Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03431/USCOURTS-ca8-03-03431-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Thomas W. Anderson
Appellee
Metropolitan Airports Commission
Appellee
Annette Simmons-Brown
Appellee
Judith A. Sundae
Appellant
Laxman S. Sundae
Appellant
Robert Swenson
Appellee

Document Text:

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 03-3431

___________

Laxman S. Sundae; Judith A. Sundae, *

*

Appellants, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* District of Minnesota.

Thomas W. Anderson, individually *

and as an employee of Metropolitan * [UNPUBLISHED]

Airports Commission; Metropolitan *

Airports Commission; Robert Swenson; *

Annette Simmons-Brown, *

*

Appellees. *

___________

Submitted: June 22, 2004

Filed: June 28, 2004

___________

Before BYE, McMILLIAN, and RILEY, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

Defendants acquired the house of Laxman and Judith Sundae (Sundaes) as part

of a land acquisition and relocation program, and relocated them to a new house. In

1997, the Sundaes entered into a settlement and release under which they “release[d]

. . . Metropolitan Airports Commission . . . and W.D. Schock Company, Inc. and their

respective . . . officers [and] . . . employees . . . from all causes of actions . . . of any

nature whatsoever [under] . . . any . . . theory of recovery, known or unknown, that

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he Honorable John R. Tunheim, United States District Judge for the District

of Minnesota, adopting the report and recommendations of the Honorable Susan

Richard Nelson, United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Minnesota.

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[the Sundaes] may have or assert regarding the acquisition” of their home.

Specifically excepted from the release was a business-relocation claim on the part of

Laxman Sundae. 

In the instant complaint, the Sundaes alleged defendants discriminated against

them by conspiring to deny them a decent, safe, and sanitary replacement dwelling.

The Sundaes also alleged (1) their replacement home flooded due to defendants’

failure to inspect and the concomitant delay in closing, (2) the defendants conspired

to violate the Sundaes’ civil rights by blocking them from recovering for the flood

damage, and (3) the defendants’ actions caused them mental anguish. The defendants

moved to dismiss the action. The district court1

 converted the motion to a motion for

summary judgment, and granted the motion. 

Upon de novo review, see Davis v. Fleming Cos., 55 F.3d 1369, 1371 (8th Cir.

1995), we conclude all of the Sundaes’ claims involved or arose out of the relocation

process and, thus, are barred by the settlement and release. To the extent the Sundaes

also raised a business-relocation claim, the Sundaes failed to support the claim

factually, and any procedural due process claim they intended to bring is premature

as they concede the matter is still being pursued at the administrative level. Cf. Wax

’N Works v. City of St. Paul, 213 F.3d 1016, 1019 (8th Cir. 2000) (litigant asserting

procedural due process deprivation must exhaust remedies before allegation will state

§ 1983 claim); Heideman v. Metro. Airports Comm’n, 555 N.W.2d 322, 323-24

(Minn. Ct. App. 1996) (to challenge MAC decision, plaintiff had to apply for

certiorari review by court of appeals under Minnesota general certiorari statute). We

also conclude the district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to allow

amendment of the complaint to bring a mandamus claim. See MM&S Fin., Inc. v.

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Nat’l Ass’n of Sec. Dealers, Inc., 364 F.3d 908, 909-10 (8th Cir. 2004) (standard of

review; court will not grant leave to amend when amendment would be futile).

Accordingly, we affirm. See 8th Cir. R. 47B. We also deny the pending

motion seeking a legal opinion from the Secretary of the U.S. Department of

Transportation.

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