Crews v. United States

NOTE: This order is nonprecedential United States Court of AppeaIs for the FederaI Circuit RANDOLPH CREWS, Plaintiff-Appellant, V. UNITED STATES, Defendant-Appellee. 2010-5151 Appeal from the United States Court of Federal Claims in case no. 08-CV-068, Senior Judge Bohdan A. Futey. ON MOTION ORDER Rando1ph Crews moves for leave to proceed in forma pauperis The court treats Crews’ submission as a motion for reconsideration of the c0urt's order dismissing this appeal for failure to pay the filing fee. Upon consideration thereof IT ls ORDERED THAT: IN RE R&R INVESTORS 2 notice of appeal. A.F.T.E.R. Incorporated et al. (A.F.T.E.R.) and the United States each respond. In the Court of Federal Claims, 116 property owners, including R&R, filed suit alleging Tucker Act claims. R&R is a partnership, and the petitioners are former partners who assert that they, not the current partners of R&R, are the owners of the Tucker Act claims. ln l\/lay 2007, the parties entered into a settlement agreement covering the outstanding claims in this case. At R&R’s request, the Court of Federal Claims suspended proceed- ings pending disposition of an interpleader action that was filed in Minnesota state court to determine issues of state partnership law and entitlement to the settlement proceeds. The Minnesota state district court ruled that the current partners are entitled to the proceeds, and the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed Faegre & Ben.son., LLP v. R&R Irwestors, 772 N.W. 2d 846 (lVlinn. App. 2009). The United States and R&R filed a stipulation of dismissal and the Court of Federal Claims dismissed the complaint. Hogenson filed a motion to vacate and for reconsideration, which the Court of Federal Claims de- nied. Hogenson now petitions for a writ of mandamus to direct the Court of Federal Claims to vacate the stipula- tion of voluntary dismissal, grant Hogenson’s motion to vacate and for reconsideration, rule on Hogenson’s motion to substitute counsel, rule on Hogenson’s motion for leave to intervene, and file Hogenson’s notice of appeal. The writ of mandamus is available in extraordinary situations to correct a clear abuse of discretion or usurpa- tion of judicial power. In re Calrnar, Inc., 854 F.2d 46-1, 464 (Fed. Cir. 1998). A party seeking a writ bears the burden of proving that it has no other means of obtaining the relief desired, Mallard v. U.S. Dist. Ct. for S. Dist. of Iowa, 490 U.S. 296, 309 (1989), and that the right to issuance of the writ is "clear and indisputable,” Allied