Parker v. United States

93 Fed. Cl. 653, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 486, 2010 WL 2853745
United States Court of Federal Claims·Decided July 13, 2010·No. No. 10-73L·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

ORDER

HORN, Judge.

FINDINGS OF FACT

The pro se plaintiff, Verlene L. Parker, has filed a motion to reconsider the decision issued by this court which dismissed plaintiffs complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted and for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.1 See Parker v. United States, 93 Fed.Cl. 159 (2010). Ms. Parker asserts that this court cannot dismiss her complaint for lack of jurisdiction. She writes that, “Mich § 292 states that the Court of Claims is the proper forum in which to seek relief in the form of damages where [the] Plaintiff alleges already accomplished inverse condemnation by the STATE OR A STATE AGENCY” (emphasis in original). Moreover, she declares that an “oral hearing is necessary” and that “failure to have a hearing is a jurisdictional defect.”

Plaintiff declares that “jurisdictional defects are found in the opinion which adversely influenced the judgment.” She states that “all briefings and complaints, were sent by U.S. mail to the Federal Court of Claims [sic]. Therefore, the potential for the claim being altered or tampered with before it reaches the judge’s chamber is possible.” Plaintiff also claims that the court was in error when it held that the plaintiff did not clarify the federal government purpose or action that made it necessary for her to leave her property. She argues that she had made it clear in her previous pleading that “telecommunication ordered her to leave the premises” and that “telecommunication is both a state and federal agency.” Plaintiff claims that she is entitled to an oral hearing “so that the Plaintiff, defense, and judge can compare notes” and “to affirm that what was mailed is a true copy of what the Plaintiff sent.”

Plaintiff expresses concern that the court misconstrued her pleadings when it wrote in its opinion that she “requests civilian and military records to pursue her case.” Ms. Parker believes this negatively influenced the court’s final decision in her case. She writes that what she intended to state in her earlier pleadings was that she did not believe Michigan law required military or government records to be necessary in order to compensate the landowner for a taking. She claims that this statement was “an error in fact and in Law which makes the judges [sic] opinion a ‘writ of error[’]” and that a hearing might have prevented incorrect conclusions.

DISCUSSION

Rule 59(a)(1) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (RCFC) provides that “[t]he court may, on motion, grant a new trial or a motion for reconsideration on all or some of the issues — and to any party....” The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stated that: “The decision whether to grant reconsideration lies largely within the discretion of the [trial] court.” Yuba Natural Res., Inc. v. United States, 904 F.2d 1577, 1583 (Fed.Cir.), reh’g denied (Fed.Cir.1990); see also Webster v. United States, 92 Fed.Cl. 321, 324 (2010); Alpha I, L.P. ex rel. Sands v. United States, 86 Fed.Cl. 126, 129 (2009); Banks v. United States, 84 Fed.Cl. 288, 291-92 (2008); Corrigan v. United States, 70 Fed.Cl. 665, 667-68 (2006), aff'd, 223 Fed.Appx. 968 (Fed.Cir.), reh’g and reh’g en banc denied (Fed.Cir.), cert. denied, 552 U.S. 892, 128 S.Ct. 338, 169 L.Ed.2d 155 (2007); Tritek Techs., Inc. v. United States, 63 Fed.Cl. 740, 752 (2005); Keeton Corr., Inc. v. United States, 60 Fed.Cl. 251, 253 (2004); Paalan v. United States, [656]*65658 Fed.Cl. 99, 105 (2003), aff'd, 120 Fed.Appx. 817 (Fed.Cir.), cert. denied, 546 U.S. 844, 126 S.Ct. 91, 163 L.Ed.2d 108 (2005); Citizens Fed. Bank, FSB v. United States, 53 Fed.Cl. 793, 794 (2002), aff'd, 474 F.3d 1314 (Fed.Cir.), reh’g denied (Fed.Cir.2007).

“Motions for reconsideration must be supported ‘by a showing of extraordinary circumstances which justify relief.’ ” Caldwell v. United States, 391 F.3d 1226, 1235 (Fed.Cir.2004), reh’g en banc denied (Fed.Cir.), cert. denied, 546 U.S. 826, 126 S.Ct. 366, 163 L.Ed.2d 72 (2005) (quoting Fru-Con Constr. Corp. v. United States, 44 Fed.Cl. 298, 300 (1999)). Courts must address reconsideration motions with “exceptional care.” Carter v. United States, 207 Ct.Cl. 316, 318, 518 F.2d 1199, 1199 (1975), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 1076, 96 S.Ct. 861, 47 L.Ed.2d 86, reh’g denied, 424 U.S. 950, 96 S.Ct. 1423, 47 L.Ed.2d 356 (1976); see also Global Computer Enters. v. United States, 88 Fed.Cl. 466, 468 (2009). “To prevail on a motion for reconsideration, the movant must point to a manifest error of law or mistake of fact. Specifically, the moving party must show: (1) the occurrence of an intervening change in the controlling law; (2) the availability of previously unavailable evidence; or (3) the necessity of allowing the motion to prevent manifest injustice.” Matthews v. United States, 73 Fed.Cl. 524, 526 (2006) (citations omitted); see also Dairyland Power Coop. v. United States, 90 Fed.Cl. 615, 652 (2009) (quoting Circle K Corp. v. United States, 23 Cl.Ct. 659, 664-65 (1991)) (“[A] successful motion under RCFC 59 is ‘based upon manifest error of law, or mistake of fact, and is not intended to give an unhappy litigant an additional chance to sway the court.’ ”); Prati v. United States, 82 Fed.Cl. 373, 376 (2008), aff'd, 603 F.3d 1301 (Fed.Cir.2010); Tritek Techs., Inc. v. United States, 63 Fed.Cl. at 752; Bannum, Inc. v. United States, 59 Fed.Cl. 241, 243 (2003); Citizens Fed. Bank, FSB v. United States, 53 Fed.Cl. at 794; Strickland v. United States, 36 Fed.Cl. 651, 657, recons. denied (1996); Bishop v. United States, 26 Cl.Ct. 281, 286, recons. denied (1992). “Manifest,” as in “manifest injustice,” is defined as “clearly apparent or obvious.” Ammex, Inc. v. United States, 52 Fed.Cl. 555, 557 (2002), aff'd, 384 F.3d 1368 (Fed.Cir.2004), cert. denied, 544 U.S. 948, 125 S.Ct. 1697, 161 L.Ed.2d 525 (2005). “Where reconsideration is sought due to manifest injustice, the moving party can only prevail if it demonstrates that the injustice from the case is ‘apparent to the point of being indisputable.’ ” Shirlington Limousine & Transp., Inc. v. United States, 78 Fed.Cl. 27, 31 (2007) (quoting Pac. Gas & Elec. Co. v. United States, 74 Fed.Cl. 779, 785 (2006), aff’d in part, rev’d in part on other grounds, 536 F.3d 1282 (Fed.Cir.2008)). “A court, therefore, will not grant a motion for reconsideration if the movant ‘merely reasserts ... arguments previously made ... all of which were carefully considered by the court.’ ” Ammex, Inc. v. United States, 52 Fed.Cl. at 557 (quoting Principal Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. United States, 29 Fed.Cl. 157, 164 (1993), aff’d, 50 F.3d 1021

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