Corrigan v. LeClair , 206 F. App'x 771 ( 2006 )

F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
November 22, 2006
UNITED STATES CO URT O F APPEALS
Elisabeth A. Shumaker
FO R TH E TENTH CIRCUIT Clerk of Court
ED W A RD MA R V IN CO RR IG AN,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v. No. 06-8046
(D.C. No. 06-CV-62-D)
SH ELLY LEC LA IR ; WILLIA M (D . W yo.)
C HA M BER S; WILLIA M LU BEN;
THOM AS FO RSLAND, City of
C asper employees; N A TR ON A
C OU N TY , WY O M IN G ,
Defendants-Appellees.
OR D ER AND JUDGM ENT *
Before KELLY, L UC ER O, and HA RTZ, Circuit Judges.
Edward M arvin Corrigan appeals the district court’s dismissal of his
complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim under
*
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of
this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is
therefore ordered submitted without oral argument. This order and judgment is
not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata,
and collateral estoppel. The court generally disfavors the citation of orders and
judgments; nevertheless, an order and judgment may be cited under the terms and
conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The
defendants below, City of Casper employees and Natrona County, have filed a
motion for sanctions, requesting attorney’s fees and costs incurred in defending
this appeal. Because Corrigan advanced no non-frivolous bases for federal
jurisdiction, we A FFIR M the district court’s dismissal and GRANT the
defendants’ motion for sanctions.
On M arch 10, 2006, Corrigan sued the defendants in federal district court
after the City of Casper, W yoming cleared his property of garbage and filed a lien
for the costs of the cleanup. Citing “Article III, § 2 Clause 1 and 2,” presumably
of the United States Constitution, as a basis for federal jurisdiction, Corrigan
asserts that a “Land Patent stands as absolute ownership of the land in question,”
and that the City of Casper had “no jurisdiction or venue to assail any land
patent.” Corrigan’s only alleged basis for federal jurisdiction appears to be his
ownership of property obtained via a federal land patent.
The district court granted defendants’ motion to dismiss, holding that it
lacked jurisdiction over Corrigan’s claims. It also found that the complaint, even
liberally construed, failed to state a cognizable claim for relief. Corrigan now
appeals. 1
1
Corrigan’s appellate brief advances a host of unintelligible arguments but fails
to address jurisdiction. Rather than dismiss his appeal for failing to comply with
Fed. R. App. P. 28(a)(4), however, w e opt to decide this appeal on the merits.
(continued...)
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W e review both Rule 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) dismissals de novo. Tsosie v.
United States, 452 F.3d 1161, 1163 (10th Cir. 2006). A federal land patent does
not confer federal jurisdiction over any legal dispute that touches the land. In
Oneida Indian Nation v. County of Oneida, 414 U.S. 661 (1974), the Supreme
Court distinguished between claims concerning possessory rights arising under
federal law and those brought by garden variety land patent ow ners. As the court
explained:
Once patent issues, the incidents of ownership are, for the most part,
matters of local property law to be vindicated in local courts, and in
such situations it is normally insufficient for “arising under”
jurisdiction merely to allege that ownership or possession is claimed
under a United States patent.
Id. at 676-77. Indeed, then-Justice Rehnquist wrote separately in that case solely
to emphasize that “the grant of a land patent to a private party carries with it no
guarantee of continuing federal interest and certainly carries with it no
indefinitely redeemable passport into federal court.” Id. at 683 (Rehnquist, J.,
concurring).
Because Corrigan’s complaint asserts no basis for federal jurisdiction other
than the fact his land was obtained via a federal land patent, the district court
1
(...continued)
See Bailey v. Big Sky M otors, Ltd. (In re Ogden), 314 F.3d 1190, 1197 n.4 (10th
Cir. 2002) (“[W]e proceed with the discussion of this issue only to avoid any
appearance that we are sacrificing substantive justice on the altar of
administrative convenience.”) (quotation omitted).
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clearly lacked subject matter jurisdiction over his claims and properly dismissed
his complaint under Rule 12(b)(1). See also Virgin v. County of San Luis
Obispo, 201 F.3d 1141, 1145 (9th Cir. 2000) (holding that federal land patents do
not confer federal subject matter jurisdiction). Accordingly, we need not address
its alternative basis for dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6).
W e now turn to the defendants’ request for attorney’s fees and costs
pursuant to Fed. R. App. P. 38. Under Rule 38, “[i]f a court of appeals
determines that an appeal is frivolous, it may, after a separately filed motion . . .
and reasonable opportunity to respond, aw ard just damages and single or double
costs to the appellee.” An appellant’s pro se status is not a bar to the imposition
of such sanctions. Haworth v. Royal (In re Haworth), 347 F.3d 1189, 1192 (10th
Cir. 2003).
Because Corrigan’s appeal is frivolous, sanctions are appropriate.
Defendants laudibly refrained from seeking sanctions at the district court level
due to Corrigan’s pro se status. However, after the district court’s clear
explanation of the law any reasonable person would have ceased pounding on the
door of the federal courthouse. Instead, Corrigan pressed his claims, advanced
indecipherable appellate arguments, and forced the defendants to needlessly brief
the jurisdictional issue in this court. W e grant the defendants’ motion and, having
received no objection to the reasonableness of the amount requested, order
Corrigan to pay sanctions in the amount of $1,798.13.
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For the reasons set forth above, the judgment of the district court is
AFFIRM ED and the defendants’ motion for Rule 38 sanctions is GR ANTED .
Entered for the Court
Carlos F. Lucero
Circuit Judge
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