U.S. Home Corp. v. United States

92 Fed. Cl. 401, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 103, 2010 WL 1634063
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedApril 15, 2010
DocketNo. 09-63 C
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 92 Fed. Cl. 401 (U.S. Home Corp. 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
U.S. Home Corp. v. United States, 92 Fed. Cl. 401, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 103, 2010 WL 1634063 (uscfc 2010).

Opinion

OPINION

BUSH, Judge.

Before the court is defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiffs’ amended complaint. Defendant relies on Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (RCFC). Oral argument [404]*404was neither requested by the parties nor deemed necessary by the court. For the reasons set forth below, defendant’s RCFC 12(b)(1) motion is denied in part and granted in part, and the court defers ruling on defendant’s RCFC 12(b)(6) motion, which is converted to a motion for summary judgment.

BACKGROUND1

I. Real Property Acquired from the United States and Allegations of Contamination by Hazardous Materials

Plaintiffs U.S. Home Corporation, Beechwood at Edison, LLC and Beechwood Shopping Center, LLC (collectively, the Developers) are the current owners of approximately 29 acres of real estate (the Property), which was at one time part of the former Raritan Arsenal, a 3200-acre United States Army facility in New Jersey.2 Compl. ¶¶ 1-3. The United States General Services Administration (GSA) sold one of the two constituent parcels of the Property, approximately 23 acres, to TWC Realty Company (TWC) at a public auction in 1989. Id. ¶ 7. TWC then sold this parcel to Beechwood at Edison, LLC in 2002. Id. GSA sold the second constituent parcel of the Property, approximately 5 acres, to Beechwood at Edison, LLC in 2003. Id. Beechwood at Edison, LLC consolidated and subdivided the Property, conveying part to U.S. Home Corporation in 2005 and 2008, and part to Beechwood Shopping Center, LLC at a later date. Id. ¶ 8. Both residential development and commercial development of the Property have commenced.

According to plaintiffs, hazardous waste contamination of the Property was discovered in 2005 and 2006, and various local and state officials compelled plaintiffs to alter their development plans for the Property as a result. Compl. ¶¶ 42-45, 47, 57, 59, 62-63. The Developers have incurred and will incur expenses related to soil capping and venting measures, as well as the installation, monitoring and maintenance of engineering controls. Id. ¶¶ 59, 61-63. Plaintiffs also assert that the contamination of the Property has reduced the value of the Property and has caused other monetary damages, such as those related to construction delays, financing costs, sales price reductions, lost sales and lost rental income. Id. ¶¶ 58, 74-75, 77-78, 82-84. Plaintiffs assert that the United States contaminated the Property and made promises to the Developers as to the environmental condition of the Property, promises upon which plaintiffs reasonably relied. Pis.’ Opp. at 1-2.

II. Plaintiffs’ Suit in the District Court

Two of the plaintiffs in this suit, U.S. Home Corporation and Beechwood at Edison, LLC, filed a complaint against the United States in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on August 15, 2008. U.S. Home Corp. v. United States, No. 2:08-cv-04144-WJM-MF (D.N.J. filed Aug. 15, 2008). The complaint filed in the district court originally sought relief related to the contamination of the Property through eight different counts. Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed six of the counts in the district court complaint and curtailed the relief requested through the remaining two counts, in response to the government’s “Motion for Partial Dismissal of Complaint and to Strike Claims for Relief.” See U.S. Home Corp. v. United States, No. 2:08-cv-04144-WJM-MF (D.N.J. Jan. 5, 2009) (dismissing six counts of the complaint and striking certain prayers for relief). Three of the counts of the district court complaint that were dismissed without prejudice were later filed in this court and will be discussed infra.

As of January 5, 2009, the district court plaintiffs sought relief through the remaining two counts of their complaint, both founded on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601-9675 [405]*405(2006). In particular, plaintiffs relied on CERCLA § 107(a)(2)-(3), 42 U.S.C. § 9607(a)(2)-(3), to seek reimbursement from the United States for the monies they had expended to respond to the contamination of the Property.3 Plaintiffs, relying on CERC-LA § 1 13(g)(2), 42 U.S.C. § 9613(g)(2), also sought a declaratory judgment as to the liability of the United States for past and future response costs incurred by the owners of the Property. Lastly, plaintiffs sought attorney’s fees and the costs of the litigation in district court, as well as prejudgment interest. According to plaintiffs, a settlement of the district court action is being negotiated by the parties. Pis.’ Opp. at 26 n. 9.

III. Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint in this Court

On February 3, 2009, the Developers filed a complaint in this court against the United States seeking damages related to the hazardous waste contamination of the Property. The complaint, as later amended, contains three counts, none of which rely on CERC-LA § 107 or § 113. Instead, Count I of the complaint relies first on certain covenants of the 2003 deed, which conveyed part of the Property from GSA to Beechwood at Edison, LLC. This breach of contract claim is clearly referred to as a “Breach of Covenants.” Compl. at 19. Another part of Count I less clearly references the government’s “representations,” “assurances” and “numerous and express promises.” Id. ¶¶ 92-93. Plaintiffs have described this claim as alleging a breach of an implied-in-fact contract between the United States and the Developers as to the environmental condition of the Property.4 Pls.’ Opp. at 19-22. The prayer for relief in Count I specifically indicates that any response costs sought by plaintiffs consist of “[c]osts of response not otherwise awarded in the CERCLA action [in district court].” Compl. ¶20. In the prayer for relief in Count I, plaintiffs also enumerate other categories of damages related to the contamination of the Property, including costs of delay, overhead, diminution in value, stigma, damage to reputation and “[compensatory damages.” Id. Finally, plaintiffs seek prejudgment interest and the costs of their suit in this court.

The second and third counts of the complaint in this court rely on CERCLA § 120(h), 42 U.S.C. § 9620(h), for the duties CERCLA imposes on the federal government as a transferor of real property. According to Count II of the complaint, defendant did not provide the notice of contamination required by CERCLA § 120(h) as it sold the constituent parcels of the Property.5 In Count III, plaintiffs allege that the government failed to investigate the Property for hazardous waste contamination, failed to consult with state officials as to the results of any hazardous waste assessment of the Property, and failed to remediate any contamination of the Property, as required by CERCLA § 120(h). The prayers for relief in Counts II and III are identical to the prayer for relief in Count I.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
92 Fed. Cl. 401, 2010 U.S. Claims LEXIS 103, 2010 WL 1634063, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/us-home-corp-v-united-states-uscfc-2010.