PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

You can ask for the return of property that was put into the care of the President’s chosen holder. You can do this by suing in federal court in Washington, D.C., or in the federal court where you live (or where your company has its main office), or by filing a sworn written claim with the President’s designee. In either case the designee must be made a party, and you must show you are not Bulgaria, Hungary, or Rumania (or a national as defined in Executive Order 8389 of April 10, 1940) and that you owned the property right before it was taken or inherited it. If a court or the designee finds for you, the property or its net sale proceeds must be returned, though the designee keeps custody until any final judgment is satisfied. If the designee denies your written claim, you may ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to review that denial within 60 days. The designee must answer within 45 days and give the claim record. The court can confirm, change, set aside, or remand the decision and can order return of all or part of the property. Your only legal remedy for such vested property is through these procedures (except claims under section 1631o). Stock-based claims are allowed if at least 25% of the company was owned at vesting by nationals of countries other than Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, Germany, or Japan, but a foreign national’s claim can only be paid after the State Department certifies reciprocal treatment. The designee may keep or recoup up to the amount spent to preserve or maintain returned property.

Title 22, §1631f

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Action for return of property; jurisdiction; complaint; custody of property until final determination

Any person who has not filed a notice of claim under subsection (b) of this section may institute a suit in equity for the return of any property, or the net proceeds thereof, vested in a designee of the President pursuant to section 1631a(a) of this title and held by such designee. Such suit, to which said designee shall be made a party defendant, shall be instituted in the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia or in the district court of the United States for the district in which the claimant resides, or, if a corporation, where it has its principal place of business, by the filing of a complaint which alleges—

(1)that the claimant is a person other than Bulgaria, Hungary, or Rumania, or a national thereof as defined in Executive Order 8389 of April 10, 1940, as amended; and

(2)that the claimant was the owner of such property immediately prior to its vesting, or is the successor in interest of such owner by inheritance, devise, or bequest.

If the court finds in favor of the claimant, it shall order the payment, conveyance, transfer, assignment, or delivery to said claimant of such property, or the net proceeds thereof, held by said designee or the portion thereof to which the court shall determine said claimant is entitled. If suit shall be so instituted, then such property, or, if liquidated, the net proceeds thereof, shall be retained in the custody of said designee until any final judgment or decree which shall be entered in favor of the claimant shall be fully satisfied, or until final judgment or decree shall be entered against the claimant or suit otherwise terminated.

(b)Notice of claim; review of denial

Any person who has not instituted a suit under the provisions of subsection (a) of this section may file a notice of claim under oath for the return of any property, or the net proceeds thereof, vested in a designee of the President pursuant to section 1631a(a) of this title and held by such designee. Such notice of claim shall be filed with said designee and in such form and containing such particulars as said designee shall require. Said designee may return any property so claimed, or the net proceeds thereof, whenever he shall determine—

(1)that the claimant is a person other than Bulgaria, Hungary, or Rumania, or a national thereof as defined in Executive Order 8389 of April 10, 1940, as amended; and

(2)that the claimant was the owner of such property immediately prior to its vesting, or is the successor in interest of such owner by inheritance, devise, or bequest.

Any person whose claim is finally denied in whole or in part by said designee may obtain review of such denial by filing a petition therefor in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Such petition for review must be filed within sixty days after the date of mailing of the final order of denial by said designee and a copy shall forthwith be transmitted to the said designee by the clerk of the court. Within forty-five days after receipt of such petition for review, or within such further time as the court may grant for good cause shown, said designee shall file an answer thereto, and shall file with the court the record of the proceedings with respect to such claim, as provided in section 2112 of title 28. The court may enter judgment affirming the order of the designee; or, upon finding that such order is not in accordance with law or that any material findings upon which such order is based are unsupported by substantial evidence, may enter judgment modifying or setting aside the order in whole or in part, and (1) directing a return of all or part of the property claimed, or (2) remanding the claim for further administrative proceedings thereon. If a notice of claim is filed under this subsection, the property which is the subject of such claim, or, if liquidated, the net proceeds thereof, shall be retained in the custody of said designee until any final order of said designee or any final judgment or decree which shall be entered in favor of the claimant shall be fully satisfied, or until a final order of said designee or a final judgment or decree shall be entered against the claimant, or the claim or suit otherwise terminated.

(c)Exclusiveness of relief

The sole relief and remedy of any person having any claim to any property vested pursuant to section 1631a(a) of this title, except a person claiming under section 1631o of this title, shall be that provided by the terms of subsection (a) or (b) of this section, and in the event of the liquidation by sale or otherwise of such property, shall be limited to and enforced against the net proceeds received therefrom and held by the designee of the President. The claim of any person based on his ownership of shares of stock or other proprietary interest in a corporation which was the owner of property at the date of vesting thereof under section 1631a(a) of this title shall be allowable under subsection (a) or (b) of this section if 25 per centum or more of the outstanding capital stock or other proprietary interest in the corporation was owned at such date by nationals of countries other than Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, Germany, or Japan. But no such claim of a national of a foreign country shall be satisfied except after certification by the Department of State that the country of the national accords protection to nationals of the United States in similar types of cases.

(d)Recovery for conservation, preservation or maintenance of property

The designee of the President may retain or recover from any property, or the net proceeds thereof, returned pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section an amount not exceeding that expended or incurred by him for the conservation, preservation, or maintenance of such property or proceeds.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Executive Order 8389 of April 10, 1940, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1) and (b)(1), is Ex. Ord. No. 8389, Apr. 10, 1940, 5 F.R. 1400, which is set out under section 4305 of Title 50, War and National Defense.

Amendments

1968—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 90–421 inserted “, except a person claiming under section 1631o of this title,” after “pursuant to section 1631a(a) of this title”. 1958—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 85–791, in fifth sentence, substituted “shall forthwith be transmitted to the said designee by the clerk of the court” for “must be served on the said designee”, and in sixth sentence, substituted “receipt” for “service” and substituted “file with the court the record of the proceedings with respect to such claim, as provided in section 2112 of title 28” for “certify and file with the court a transcript of the entire record of the proceedings with respect to such claim”.

§1631f Claims to Vested Property