Huntley v. American Druggists' Insurance

551 F. Supp. 482, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16263
CourtDistrict Court, D. Rhode Island
DecidedNovember 22, 1982
DocketCiv. A. No. 82-0024 P
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 551 F. Supp. 482 (Huntley v. American Druggists' Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Huntley v. American Druggists' Insurance, 551 F. Supp. 482, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16263 (D.R.I. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

PETTINE, Senior District Judge.

This case involves several contract and tort claims arising out of an ill-fated business agreement between plaintiffs, William and Lorna Huntley, and defendant, Branton Yachts Corporation, which was financed through loans guaranteed by the defendant United States Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA removed this case to federal court, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1441 (1973). It now moves under Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) to dismiss the complaint on the ground that it fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. “[I]t is well established that, in passing on a motion to dismiss ... for failure to state a cause of action, the allegations of the complaint should be construed favorably to the pleader.” Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 1686, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974). The following summary of the facts is thus taken from the allegations in the plaintiffs’ complaint.

Facts

The plaintiffs, William and Lorna Huntley, contracted with the defendant Branton Yachts Corporation for the construction of a fishing boat. Although not a party to this contract, the defendant SBA played an important role in its financing. Prior to the contract the SBA was the guarantor of a $250,000 loan to the Branton Yachts Corporation. This loan was in default. When the contract was made, however, the SBA agreed to a financing package under which the loan to Branton Yachts was rewritten in the amount of approximately $500,000 and the plaintiffs were loaned approximately $526,000. The SBA guaranteed the loans to the plaintiffs and defendant Branton Yachts through the Greater Providence Deposit Corporation.

Plaintiffs allege that the SBA knew that a material term of the contract with Bran-ton Yachts was that the boat be completed by March, 1982, so that it would be available for use in the spring fishing season. To ensure the boat’s timely and proper construction, the plaintiffs insisted that Bran-ton Yachts furnish a performance bond. Such a bond was issued by the defendant American Druggists Insurance Company and guaranteed by the SBA. Defendant George Brandariz, the principal officer and majority stockholder of Branton Yachts Corporation, also warranted to the plaintiffs that the fishing boat would be timely constructed in accordance with the terms of the contract.

Plaintiffs contend that from the beginning Branton Yachts Corporation failed to comply with the material terms of the contract. As a result, they believed that the fishing boat would not be timely and properly completed and demanded written assurances from Branton Yachts. In response to the plaintiffs’ demand, the SBA called a meeting of all the parties. At this meeting Branton Yachts promised to provide the plaintiffs with a work schedule and assurances from the bank that they were financially capable of completing the boat’s construction. At the end of the meeting, the SBA told the plaintiffs that “you’d better be satisfied that the defendants will do the job properly. If you need any more help come and see us.” Complaint at 5. Plaintiffs agreed to permit the continued construction of the boat.

Plaintiffs allege that Branton Yachts did not fulfill the promises it made at the meeting. They contend that Branton Yachts [484]*484provided them with only a partial work schedule and failed to comply with the terms of that schedule. Moreover, the bank failed to provide adequate assurance as to Branton Yacht’s financial capacity. Plaintiffs thereupon requested the assistance of the SBA in getting Branton Yachts to live up to its promises. The SBA, however, merely told the plaintiffs to write Branton Yachts a letter detailing their complaints and refused to intervene on their behalf.

Discussion

Plaintiffs contend that their Complaint is based on the tort principle that “[o]ne who undertakes gratuitously or for consideration to render services to another which he should recognize as necessary for the protection of the other person or things...” may under certain circumstances by held liable. Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 323 at 135 (1965). In this case, the plaintiff asserts that the SBA undertook and negligently failed to perform “the duty to see to it that defendant, Branton Yachts Corporation carried out its obligations under the contract.” Plaintiffs’ Memorandum in Opposition to the Motion to Dismiss at 6. The defendant SBA denies liability in tort and has moved to dismiss this suit for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. It argues that the plaintiffs’ claim must be characterized as one of misrepresentation and that, consequently, it is barred by the sovereign immunity of the United States.

This case requires the Court to interpret the scope of § 2680(h) of the Federal Tort Claims Act. 28 U.S.C. § 2680(h) (1982 Supp.). That section creates an exception to the Act’s waiver of the sovereign immunity of the United States in tort actions for “[a]ny claim arising out of .. . misrepresentation.” It is not disputed that if the claim is in fact one of misrepresentation, then it cannot be brought against the SBA which is an agency of the United States. Rather, the critical issue presented is whether the plaintiffs’ claim must be characterized as one of misrepresentation.

The starting point for an analysis of the character of the plaintiffs’ claim is United States v. Neustadt, 366 U.S. 696, 81 S.Ct. 1294, 6 L.Ed.2d 614 (1961). In that case the Supreme Court held that a home purchaser’s claim against the United States for damages resulting from the purchaser’s reliance on an inaccurate Federal Housing Administration inspection and appraisal constituted a claim of misrepresentation, and thus was not actionable against the United States. In so holding, the Supreme Court reversed the Fourth Circuit which had ruled that if the government negligently performs a specific duty owed to another it may be liable for damages “even though the careless performance of the duty may have been accompanied by some misrepresentation of fact.” United States v. Neustadt, 281 F.2d 596, 599 (4th Cir.1960). The Supreme Court explained that:

To say, as the Fourth Circuit did, that a claim arises out of “negligence,” rather than “misrepresentation,” when the loss suffered by the injured party is caused by the breach of a “specific duty” owed by the Government to him, i.e., the duty to use due care in obtaining and communicating information upon which that party may reasonably be expected to rely in the conduct of his economic affairs, is only to state the traditional and commonly understood legal definition of the tort of “negligent misrepresentation”....

366 U.S. at 706, 81 S.Ct. at 1300.

The Court further concluded in Neustadt that Congress intended to include “negligent misrepresentation” as an exception to the allowable tort claims against the government when it drafted § 2680(h). Id.

The plaintiffs seek to rely on Neal v. Bergland,

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Related

Huntley v. United States
4 Cl. Ct. 65 (Court of Claims, 1983)

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Bluebook (online)
551 F. Supp. 482, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16263, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/huntley-v-american-druggists-insurance-rid-1982.