Blackman v. U.S. Secret Serv.
Blackman v. U.S. Secret Serv.
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff, appearing pro se , filed a complaint in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, alleging that he was falsely arrested, charged with impersonating a police officer, and deprived of his property. The complaint lists the defendants as "U.S. White House, U.S. Secret Service White House Police, Police Officer Adelsperger Badge # 0572" and "Second District Police, Station Property Unit," and it demands a judgment of $190,000,000 [Dkt. # 1-1 at 2]. The United States Secret Service removed the case to this court pursuant to
Pending are the Secret Service's motion to dismiss [Dkt. # 7] and plaintiff's motion for a writ of attachment [Dkt. # 9]. Although plaintiff was informed about the negative consequences of failing to respond to a motion to dismiss, see Nov. 17, 2017 Order, he has not filed an opposition. In support of dismissal, the Secret Service asserts (1) that plaintiff failed to exhaust his administrative remedies under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), and (2) that the remainder of the complaint is "legally incoherent." Mot. at 1. Failure to exhaust a claim under the FTCA is a jurisdictional defect. So, for the reasons explained below, the Court will grant the Secret Service's motion, deny plaintiff's motion, and dismiss this case without prejudice.
*346BACKGROUND
In the Complaint filed on May 1, 2017 [Dkt. # 1-1 at 2], plaintiff alleges in a single paragraph that when defendant Adelsperger asked him "for ID for the Law Enforcement Holy War Special Agent Shield" he was wearing, he gave the officer "all the ID he needed" but was arrested nonetheless on a misdemeanor charge of impersonating a police officer, in violation of
The arrest report attached to defendant's motion identifies the arresting officer as Aaron Adelsperger of the U.S. Secret Service, adds that the incident occurred on April 28, 2017, "in close vicinity to the White House," and confirms that no charges were filed against plaintiff. Def.'s Ex. A [Dkt. # 7-2].
ANALYSIS
Under the doctrine of sovereign immunity, "the United States may not be sued without its consent and ... the existence of consent is a prerequisite for jurisdiction." United States v. Mitchell ,
An administrative exhaustion requirement can be jurisdictional or it can be non-jurisdictional. Avocados Plus Inc. v. Veneman ,
The D.C. Circuit has "treated the FTCA's requirement of filing an administrative complaint with the appropriate agency prior to instituting an action as jurisdictional." Simpkins v. District of Columbia ,
Plaintiff has not disputed that he failed to present a tort claim to the Secret Service for the alleged misconduct. See Decl. of Lanelle Hawa [Dkt. # 7-1]. Therefore, the Court lacks the power to hear the claim against the United States at this time, and "[w]ith the case in this posture, the court [can] no more rule in favor of the government than against it." Simpkins ,
Section 1442(a)(1) states in relevant part: "A civil action ... that is commenced in a State court and that is against or directed to [the United States, its agencies, and officers or employees] may be removed by them to the district court ... embracing the place where it is pending[.]" Section 1446 permits removal by "a defendant or defendants[.]"
The Secret Service has attached to its motion a letter from Aaron Adelsperger to the Chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office seeking representation in the case filed in Superior Court. Adelsperger writes that at the time of the incident, he was working in his "official capacity as a Uniformed Division officer for the U.S. Secret Service during routine patrol around the White House Complex[.]" Def.'s Ex. B [Dkt. # 7-3]. But the Attorney General (or his designee) has not filed what is commonly referred to as a Westfall certification, see
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Terrence Butch Allah BLACKMAN v. UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE
- Status
- Published