Grant v. United States
Grant v. United States
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff Andre Everton Grant brings this action against the United States of America, alleging that the United States, through its agencies the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") and Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE"), subjected him to various torts and violated his constitutional rights. Defendant United States now moves to dismiss Grant's complaint pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6).
*852I. BACKGROUND
A. Facts
The following facts are taken from Grant's complaint and the documents attached thereto unless otherwise noted.
Grant was born in Jamaica on October 11, 1985, to Everton Grant and Pamella Williams. See Notice of Decision (N-600), dated June 13, 2011 (annexed as Ex. A to Complaint for Damages Under the Federal Tort Claims Act, undated, filed Mar. 16, 2017 (Docket # 1) ("Compl.") ) ("N-600 Decision"), at 101. Grant's parents were not married when he was born, id., but Grant's father added his name to Grant's birth certificate in 1989. See Decision in Response to Application for Certificate of Citizenship under Section 320 of the Immigration and Nationality Act;
In 2010, Grant was convicted of multiple felonies in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, and was sentenced on October 18, 2010, to 48 months' imprisonment. See Memorandum Report and Recommendation, dated Mar. 26, 2014 (annexed as Ex. H to Compl.); see also Compl. ¶ 1. On March 29, 2011, while Grant was serving his sentence, ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him. See Compl. ¶ 2. As a result, Grant was transferred to Moshannon Valley Correctional Center, a private corrections facility used to hold inmates subject to immigration detainers.
On June 13, 2011, USCIS issued a decision denying Grant's N-600 application. See
Although this opinion was issued on June 13, 2011, Grant did not receive a copy until December 2011. Compl. ¶ 5. Immediately upon receiving that copy, Grant filed an appeal with USCIS.
In August 2012, Grant filed a request with USCIS pursuant to the Freedom of *853Information Act regarding his case. See
In May 2012, ICE initiated removal proceedings against Grant. Compl. ¶ 7. A hearing was held on July 17, 2012, during which the Immigration Judge stated that he believed that Grant "may be a citizen."
After this hearing, Grant requested the Bureau of Prisons transfer him to a community confinement center. Id. ¶ 9. This request was denied because even though Grant's ICE detainer had been dislodged, it was still possible that he could be deported or supervised by ICE on release. Id. Grant filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in federal district court challenging this decision, and the court upheld it. See Summary Report and Recommendation, dated Dec. 11, 2013 (annexed as Ex. C to Compl.); Memorandum and Order, Grant v. Wigen, No. 13 Civ. 210 (W.D. Pa. Jan. 16, 2014) (Docket # 11) (adopting Report and Recommendation).
The Board of Immigration Appeals issued a decision in the remanded Watson case on January 24, 2013, finding that a child born in Jamaica is legitimated when the child's father acknowledges the child's birth on his or her birth certificate. See AAO Decision at 4-5. On December 6, 2013, ICE lodged another immigration detainer on Grant. Compl. ¶ 11; see also Immigration Detainer-Notice of Action, dated Dec. 6, 2013 (annexed as Ex. F to Compl.). This detainer was withdrawn on December 12, 2013, and Grant was released from custody on December 13, 2013. See id. ¶ 11. However, in February 2014, ICE again initiated removal proceedings against Grant. Id. ¶ 12. Hearings in this proceeding were adjourned pending the decision of an "appeal" that Grant had pending with USCIS's Administrative Appeals Office ("AAO"). Id.; see also AAO Decision at 1. Though unclear from Grant's complaint, this "appeal" appears to have been an appeal from a motion to reopen and reconsider USCIS's denial of Grant's initial N-600 application. See AAO Decision at 2 (noting that USCIS "denied the Application for Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-600) and reaffirmed that decision when deciding the applicant's subsequent motion to reopen and reconsider. The matter is now before the ... [ ]AAO[ ] on appeal.").
