Court Opinion

ID: 9468303
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 02:11:43.733357+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:40:48.757912
License: Public Domain

REINHARDT, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
I concur in the result. I agree that there was no breach of any statute or regulation; nor was there a breach of the Variable Incentive Pay agreement. That, in my opinion, fully disposes of the issues discussed in section I of the opinion (the Con*1071tract Claims). I also agree that estoppel does not afford a basis for monetary relief against the United States where the claim arises out of an alleged misrepresentation by a military recruiting officer. Military recruitment is, for many reasons, sui generis. Courts view the process of transforming civilians into military personnel “in the military and national defense context.” Rostker v. Goldberg, — U.S. —, —, 101 S.Ct. 2646, 2651-52, 69 L.Ed.2d 478 (1981). Constitutional and other legal rights are viewed differently when they arise in that context. This court has recently said, for example, that governmental decisions as to eligibility to serve in the military may be made for reasons which would be unconstitutional were civilian government employment at issue. Beller v. Middendorf, 632 F.2d 788, 810-812 (9th Cir. 1980). Accordingly, I would reject Dr. Jablon’s estoppel claim on the ground that it arises in a military context, and would defer to a more appropriate occasion any general discussion of the availability of promissory estoppel against the government.