Leitner v. United States

92 Fed. Cl. 220, 105 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2046, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 108, 2010 WL 1634054
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedApril 16, 2010
DocketNo. 09-471C
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 92 Fed. Cl. 220 (Leitner 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
Leitner v. United States, 92 Fed. Cl. 220, 105 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2046, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 108, 2010 WL 1634054 (uscfc 2010).

Opinion

OPINION and ORDER

SMITH, Senior Judge.

Presently before the Court is Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint. After careful review and consideration, and for the reasons stated below, the Court hereby GRANTS Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff, Mark Leitner, filed a Complaint alleging several torts flowing from the acts of IRS agents and rulings of federal district courts. In his Complaint, Plaintiff seeks money damages, declaratory judgments, and injunctive relief. In response, Defendant filed a Motion to Dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Plaintiff then filed a First Amended Complaint that added other claims and rephrased the “charges of tort” in his original Complaint. Defendant responded with its Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs First [222]*222Amended Complaint, again for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Plaintiff filed a Reply in Opposition to Defendant’s motion where he identified as the two primary issues his allegations of Defendant’s indebtedness to Plaintiff, and Defendant’s refusal to respond to Plaintiffs writs or requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

On December 10, 2009, Defendant responded with its Reply in Support of its Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint, asserting lack of legal authority to support Plaintiffs claims. Soon thereafter, Plaintiff sent the Court a Notice and Demand for Summary Judgment by Way of Affidavit (Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment).

In a subsequent Notice and Objection, Plaintiff argued for a ruling on his Motion for Summary Judgment. Defendant in its Motion to Stay Defendant’s Response to Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment (Defendant’s Motion to Stay) asks the Court to rule instead on Defendant’s earlier Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint. Plaintiff filed a Notice and Objection to Defendant’s Motion to Stay, and Defendant a Reply in Support of Defendant’s Motion to Stay.

II.FACTS

In 2006, IRS agents executed a search warrant on Mr. Leitner’s apartment in Fair-port, New York. (Def.’s Mot. To Dismiss First Am. Compl. 2.) The United States District Court for the Western District of New York denied Mr. Leitner’s motion to return items seized in the raid, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the Distinct Court’s denial. Id. In 2008, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Florida indicted Mr. Leitner for conspiracy, to commit tax fraud. United States v. Leitner, No. 08-MJ-4098, 2008 WL 5157241, at *1 (W.D.N.Y. Dec.8, 2008). The Western District of New York rejected Mr. Leitner’s challenge to the arrest warrant. (Def.’s Mot. To Dismiss 2.)

Mi’. Leitner alleges that on or about May 10, 2006, and again on or about August 28, 2008, government agents, persons impersonating government agents, or government agents without lawful authority raided his apartment and seized him and his property. (Compl.6-7.) Mr. Leitner alleges that in 2008 the intruders restrained and transported him against his will to appear before the Western District of New York. (Compl.7.) Mr. Leitner subsequently mailed a letter to the Western District of New York with a “bill” for $176,550 in damages. Id. Mr. Leitner mailed the same bill to the United States Attorney General. Id. Mr. Leitner alleges that he did not receive a response to his bill from either the Western District of New York or the Attorney General. Id.

At various times, Mr. Leitner also demanded by “Praecipe” that the IRS Commissioner, the IRS agents involved in the 2006 raid, and other government officials associated with these actions provide evidence of “Official Oath, Qualifications And Bonds” to verify their installment in office and the scope of their authority. (See, e.g., Pl.’s Praecipe, Aug. 26, 2009.) The Defendant now asks the Court to dismiss Mr. Leitner’s complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

III.STANDARD OF REVIEW

Plaintiff proceeds without assistance of counsel (pro se); therefore, the Court holds his pleadings to a less stringent standard than the Court would hold a party represented by an attorney. See Hughes v. Rowe, 449 U.S. 5, 9, 101 S.Ct. 173, 66 L.Ed.2d 163 (1980). Nevertheless, Plaintiff bears the burden of establishing the Court’s jurisdiction by a preponderance of the evidence. Taylor v. United States, 303 F.3d 1357, 1359 (Fed.Cir.2002). Thus, the Court must dismiss Mr. Leitner’s complaint if he fails to establish subject matter jurisdiction by a preponderance of the evidence.

IV.DISCUSSION

Mr. Leitner is before the Court asserting several claims, none of which are within the jurisdiction of this Court. The Court has divided its discussion of these issues by related claims.

[223]*223 A. Constitutional and Statutory Claims

Mr. Leitner argues that this Court has jurisdiction under several statutes and constitutional clauses. First, Mr. Leitner states that the Court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1333. (First Am. Compl. 1-3.) It is clear that 28 U.S.C. § 1333 does not apply because the statute confers jurisdiction on federal district courts for admiralty, maritime and prize cases, and this Court is not a federal district court. See, e.g., Simmons v. United States, 71 Fed.Cl. 188, 193 (2006).

Second, Mr. Leitner asserts jurisdiction over his claims under 28 U.S.C. § 1491. For jurisdiction under this statute, the claim must be founded on a money-mandating constitutional or statutory provision. See United States v. Mitchell, 463 U.S. 206, 216, 218, 103 S.Ct. 2961, 77 L.Ed.2d 580 (1983). Mr. Leitner advances many constitutional claims, none of which are money-mandating. See, e.g., LeBlanc v. United States, 50 F.3d 1025, 1028 (Fed.Cir.1995) (stating that the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment are not money-mandating); LaChance v. United States, 15 Cl.Ct. 127, 130 (1988) (stating that the Fourth Amendment prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures is not money-mandating); Milas v. United States, 42 Fed.Cl. 704, 710 (1999), aff'd, 217 F.3d 854, 1999 WL 825288 (Fed.Cir.1999) (stating that the Sixth Amendment is not money-mandating); Hall v. United States, 89 Fed.Cl. 102, 109-10 (2009) (holding this Court has no jurisdiction where plaintiff alleged violation of the Privileges and Immunities Clause of Article IV of the Constitution). Therefore, this Court lacks jurisdiction over Mr. Leitner’s constitutional claims.

Third, Mr. Leitner asserts jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1346. This Court possesses jurisdiction to hear tax refund claims for:

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Bluebook (online)
92 Fed. Cl. 220, 105 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2046, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 108, 2010 WL 1634054, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leitner-v-united-states-uscfc-2010.