Reforestacion de Sarapiqui v. United States

26 Cl. Ct. 177, 1992 U.S. Claims LEXIS 194, 1992 WL 88361
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedApril 29, 1992
DocketNo. 516-89C
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 26 Cl. Ct. 177 (Reforestacion de Sarapiqui 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
Reforestacion de Sarapiqui v. United States, 26 Cl. Ct. 177, 1992 U.S. Claims LEXIS 194, 1992 WL 88361 (cc 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

REGINALD W. GIBSON, Judge:

Introduction

Plaintiff1 filed a complaint against the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC),2 a United States Government agency, under a perceived breach of contract theory. A thorough analysis of plaintiff’s argument, however, demonstrates that the substance of its claim is essentially one for misrepresentation, i.e., a tort, against the government. In opposition thereto, on January 2, 1991, there was filed Defendant’s Motion To Dismiss, Or In The Alternative, For Summary Judgment. Because of the strict jurisdictional requirements of this court, which precludes claims in tort against the United States, we dismiss plaintiff’s complaint.

Facts

In 1984, OPIC loaned $375,000 to a certain commercial enterprise in Costa Rica interested in establishing a timbering operation, i.e., making axe and wheelbarrow handles and other items from local timber. This project was owned by Maderas Tropicales San Carlos, S.A., a Costa Rican corporation, whose equity owners included several United States citizens. As a result of apparent problems with the proposed venture in 1986, OPIC demanded that additional security for the loan be provided by Maderas Tropicales, and in response, John Hull (Hull), a United States shareholder in said corporation, granted the government agency a lien on several tracts of undeveloped land in Costa Rica.3 Following there[180]*180on, Maderas Tropicales defaulted on its loan from OPIC, and OPIC initiated steps to acquire said mortgaged property. Prior to commencing foreclosure proceedings in May of 1988, however, OPIC, through its Deputy Treasurer and then Managing Director for Special Assets, Thomas Clegg (Clegg), placed an advertisement in The Wall Street Journal in March of 1988 in an attempt to sell the defaulted mortgaged property. The advertisement read as follows:

FOREST PRODUCTS/COSTA RICAN TIMBERLAND: 17,000 acres of prime Costa Rican timberland for sale or lease. Estimated value of timber is $3,500,000. Base price US $550,000. CONTACT: HUMBERTO PACHECO/BUFFETE PACHECO COTO/San Jose, Costa Rica (506) 22-14-96.

Id. Mr. Humberto Pacheco (Pacheco) was OPIC’s Costa Rican attorney.4

The estimated timber value ($3.5 million) was obtained through information supplied by Mr. Ernesto Wang Wong (Wang), an individual associated with the timber business in San Jose, and supplemental sources indicating the potential market and price for the timber. A base price of $550,000 was listed for the land because “that was the approximate value of the outstanding principle amount plus accrued interest of OPIC’s loan to Maderas.”5

Mr. David Dickstein, an experienced real estate developer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, read the advertisement and subsequently telephoned Mr. Pacheco (Pacheco) to inquire about the property.6 On behalf of himself and his partner, David Wallach (Wallach), an investment banker also from Philadelphia, Dickstein was interested in investing in a timbering business in Central America. However, neither Wallach nor Dickstein had any prior experience in operating a timber enterprise and both lacked any type of business involvement in Latin America. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Dickstein thereafter organized a visit to Costa Rica for April 16-18, 1988.

Upon Mr. Dickstein’s arrival in San Jose on April 16, 1988, Mr. Pacheco introduced him to Wang when Dickstein inquired about visiting the advertised property, supra. Wang, an expert in the Costa Rican timber industry, agreed to lead Dickstein to the advertised land, since Pacheco himself did not know the location.7 Actually, Dick-stein testified that Orfilio Chaves (Chaves), the owner of the property prior to Hull, physically led the expedition.8 Pacheco also arranged for a local surveyor, Alfredo Betancourt (Betancourt), to join the group visiting the property. A day-long visit to the property that was represented to be the subject of The Wall Street Journal advertisement ensued thereafter on April 16, 1988.9 The expedition consisted of several [181]*181hours of driving and hiking through jungle terrain to a heavily forested district of Cos-ta Rica. When the entourage located the land covered by the advertisement, Wang brought to the attention of Dickstein caobillo and other trees he stated as commercially viable.10 Jt.Stip. ¶ 23.

