Opinion ID: 773879
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Contract Disputes Act

Text: 48 Demontiney contends that the Contract Disputes Act of 1978, 41 U.S.C. §§ 601 et seq., provides district court jurisdiction for his contract dispute. However, the Contract Disputes Act, in conjunction with the Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1491(a)(1) and the Little Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(a)(2), do not waive federal sovereign immunity for district court jurisdiction here. Instead, the statutes grant the Court of Federal Claims jurisdiction to adjudicate any contract claims Demontiney might have against the United States. 49 The Tucker Act provides jurisdiction in the Court of Federal Claims for claims against the United Statesfounded either upon the Constitution, or any Act of Congress or any regulation of an executive department, or upon any express or implied contract with the United States. 28 U.S.C. §§ 1491(a)(1). The Little Tucker Act, as amended by the Contract Disputes Act, gives district courts concurrent jurisdiction with the Court of Federal Claims for: 50 Any other civil action or claim against the United States, not exceeding $10,000 in amount, founded either upon the Constitution, or any Act of Congress, or any regulation of an 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, except that the district courts shall not have jurisdiction of any civil action or claim against the United States founded upon any express or implied contract with the United States or for liquidated or unliquidated damages in cases not sounding in tort which are subject to sections 8(g)(1) and 10(a)(1) of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978. 51 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(a)(2). 52 The Little Tucker Act does not give district courts jurisdiction for contract claims exceeding $10,000, and does not give district courts jurisdiction for claims covered by sections 8(g)(1) and 10(a)(1) of the Contract Disputes Act. Id. The district court does not have jurisdiction over Demontiney's claims under the Little Tucker Act because (1) his claims under the subcontract--$185,419 for the unpaid balance alone --far exceeds the $10,000 limit; and (2) his claims arise, if at all, under section 10(a)(1) of the Contract Disputes Act [41 U.S.C. §§ 609(a)(1)]. See id. 53 Here, any contract claim Demontiney might have against the United States would be covered by the Contract Disputes Act because he claims contractual privity with a federal executive agency, the BIA, and the contract concernsthe procurement of services or the procurement of construction, alteration, repair, or maintenance of real property.  41 U.S.C. §§ 602(a). See also Janicki Logging Co. v. Mateer, 42 F.3d 561, 565 (9th Cir. 1994). Demontiney submitted his claim in writing to a contracting officer who rejected the claim, but Demontiney did not follow the Contract Disputes Act procedure of appealing the contracting officer's adverse decision to the agency board of contract appeals. See 41 U.S.C. §§§§ 605(a), 606. Demontiney also did not follow the alternative procedure of filing a claim in the Court of Federal Claims. See 41 U.S.C. §§ 609(a)(1). Instead, Demontiney filed his claims against the United States in federal district court. That court correctly concluded it lacked jurisdiction 3 and the court ordered Demontiney's claims against the United States transferred to the Court of Federal Claims pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1631. See Mendenhall v. Kusicko , 857 F.2d 1378 (9th Cir. 1988). 4