halt the practice of issuing Yellow CDs. Id. Before the cease and desist order could be issued, however, rumors of the Comptroller’s investigation precipitated a run on the Bank. Id. Faced with what he regarded as inadequate assets and a run on the Bank, the Comptroller declared the Bank insolvent pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 191 5 and placed it in FDIC receivership pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 1821(c) 6 . Id.

After the Bank was closed, Golden Pacific brought an action in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. In its district court complaint, Golden Pacific sought (i) review of the Comptroller’s actions under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(A) (1988), alleging that the Comptroller’s actions were “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law;” (ii) damages from the government under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b), 2680(a) (1988), for the Comptroller’s actions; and (iii) damages and injunctive relief under the Fifth Amendment. On December 1, 1986, the district court granted summary judgment for the government. Golden Pac. Bancorp v. Clarke, No. 85-2384, slip op. at 1 (D.D.C. Dec. 1, 1986). In so doing, the district court addressed Golden Pacific’s APA and FTCA claims. After considering the administrative record, the district court concluded that, in declaring the Bank insolvent and placing it in receivership, the Comptroller had acted within the scope of his statutory authority and that his actions were not arbitrary, capricious, or undertaken in bad faith. Id. at 6. 7

The district court did not address Golden Pacific’s claim under the Fifth Amendment for monetary and injunctive relief. Golden Pacific had acknowledged at an earlier stage of the proceedings that any monetary claim it was asserting against the government sounded in tort. Thus, when the district court granted the government’s motion for summary judgment, Golden Pacific was no longer asserting any monetary claims under the Fifth Amendment. 8 As far as Golden Pacif *1070 ic’s claim for injunctive relief under the Fifth Amendment was concerned, it appears that the district court either overlooked the claim or viewed its decision with respect to the APA and FTCA claims as being dispositive of any request for injunctive relief.

On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed the district court judgment. Golden Pac. Bancorp v. Clarke, 887 F.2d 509, 513 (D.C.Cir.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 890, 109 S.Ct. 223, 102 L.Ed.2d 213 (1988). The court of appeals determined that Golden Pacific’s action was “nothing more than a claim for damages under the FTCA” Id. at 510. 9 The court concluded, however, that a FTCA cause of action was not available to Golden Pacific because the Comptroller’s actions fell within the discretionary function exception to the FTCA. Id. at 511-512. 10 The court declined to reach Golden Pacific’s claim under the Fifth Amendment because it was argued on appeal only in a reply brief. Id. at 513.

On June 21,1991, appellants filed an action in the Claims Court, alleging that the Comptroller’s actions constituted a compensable taking under the Fifth Amendment, a breach of an implied contract between the Comptroller and the Bank and its shareholders, and a mistake of fact. 11 In response, the government moved to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, or in the alternative, for summary judgment, asserting that res judi-cata barred the taking claim under the Fifth Amendment and that the Comptroller’s actions did not constitute a compensable taking under the Fifth Amendment.

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15 F.3d 1066, 1994 WL 32041, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/golden-pacific-bancorp-and-miles-p-jennings-jr-v-united-states-cafc-1994.