Sartori v. United States

58 Fed. Cl. 358, 57 ERC (BNA) 1907, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 320, 2003 WL 22513789
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedNovember 4, 2003
DocketNo. 98-553L
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 58 Fed. Cl. 358 (Sartori 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
Sartori v. United States, 58 Fed. Cl. 358, 57 ERC (BNA) 1907, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 320, 2003 WL 22513789 (uscfc 2003).

Opinion

ORDER

MILLER, Judge.

This case is before the court on defendant’s motion to dismiss Counts II and IV of plaintiffs’ complaint for failure to state a claim, RCFC 12(b)(6), and Count III for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, RCFC 12(b)(1). Plaintiffs own a tract of land that the Government determined to be a wetland subject to federal control. The cognizant federal agencies ordered plaintiffs to cease activities on the land, which plaintiffs claim constituted an inverse condemnation, a breach of contract, a deprivation of substantive due process, and an action barred by equitable estoppel. The issue to be decided is whether the court has jurisdiction over the last three claims. Argument is deemed unnecessary.

FACTS

The facts derive from the complaint. In 1989 James Sartori purchased a 1,280-acre parcel of real property in Highlands County, Florida (the “parcel”). The 1,280-acre parcel is part of a larger tract of land owned by Mr. Sartori, David Sartori, Willowbrook Coal Company and Willowbrook Farms (“plain[360]*360tiffs”).1 When Mr. Sartori purchased the parcel, it was used for grazing, an activity that he intended to continue. Mr. Sartori undertook maintenance activities on the parcel, which included clearing vegetation and grading ditches.2 In response to plaintiffs’ activities, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”) issued a Cease and Desist Order on November 1, 1993, threatening civil and criminal liability if Mr. Sartori continued. Mr. Sartori responded by seeking a declaration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) whether the parcel was wetlands subject to federal jurisdiction.

The EPA visited the parcel in January 1994 and informed plaintiffs that it considered the parcel to be wetlands. Plaintiffs hired a consulting ecologist, Kevin L. Erwin, to determine whether the parcel constituted a wetland. Mr. Erwin met with EPA employees who discussed and approved the methodology that he was to employ. Mr. Erwin determined that the parcel did not contain wetlands and submitted his findings to the Corps and EPA on October 12, 1994. Defendant denies that Mr. Erwin utilized the EPA approved methodology. EPA issued Mr. Sartori a cease and desist order on December 22,1994, thereby preventing all activities on the parcel.

It is disputed whether Mr. Sartori halted his activities on the parcel after either the order from the Corps or EPA. The Government filed a complaint against plaintiffs on March 12, 1998, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleging violations of the Clean Water Act (the “CWA”) and the Corps and EPA orders. Final judgment was entered in favor of plaintiffs in the present action on January 8, 2002. At no time has the Government instituted eminent domain proceedings over the parcel, nor compensated plaintiffs for taking an interest in the parcel.

Plaintiffs complain in the present action of inverse condemnation (Count I), breach of contract (Count II), deprivation of substantive due process (Count III), and equitable estoppel (Count IV). Defendant answered Count I, but seeks to dismiss Counts II and IV for failure to state a claim, RCFC 12(b)(6), and Count III for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, RCFC 12(b)(1).

DISCUSSION

1. Standard of review

Plaintiffs complaint grounds subject matter jurisdiction under the Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1491(a)(1) (2000), which authorizes the Court of Federal Claims to “render judgment upon any claim against the United States founded either upon the Constitution, or any Act of Congress or any regulation of an executive department, or upon any express or implied contract with the United States, or for liquidated or unliquidated damages in cases not sounding in tort.”

Jurisdiction under the Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1491(a)(1), is strictly defined, such that courts are “not empowered to engraft additional limitations on the Court of [Federal] Claims’ exercise of its jurisdiction.” Martinez v. United States, 333 F.3d 1295, 1306 (Fed.Cir.2003) (en banc). The Tucker Act itself does not provide a substantive cause of action; rather, a plaintiff must cite elsewhere to a substantive cause of action in order to proceed. United States v. Testan, 424 U.S. 392, 397-98, 96 S.Ct. 948, 47 L.Ed.2d 114 (1976); Collins v. United States, 67 F.3d 284, 286 (Fed.Cir.1995).

When a federal court reviews the sufficiency of the complaint, whether for failure to state a claim or for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, “its task is necessarily a limited one.” Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A., 534 U.S. 506, 511, 122 S.Ct. 992, 152 L.Ed.2d 1 (2002) (quoting Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974)). “The issue is not whether a plaintiff will ultimately prevail but whether the claimant is entitled to offer evidence to support the claims.” Scheuer, 416 U.S. at 236, 94 S.Ct. 1683. This court adheres to “the accepted rule that a complaint should not be dismissed for failure to state a claim unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no [361]*361set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957); accord Conti v. United States, 291 F.3d 1334, 1338 (Fed.Cir.2002).

Under RCFC 12(b)(6), the court must accept as true the facts alleged in the complaint, Davis v. Monroe County Bd. of Educ., 526 U.S. 629, 633, 119 S.Ct. 1661, 143 L.Ed.2d 839 (1999), and must construe all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmovant, Sommers Oil Co. v. United States, 241 F.3d 1375, 1378 (Fed.Cir.2001). Therefore, this court must deny a motion under RCFC 12(b)(6) if relief can be granted “under any set of facts that could be proved consistent with the allegations.” NOW, Inc. v. Scheidler, 510 U.S. 249, 256, 114 S.Ct. 798, 127 L.Ed.2d 99 (1994) (citing Hishon v. King & Spalding, 467 U.S. 69, 73, 104 S.Ct. 2229, 81 L.Ed.2d 59 (1984)).

2. Breach of contract

Defendant moves to dismiss Count II, breach of contract, for failure to state a claim. Plaintiffs and the EPA disputed whether the parcel was a wetland under federal jurisdiction. Plaintiffs allege that the EPA, in order to settle the dispute, “suggested” that Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
58 Fed. Cl. 358, 57 ERC (BNA) 1907, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 320, 2003 WL 22513789, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sartori-v-united-states-uscfc-2003.