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TRUEMAN FERTILIZER CO. v. LARSON

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit1952-05-23No. No. 13529
196 F.2d 910

Summary

Holding. The district court's dismissal was affirmed. The court held that venue was improper because the General Services Administrator's official residence is in Washington, D.C., where such personal actions must be brought; the United States is an indispensable party to any action affecting title to federal land and cannot be sued without its consent; and the defective service of process on the administrator in his official capacity could not cure these fundamental defects.

Trueman Fertilizer Company sought a declaratory judgment against the General Services Administrator regarding land in Florida that the United States had taken by eminent domain during World War II. The company claimed the taking was temporary, the land had since been declared surplus, and therefore the property should revert to its former owner subject to the company's existing judgment lien. The district court dismissed the complaint on three independent grounds: improper venue, the United States being an indispensable absent party, and lack of consent by the United States to be sued.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Proper venue for suits against federal officers in their official capacity
  • Whether the United States is an indispensable party to actions affecting federal property
  • Sovereign immunity and lack of statutory consent to suit against the United States
  • Reversion of temporarily condemned land to former owner upon declaration of surplus status

Procedural posture

The plaintiff appealed the district court's order dismissing its complaint for declaratory judgment on grounds of improper venue, absent indispensable party, and lack of consent to sue.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

STRUM, Circuit Judge.

Appellant, Trueman Fertilizer Company, for itself and all others who may be affected, filed a complaint for declaratory judgment in the Southern District of Florida against “Jess Larson as General Services Administrator for the United States and Jess Larson as an individual and whose address and residence is the District of Columbia.”

It appears from the complaint, that in 1942 the United States acquired by eminent domain certain lands in Palm Beach County, Florida, for war-time use, which appellant asserts was temporary, on which lands appellant held an existing judgment lien. Asserting that since the taking was for temporary use only, and such use having terminated and the land having been turned over to the defendant General Services Administrator as surplus, appellant contends that the lands should be decreed to have reverted to their former owner, and again subject to appellant’s judgment lien. Appellant seeks a declaratory judgment to that effect.

An order was secured for service of process outside the State of Florida upon the defendant below. Service of said process was later quashed, and the complaint dismissed by the district court, because of improper venue; because the United States is an indispensable but absent party; and because the United States has not consented to be sued in this action. This appeal questions the correctness of those rulings.

The official residence of the General Services Administrator is in Washington, D. C. A personal action against him in that capacity must be brought there, as that is where he “resides” within the meaning of 28 U.S.C.A. § 1391(b). There is no statutory authority for instituting such a suit elsewhere. Blackmar v. Guerre, 5 Cir., 190 F.2d 427, affirmed 342 U.S. 512, 72 S.Ct. 410, 96 L.Ed. -; Berlinsky v. Woods, 4 Cir., 178 F.2d 265; Smart v. Woods, 6 Cir., 184 F.2d 714; Putnam v. Ickes, 64 App.D.C. 339, 78 F.2d 223; U.S. Dept. of Agriculture v. Hunter, 5 Cir., 171 F.2d 793. There was no motion to transfer the cause pursuant to 28 U.S.C.A. §§ 1404(a) or 1406(a). Even if the service of the process in question would bind Larson individually, it is ineffectual here, because the complaint alleges that he claims title, not as an individual, but only in his official capacity as General Services Administrator. Moreover, he is not alleged to be a resident of the Southern District of Florida, so as to be individually suable there.

As the action is not against the land itself, but involves only the legal relations of the parties and their duty, or breach of duty, with respect thereto, the action is not in rem, but is in personam? Even so, however, it affects title to the land, which is in the United States, although the defendant has custody of it as General Services Administrator. The United States is therefore an indispensable party to the suit. It has not been made a party, nor has it consented to be sued, both of which omissions are fatal to the suit. Young v. Anderson, 81 U.S.App.D.C. 379, 160 F.2d 225, certiorari denied 331 U.S. 824, 67 S.Ct. 1316, 91 L.Ed. 1840; Blondet v. Hadley, 1 Cir., 144 F.2d 370; Wood v. Phillips, 4 Cir., 50 F.2d 714; Chilcutt v. Watts, 297 Ky. 335, 180 S.W.2d 84.

Affirmed.

. Amongst the prayers are:

“4. That the Court hold and declare as to the rights of the land owners whose property was so condemned and what liability there may be for taxation thereon.” * * *.

“8. That the Court hold and declare that upon the declaration of the United States that said property was surplus, entitled the former owners whose lands had been so condemned, to take possession thereof and that the rights of lien holders were only suspended during the period the United States occupied said lands.”