From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Taylor v. United States Patent and Trademark Office

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Dec 31, 2013
551 F. App'x 341 (9th Cir. 2013)

Opinion

Submitted December 17, 2013

The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).

NOT FOR PUBLICATION. (See Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure Rule 32.1)

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. D.C. No. 3:12-cv-03851-WHA. William Alsup, District Judge, Presiding.

MARCUS R. TAYLOR, Plaintiff - Appellant, Pro se, Castro Valley, CA.

For UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, Defendant - Appellee: Mark R. Conrad, U.S. Department of Justice, Northern District of California, San Francisco, CA.


Before: GOODWIN, WALLACE, and GRABER, Circuit Judges.

MEMORANDUM

This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3.

Marcus R. Taylor appeals pro se from the district court's judgment dismissing his action alleging violations of various federal laws arising from the alleged leak of his confidential patent disclosure statement. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review for an abuse of discretion the denial of a motion for leave to amend a complaint, Sylvia Landfield Trust v. City of Los Angeles, 729 F.3d 1189, 1191 (9th Cir. 2013), and we affirm.

The district court did not abuse its discretion by denying Taylor leave to amend his complaint to allege fraud because the United States and its agencies are immune from claims of fraud under the Federal Tort Claims Act (the " FTCA" ), and, therefore, Taylor's proposed amendment would have been futile. See id. at 1196 (holding that it is not an abuse of discretion to deny leave to amend where the district court could reasonably conclude that further amendment would be futile); Owyhee Grazing Ass'n, Inc. v. Field, 637 F.2d 694, 697 (9th Cir. 1981) (stating that " claims against the United States for fraud or misrepresentation by a federal officer are absolutely barred by 28 U.S.C. § 2680(h) [of the FTCA]" ).

We do not consider allegations raised for the first time on appeal regarding the alleged violation of Taylor's Fourth Amendment right against the unlawful seizure of property. See Padgett v. Wright, 587 F.3d 983, 985 n.2 (9th Cir. 2009) (per curiam).

AFFIRMED.


Summaries of

Taylor v. United States Patent and Trademark Office

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Dec 31, 2013
551 F. App'x 341 (9th Cir. 2013)
Case details for

Taylor v. United States Patent and Trademark Office

Case Details

Full title:MARCUS R. TAYLOR, Plaintiff - Appellant, v. UNITED STATES PATENT AND…

Court:United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Date published: Dec 31, 2013

Citations

551 F. App'x 341 (9th Cir. 2013)

Citing Cases

Barnes v. T.V. Network

deral Circuit, have remedy by civil action against the Director in the United States District Court for the…