Court Opinion

ID: 9702471
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 23:12:40.135894+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:21:37.804676
License: Public Domain

WHITAKER, Judge
(dissenting).
I do not think we have jurisdiction of plaintiffs’ cause of action under the Contract Settlement Act because of the provisions of section 13 of that Act.
Section 17 authorizes payment by “the contracting agency” of the Government to any person who has furnished materials or services to a “contracting agency” without a formal contract. Subsection (c) of section 17 provides that where the parties cannot agree on a settlement, the dispute may be resolved under the provisions of section 13 of the Act. Section 13 then says that an aggrieved war contractor “may, at his election — * * * bring suit against the United States for such claim or such *477part thereof, in the Court of Claims or in a United States district court, in accordance with subsection (20) of section 41 of Title 28, except that, if the contracting agency is the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, * * * the suit shall be brought against such corporation in any court of competent jurisdiction in accordance with existing law.” (Italics ours.)
Now the opinion of the majority says that if the Reconstruction Finance Corporation was acting as the agent of the United States, the suit may be brought against the United States in this court; but that is directly contrary to what section 13(b) (2) says. It says that the suit may be brought in this court “except that, if the contracting agency is the Reconstruction Finance Corporation,” it must be brought in a court that has jurisdiction of suits against the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. This court has no jurisdiction of such suits.
Since I think the majority opinion is directly contrary to the express provisions of the Contract Settlement Act, I am compelled to dissent.
Judge MADDEN concurs in this dissent.