Opinion ID: 708081
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: fifth amendment rights

Text: 11 McDonald also claims that his rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution were violated because he was denied due process or fundamental fairness in the taking of the money which he claims was his property. 12 This issue also was not raised before the district court. Ordinarily, we will not address issues on appeal that were not raised and ruled upon below, Meade v. Pension Appeals and Review Committee, 966 F.2d 190, 194 (6th Cir.1992), but we may address such an issue in exceptional circumstances. Id. No exceptional circumstances have arisen here, because it is a case in which the claimant asserts that his attorney was negligent in his representation. The Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment applies to governmental actions, not the conduct of retained counsel. There is nothing fundamentally unfair with the process accorded in the district court, inasmuch as it entered default judgment after McDonald's counsel failed to provide discovery. 13 We find this claim was not properly preserved for appeal. However, assuming it was properly presented before this court, the issue is without merit. 14 AFFIRMED.