1970 MANUAL ATTORNEYS S. U. TITLE CIVIL 3 DIVISION TITLE 3 CIVIL DIVISION CONTENTS Page General instructions .•.......•••••••••.••.••••.•.••..•••••••••••• 1 Actions by the Government .••.••••••••••••.•.••••••••••••••• 3 Actions against the Government •••••••••••..•••.••.•••••••••• 4 Representation of Government officers and employees •••••••••• 5 General jurisdictional principles •••••••••••••.•.••••••.•••••• 6 Miscellaneous litigation matters ....••••.•..••.••••••••••••••• 7 1970 Advice as to papers filed in litigation ..•••••••••••••••••• 7 Privileged character of Government documents ••.••••••••• 8 Assistance by other attorneys •.•••.••...•••..•••••••••••• 8 Assistance to Civil Division attorneys ••...••••••••••••••• 9 Advice as to constitutional and other questions •••••••••••• 9 Stipulations ...•..•.••.•.••.•.•.•••••••.•••••••••••••••• 9 Disbarment proceedings ••••••••••.•••.••...•.••••.•••••• 9 Duties under Bankruptcy Act .....•..•••••.••••••.••.•••• 10 Duty to assist court with deposited funds.................. 10 Proposed findings and conclusions .........•••••..•••••••• 10 Prior review of proposed judgments ..•....•••.••••••••••• 10 Collections ••...............................•....•.. • • • • . • • • • 10 Referral of claims from other agencies to theMANUAL Department....... 11 Prejudgment collection efforts •..•........••••••...•••.•••..•• 12 Postjudgment collection efforts .................•...•.....•••• 20 Disposition of sums collected ................••....••....•.••• 26 Liaison with Civil Division ................................... 26 Delegation of authority to U.S. Attorneys......... .. ... ..•.. .. 26 Compromise, transfer to inactive status, and closing of cases .•.• 32 Payment and satisfaction of judgments against United States ...... 42 Special instructions ...................••••.•...••••••....•....•• 44 Admiralty and Shipping Section ....•.•••.••.••.•.•..•..••.• 44 Foreign Litigation Unit ...,............... ..••.. •••..•......• 46 Frauds Section .................................•.......•.•• 47 Fraud cases ...................•........................ 47 Statutes of limitation ..................................• 48 General Claims Section ........................................... 50 Bankruptcy and insolvency matters ..........................• 52 Claims against decedents' estates .........................•••• 54 Claims of nonappropriated fund instrumentalities .......•.....• 55 ATTORNEYSCheck reclamation proceedings ....••...•.••••..•.•......•••• 55 Claims for civil penalties ..................••••••......•.•••• 56 Customs duties ...................•..•...•.••••..•....•.....• 56 S. Planning advances ........•.........••••.•••..••••.....••••• 56 SBA claims ...................................••...........• 57 Walsh-Healey Act claims ...................•....•...•••..••• 58 U. Conversion of mortgaged property ............•••..•.....••.•• 58 June 1, 1970 i TITLE 3: CIVIL DIVISION Page Gifts and bequests ..... • 59 Veterans' matters .........................................• 59 Suits on veterans' insurance policies .......................... 60 Suits to quiet title or for foreclosure of liens on property on which Government claims a lien .................................. 61 General Litigation Section ....................................... 63 Tucker Act cases ............................................ 63 Suits to enforce governmental functions ...................... 63 Renegotiation cases ......................................... 64 Civil enforcement of Interstate Commerce Act ................ 65 Department of Agriculture matters .......................... 65 Defense of suits against Federal agencies and officers .......... 66 Participation in suits involving Government "cost-plus" contractors 67 1970 Intervention in actions questioning the constitutionality of an act of Congress .............................................. 68 Filing of briefs amicus curiae in cases affecting interests of the United States ...........................................• ,68 Judgment and Collection Unit......... .. 69 Torts Section ................................................... 69 1966 amendments to Federal Tort Claims Act. 70 Basic issues frequently raised ................................ 73 Cases in which exceptions to the Tort Claims Act are applicable .. 76 Representation of Government drivers pursuant to P.L. 87-258. 76 Federal Medical Care Recovery Act .......................... 77 Medical malpractice cases ....................................MANUAL 78 Aviation litigation .......................................... 79 Delegation of settlement authority to U.S. Attorneys. 79 Settlement offers exceeding your delegated authority ...... 80 Administrative settlement of tort claims against the Department of Justice ................................................ 