Harper v. United States

987 F. Supp. 1025, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19777, 1996 WL 932925
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Tennessee
DecidedMarch 26, 1996
DocketNo. 3:95-cv-155
StatusPublished

This text of 987 F. Supp. 1025 (Harper v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harper v. United States, 987 F. Supp. 1025, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19777, 1996 WL 932925 (E.D. Tenn. 1996).

Opinion

JARVIS, Chief Judge.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

This action seeks compensatory damages pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 2671, et seq. (“FTCA”). More specifically, plaintiffs allege that Joseph R. Harper suffers from chronic beryllium disease as a result of his exposure to beryllium metal and beryllium oxide and beryllium-containing products while he was employed as a machinist by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., and its predecessor, Union Carbide Corporation, both of which operated Department of Energy (“DOE”) facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, pursuant to contract with the defendant. Plaintiffs further allege that Mr. Harper’s injuries were proximately caused by the negligent acts or omissions of the DOE.

This matter is presently before the court on defendant’s motion to dismiss [Doc. 2], The issues raised have been thoroughly and well briefed by the parties [see Docs. 3, 12, and 13], For the reasons that follow, defendant’s motion will be granted to the extent that'summary judgment will be entered in its favor, and this case will be dismissed against it.

I.

In its pending motion, the defendant contends that this; court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over this action because plaintiffs failed to timely file them claims with the DOE prior to filing suit. The FTCA provides in pertinent part:

A tort claim against the United States shall be forever barred unless it is presented in writing to the appropriate Federal agency within two years after such claim accrues.

28 U.S.C. § 2401(b).1 Here, it is undisputed that plaintiffs filed their claims with the DOE [1027]*1027on May 10, 1993. Defendant contends, however, that plaintiffs’ personal injury actions accrued on or before April 22, 1991, a date outside this two-year limitation period. The basis for defendant’s position with respect to when these personal injury actions accrued, 1.e., April 22, 1991, is a ruling by the Honorable Thomas G. Hull, a United States Judge of this District, on December 28, 1993, dismissing a similar action then pending before him. In particular, defendant contends that the doctrine of collateral estoppel bars plaintiffs from relitigating the issue of when then-personal injury causes of action accrued because Judge Hull has already decided that precise issue in that previous litigation. Plaintiffs, on the other hand, respond that Judge Hull’s order of December 28, 1993, does not provide an appropriate basis for the application of collateral estoppel. A resolution of this issue requires the court to examine carefully the record in Judge Hub’s case and to analyze that record in light of the applicable law on collateral estoppel.

II.

On April 22, 1992, these same plaintiffs filed a products liability/personal injury action in this court against a number of companies that allegedly engaged in “the mining, milling, manufacturing, processing, compounding, converting, selling, or distribution of beryllium and/or beryllium-containing products” which were used by Mr. Harper in the course of his employment by Union Carbide Corporation and Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. [see Doc. 1, pp. 2-3, in 3:92— cv-258].2 And, just as in the instant case, Mr. Harper sought compensatory damages in the amount of $5 million and Mrs. Harper sought compensatory damages in the amount of $1.5 million [see id., p. 9]. Additionally, and unlike the instant case, plaintiffs sought punitive damages in the amount of $3 million [see id.]. That case, as previously noted, was assigned to Judge Hull of this district.

On November 10, 1992, Mr, Harper filed his responses to the master interrogatories propounded -to him by the defendants [see Doc. 26]. On November 16, 1992, the Har-pers’ attorney and eight attorneys representing the manufacturers/defendants held a preliminary discovery meeting [see Doc. 12, Exs. 1-3 in 3:95-cv-155], At that meeting, it was agreed that, because Mr. Harper’s exposure occurred more than ten years prior to the filing of his lawsuit, then the issue regarding the Tennessee products liability statute of repose, T.C.A. § 29-28-103,3 should be resolved before any other legal or factual issues would be addressed [see id.]. With defense counsel’s consent, the Harpers’ attorney then announced a stipulation as to Mr. Harper’s exposure history and no further discovery of the Harpers was conducted [see id.].-

Pursuant to counsel’s agreement, the defendants, on December 29, 1992, filed a joint motion for judgment on the pleadings and/or for summary judgment based upon the ten-year statute of repose [see Doc. 35; see also Doc. 12, Exs. 1-3, in 3:95-cv-155]. Furthermore, in keeping with, that agreement, plaintiffs’ counsel notified a law clerk for Judge Hull that “no other matters would be addressed, legal or factual, pending the final disposition by the Court of the issue of the constitutionality of the Tennessee statute of repose for products liability actions.” [See Doc. 12, Ex. 1, ¶ 9, in 3:95-ev-155]. On April 8, 1993, plaintiffs filed a response to defendants’ joint motion for judgment on the pleadings and/or for summary judgment [see Doe. 43]. It must be emphasized that, in keeping with counsel’s agreement, plaintiffs’ response addressed only the issue raised by defendants regarding the ten-year statute of repose [see id.; see also Doc. 12, Ex. 1, ¶ 9, in 3:95-ev-155]. On April 20, 1993, Judge Hull denied defendants’ motion [see Doc. 46]. Additionally, in that order, Judge Hull certified [1028]*1028to the Attorney General of the State of Tennessee that “the plaintiffs have raised a question of the federal constitutionality of [the ten-year statute of repose]” [see id., p. 4], Judge Hull therefore requested that the Attorney General notify the court, within 30 days, if he intended to intervene in that action “to present evidence or argument regarding the constitutionality of this statute.” [See id.]. No other issue was raised or addressed in that order.

On May 26, 1993, the Tennessee Attorney General filed his notice of intent to intervene [see Doc. 47]. However, before he did so, two other significant events occurred. First, on July 14, 1993, defendant Brush Wellman, Inc., filed a motion for summary judgment with a supporting memorandum raising “the government contractors’ defense” [see Doe. 49]. Second, on September 17, 1993, this same defendant filed a motion for summary judgment with a supporting memorandum raising the one-year statute of limitations defense for personal injury actions set forth in T.C.A. §' 28-3-104 [see Doc. 57]. Plaintiffs' did not respond to either one of these motions. On November 22,1993-, the Tennessee Attorney General -filed a motion to dismiss plaintiffs challenge to the constitutionality of the ten-year statute of repose with a supporting memorandum [see Doc. 63 and 63A].

On December 28, 1993, Judge Hull filed a four-page order [Doc. 64] which is at the very heart of the pending motion to dismiss.

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Bluebook (online)
987 F. Supp. 1025, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19777, 1996 WL 932925, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harper-v-united-states-tned-1996.