Opinion ID: 198749
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the interim move

Text: 6 The Uniform Relocation Act provides for payment to displaced persons of actual reasonable expenses incurred in moving a business, searching for a new location, and reestablishing the business at the new location. See 42 U.S.C. § 4622. The Act also requires that the displacing agency take measures to: 7 (2) provide current and continuing information on the availability, sales prices, and rental charges . . . suitable locations for business; 8 . . . 9 (4) assist a person displaced from a business or farm operation in obtaining and becoming established in a suitable replacement location; 10 . . . 11 (6) provide other advisory services to displaced person in order to minimize hardships to such persons in adjusting to relocation. 12 42 U.S.C. § 4625(c). 13 The appellant insists that its interim move was necessitated by the GSA's failure to provide current and continuing assistance within the meaning of the statutory scheme. The appellants rely on our opinion in Pou Pacheco for the proposition that they are entitled to relief where the government's failure to provide adequate assistance compels the displaced party to move more than once. The GSA in turn responds that it satisfied its obligation of providing assistance under the Act, and that the unusually harsh circumstances surrounding Pou Pacheco are not present here. 14 It is undisputed that the GSA and Anthony Athanas provided some assistance to the Cruise Line before its move. That assistance took the form of hiring a harbor consultant, Martha Reardon, and pursuing a lead on potential berth space at the World Trade Center. The Cruise Line challenges the adequacy of this assistance, claiming, among other things, that before compiling a list of alternative sites, the GSA never consulted the Cruise Line with respect to its business needs, and that after providing the list in December 1991, the GSA did nothing further to keep the list current and actually aid the Cruise Line when it was forced to vacate the Fan Pier in November 1992. The Cruise Line also notes that the World Trade Center was not actually available in November 1992, and would have cost the Cruise Line three times the price of its dock space at Fan Pier. The GSA charges that the Cruise Line failed to avail itself of government assistance when it was offered by either responding to correspondence or attending meetings, focusing instead on legal efforts to resist the move. 15 While we are unable to find an affirmative definition of current and continuing assistance in either the statute, the interpreting regulations, or the case law, at least two circuits have concluded that a displacing agency need not obtain or tender a replacement location to adequately meet its burden under the Uniform Relocation Act. See Pietroniro v. Borough of Oceanport, 764 F.2d 976, 980 (3d Cir. 1985); American Dry Cleaners & Laundry, Inc. v. United States Dep't of Transp., 722 F.2d 70, 72-73 (4th Cir. 1983); cf. Katsev v. Coleman, 530 F.2d 176, 180-81 n.7 (8th Cir. 1976) (holding that URA does not guarantee identical substitute housing for displaced person). In other words, the Third and Fourth Circuits have held that the URA does not require that the agency be successful in its relocation assistance. See American Dry Cleaners, 722 F.2d at 73 (relying on the legislative history). Nevertheless, no court has yet determined the minimum amount of assistance required by the Act. 16 Although we took a broad approach to applying the statutory requirements of the URA in Pou Pacheco, our opinion is by no means inconsistent with the view of the Third and Fourth Circuits. Pou Pacheco came to us on appeal from a jury trial and court order to compensate the displaced business under the Uniform Relocation Act. The Pou Pachecos were forced to relocate their coffee torrefaction -- a facility for grinding, processing, warehousing, and selling coffee. Testimony at trial established that torrefaction equipment slips into disrepair if not regularly used. Although some equipment was maintained after the first move, the torrefaction was never fully operational. After the Commonwealth refused to pay for storage beyond twelve months, Pou was forced to move his equipment a second time, but unfortunately was unable to obtain the necessary permits to run his business from the second location. See Pou Pacheco, 833 F.2d at 395. 17 The district court awarded the Pou Pachecos reimbursement for dismantling expenses, moving expenses, storage rental expenses, search costs, reinstallation of machinery and equipment, and value of new equipment and machinery related to both moves. We found that the jury and the court were free to fashion the special relief they did, due to the delicate nature of the displaced business and the fact that the business remained inoperable. Id. at 400-01. We reasoned that the challenged award was sustainable against the background of strong congressional support for the fair and equitable treatment of displaced persons and businesses, as well as Congress' expressed willingness to depart from traditional notions of valuation and eminent domain. Id. at 396. 18 We were very clear that our decision was limited to the unique facts then before us. We made no finding that the government failed to meet its burden under the URA, and set no standard by which to measure the adequacy of the government's assistance. On that issue, we come to the facts of this case with a clean slate, and agree with our colleagues on the Third and Fourth Circuits that the government need not provide a suitable alternate location, but rather must advise displaced businesses of the availability of such sites. See American Dry Cleaners, 722 F.2d at 73. 19 We need not set a threshold level of assistance at this time because it is clear to us in this instance that the GSA satisfied its requirements under the Act. In Pietroniro, the Third Circuit found that reference to five alternative locations and several local realtors satisfied the URA, despite the fact that none of the locations were economically feasible. See 764 F.2d at 981; see also American Dry Cleaners, 722 F.2d at 71 (finding referrals to many possible relocation sites, none of which were acceptable to the displaced business, sufficient assistance under the URA). As in Pietroniro, the Cruise Line has not pointed to a suitable location to which it was not referred by the GSA. See Pietroniro, 764 F.2d at 982-83. To the contrary, the Cruise Line admits that the GSA's referrals may fairly represent then-existing available facilities. The record suggests that the Cruise Line was advised of available locations and that assistance was available, but chose not to avail itself of such services. See Boston v. United States Dep't of Interior, 424 F. Supp. 259, 267 (E.D. Mo. 1976) (granting summary judgment against plaintiff, who claimed denial of advisory services, when evidence indicated that the plaintiff had been advised of services but chose not to seek them). We empathize with the frustrated sentiments of one Massachusetts District Court judge who noted: 20 Although the hardships faced by the tenant are severe, to a large extent they were aggravated by the tenant itself. The tenant had nine months to find a suitable site for relocation. During that time, it refused to accept the prospect of increased rents and face the reality of relocation, apparently determined to remain in possession of the premises. . . . In light of this continued resistance, the tenant will not now be heard to complain of undue hardship. 21 United States v. Acre of Land, 577 F. Supp. 236, 238 (D. Mass. 1983). 22 The current case comes to us in a very different posture than Pou Pacheco. We review the GSA award under a deferential standard and find no evidence that the GSA's decision to exclude the interim move is arbitrary and capricious or an abuse of discretion. We must therefore affirm the decision of the district court on this ground.