Opinion ID: 480554
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Dismissal of Adams's Claim

Text: 14 Adams filed no administrative claim of her own with HUD, and her claim in the present action was properly dismissed because Sec. 2675(a) prohibits suit against the United States unless the claimant shall have first presented the claim to the appropriate Federal agency. She seeks to avoid this prohibition by arguing that her name should be read into the administrative claim filed on behalf of her daughter and that the government should be estopped from asserting the administrative filing requirement against her because it knew or should have known that she might have a claim arising out of her daughter's accident. Neither contention has merit. 15 In support of the contention that Adams's name should be read into Falicha's administrative claim, Adams relies on House v. Mine Safety Appliances Co., 573 F.2d 609, 615-16 (9th Cir.), cert. denied sub nom. Silver Dollar Mining Co. v. PVO International, Inc., 439 U.S. 862, 99 S.Ct. 182, 58 L.Ed.2d 171 (1978), overruled on other grounds, Warren v. United States Department of the Interior, 724 F.2d 776, 780 (9th Cir.1984). Her reliance is misplaced. In House, the plaintiffs had in fact filed their own administrative claim. The House court merely held that this administrative claim would not be ruled inadequate solely by reason of the fact that some of the required information was incorporated by reference from the administrative claims filed with the agency by other persons who also claimed damages as a result of the same occurrence. See 573 F.2d at 615. This holding does not help Adams, who, on her own behalf, filed nothing. 16 Adams's contention that the district court should have held the government estopped from asserting the filing requirement against her borders on the frivolous. She did not allege any act of misconduct on the part of any government official, and the government was under no obligation to advise her to comply with Sec. 2675 if she wished eventually to bring suit, see Dancy v. United States, 229 Ct.Cl. 300, 668 F.2d 1224, 1228 (1982) (even if government has actual or constructive notice of a possible claim, it has no duty to solicit an administrative claim to ensure that the jurisdictional prerequisite to suit is properly laid). Thus, a finding of estoppel would have been improper. See Schweiker v. Hansen, 450 U.S. 785, 788, 101 S.Ct. 1468, 1470, 67 L.Ed.2d 685, reh'g denied, 451 U.S. 1032, 101 S.Ct. 3023, 69 L.Ed.2d 401 (1981); Chu v. Schweiker, 690 F.2d 330, 334 (2d Cir.1982); United States v. RePass, 688 F.2d 154, 158 (2d Cir.1982). 17 We conclude that Adams's claim for damages for the loss of Falicha's services was properly dismissed.