NANCY B. FIRESTONE, District Judge.
On September 4, 2013,
Pending before the court is the government's motion, pursuant to Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims ("RCFC"), to dismiss the complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. For the reasons that follow, the government's motion is
In January 2003, plaintiff obtained a $113,189.00 home loan from Washington Mutual which was apparently guaranteed by the VA.
On January 6, 2014, the government filed a motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to RCFC 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6). As noted above, plaintiff has filed multiple motions to amend, supplement, and otherwise correct her complaint to add new allegations and legal contentions. The government has responded to all of Ms Allen's pleadings and Ms. Allen has filed responses.
When considering whether to dismiss a complaint for lack of jurisdiction, the court generally assumes that the plaintiff's factual allegations are true.
Under the Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1491, this court possesses jurisdiction 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." 28 U.S.C. § 1491(a)(1). In the context of a takings claim, plaintiff must allege that (1) she possessed "a property interest for purposes of the Fifth Amendment,"
The government contends that certain of plaintiff's claims are not against the government of the United States or cannot give rise to a takings claim and thus the court lacks jurisdiction to hear them. Specifically, the government observes that Chase and Washington Mutual are private entities, and that the FDIC, when acting in its capacity as a receiver, does not constitute a government entity within the meaning of the Fifth Amendment. The government also argues that there is no set of facts that could allow the court to exercise jurisdiction to review the bankruptcy court's determination.
Plaintiff responds by asserting that the questions of whether (1) the FDIC was acting in its capacity as a receiver; (2) Washington Mutual acted as her lender; (3) Chase, rather than the government, foreclosed on her home; and (4) the bankruptcy court "confiscated" her property; constitute controverted facts that render dismissal under RCFC 12(b)(1) inappropriate. In essence, plaintiff seeks to delay dismissal to allow for discovery and resolution of the matter on summary judgment. For the reasons explained below, the court holds that it lacks jurisdiction to hear plaintiff's claims against Chase, Washington Mutual, the FDIC, or the bankruptcy courts.
To begin, the court agrees with the government that this court is without jurisdiction to consider plaintiff's claims against Chase or Washington Mutual. Chase and Washington Mutual represent private banking entities that are not part of the federal government and therefore cannot be liable for a taking. Moreover, whether Ms. Allen disputes these jurisdictional facts is irrelevant, because once jurisdiction is challenged, plaintiff bears the burden of establishing jurisdiction.
The court similarly concludes that the FDIC was acting as a receiver and therefore the court lacks jurisdiction to consider plaintiff's claims against the FDIC. Although plaintiff—contrary to her initial pleadings—presently disputes the FDIC's status as a receiver, the court is not obligated to accept as true plaintiff's allegations concerning jurisdictional facts or conclusions of law. More importantly, the other allegations in the complaint describe conduct that would clearly have been undertaken in the FDIC's capacity as a receiver. The Supreme Court has explained that when acting as a receiver, "the FDIC is not the United States . . . ."
Finally, the court agrees with the government that it lacks jurisdiction to review the decision of the bankruptcy court for a possible taking. In order to entertain Ms. Allen's bankruptcy-related takings claim, the court "would have to determine whether [Ms. Allen] suffered a categorical taking of [her] property at the hands of the bankruptcy trustees and courts . . . . Such a determination would require the court to scrutinize the actions of the bankruptcy trustees and courts."
To defeat a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under RCFC 12(b)(6), a plaintiff must allege facts "plausibly suggesting (not merely consistent with) a showing of entitlement to relief."
The government argues that plaintiff has failed to allege that a cognizable property right has been taken from her, and therefore has failed to state a claim against HUGinnie Mae or the VA for a taking. In particular, the government contends that plaintiff fails to allege facts that raise a non-speculative claim that she provided funds to Washington Mutual (prior to receivership) that were not refunded to her when it entered receivership, and that any claims based on such an account do not state a non-frivolous taking allegation against the United States. In response, plaintiff argues that HUD-Ginnie Mae committed a taking by securitizing plaintiff's promissory note and by allegedly "funneling" Ms. Allen's loan payments to investors. Compl. ¶¶ 33-41. Plaintiff also alleges that the VA took her property when the VA allegedly purchased her home at a foreclosure sale.
With regard to HUD-Ginnie Mae, the court agrees with the government that the decision to securitize her mortgage did not give rise to a "taking." Ms. Allen did not have a property interest in any particular entity holding her mortgage. See
Ms. Allen's taking claims based on allegations of actions by the VA must also be dismissed for failure to state a claim. Ms. Allen alleges that the VA, as her loan guarantor, wrongfully authorized the foreclosure of her home and took ownership of the premises in violation of the Fifth Amendment. The Government correctly argues that these contentions do not state a taking claim because Ms. Allen does not dispute that she did not make her mortgage payments to the bank holding her mortgage (Chase),
For the reasons explained above, the government's motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to RCFC 12(b)(1) and RCFC 12(b)(6)
24 C.F.R. § 300.3. Among other things, Ginnie Mae serves "to guarantee the timely payment of principal of and interest on securities that are based on and backed by a trust or pool composed of mortgages which are insured or guaranteed by . . . VA." 24 C.F.R. § 320.1;
Plaintiff has twice moved for "Mandatory Judicial Notice" concerning the operation or application of certain provisions of state or federal law. As plaintiff recognizes, "[t]he court may judicially notice a fact that is not subject to reasonable dispute because it: (1) is generally known within the trial court's jurisdiction; or (2) can be accurately and readily determined from sources whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned." Fed. R. Evid. 201(b). Because plaintiff seeks judicial notice of legal conclusions or facts that do not satisfy the aforementioned standard, plaintiff's motions are hereby