Kavounas v. United States

89 F. Supp. 689, 116 Ct. Cl. 406, 1950 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 93
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedApril 3, 1950
DocketNo. 47787
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 89 F. Supp. 689 (Kavounas 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.

Bluebook
Kavounas v. United States, 89 F. Supp. 689, 116 Ct. Cl. 406, 1950 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 93 (cc 1950).

Opinion

Howelu, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff sues to recover $500, the proceeds of a Treasury note, deposited as security for a bond conditioned upon the requirements that an alien would depart from the United States by a certain time and that he would not engage in any business or occupation or employment for hire while in the United States.

[410]*410On December 18, 1939, plaintiff’s brother, Nicolas Kavou-nas, an alien and a native of Greece, arrived at the port of New York, N. Y., from Greece and applied for permission to enter the United States and remain temporarily as a visitor for pleasure. The alien was detained at Ellis Island until arrangements were made with the plaintiff for posting a bond1 with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to guarantee the alien’s departure from the United States. Plaintiff was busy at the time and he gave a friend of his, one Paul Halopoulo, $500 with which to obtain the bond. The latter deposited a $500 Treasury note as security for the bond with Halopoulo named as surety on the bond. Thereafter, Halopoulo died and his mother, as administratrix of his estate, executed a power of attorney in plaintiff’s favor to obtain any moneys that might be refunded. The bond contained the following:

Now, therefore, the conditions of this obligation are such that if the said alien is admitted temporarily as a tourist or visitor for pleasure he shall not engage in any business or occupation or employment for hire, or if admitted temporarily for business he shall not engage in any business or occupation or employment other than that given as a reason for his request for temporary admission, and shall actually depart permanently from the United States, without expense to the United States, on or before February 18,1940, and if the Immigration and Naturalization officer in charge at the port of New York shall receive from the above-bounden obligors at least five (5) days prior to such departure information as to the date thereof and name or designation of the vessel or other means of conveyance by which the alien shall depart, then this obligation to be void; otherwise to remain in full force and virtue.

Extensions of time were granted under which the alien was permitted to remain in the United States until December 10,1940. The surety on the bond agreed that the time extensions would not release the liability on the bond. While the alien was in the United States as a temporary visitor for pleasure, he was engaged in business as a partner with another brother in the operation of a grocery store, from which store the alien derived an income averaging $125 a month.

[411]*411In May 1942, the alien was arrested because he had remained in the United States beyond the time stated in his visitor’s permit as extended. After a hearing at which it was disclosed that the alien was engaged in business, it was ordered that he be deported to Greece. Upon appeal, the Board of Immigration Appeals, on December 7, 1944, directed that the order of deportation be not entered at that time but that the alien be required to depart from the United States without expense to the Government, to any country of his choice, within six months after notification of decision.

In compliance with the order of the Board of Immigration Appeals, the alien went to Montreal, Canada, early in 1945, where he obtained an appropriate immigration visa which permitted him to enter the United States for permanent residence. On March 28, 1945, he reentered the United States.

On August 26, 1946, the Acting Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States Department of Justice ordered that the bond be considered breached because the alien had failed to depart from the United States on or before December 10,1940, and because he had been employed during the time of his temporary admission without having secured permission to be so employed.

Plaintiff contends the original order for deportation was vacated by the Board of Immigration Appeals when it directed the order for deportation to be not entered at that time and permitted voluntary departure and subsequent legal reentry into the United States. Plaintiff’s second contention is that the provision in the bond reading, “that if the said alien is admitted temporarily as a tourist or visitor for pleasure he shall not engage in any business or occupation or employment for hire * * *” should be strictly construed, and that while the alien engaged in business as a partner, it was not in any business or occupation or employment for hire and hence should not apply to said alien.

Defendant contends that plaintiff was not a party to the bond and hence cannot recover under Rev. Stat. 3737 (41 U. S. C. 15) which prohibits the transfer of a contract, or bond as here involved; secondly, since both conditions of the bond were breached by alien, plaintiff cannot recover.

[412]*412We deal first with the defendant’s second ground of defense to the plaintiff’s right of recovery. We agree that both'Conditions of the bond were breached by the alien and hence the plaintiff is not entitled to recover.

As a general proposition, courts are reluctant to declare •forfeitures of bonds on narrow and technical grounds, but in this case the conditions of the bond have been clearly breached as the facts plainly disclose.

In the first place, it is obvious that the alien remained in the United States beyond the extended time, which conditioned his right to remain in this country; Originally obligated to depart on or before February 18, 1940, extensions were granted which permitted him to remain until December 10, 1940. Not only did he not depart by this time but he remained in this country apparently unconcerned over the date set for his departure until he was arrested in May 1942. Thus, for a period of almost two and a half years he remained in defiance of not only his obligation to a hospitable country but of the obligation of his surety to see that he actually departed from this country by December 10,1940.

In one respect, the record is rather complimentary to the alien — at least he was not a fugitive at large, with his whereabouts unknown. He was, so far as the record shows, Continuously in Heading, Pennsylvania, where he “helped” his brother run a business in which, as a partner, he had invested money as far back as 1930, and from which he drew approximately $125 per month during his entire stay in this country.

The other condition of his bond was that he not “engage in any business or occupation or employment for hire, or if admitted temporarily for business he shall not engage in any business or occupation other than that given as a reason for his request for temporary admission * * *”

Apparently the alien did not see fit at the time of his entry to give as a reason for his request for temporary admission that he wished to assist in the conduct of a business in which he had previously invested money. It may be that we are precluded from any speculation on this point, but we cannot help but wonder why this obviously valid reason was nbt given. It is sufficient to' observe that in neglecting or choos[?]*?ing not to set forth this reason, the alien definitely obligated himself not to engage in any business or occupation or employment for hire.

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Related

NGUYEN
15 I. & N. Dec. 176 (Board of Immigration Appeals, 1975)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
89 F. Supp. 689, 116 Ct. Cl. 406, 1950 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 93, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kavounas-v-united-states-cc-1950.