*854On March 24, 2014, the AAO rendered a decision in that appeal and determined that Grant was a United States citizen. See id. ¶ 13; see also AAO Decision at 6. The AAO noted that due to changes in the interpretation of "legitimation" that were discussed in the remanded Watson case, and because Grant's father added his name to Grant's birth certificate in 1989, Grant was a legitimated child of his father, and derived citizenship as a matter of law from his father. AAO Decision at 5. Grant received his Certificate of Citizenship on April 16, 2014. Compl. ¶ 14.
B. Procedural History
Grant alleges that he sought to amend his complaint in his federal lawsuit against USCIS in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania to seek money damages against USCIS, but was "instructed by the court to file a claim with the agency before the court can make a determination." Id. ¶ 15. Grant alleges that he filed a claim with USCIS on June 5, 2014, but received no response within six months. Id. As explained further below, both USCIS and ICE deny having any record of receiving such a claim. See Luong Decl. ¶ 3; Tanke Decl ¶ 2. On March 16, 2017, Grant filed the complaint in this action alleging that the government acted improperly in denying that he was a citizen. See Compl. ¶¶ 16-25. On October 30, 2017, the United States filed this motion to dismiss. See Def. Not.
On April 13, 2018, after this motion was fully briefed, the Court gave Grant leave to file any materials demonstrating that he exhausted his administrative remedies for the claims he asserts in this action. See Order, dated Apr. 13, 2018 (Docket # 25). The Court first gave Grant a deadline of April 27, 2018, to do so, id. at 1, but Grant did not make such a filing. On May 4, 2018, the Court sua sponte extended this deadline to May 25, 2018. See Order, dated May 4, 2018 (Docket # 26). Grant again failed submit any responsive documents.
II. APPLICABLE LAW
The United States moves to dismiss pursuant to both Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6). See Def. Not. Because we find that no subject matter jurisdiction exists, we describe only the standard governing a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1).
"Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction." Kokkonen v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am.,
III. DISCUSSION
Grant's complaint asserts that the United States, through USCIS and ICE, was *855"negligent" when it: (1) denied Grant's request for derivative citizenship; (2) lodged and withdrew immigration detainers on Grant; (3) caused the death of Grant's son, who died in Jamaica of a disease that Grant asserts was curable in the United States; (4) failed to pay for postage when sending Grant its initial N-600 Decision; (5) denied Grant's citizenship and reopening removal proceedings after Watson had been decided; (6) failed to properly interpret United States and Jamaican law; (7) violated Grant's "rights as a United States citizen to seek gainful employment and or go to school"; and (8) failed to follow the "Hayes Memorandum," annexed as Exhibit J to the Complaint. Compl. ¶¶ 16-23, 25. Grant also argues that the United States violated his "Constitutional right to liberty (4th amendment)." Id. ¶ 24. We will examine Grant's negligence claims before turning to his claimed constitutional violation.
A. Claims Under the Federal Tort Claims Act
"The United States, as sovereign, is immune from suit save as it consents to be sued." United States v. Sherwood,
Congress has given consent to sue the United States under certain circumstances by enacting the Federal Tort Claims Act,
the district courts ... shall have exclusive jurisdiction of civil actions on claims against the United States, for money damages, ... for injury or loss of property, or personal injury or death caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of any employee of the Government while acting within the scope of his office or employment, under circumstances where the United States, if a private person, would be liable to the claimant in accordance with the law of the place where the act or omission occurred.
Before bringing suit under the FTCA, a plaintiff must satisfy the statute's exhaustion requirement. Pursuant to this requirement, "[a]n action shall not be instituted" under the FTCA "unless the claimant shall have first presented the claim to the appropriate Federal agency and his claim *856shall have been finally denied by the agency in writing and sent by certified or registered mail."
