Huntleigh USA Corp. v. United States

63 Fed. Cl. 440, 2005 U.S. Claims LEXIS 2, 2005 WL 44439
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJanuary 7, 2005
DocketNo. 03-2670C
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 63 Fed. Cl. 440 (Huntleigh USA Corp. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Huntleigh USA Corp. v. United States, 63 Fed. Cl. 440, 2005 U.S. Claims LEXIS 2, 2005 WL 44439 (uscfc 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

MARGOLIS, Senior Judge.

This action is before the Court on defendant’s motion to dismiss Counts I and II of plaintiffs complaint. Plaintiff, Huntleigh USA Corporation (“Huntleigh”), filed a complaint against defendant, the United States, alleging two counts. First, plaintiff alleges that defendant violated the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution when it federalized airport security at all domestic commercial airports thereby displacing Huntleigh, who had previously provided these services to various air carriers. Second, plaintiff alleges that defendant violated § 101(g) of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, Pub.L. No. 107-71, 115 Stat. 597 (the “Act”) (codified primarily in sections of Title 49 of the United States Code), which according to plaintiff requires the Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”) to pay adequate compensation to private security screening companies for the loss of their contracts. Plaintiff contends that defendant violated § 101(g) of the Act when it refused to provide plaintiff with adequate compensation for the loss of its private screening contracts. Specifically, defendant contends that Count I of the complaint should be dismissed because plaintiff has failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Additionally, defendant contends that Count II of the complaint should be dismissed because the court lacks jurisdiction or, in the alternative, because plaintiff has failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. After careful consideration of the briefs and oral argument, the Court denies defendant’s motion to dismiss Counts I and II.

FACTS

On November 19, 2001, in response to the September 11, 2001 hijackings, the United States Congress enacted the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, Pub.L. No. 107-71, 115 Stat. 597. The Act created the Transportation Security Administration and charged it with carrying out, among other things, civil aviation security functions, including security screening operations for passenger air transportation. Pub.L. No. 107-71, § 101(a), 115 Stat. 597, 597-602. The Act shifted the responsibility for screening passengers and property boarding aircrafts from private companies to TSA. 49 U.S.C. § 44901(a). To carry out this shift, the Act sets forth various deadlines that TSA was required to meet. Of importance to this action, TSA was required to: (1) assume civil aviation security functions and responsibilities not later than three months after the date of enactment of the Act (February 19, 2002), § 101(g)(1), and (2) have a sufficient number of federalized screeners in place to screen all passengers and property that would be boarding aircrafts at all 429 domestic commercial airports not later than one year after the date of enactment of the Act (November 19, 2002), § 110(c)(1). Thus, TSA had a nine-month period to transition from private screeners to federal screeners.

The Act set out two approaches that TSA could use in transitioning from private to federalized airport security screening. First, TSA could assume the rights and responsibilities of air carriers under existing screening contracts. § 101(g)(2). Second, TSA could obtain, through agreements with air carriers, the assignment of existing screening contracts. § 101(g)(3). Thus, if TSA chose to utilize either of these two approaches, it would essentially be taking the place of the air carriers with respect to their contracts with private screening companies. If TSA chose to use the second approach, the Act required that the agreements be entered into not later than 90 days after the date of enactment. Further, the Act mandated that the agreements be for one 180-day period, which could be extended for one 90-day period if the Under Secretary determined that such an extension was necessary. § 101(g)(3)(B).

TSA ultimately chose a different approach. Under TSA’s approach, private security companies submitted bids for interim contracts with the government, which remained in effect for up to the nine-month transition period.

[443]*443Huntleigh is a private security company. Since 1988, Huntleigh has provided passenger and baggage screening at airports throughout the United States. At the time the Act was passed, Huntleigh had contracts with eight major airlines, and a number of smaller air carriers, to provide passenger and baggage screening services at 35 airports across the United States. Huntleigh’s contract with each airline consisted of a core agreement, with addendums for each separate airport location. These contracts generally had a term of three years, with a provision for automatic renewal, which the airlines often invoked.

In July 2002, Huntleigh received notices from the government informing it that TSA would be replacing Huntleigh’s screening checkpoints one by one. On July 23, 2002, the government terminated the first Huntleigh security checkpoint. Over the next four months, TSA terminated all of Huntleigh’s additional checkpoints. By November 2002, TSA had fully federalized airport security screening. As a result, Huntleigh alleges it has been forced out of the airport security industry, but continues to provide some non-security related services to air carriers and airports, such as skycap services, baggage handling, and janitorial services. On November 14, 2003, Huntleigh filed a complaint with this Court.

DISCUSSION

I. Standard of Review

Count I of Huntleigh’s complaint alleges that by federalizing airport security at all domestic commercial airports, the federal government has taken Huntleigh’s security business for public use without providing just compensation, in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Specifically, Huntleigh contends that the government’s actions constituted a taking of its (1) contracts1 and (2) goodwill and going-concern value.

Count II of the complaint alleges that by failing to pay adequate compensation to Huntleigh for the loss of its contracts with the airlines, the TSA has violated § 101(g) of the Act. Specifically, Huntleigh contends that it is entitled to the fair market value of the contracts based on their initial term as well as compensation for the delay in payment from the time the contracts were taken over by the government.

When considering a motion to dismiss a claim under RCFC 12(b)(6), a court must accept as true all well-pled factual allegations and draw all reasonable inferences in plaintiffs favor. DeMarco Durzo Dev. Co. v. United States, 60 Fed.Cl. 632, 635 (2004) (citing Godwin v. United States, 338 F.3d 1374, 1377 (Fed.Cir.2003)). Such a motion should be granted only when “it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957)).

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Bluebook (online)
63 Fed. Cl. 440, 2005 U.S. Claims LEXIS 2, 2005 WL 44439, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/huntleigh-usa-corp-v-united-states-uscfc-2005.