Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca13-15-05089/USCOURTS-ca13-15-05089-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 508
Nature of Suit: 
Cause of Action: 

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NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.

United States Court of Appeals 

for the Federal Circuit ______________________ 

ISAAC A. POTTER, JR.,

Plaintiff-Appellant

v.

UNITED STATES,

Defendant-Appellee

______________________ 

2015-5089

______________________ 

Appeal from the United States Court of Federal 

Claims in 1:14-cv-00459-JFM, Senior Judge James F. 

Merow.

______________________ 

Decided: February 29, 2016

______________________ 

ISAAC A. POTTER, JR., Orlando, FL, pro se. 

KIRBY LEE, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, 

DC, for defendant-appellee. Also represented by 

BENJAMIN C. MIZER, JOHN FARGO.

______________________ 

Before NEWMAN, LOURIE, and BRYSON, Circuit Judges.

Case: 15-5089 Document: 19-2 Page: 1 Filed: 02/29/2016
2 POTTER v. US 

PER CURIAM. 

Isaac A. Potter, Jr. appeals the dismissal of his complaint against the United States for failure to state a 

claim under Rule 12(b)(6). Because the Court of Federal 

Claims properly dismissed Mr. Potter’s complaint,1 we 

affirm. 

BACKGROUND

On May 19, 2014, Mr. Potter, appearing pro se, filed a 

complaint against the United States in the Court of 

Federal Claims seeking damages in the amount of one

billion dollars. The complaint provided various documents from previous lawsuits and appeals filed by Mr. 

Potter and the text of several statutes and procedural 

rules.

On June 18, 2014, Mr. Potter filed an amended complaint that included an allegation that the trademark 

“KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC,” registered to Toei Animation, was cancelled or surrendered. 

After various procedures, on May 18, 2015, the Court 

of Federal Claims granted the government’s motion to 

dismiss for failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6). 

The court stated that “plaintiff’s amended complaint is 

simply devoid of any allegations that could arguably state 

a claim for any sort of relief.” The court construed the 

pleadings as a challenge to previous decisions in the 

Eastern District of Virginia and in this court. The court 

held that it had no authority to consider attacks on previous decisions and the plaintiff failed to recite facts that 

could support any other claim.

Mr. Potter appeals.

 

1 Potter v. United States, Dkt. No. 24, Civ. No. 1:14-

cv-00459-JFM (Fed. Cl. May 18, 2015).

Case: 15-5089 Document: 19-2 Page: 2 Filed: 02/29/2016
POTTER v. US 3

DISCUSSION

We review de novo whether the Court of Federal 

Claims properly dismissed a complaint for either a lack of 

jurisdiction or for failure to state a claim upon which 

relief can be granted. See, e.g., Boyle v. United States, 200 

F.3d 1369, 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2000). Mr. Potter, as the 

plaintiff, bears the burden of showing jurisdiction by a 

preponderance of the evidence. Taylor v. United States, 

303 F.3d 1357, 1359 (Fed. Cir. 2002). A motion to dismiss 

for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted under Rule 12(b)(6) is appropriate when the facts 

asserted by the plaintiff do not entitle him to a legal 

remedy. Id. In reviewing the dismissal, we must accept 

all well-pleaded factual allegations as true and draw all 

reasonable inferences in Mr. Potter’s favor. Id.

The Court of Federal Claims was correct in holding 

that it had no jurisdiction to review the merits of decisions from federal district courts, the Trademark Trial

and Appeal Board (TTAB), or this court. See, e.g., Innovair Aviation Ltd. v. United States, 632 F.3d 1336, 1344 

(Fed. Cir. 2011) (“[T]he Court of Federal Claims ‘does not 

have jurisdiction to review the decision of district 

courts.’”); 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(4) (Court of Appeals for the 

Federal Circuit hears appeals from TTAB proceedings). 

The only information that appears to have been newly 

presented is the allegation that the trademark for 

“KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC” mark was cancelled or 

surrendered by operation of 15 U.S.C. § 1057 or Rule 

2.174. However, even if correct, the Court of Federal 

Claims lacks jurisdiction. 28 U.S.C. § 1491.

We affirm the Court of Federal Claims’ dismissal of 

Mr. Potter’s claims.

AFFIRMED

Case: 15-5089 Document: 19-2 Page: 3 Filed: 02/29/2016