Court Opinion

ID: 9463077
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 22:57:36.695502+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:32:01.141097
License: Public Domain

BRIEANT, District Judge
(dissenting):
Oliver Twist, speaking in behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, asked his almoners at the workhouse for more gruel. He was reprimanded by the Beadle and severely punished.1 The social security system in this country, stripped of its rhetoric, is federal almsgiving, so recognized by the Supreme Court.2 To prevent the latter *915day Twists from annoying the beadles at HEW with proliferating litigation in district courts in which they ask for more, Congress enacted 42 U.S.C. § 405(h), incorporated by reference in 42 U.S.C. § 1395Ü.
This statute, even as enlarged by the gloss of Weinberger v. Salfi, 422 U.S. 749, 95 S.Ct. 2457, 45 L.Ed.2d 522 (1975), merely limits access to the district courts by “beneficiaries” of the system, the Twists.
The majority in this case holds that “[A]s in Salfi, the plaintiff seeks to recover payments allegedly due under the Act.” Plainly, this is factually incorrect. South Windsor, appellee here, is no beneficiary of the Act. Its inmate patients are the beneficiaries, and to them perhaps the courthouse door is partially closed by the rule of Salfi, relied on by the majority. But South Windsor is a party having contract rights with an intermediate party (Travelers Insurance Company) acting in turn for HEW.
It is a provider under Title XVIII, not a beneficiary. There is no factual dispute about that, nor is it disputed that the Secretary, through his minions applied economic duress or coercion to South Windsor to induce it to repay $15,655. “under protest.” But for this duress, the Secretary would have been a party plaintiff in the district court. Instead, he announced that further intransigence and refusal to repay the disputed sum would lead him to stop substantial and entirely unrelated payments concededly owed appellee for unrelated services under Title XIX of the Act. See Complaint, K 21, and the district court opinion, 403 F.Supp. 515, 517.3
Here, appellee pleaded with sufficiency that the Secretary tortiously extracted money from it under protest, claimed to be due under a regulation unconstitutional and invalid as applied to it, and in doing so deprived it of money and contract rights without due process. Subject matter jurisdiction exists under 28 U.S.C. § 1331(a) to recover such money given over under protest, and taken in violation of the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution and Art. I, § 10, Cl. 1 thereof, by a federal official. Bell v. Hood, 327 U.S. 678, 681-82, 66 S.Ct. 773, 90 L.Ed. 939 (1946).
Actions against a federal officer as an individual to recover money and property delivered over under protest to such officer acting under statutory powers, which are unconstitutional as applied in the particular case, have always been permitted in the district court. Malone v. Bowdoin, 369 U.S. 643, 647, 82 S.Ct. 980, 8 L.Ed.2d 168 (1962); Dugan v. Bank, 372 U.S. 609, 621—22, 83 S.Ct. 999, 10 L.Ed.2d 15 (1963); Cf., Knight v. State of New York, 443 F.2d 415, 419 (2d Cir. 1971).
I would affirm on the opinion of Judge Clarie below, modifying to strike out the United States as a party defendant.
That the Court of Claims might have jurisdiction is cold comfort to this litigant, and a subject upon which I express no opinion.

. This fictional character first appeared in 1837 in a magazine serial “Oliver Twist; or the Parish Boy’s Progress” by “Boz” (Charles Dickens). A beadle, in English ecclesiastical law, is a parish officer chosen by the vestry to execute its orders, attend upon inquests and to assist the constables. Collecting and disbursing the poor rate was then an ecclesiastical function.

. See Helvering v. Davis, 301 U.S. 619, 640, 57 S.Ct. 904, 81 L.Ed. 1307 (1937); Flemming v. *915Nestor, 363 U.S. 603, 610, 80 S.Ct. 1367, 1372, 4 L.Ed.2d 1435 (1960), cited with approval in Salfi, supra. In Flemming, Justice Harlan wrote: “To engraft upon the Social Security system a concept of ‘accrued property rights’ would deprive it of the flexibility and boldness in adjustment to ever changing conditions which it demands.” In Salfi, 422 U.S. at p. 772, 95 S.Ct. at p. 2470 the Court described the benefits thereunder as
“[A] noncontractual claim to receive funds from the public treasury [which] enjoys no constitutionally protected status, Dandridge v. Williams, [397 U.S. 471, 90 S.Ct. 1153, 25 L.Ed.2d 491], though of course Congress may not invidiously discriminate among such claimants on the basis of a ‘bare congressional desire to harm a politically unpopular' group,’ U. S. Dept, of Agriculture v. Moreno, 413 U.S. 528, 534 [93 S.Ct. 2821, 2826, 37 L.Ed.2d 782] (1973), or on the basis of criteria which bear no rational relation to a legitimate legislative goal.”

. The District Court found that “[u]nder threat of the Government’s complete cutoff of federal financial participation in the [unrelated] Title XIX, program, the plaintiff paid back, under protest” the amount determined by the Secretary to be the appropriate adjustment. [Matter in brackets supplied]. The cash flow and credit problems of those furnishing health services are usually so severe that cessation of the flow of cash results in an immediate cessation of services.