Nwangoro v. Department of the Army

952 F. Supp. 394, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20788, 1996 WL 776977
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedOctober 2, 1996
DocketCivil Action No. 3:95-CV-3069-P
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 952 F. Supp. 394 (Nwangoro v. Department of the Army) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nwangoro v. Department of the Army, 952 F. Supp. 394, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20788, 1996 WL 776977 (N.D. Tex. 1996).

Opinion

memorandum opinion and order

SOLIS, District Judge.

Presently before this Court are Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss or, in the Alternative, for Summary Judgment, filed June 21, 1996; Plaintiffs’ Response thereto, filed July 12, 1996; Defendant’s Reply Brief, filed July 26, 1996; and Defendant’s Supplemental Authority, filed August 1, 1996. For the reasons stated below, the Court finds that Defendant’s motion should be GRANTED.

At the time of the events giving rise to this action, Plaintiff Gloria Jean Nwangoro was employed as a Department of Defense (DOD) school instructor and resided in Germany; her husband, Olemeforo Nwangoro, also lived in Germany as Mrs. Nwangoro’s dependent. Plaintiffs have filed this action to complain about violations of the Privacy Act and various other civil rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the United States Military Police in connection with its investigation of possible breaches of Army regulations and German customs laws by Olemeforo Nwangoro. More specifically, the Nwangoros complain that Military Police investigators falsely prosecuted Olemeforo Nwangoro and placed him in double jeopardy; invaded Plaintiffs’ privacy; and violated the Privacy Act by obtaining Plaintiffs’ bank records under false pretenses and wrongfully forwarding them to German customs authorities for purposes of prosecution.

Defendant now moves for dismissal of Plaintiffs’ claims on the grounds that the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over all. causes of action asserted by Plaintiffs. The Court agrees.

ANALYSIS

A STANDARD

Since both parties have relied upon evidence extraneous to their pleadings, the Court will decide Defendant’s motion pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. A court may treat a motion to dismiss as one for summary judgment under Rule 56 if the motion presents matters outside the pleadings that are not excluded by the Court. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b). Summary judgment, in turn, is proper when the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323-25, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552-54, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). A dispute about a material fact is “genuine” if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The moving party must identify the evidence on file in the case which establishes the absence of any genuine issue of material fact. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. at 2552-53.

Once the moving party has made an initial showing, the party opposing the motion must offer evidence sufficient to establish the existence of essential elements of the party’s case. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1355-56, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). All evidence and the inferences to be drawn therefrom “must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion.” United States v. Diebold, 369 U.S. 654, 655, 82 S.Ct. 993, 994, 8 L.Ed.2d 176 (1962); Marshall v. Victoria Transp. Co., 603 F.2d 1122, 1123 (5th Cir.1979). However, if the non-moving party fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to his case on which it will bear the burden of proof at trial, summary judgment must be granted. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322-23, 106 S.Ct. at 2552-53.

[397]*397B. PLAINTIFFS’TORT CLAIMS

It is clear that the United States government enjoys sovereign immunity except under those limited circumstances where Congress has expressly waived that right. United States v. Testan, 424 U.S. 392, 96 S.Ct. 948, 47 L.Ed.2d 114 (1976). While the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) constitutes such a waiver, it must be strictly construed in favor of the United States. 28 U.S.C. § 1346(b); see United States v. S.A. Empresa de Viacao Aerea Rio Grandense (Varig Airlines), 467 U.S. 797, 808, 104 S.Ct. 2755, 2761-62, 81 L.Ed.2d 660 (1984).

The Court finds that, insofar as Plaintiffs’ Complaint seeks to bring claims under the FTCA, these claims are subject to dismissal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. First, tort claims arising in a foreign country are fully exempted from the FTCA. 28 U.S.C. § 2680(k); Smith v. United States, 507 U.S. 197, 201, 113 S.Ct. 1178, 1181-82, 122 L.Ed.2d 548 (1993). Since all of Plaintiffs’ claims relate to events occurring in Germany, the FTCA’s waiver of sovereign immunity does not apply to them.

Second, even assuming that Plaintiffs can bring a viable cause of action under the FTCA, such claims cannot survive summary judgment because Plaintiffs have faded to exhaust their administrative remedies. It is a fundamental jurisdictional prerequisite to commencement of a claim under the FTCA that a claimant seeking money damages from the United States in compensation for property damage or personal injury must first present his or her complaint to the appropriate federal agency. 28 U.S.C. § 2675(a); Cook v. United States, 978 F.2d 164, 166 (5th Cir.1992). Plaintiffs do not dispute that they never filed an appropriate administrative complaint. Consequently, the Court cannot exercise jurisdiction over their present tort claims.

Finally, Defendant correctly notes that Plaintiffs’ tort claims are now entirely barred by the statute of limitations. By statute, any tort claim against the United States is precluded unless it is first presented in writing to the appropriate federal agency within two years after the claim accrues, or unless an action is instituted within six months after the agency has mailed a notice of final denial. 28 U.S.C. § 2401(b).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
952 F. Supp. 394, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20788, 1996 WL 776977, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nwangoro-v-department-of-the-army-txnd-1996.