As the Second Circuit has held, "[c]ompliance with the conditions under which the government has agreed to waive sovereign immunity is necessary for subject matter jurisdiction to exist." Williams v. United States,
Here, the government argues that this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to hear Grant's negligence claims because Grant has failed show that he exhausted his administrative remedies. Def. Mem. at 6-7. As previously noted, "the court has the power and obligation to decide issues of fact"-such as the question of whether an administrative claim was filed-"by reference to evidence outside the pleadings, such as affidavits." APWU,
In his unsworn complaint, Grant asserts that he "filed" a claim with USCIS on June 5, 2014, and that USCIS failed to respond to that claim within six months. Compl. ¶ 15. Similarly, in his memorandum in opposition to this motion, Grant states that he sent his claim to both the USCIS field office in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, and the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS"). Pl. Mem. at *3. However, these allegations are partially undermined by defendant's (similarly unsworn) assertion that USCIS maintains no field office in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. See Def. Reply at 2.
*857Grant's unsworn assertion that he exhausted his claims is further undermined by his failure to produce any corroborating documentation. Grant submits no copy of his claim and does not provide a sworn statement that he sent any claim to USCIS or DHS. Recognizing this defect, Grant stated in his opposition memorandum that "[i]f the Court allows me I would like to enter records from Stamps.com and Individual affidavits to show that I submitted the Government with this Claim." Pl. Mem. at *3. The Court issued two separate orders inviting Grant to submit such documentation. See Order, dated May 4, 2018 (Docket # 26); Order, dated Apr. 13, 2018 (Docket # 25). Nonetheless, Grant failed to respond to these orders.
This lack of evidence by itself would cause the Court to find that Grant had failed to meet his burden that he had timely submitted a claim form. Makarova,
In sum, the Court cannot find that Grant has met his burden of showing that an administrative claim was presented to any government agency. Accordingly, the United States's motion to dismiss Grant's claims arising under the FTCA for lack of subject matter jurisdiction should be granted.
B. Constitutional Claims
Grant also asserts in his complaint that the "USCIS violated my Constitutional right to liberty (4th amendment)." Compl. ¶ 24. This claim differs from Grant's negligence claims because it asserts a right to relief under the Constitution instead of state tort law. The FTCA waives the United States's sovereign immunity for claims only "where the United States, if a private person, would be liable to the claimant in accordance with the law of the place where the act or omission occurred."
IV. CONCLUSION
The United States's motion to dismiss (Docket # 13) should be granted, and Grant's complaint should be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. "[W]here a court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, it also lacks the power to dismiss with prejudice." Hernandez v. Conriv Realty Assocs.,
PROCEDURE FOR FILING OBJECTIONS TO THIS REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Pursuant to
See Notice of Motion to Dismiss, dated Oct. 30, 2017 (Docket # 13) ("Def. Not."); Declaration of Quan K. Luong, dated Oct. 26, 2017 (Docket # 15) ("Luong Decl."); Declaration of Ann M. Tanke, dated Oct. 19, 2017 (Docket # 16) ("Tanke Decl."); Memorandum of Law in Support of Defendant's Motion to Dismiss, dated Oct. 30, 2017 (Docket # 18) ("Def. Mem."); "Plaintiffs' [sic] Response to Defendants' [sic] Motion to Dismiss," dated Nov. 13, 2017 (Docket # 21) ("Pl. Mem."); Reply Memorandum of Law in Support of Defendant's Motion to Dismiss, dated Jan. 12, 2018 (Docket # 22) ("Def. Reply").
Page numbers cited as "*__" refer to the pagination created by the ECF system.
Grant cites statutes other than the FTCA as the bases for his complaint, see Compl. at 1 (citing
Although the Supreme Court recently held that compliance with the statute of limitations applicable to bringing a claim in federal court after the exhaustion of administrative remedies is not jurisdictional in nature, United States v. Kwai Fun Wong, --- U.S. ----,
The government's assertion is supported by the lack of any such field office currently being listed on USCIS's website. See Pennsylvania Field Offices, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/field-office/field-office-state?state=PA& topic_id=1& lang=1125 (last visited June 11, 2018).
In light of our conclusion that no administrative claim was presented, the Court need not reach the government's alternative arguments relating to subject matter jurisdiction. See Def. Mem. at 7-9 (arguing that the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over FTCA claims relating to removal proceedings due to
We note that the remedy created by Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics,
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