Opinion ID: 495299
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Consular Immunity

Text: 43 Jurisdiction by the district court over consular official Olalandu is premised on 28 U.S.C. Sec. 1351, which states that [t]he district courts shall have original jurisdiction ... of all civil actions and proceedings against--(1) consuls or vice consuls of foreign states. However, the district court does not have jurisdiction over Olalandu if he is protected by consular immunity. We review de novo the district court's conclusion that it does have subject matter jurisdiction over Joseph's tort claims against Olalandu. See Gerritsen, 819 F.2d at 1515. 44 The consular immunity of Olalandu is governed by the Vienna Convention. See id at 1515-16. Under article 43 of the Vienna Convention, consular officials are subject to the jurisdiction of the receiving state except in respect of acts performed in the exercise of consular functions. 21 U.S.T. at 104. Article 5 of the Vienna Convention defines the term consular function. Articles 5(a)-5(1) list twelve specific consular functions. Article 5(m), a catch-all provision, defines consular function to include any other functions entrusted to a consular post by the sending State which are not prohibited by the laws and regulations of the receiving State. 21 U.S.T. at 82-85. 45 We conclude that the tortious acts alleged by Joseph were not performed in the exercise of Olalandu's consular function as a resident of the Joseph house, or of any of Olalandu's other consular functions. Cf. Heaney v. Government of Spain, 445 F.2d 501, 505 (2d Cir.1971) (because consular representative acted in the exercise of consular function in entering into contract, article 5(m) immunized representative from breach of contract suit). The exercise of a consular function necessarily implies an attempt by an employee to perform his or her consular duties successfully. See Commonwealth v. Jerez, 390 Mass. 456, 457 N.E.2d 1105, 1108-09 (1983). The district court correctly found that no public interest or function of the Consulate or Nigeria was furthered by the allegedly tortious acts performed by Olalandu. Therefore, the district court has jurisdiction over Joseph's tort claims against Olalandu. 9