TAXAY, MD v. United States, Civ. A. No. 1212-71.
| Decision Date | 31 July 1972 |
| Docket Number | Civ. A. No. 1212-71. |
| Parties | Emil P. TAXAY, M.D., Plaintiff, v. The UNITED STATES of America, Defendant. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — District of Columbia |
Robert D. Powell, William H. Roberge, Jr., Stephan E. Klingelhofer, Washington, D. C., for plaintiff.
Arnold T. Aikens, Asst. U. S. Atty., Washington, D. C., for defendant.
Plaintiff Emil P. Taxay, M.D., brought this suit for damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act of June 24, 1948, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b), 2671 et seq., against the United States of America, acting by and through its agent, the Federal Aviation Administration . Plaintiff requests the Court to enter judgment against the defendant in the sum of $42,501.36. Defendant has filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.
Plaintiff was designated an Aviation Medical Examiner (A.M.E.) in 1961 pursuant to the Federal Aviation Act, 49 U.S.C. § 1355, and 14 C.F.R. § 183, an appointment which expires annually and is subject to renewal at the discretion of the F.A.A., 14 C.F.R. § 183.15.1 Plaintiff was redesignated annually and continued to serve as an A.M.E. until March 25, 1970, when he was advised that his appointment which expired at the end of the month would not be renewed.
On December 1, 1970, plaintiff filed a claim for administrative settlement with the Federal Aviation Administration which was denied in writing on December 28, 1970. Plaintiff bases his claim for monetary damages on his life expectancy of 34 years and his monthly income of $104.17 received from his A.M.E. activity. He alleges that by refusing to renew his A.M.E. designation, the United States by and through its agent, F.A.A., has wrongfully and intentionally interfered with his prospective business advantage.
Defendant has moved to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that in refusing to renew the plaintiff's appointment as an A.M.E., F.A.A. was acting within the scope of its statutory authority; and secondly, that the United States is expressly exempt from law suits filed pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act for the exercise of discretionary authority by a federal employee in the execution of a statute or regulation. 28 U.S. C. § 2680(a).
The plaintiff in opposition to the motion relies on the line of cases descending from Dalehite v. United States, 346 U.S. 15, 73 S.Ct. 956, 97 L.Ed. 1427 (1953), including the lead case from this jurisdiction, Eastern Air Lines v. Union Trust Company, 99 U.S.App.D.C. 205, 221 F.2d 62 (1955), United States v. Union Trust Company, 350 U.S. 907, 76 S.Ct. 192, 100 L.Ed. 799 (1955), which propose that the "discretionary function exception" does not grant a broad immunity to the government, but shields the government from suit for "planning" or policy decisions, as opposed to those decisions made on an "operational" level. Plaintiff alleges that the decision not to renew his A.M.E. appointment was made on the "operational" level.
It has long been the principle that "discretion" protected by the statute "is the discretion of the executive or the administrator to act according to one's judgment of the best course, . . .
* * * * * *
"It also includes determinations made by executives or administrators in establishing plans, specifications or schedules of operations." Eastern Air Lines v. Union Trust Company, 221 F.2d, at 76, citing Dalehite, supra. Therefore, the question here is whether the decision of the Regional Flight Surgeon, as affirmed by the Federal Air Surgeon and the Federal Aviation Administrator, not to renew the appointment of plaintiff as an A.M.E. falls within the area of protected discretionary activity.
The provisions of 49 U.S.C. § 1355(a) which grants the Federal Aviation Administrator the power to "delegate to any properly qualified private person . . . any work, business, or function respecting (1) the examination, inspection, and testing necessary to the issuance of...
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