Underwood Livestock, Inc. v. United States ( 2011 )


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  •            NOTE: This order is nonprecedential
    United States Court of Appeals
    for the Federal Circuit
    __________________________
    UNDERWOOD LIVESTOCK, INC.,
    Plaintiff-Appellant,
    v.
    UNITED STATES,
    Defendant-Appellee.
    __________________________
    Miscellaneous Docket No. 981
    __________________________
    Appeal From the United States Court of Federal
    Claims in case No. 05-CV-162, Judge Mary Ellen Coster
    Williams.
    __________________________
    Before GAJARSA, LINN, and MOORE, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM.
    ORDER
    Underwood Livestock, Inc. (“Underwood”) appeals
    from a decision of the Court of Federal Claims (“Claims
    Court”) granting the government’s motion for summary
    judgment that Underwood cannot establish a property
    interest in a destroyed tire dam structure because of issue
    preclusion. The relevant facts of this case and the court’s
    decision on the merits are detailed in this court’s opinion
    2                              UNDERWOOD LIVESTOCK v. US
    affirming the decision of the Claims Court. Underwood
    Livestock, Inc. v. United States, No. 2010-5072.
    On appeal to this court, Underwood has not explained
    how there is any error in the Claims Court’s decision, has
    essentially ignored the Claims Court’s determination of
    issue preclusion, and has instead asked this court to
    review and vacate the decision of the Interior Board of
    Land Appeals, a matter over which this court lacks juris-
    diction.
    “If a court of appeals determines that an appeal is
    frivolous, it may, after . . . notice from the court and
    reasonable opportunity to respond, award just damages
    and single or double costs to the appellee.” Fed. R. App.
    P. 38. We have held that an appeal may be “frivolous as
    filed” when “no basis for reversal in law or fact can be or
    is even arguably shown,” and may be “frivolous as argued”
    when an appellant “has not dealt fairly with the court,
    [or] has significantly misrepresented the law or facts.”
    Abbs v. Principi, 
    237 F.3d 1342
    , 1345 (Fed. Cir. 2001).
    Appellant’s failure to point to any legal errors by the
    Claims Court; appellant’s incorrect statement of statutory
    authority concerning our jurisdiction; appellant’s demand
    for this court to take mandatory judicial notice of, among
    other items, “all Acts of Congress” and “the Constitution
    of the United States”; and appellant’s assertion of argu-
    ments relating to matters wholly outside this court’s
    jurisdiction raise serious questions under Rule 38.
    Accordingly,
    IT IS ORDERED THAT:
    (1) Appellant and its counsel are directed to show
    cause in writing as to why this case should not be deemed
    frivolous as filed and frivolous as argued in the submitted
    briefs, as to why sanctions should not imposed, and as to
    how such sanctions, if imposed, should be apportioned
    between appellant and its counsel.
    UNDERWOOD LIVESTOCK v. US                           3
    (2) The written submission shall be in the form of a
    letter brief, due no later than 15 days from the date of
    this order and not to exceed 10 pages, double spaced.
    FOR THE COURT,
    March 31, 2011                 /s/ Jan Horbaly
    Date                       Jan Horbaly
    Clerk
    cc: Martin G. Crowley, Esq.
    Kurt G. Kastorf, Esq.
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 2011-M981

Filed Date: 3/31/2011

Precedential Status: Non-Precedential

Modified Date: 4/18/2021