Singleton v. United States

92 Fed. Cl. 78, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 68, 2010 WL 1170508
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedMarch 24, 2010
DocketNo. 09-456L
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 92 Fed. Cl. 78 (Singleton 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
Singleton v. United States, 92 Fed. Cl. 78, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 68, 2010 WL 1170508 (uscfc 2010).

Opinion

[81]*81OPINION AND ORDER

EDWARD J. DAMICH, Judge.

Before the Court is Plaintiffs’ Motion to Certify Class Action, filed December 23, 2009, in this “rails to trails” action seeking just compensation for the taking of private property for public use under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. First Am. Compl. ¶¶ 2, 36, 37. Defendant filed an opposition to Plaintiffs’ motion on January 27, 2010, and Plaintiffs filed their reply on February 8, 2010.

In the underlying suit, Plaintiffs claim that they and the class which they seek to certify own fee simple title to lands along an approximately 29.55-mile right-of-way of the Missouri North Central Railroad, from milepost 218.25 near Norville, Missouri, to milepost 188.7 near Kelly, Missouri, in Livingston, Linn, and Chariton Counties. According to Plaintiffs, Motive Rail, Inc. d/b/a Missouri North Central Railroad (“Motive Rail”) owned an easement for railroad purposes across Plaintiffs’ property, but that it has ceased operations over the right-of-way and has otherwise abandoned its easement. Plaintiffs assert that, upon the railroad’s abandonment of its easement, they regained the right to use and possess the property and are entitled to just compensation for the taking of the property for trail usage.

I. Background

On February 5, 2007, Motive Rail filed a verified Notice of Exemption with the federal Surface Transportation Board (“STB”) to discontinue service along the line of the railroad between the mileposts in question. The City of Chillieothe, Missouri, filed a request with the STB on February 8, 2007, for issuance of a notice of interim trail use (“NITU”), pursuant to § 8(d) of the National Trails System Act, 16 U.S.C. 1247(d) (“Trails Act”). The STB published its Notice of Exemption in the Federal Register on February 23, 2007. The NITU was issued by the STB effective January 28, 2008. On February 22, 2008, Motive Rail and the City of Chillieothe reached a Trail Use Agreement under which the railroad line was transferred to the City of Chillieothe for use as a public recreational trail subject to potential restoration for railroad purposes.

In lieu of abandonment of its railroad line, a railroad may negotiate with a third party “to assume financial and managerial responsibility for the operation of the railroad right-of-way as a recreational trail” in a process called “railbanking.” Caldwell v. United States, 391 F.3d 1226, 1229 (Fed.Cir.2004) (citing Preseault v. Interstate Commerce Comm’n, 494 U.S. 1, 6-7, 110 S.Ct. 914, 108 L.Ed.2d 1 (1990)). The issuance of the NITU by the STB allows the railroad to discontinue service without abandoning the easement. If the railroad and the third party reach a trail use agreement, abandonment of the right-of-way is postponed indefinitely. Thus, “Section 8(d) of the Trails Act effectively prevents the operation of state laws triggered by the abandonment of a property interest in land that would result in Lthe] extinguishment of easements for railroad purposes and reversion of rights of way to abutting landowners.” Haggart v. United States, 89 Fed.Cl. 523, 528 (2009) (citing Caldwell, 391 F.3d at 1229).

II. Standards for Decision

The certification of a class in actions in the Court of Federal Claims is governed by Rule 23 of the Rules of the Court of Federal Claims (RCFC). RCFC 23 is based on the comparable rule of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure but with a key distinction. Unlike the federal rule, RCFC 23 allows only for an “opt-in” class: if a class is certified, members of the class are notified and given an opportunity affirmatively to include themselves in the law suit. Only if they do so are they bound by the outcome of the action. “This approach resembles permissive joinder in that it requires affirmative action on the part of every potential plaintiff.” Buchan v. United States, 27 Fed.Cl. 222, 223 (1992).

RCFC 23 provides that “one or more members of a class may sue as representative parties on behalf of all members only if’ certain prerequisites are met. The prerequisites are: “(1) the class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable; (2) there are questions of law or fact common to [82]*82the class; (3) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class; and (4) the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class.” RCFC 23(a). In addition, for the class action to be maintainable, the court must find that “the United States has acted or refused to act on grounds generally applicable to the class,” that the common questions of law and fact predominate, and that the class action is superior to other methods for adjudicating the controversy. RCFC 23(b).

The test for class certification under RCFC 23 has been more succinctly described as comprising inquiry into the elements of numerosity, commonality, typicality, adequacy, and superiority. Barnes v. United States, 68 Fed.Cl. 492, 494 (2005). Furthermore, because “these requirements are in the conjunctive ... a failure to satisfy any one of them is fatal to class certification.” Id. In addition, as both parties acknowledge, “the party moving for class certification bears the burden to establish each of the required elements by a preponderance of the evidence.” United States’ Resp. in Opp’n to Pls.’ Mot. to Certify Class Action (“Def.’s Opp’n”) at 6; Janssen v. United States, 2010 WL 697343 at *3 (February 24, 2010); Haggart, 89 Fed.Cl. at 530; Fauvergue v. United States, 86 Fed.Cl. 82, 96-97 (2009).

Despite the Plaintiffs’ burden here to demonstrate the elements necessary for class certification, this Court concurs with the observation in Barnes that the requirements of RCFC 23 should be liberally — “or, at least, not narrowly” — construed. Barnes, 68 Fed.Cl. at 502. Because the class action “is basically a procedural technique for resolving the claims of many individuals,” Quinault Allottee Ass’n v. United States, 197 Ct.Cl. 134, 453 F.2d 1272, 1274 (1972), a liberal construction serves public purposes of judicial economy and efficiency. “[F]ederal courts should give Rule 23 a liberal rather than a restrictive construction, adopting a standard of flexibility in application which will in the particular case best serve the ends of justice for the affected parties ... and promote judicial efficiency.’” Gunnells v. Healthplan Svcs., Inc., 348 F.3d 417, 424 (4th Cir.2003) (citation omitted).

III. Analysis

Plaintiffs propose a class comprised of

All persons who own an interest in lands constituting part of the railroad corridor or right-of-way on which a rail line was formerly operated by Motive Rail, Inc.

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92 Fed. Cl. 78, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 68, 2010 WL 1170508, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/singleton-v-united-states-uscfc-2010.