Opinion ID: 197293
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Claim under the FTCA

Text: 11 FTCA claimants must file suit in federal court within six months of the date on which the federal agency to which the claim has been addressed mails notice of final denial of their claim. See 28 U.S.C. § 2401(b). Here, it is not disputed that the DEA sent a letter on January 4, 1994 to appellants' counsel stating that, in response to appellants' July 19, 1993 letter, [t]o the extent that this correspondence can be construed as claim [sic] against the United States of America pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), 28 U.S.C. § 2671 et seq., such claim is denied. Appellants filed their suit under the FTCA in November 1994, more than six months after the DEA denial letter was mailed, and thus their FTCA claim was properly found to be time-barred. 12 On appeal, two meritless arguments have been proffered. The first is that the January 4 letter cannot be deemed a final denial because it did not specifically address appellants' August 18, 1993 letter. We find, however, that the language of the letter was unambiguous in denying appellants' claim, which was made in both the July 19, 1993 and the August 18, 1993 letters. 6 13 Second, appellants argue that the January 4 letter failed to satisfy regulations governing the content of an FTCA claim denial letter, see 28 C.F.R. § 14.9(a), because it did not state that the claimant may file suit in a United States District Court within six months. 7 We are unmoved by appellants' argument that the DEA's failure to use the words file suit created any confusion. We find that the DEA's statement that [t]his denial may be appealed to the appropriate United States District Court within six months of this letter, while not using the words may file suit, adequately satisfied the requirements of regulation 14.9(a) by giving sufficient notice of the six-month limitations period applicable to their right to file suit in district court. Cf. Hatchell v. United States, 776 F.2d 244, 245-46 (9th Cir.1985) (We decline to require any specific verbal formulation to ensure compliance with the regulations governing denial of claims.).