When the party returned to San Jose later that day following the site visit, Dick-stein proposed to Wang that they enter into a business arrangement to harvest and sell the available timber on the land. Wang subsequently agreed to contribute his time and expertise in timber operations, and Dickstein and his associate Wallach agreed to contribute the necessary financing, negotiating posture, and organizational skills. Id. It 25, 26. During the following two or three days after his return to San Jose, Dickstein initiated arrangements to conduct the timbering business. He contacted a potential purchaser of the timber, visited Wang’s sawmill, and spoke with individuals who had conducted business with Wang so as to make a determination regarding Wang’s reputation and capabilities.

On the second day of his visit, April 17, 1988, Dickstein and Wang also visited Pacheco’s office to inform him of the proposed business arrangement to which Pacheco approved. While in Pacheco’s office, Dickstein claims that he viewed actual plot plans of the land he was considering purchasing, because the plot plans contained matriculation numbers which were identical to the numbers described in the subsequently executed mortgage document.11 In addition, on the second day of his inspection trip, April 17, 1988, Dickstein traveled with Wang to the Costa Rican Forestry Department to look at forestry records of timber on the property which were previously prepared with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development. Through utilization of this data, Dickstein estimated the expense of logging the timber and anticipated income from the sale thereof. In addition, he calculated a resulting anticipated profit of $1,950,000 over five years of timber operation. While at the Forestry Department, Dickstein also explored the requirements for obtaining a logging permit. At that time, he was not informed that logging permits could not be issued for the property. Following the foregoing investigations, Dickstein initiated negotiations on April 18, 1988, by a letter of intent with Mr. Clegg, in Washington, D.C., for the acquisition of the advertised land. Said letter was forwarded from San Jose to Mr. Clegg explaining his plans.

On May 9, 1988, four documents in Spanish evidencing the agreement and business arrangements were executed in Washington, D.C.12 One of these documents, the sales agreement, provided that OPIC would transfer three properties to the plaintiff through a sale to be held in a San Jose court in May 1988 following the foreclosure [182]*182on the Hull mortgage. Consistent therewith, in May 1988, at the foreclosure, OPIC did acquire title to the Hull properties through a foreclosure bidding process, and subsequently transferred title of said properties to plaintiff. JtStip. ¶ 40-44.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Jiron v. United States
118 Fed. Cl. 190 (Federal Claims, 2014)
Copar Pumice Company, Inc. v. United States
112 Fed. Cl. 515 (Federal Claims, 2013)
Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corp. v. United States
95 Fed. Cl. 769 (Federal Claims, 2010)
Nwogu v. United States
94 Fed. Cl. 637 (Federal Claims, 2010)
Dobyns v. United States
91 Fed. Cl. 412 (Federal Claims, 2010)
Knight v. United States
52 Fed. Cl. 243 (Federal Claims, 2002)
Dodson Livestock Co. v. United States
48 Fed. Cl. 551 (Federal Claims, 2001)
Moore v. United States
48 Fed. Cl. 394 (Federal Claims, 2000)
Trauma Service Group v. United States
104 F.3d 1321 (Federal Circuit, 1997)
Janowsky v. United States
36 Fed. Cl. 148 (Federal Claims, 1996)
Harris v. Office of Personnel Management
985 F.2d 549 (Federal Circuit, 1993)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 Cl. Ct. 177, 1992 U.S. Claims LEXIS 194, 1992 WL 88361, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reforestacion-de-sarapiqui-v-united-states-cc-1992.