Opinion ID: 106534
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the collateral-estoppel issue.

Text: Mendoza-Martinez' second amended complaint, filed in 1960 pursuant to the suggestion of this Court earlier that year, charged that the government of the United States has admitted the fact of his United States citizenship by virtue of the indictment and judgment of conviction [in 1947 for draft evasion] . . . and is therefore collaterally estopped now to deny such citizenship . . . . The District Court rejected this assertion. Mendoza-Martinez renews it here as an alternative ground for upholding the judgment entered below That the plaintiff is now, and ever since the date of his birth has been, a national and citizen of the United States. 192 F. Supp., at 3. We too reject Mendoza-Martinez' contention on this point. His argument, stated more fully, is as follows: The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 applies only to citizens and resident aliens. Both the indictment and the judgment spoke in terms of his having remained in Mexico for the entire period from November 15, 1942, until November 1, 1946, when he returned to this country. [7] For the period from September 27, 1944, when § 401 (j) became effective, until November 1, 1946, he could not have been in violation of our draft laws unless he remained a citizen of the United States, since the draft laws do not apply to nonresident aliens. Therefore, he concludes, the Government must be taken to have admitted that he did not lose his citizenship by remaining outside the country after September 27, 1944, because it charged him with draft evasion for that period as well as for the period preceding that date. It is true that as to those matters in issue or points controverted, upon the determination of which the finding or verdict was rendered, Cromwell v. County of Sac, 94 U. S. 351, 353, the findings in a prior criminal proceeding may estop a party in a subsequent civil action, Emich Motors Corp. v. General Motors Corp., 340 U. S. 558, 568-569, and that the United States may be estopped to deny even an erroneous prior determination of status, United States v. Moser, 266 U. S. 236. However, Mendoza-Martinez' citizenship status was not at issue in his trial for draft evasion. Putting aside the fact that he pleaded guilty, which in itself may support the conclusion that his citizenship status was not litigated and thereby without more preclude his assertion of estoppel, [8] the basic flaw in his argument is in the assertion that he was charged with a continuing violation of the draft laws while he remained in Mexico, particularly after September 27, 1944, the date on which § 401 (j) became effective. He was in fact charged with a violation on or about November 15, 1942, because he did knowingly evade service . . . in that he did knowingly depart from the United States and go to a foreign country, namely: Mexico, for the purpose of evading service . . . . This constituted the alleged violation. The additional language that he did there remain until on or about November 1, 1946, was merely surplusage in relation to the substantive offense, although it might, for example, serve a purpose in relation to problems connected with the tolling of the statute of limitations. No language appears charging the elements of violationknowledge and purpose to evadein connection with it. The only crime charged is what happened on or about November 15, 1942, and conviction thereon, even if it had entailed a finding as to Mendoza-Martinez' citizenship on that date, [9] in nowise estopped the Government with reference to his status after September 27, 1944. The trial court's judgment was worded no differently. Mendoza-Martinez was convicted of: Having on or about November 15th 1942, knowingly departed from the United States to Mexico, for the purpose of evading service in the land or naval forces of the United States and having remained there until on or about November 1st 1946. Again, the language relating to the time during which Mendoza-Martinez remained in Mexico was not tied to the words stating knowledge and purpose to evade service. Thus, the conviction entailed no actual or necessary finding about Mendoza-Martinez' citizenship status between September 27, 1944, and November 1, 1946, and the Government was not estopped from denying his citizenship in the present proceedings.