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No. 14-380C 

### (Filed: May 14,2014) 

# FILED

DEAN A. COCHRUN, MAY 

## 14 20t4 U.s.@URTOF FEDERALC{.AM 

### Plaintiff,

THE 

### LINITED STATES,

Defendant.



### ORDER 

### DISMISSING 

### COMPLAINT FOR 

### LACK OF 

### SUBJECT 

### MATTER JURISDICTION
In this case,

### plaintiff Dean 

### A. Cochrun 

### ("Mr. Cochrun") alleges that the South Dakota Department 

### of Social Services, acting under the 

### authority 

### ofthe United States Department 

### of Health and Human Services, has

### violated state and federal 

### kidnapping statutes by 

### removing his three 

### children from his care 

### without the proper 

### showing. Mr. Cochrun 

### further alleges that he and his

### wife, Jamie 

### Lynn Cochrun, have been falsely arrested and imprisoned as an act

### ofretaliation. Mr. Cochrun alleges that 

### "Jurisdiction comes under the Federal 

### Tort Claims 

### Act and 

### all pertinent parts inclusive therein. 

### This statement 

### ofJurisdiction includes but is 

### not limited to 28 

### U.S.C. 9g

### 2674 and 1402 

### (b) asthis isthe placewhere the

### Act giving rise 

### to the Claims took place and wherethe Parties 

### reside." Compl. at 1, ECF 

### No. 1. 

### Jurisdiction is athreshold 

### matter. Steel Co. 

### v. Citizens 

### for a Better 

### Env't, 523 U.S. 

### 83,94-95 

### (1998). Under 

### Rule 

### l2(h)(3) 

### ofthe Rules 

### ofthe United States Court 

### ofFederal Claims, 

## "[i]f the court determines atany time that 

### it lacks subject-rnatter 

### jurisdiction, the court must dismiss the 

### action." In so determining, the court may considerthe issue

## of jurisdiction sua

### sponte. Folden

### v. United States 

### ,379 F

### .3d 1344, 1354 (Fed. 

### Cir. 2004). 

### In considering a case brought 

### by a pro se

### plaintiff, the court holds "the pleading 

### 'to less sftingent standards than

### formal pleadings drafted 

### by 

### lawyers."' Johnson 

### v. United States, 411 F.

### App'x 303, 305 (Fed. 

### Cir. 2010) 

### (quoting Haines 

### v. Kerner, 404 

### U.S. 519,520 

### (1972)). Despite this permissive standard, a

### pro se

### plaintiff must 

### still satisfu the 

### court's

### jurisdictional requirements. Bemard v. 

### United States, 59 Fed.

### Cl.497,499 (2004) 

### ("This

latitude, however, does not relieve a pro se

### plaintiff from meeting 

### jurisdictional requirements."), 

## affd 98 F.

### App'x 860 (Fed. 

### Cir. 2004). This court is granted 

### jurisdiction by 28 

### U.S.C. $ 1491,

### which states, in relevant part, that 

### this court does not have

### jurisdiction over claims 

### involving torts: The 

### United States Court 

### of Federal Claims shall have

### jurisdiction to render 

### judgment upon any 

### claim against the 

### United States founded either uponthe 

### Constitution, or any 

### Act ofCongress or any 

### regulation

### ofan executive department, or upon any express

### or implied contract

### with the 

### United States, 

### or for liquidated or unliquidated damages 

### in cases not sounding in

### tort. 28 

### U.S.C. $ 1a91(a)(l) (emphasis 

### added). In this case,the 

### complaint 

### plainly statesthat 

### it derives

### jurisdiction from the Federal 

### Tort Claims 

### Act, meaning that the casesounds 

### in tort and is outside the

### jurisdiction of this 

### court. Moreover, Congress has granted exclusive 

### jurisdiction over such cases to the 

### United States 

### District Courts. 28 U.S.C. $ 

### 1346(bXl).As a result, the 

### complaint is 

### hereby.DISMISSED without 

### prejudice. The 

### clerk isdirected to 

### enterjudgment accordingly.' 

### IT IS SO 

### ORDERED.

' 

### Plaintiff has also 

### filed a 

### motion to proceed 

### in forma pauperis, ECF 

### No. 2, and a 

### motion for appointment 

### of counsel, ECF 

### No.

### 3. The court 

### GRANTS 

### plaintiff leave to proceed 

### in forma 

### pauperis. As the case is dismissed, the 

### motion for appointment is

### MOOT.