King v. United States

United States Court of Federal Claims·Decided June 30, 2022·No. 21-1878·Unpublished

Opinion

In the United States Court of Federal Claims No. 21-1878 Filed: June 30, 2022 ________________________________________ ) GREG ALLEN KING, A/K/A ) GREG ALLEN KING ESTATE, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) THE UNITED STATES, ) ) Defendant. ) ________________________________________ )

Greg Allen King, pro se.

Russell J. Upton, Trial Attorney, United States Department of Justice, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, Washington, D.C., with whom were Brian M. Boynton, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Martin F. Hockey, Jr., Acting Director, and Lisa L. Donahue, Assistant Director, for Defendant.

OPINION AND ORDER

MEYERS, Judge.

Greg Allen King has been engaged in foreclosure litigation in the District of Maine that has apparently not been going his way. He brought this action seeking to enjoin the District Court’s proceedings and requesting compensation for the alleged taking of his property and breach of contract. This Court promptly denied injunctive relief because it is unquestionably beyond this Court’s jurisdiction to enjoin another Court’s proceedings. The Court now turns to King’s remaining claims.

While King’s Complaint is somewhat difficult to decipher, he raises several arguments that appear to arise from the foreclosure litigation. Most are easily dispensed with because this Court unquestionably lacks jurisdiction to hear them—e.g., claims against defendants other than the United States, calls for this Court to review the decisions of the District Court, allegations of criminal violations, and claims based on laws that are not money-mandating.

King also brings two claims that generally are within this Court’s jurisdiction but are not in this case. He argues that the Government has breached an express contract with him because he submitted what he claims is a bond to the Secretary of the Treasury and the Government’s failure to reject the bond created a contract. Such a contract theory is frivolous and cannot support jurisdiction here. King also argues a taking claim, but this fails because his entire argument about the District Court taking his property is premised on misconduct that he asserts is unauthorized. Because this Court lacks jurisdiction to hear any of King’s claims, the Government’s motion to dismiss is granted.

I. BACKGROUND

Since 2019, King has been engaged in litigation regarding the potential foreclosure of real property in Maine. See ECF No. 1 at 2 1; see also U.S. Bank Trust NA as Trustee for LSF9 Master Participation Trust v. King, Case No. 1:19-cv-119-JDL, in the United States District Court for the District of Maine. Based on the Complaint here, it does not appear that the case has gone as King believes it should have. See, e.g., ECF No. 1 at 7 (“A review of PACER will show all of the documents filed into case no. 1:19-cv-00119-JDL and will reveal that Claimant has not slumbered on Claimant’s rights and has fully voiced all opposition to this foreclosure action against the GREG ALLEN KING Estate.”).

While the foreclosure litigation was pending in Maine, King filed what he claims is a “Private Registered Bond for Investment” with the Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Id. at 4; see also ECF No. 1-1 at 6-7. This “bond” is predicated on King’s Certificate of Live Birth and purports to be for $100,000,000, payable in 25 years and paying four percent interest per year. ECF No. 1-1 at 6. The “bond” also states that the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury would have thirty days from the receipt of the “bond” to dishonor it, and failure to do anything “shall constitute Acceptance and Honoring of this Bond.” Id. (emphasis in original). King now claims this “bond” constitutes an express contract between him and the United States Government. ECF No. 1 at 4-6.

During the foreclosure litigation, King sought to draw on the interest from this “bond” to settle the debt underlying the foreclosure. When the District Court refused, King concluded that the District Court was taking his property and the United States breached its contract with him to pay the proceeds from the “bond.”

King then filed this case. He sought to get this Court to insert itself into the Maine proceedings by enjoining the District Court’s proceedings until this Court could resolve his Fifth Amendment and contract claims. See ECF No. 2. This Court promptly denied the requested injunctive relief, explaining that “the Tucker Act only grants this Court the authority to issue injunctions in cases challenging the award (or proposed award) of contracts brought under 28 U.S.C. § 1491(b).” ECF No. 6 at 1-2. And more fundamentally, the Court explained that it “does not have jurisdiction to review the decisions of district courts . . . relating to proceedings before those courts.” Id. at 2 (quoting Joshua v. United States, 17 F.3d 378, 380 (Fed. Cir. 1994)).

II. STANDARDS OF REVIEW

“The United States, as sovereign, is immune from suit save as it consents to be sued.” United States v. Sherwood, 312 U.S. 584, 586 (1941). And a waiver of immunity “cannot be

1 Because the Complaint does not have numbered paragraphs, the Court cites to page numbers.

2 implied but must be unequivocally expressed.” United States v. King, 395 U.S. 1, 4 (1969). Whether the Court has subject matter jurisdiction to decide the merits of a case is a threshold matter. Steel Co. v. Citizens for a Better Env’t, 523 U.S. 83, 94-95 (1998). “Without jurisdiction the court cannot proceed at all in any cause. Jurisdiction is power to declare the law, and when it ceases to exist, the only function remaining to the court is that of announcing the fact and dismissing the cause.” Ex parte McCardle, 74 U.S. (7 Wall.) 506, 514 (1868).

When deciding a Rule 12(b)(1) motion, the Court must assume all the undisputed facts in the complaint are true and draw all reasonable inferences in the nonmovant’s favor. Kissi v. United States, 493 F. App’x 57, 58 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (citing Henke v. United States, 60 F.3d 795, 797 (Fed. Cir. 1995)). The Court may also rely on materials outside the Complaint when deciding the motion. Cedars-Sinai Med. Ctr. v. Watkins, 11 F.3d 1575, 1584 (Fed. Cir. 1993).

The Court holds a pro se plaintiff’s pleadings to a less stringent standard and liberally construes language in the plaintiff’s favor. Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972). But even a pro se plaintiff must meet his jurisdictional burden. As the Federal Circuit explained, “[w]e agree that leniency with respect to mere formalities should be extended to a pro se party . . . [h]owever . . . a court may not similarly take a liberal view of that jurisdictional requirement and set a different rule for pro se litigants only.” Kelley v. Sec’y, U.S. Dep’t of Labor, 812 F.2d 1378, 1380 (Fed. Cir. 1987). “Pro se or not, the plaintiff still has the burden of establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that this Court has jurisdiction over its claims.” Rothing v. United States, 132 Fed. Cl. 387, 390 (2017) (citing Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 511 U.S. 375

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