Webster v. United States

74 Fed. Cl. 439, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 352, 2006 WL 3378466
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedNovember 20, 2006
DocketNo. 05-1333C
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 74 Fed. Cl. 439 (Webster 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
Webster v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 439, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 352, 2006 WL 3378466 (uscfc 2006).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

CHRISTINE O.C. MILLER, Judge.

This case is before the court after briefing on Defendant’s Motion To Dismiss pursuant to RCFC 12(b)(1) and RCFC 12(b)(6). Defendant argues that plaintiffs claims do not fall within the jurisdiction of the United States Court of Federal Claims or, in the alternative, that plaintiffs complaint fails to state a claim upon which the court may grant relief. Plaintiffs response included a motion for leave to amend her complaint pursuant to Fed. R Civ. P. 15(a).1 Argument is deemed unnecessary.

FACTS

Major Wilma P. Webster, MC, USAF, Retired (“plaintiff’), is a former physician who served with the United States Air Force (the “USAF”) prior to medical retirement on December 1, 2000. Plaintiff was ordered to extended active duty as a physician on June 20, 1992, and began working at the Howard AFB Emergency Room (“ER”) in October 1997. Subsequently, she was removed from her duties on or about January 29, 1998, after a diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and returned to her duties following corrective surgery in April 1998. Soon thereafter, plaintiff was reassigned to work in the Health and Wellness Center.

On November 18, 1998, a Credentials Function Committee was convened to review allegations of plaintiffs lack of fitness to practice medicine. Findings and Recommendations Clinical Privileges Hearing, Feb. 17-18, 1999. A unanimous recommendation was reached by the seven reviewing members to revoke all of plaintiffs ER and Primary Care privileges, based on “diagnoses of progressive Multiple Sclerosis and Cognitive Disorder.” AR 758-59. Plaintiff requested and was granted a formal hearing to be held on February 17-18,1999, regarding the decision [441]*441of the Credentials Function Committee. Based upon the presentation of evidence, the Committee made the unanimous recommendation that

(1) [plaintiff] should not practice in an ER setting, this is primarily due to our concern that she does not adequately handle task-saturated events, (2) Family Practice/Primary Care/Aerospace Medicine privileges should be allowed, (3) In any of those settings, she should be monitored with 100% chart review for no less than three months and, (4) at the conclusion of that three month period her privileges should be reevaluated.

Findings and Recommendations Clinical Privileges Hearing, Wilma Webster, Major, USAF, MC, Feb. 17-18,1999, at 7.2

Plaintiff appealed the Final Privilege Decision on April 6,1999. The Air Force Medical Practice Review Board (the “MPRB”) and the Air Force Surgeon General reviewed the decision and actions taken by the Credentials Function Committee. Both reviewing entities found the actions of the Credentials Function Committee to be appropriate and informed plaintiff on January 19, 2000, of the Air Force Surgeon General’s intent to report the results of the hearing to the National Practitioners’ Data Bank (the “NPDB”). AR 84. Subsequent to this determination, plaintiff was referred by a Medical Evaluation Board to be evaluated by an Informal Physical Evaluation Board (the “IPEB”) on July 12, 2000. AR 139. The IPEB concluded that plaintiff was unfit for continued service and recommended permanent retirement with a compensable rating of 30%. AR 139. Plaintiff accepted the findings of the IPEB on September 20, 2000, and was retired at the rank of Major on December 1, 2000. AR 139-40.

Plaintiff filed an application with the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records (the “AFBCMR”) on May 1, 2000, requesting the AMBCMR to (1) void the recommendation of a MPRB that restricted plaintiff from practicing emergency medicine; (2) void a commanding officer’s decision to restrict plaintiffs practice of medicine to supervised activities in limited settings; (3) issue an order directing the Air Force Surgeon General to modify information sent to the NPDB; (4) correct plaintiffs record to reflect the determination of the AFBCMR; and (5) grant Additional Special Pay (“ASP”) from July 1, 1998, to December 1, 2000. AR 15. The AFBCMR concluded, on February 4, 2003, that (1) plaintiff was due two years of ASP from July 1,1998, through July 1, 2000, and (2) the actions taken regarding restriction of plaintiffs medical practice were taken appropriately in accordance with established directives. AR 10-11. Plaintiff requested reconsideration of the decision on August 19, 2004, but the AFBCMR denied her request on December 28, 2004. AR 1503-05.

Subsequent to the denial of her request for reconsideration, plaintiff filed her complaint with the United States Court of Federal Claims on December 20, 2005. Plaintiff alleges that the decision of the MPRB and the AFBCMR were against the weight and preponderance of the evidence, arbitrary and capricious, and in violation of United States Air Force regulations. She requests (1) removal of the adverse determinations of the MPRB regarding restricting her from practicing Emergency Medicine; (2) removal of the restriction of plaintiff’s ability to practice Family Practice/Primary Care/Aerospace Medicine without 100% supervision for six months; (3) rescission of the adverse report to the NPDB or modification to reflect a restriction to practice Emergency Medicine under physician supervision; and (4) grant of ASP for the period from July 1, 2000, through December 1, 2000. Defendant moved to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, pursuant to RCFC 12(b)(6) and 12(b)(1), respectively. Plaintiff responded by filing a combined response and motion requesting leave to amend her complaint pursuant to RCFC 15(a). Defendant opposed, contending that the proposed amended complaint would still fail under RCFC 12(b)(1), or (b)(6).

[442]*442DISCUSSION

1. Standard of review

Defendant first moves to dismiss plaintiffs complaint under RCFC 12(b)(1) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. When a federal court hears such a jurisdictional challenge, “its task is necessarily a limited one.” 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.” Id. Courts adhere to “ ‘the accepted rule that a complaint should not be dismissed ... unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.’ ” Id. (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957)); accord New Valley Corp. v. United States, 119 F.3d 1576, 1579 (Fed.Cir.1997).

Therefore, when a complaint properly is within its jurisdiction, a court is to 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). In addition, a court is “obligated to ... draw all reasonable inferences in plaintiffs favor.” Henke v. United States, 60 F.3d 795, 797 (Fed.Cir.1995). If relief can be granted “ ‘under any set of facts that could be proved consistent with the allegations[,]’ ” then the motion must be denied. NOW, Inc. v.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
74 Fed. Cl. 439, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 352, 2006 WL 3378466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/webster-v-united-states-uscfc-2006.