Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-3_06-cv-00368/USCOURTS-almd-3_06-cv-00368-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Civil Rights Act

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IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, NORTHERN DIVISION

STEPHEN EVERETT LEE, )

)

Plaintiff, )

) CIVIL ACTION NO.

v. ) 2:06cv368-MHT

) (WO) 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, )

et al., )

)

Defendants. )

OPINION

The plaintiff filed this lawsuit asserting that the

defendants illegally barred him from the Veterans Health

Care System. This lawsuit is now before the court on the

recommendation of the United States Magistrate Judge that

the plaintiff’s case be dismissed. Also before the court

are the plaintiff’s objections to the recommendation.

After an independent and de novo review of the record,

the court concludes that the plaintiff’s objections

should be overruled and the magistrate judge’s

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recommendation adopted. The court also concludes that

the plaintiff’s motion to amend should be denied.

The court adds these comments: 

(1) In his objections, the plaintiff reiterates the

claims he presents in his complaint, arguing that he is

entitled as a matter of law to seek damages against the

Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS)

pursuant to Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of the

Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388 (1971). The

plaintiff’s claims against the United States are due to

be dismissed because Bivens does not create a cause of

action against federal agencies. See Federal Deposit

Ins. Corp. v. Meyer, 510 U.S. 471 (1994). Moreover, the

plaintiff’s Bivens claims against the individual

defendants are precluded by the doctrine set forth in

Bush v. Lucas, 462 U.S. 367 (1983), and Schweiker v.

Chilicky, 487 U.S. 412 (1988). The law in this circuit

is clear that the existence of a comprehensive statutory

scheme precludes the bringing of Bivens actions for money

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damages. See Miller v. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Farm

Servs. Agency, 143 F.3d 1413, 1416 (11th Cir. 1998);

Gleason v. Malcom, 718 F.2d 1044, 1048 (11th Cir. 1983);

Grier v. Secretary of the Army, 799 F.2d 721, 725 n. 3

(11th Cir. 1986). 

(2) The plaintiff further contends that he is

entitled to pursue his claims under the Federal Tort

Claims Act (FTCA). It appears from a review of the

pleadings that the plaintiff is seeking compensation in

the form of benefits and punitive damages for injuries he

received through the Veterans Administration’s failure to

treat him because he was banned from the facility. The

plaintiff cannot avoid the jurisdictional bar of 38

U.S.C. § 511 by couching his claims in terms of

constitutional or tort law claims or by simply asserting

that he is proceeding under the FTCA. In an attempt to

circumvent the jurisdictional bar, the plaintiff seeks to

amend his complaint to remove his claim for benefits but

to request compensatory damages in the amount of 2.2

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million dollars. The plaintiff’s claims for damages stem

from the CAVHCS’s decision to bar him from the hospital

which, in essence, is a denial of medical and hospital

benefits. Section 511(a) “includes all claims, whatever

their bases, as long as the claim is ‘necessary to a

decision by the Secretary under a law that affects the

provision of benefits by the Secretary to veterans.’”

Hicks v. Veterans Administration, 961 F.2d 1367, 1369

(8th Cir. 1992) (citation omitted). 

(3) Finally, the plaintiff has an adequate and

exclusive remedy under the Veterans’ Judicial Review Act

and in the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. See 38

U.S.C. § 7261.

An appropriate judgment will be entered.

DONE, this the 20th day of February, 2007.

 /s/ Myron H. Thompson 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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