81 Interest .................................................... 82 Use of FBI in tort investigations. .. 83 Suits on affirmative tort claims .............................. 83 Payments of judgments and compromises ...................... 84 ATTORNEYS S. U. June 1, 1970 ii 1 TITLE 3: CIVIL DIVISION ORGANIZATIONAL NOTE The current organization to handle the workload of the Civil Division includes nine Sections and two Units denominated as follows: Admiralty and Shipping 1970 Appellate Court of Claims Customs Foreign Litigation Unit Frauds General Claims General Litigation Judgment and Collection Unit Patent Torts MANUAL Special instructions concerning the work of particular Sections are placed after the more general instructions which follow im­ mediately. The Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Division also serves as the Director of the Office of Alien Property (28 C.F.R. 0.47). GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS The protection and prosecution of the interests of the United States in civil and criminal litigation is the function and duty of the Attorney General of the United States, except as to situations where specific statutes permit the legal divisions of specified Gov. ATTORNEYSernment agencies to represent these agencies in certain special types of civil litigation. By delegation of the Attorney General, S. the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Division has supervision over the functions described under Civil Division, Title I, supra. The direct handling of certain types of cases has U. been redelegated to the U.S. Attorneys. See pages 26 to 32 of this Title for a description of these cases and the exemption from for­ warding papers thereon. June 1, 1970 2 TITLE 3: CIVIL DIVISION It will be obvious that effective and economical discharge of these delegated functions depends on the mutual interest, en­ thusiasm, confidence, and support of the Civil Division and the U.S. Attorneys. The Civil Division in Washington maintains close liaison with the national offices of the various Government agencies, and stands ready to collect and forward at the earliest possible moment such information as is essential to the preparation of complaints, pretrial conferences, answers, motions, etc., and will thereafter keep in close touch with all developments in each non­ 1970 delegated case. While the bUl'den of litigating cases against the United States, and cases refelTed to him by the Civil Division or by the various Government agencies direct, rests primarily on the U.S. Attorney, the Civil Division will always be fully available and eager to assist in the collection of information, discussion of legal and factual problems, briefing, or any other function, with respect to a case, which would best serve the Government's interest. U.S. Attorneys should not hesitate to request such assistance. At the same time, the interests of the Government require the assumption on the part of U.S. Attorneys of correlatiye duties of cooperation. The Civil Division must be advisedMANUAL at once of every change in the status of every nondelegated matter within its jurisdiction regardless of whether suit has been instituted, and, as to matters in litig:,tion, it must be informed as far in advance as possible of the dates of pretrial conferences, trials, hearings, or arguments, and of any continuances. In addition, prompt report should be made to the Civil Division of an infringement of the property or other interests of the Government warranting the in­ stitution of civil proceedings; and U.S. Attorneys should report to the Civil Division any property belonging to the United States which is not receiving proper care, any claim in favor of the United States not officially lodged with them which in their opinion can be collected, and any default of any officer or employee of the Gov­ ernment engaged in the collection of any debt due the United States orATTORNEYS of the customs revenue, or in the disbursement of Gov­ ernment funds. In coordinating the efforts of the many U.S. Attorneys, the Civil DivisionS. will seek to make available the latest precedents, which may not otherwise be available, work toward selecting the best vehicles for test purposes, assure reasonable uniformity of position U.and procedure, and make available expertise developed in certain specialties over the course of many years. The material which follows is a restatement of departmental orders, memorandums, June 1, 1970 3 TITLE 3: CIVIL DIVISION and practical suggestions which past experience indicates may be most frequently of value in handling civil work. Actions by the Government No civil action in the name of the United States or an officer thereof, in cases within the jurisdiction of this Division,