Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-09-01683/USCOURTS-ca8-09-01683-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Allen Payne
Appellant
United States of America
Appellee

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 09-1683

___________

Allen Payne, *

*

Appellant, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the Western

* District of Missouri.

United States of America, *

* [UNPUBLISHED]

Appellee. *

___________

Submitted: January 19, 2010 

Filed: January 22, 2010

___________

Before MELLOY, BOWMAN, and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Allen Payne appeals the district court’s1

 adverse grant of summary judgment

in his Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) suit. We conclude that summary judgment

was proper, because the record shows that Payne seeks damages for injuries arising

out of his exposure to Agent Orange while he was serving in Vietnam. Accordingly,

his suit is barred under Feres v. United States, 340 U.S. 135, 146 (1950) (United

States is not liable under FTCA for injuries to servicemen where injuries arise out of

or are sustained in course of activity incident to service). See Saulsberry v. St. Mary’s

1

The Honorable Greg Kays, United States District Judge for the Western

District of Missouri.

Appellate Case: 09-1683 Page: 1 Date Filed: 01/22/2010 Entry ID: 3626832
Univ. of Minn., 318 F.3d 862, 866 (8th Cir. 2003) (appellate court may affirm on any

basis supported by record); Brown v. United States, 151 F.3d 800, 803-04 (8th Cir.

1998) (injury is incident to service if it arises because of injured’s military relationship

with government; Feres doctrine limits scope of FTCA’s waiver of sovereign

immunity and is jurisdictional); Wood v. United States, 968 F.2d 738, 739 (8th Cir.

1992) (under Feres doctrine, claims under FTCA, negligence claims, 42 U.S.C. § 1983

claims, and claims brought under Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Fed.

Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388 (1971), are nonjusticiable if they involve injuries

arising out of or in course of activity incident to military service). 

Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s judgment.

______________________________

-2-

Appellate Case: 09-1683 Page: 2 Date Filed: 01/22/2010 Entry ID: 3626832