§2675 — Title 28 Judiciary and Judicial Procedure | U.S. Code

Summary

You cannot sue the United States for money damages for injury, death, or property loss caused by a federal employee until you first give the claim to the right federal agency and the agency finally denies it in writing and sends that denial by certified or registered mail. If the agency does not give a final answer within six months, you can treat that as a denial. This rule does not apply to claims raised as a third‑party complaint, cross‑claim, or counterclaim in court. You cannot ask for more money in court than the amount you presented to the agency, unless the extra amount comes from newly found evidence you could not have found before, or from new events that changed the claim. A decision by the Attorney General or an agency head does not count as proof the government is liable or as proof of how much the damages are.

Title 28, §2675

Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)An action shall not be instituted upon a claim against the United States for money damages for injury or loss of property or personal injury or death caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of any employee of the Government while acting within the scope of his office or employment, unless the claimant shall have first presented the claim to the appropriate Federal agency and his claim shall have been finally denied by the agency in writing and sent by certified or registered mail. The failure of an agency to make final disposition of a claim within six months after it is filed shall, at the option of the claimant any time thereafter, be deemed a final denial of the claim for purposes of this section. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to such claims as may be asserted under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure by third party complaint, cross-claim, or counterclaim.

(b)Action under this section shall not be instituted for any sum in excess of the amount of the claim presented to the federal agency, except where the increased amount is based upon newly discovered evidence not reasonably discoverable at the time of presenting the claim to the federal agency, or upon allegation and proof of intervening facts, relating to the amount of the claim.

(c)Disposition of any claim by the Attorney General or other head of a federal agency shall not be competent evidence of liability or amount of damages.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

1948 ActBased on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 931(b) (Aug. 2, 1946, ch. 753, § 410(b), 60 Stat. 844). Section constitutes all of section 931(b), except the first sentence, of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed. The remainder of such section 931(b) is incorporated in section 2677 of this title. Changes were made in phraseology. 1949 ActThis section corrects a typographical error in section 2675(b) of title 28, U.S.C.

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, referred to in subsec. (a), are set out in the Appendix to this title.

Amendments

1966—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 89–506, § 2(a), required that all administrative claims be filed with the agency or department and finally denied by the agency and sent by certified or registered mail prior to the filing of a court action against the United States, provided that the claimant be given the option of considering the claim to have been denied if the agency fails to make final disposition of the claim within six months of presentation of the claim to the agency, and provided that the requirements of the subsection would not apply to claims asserted under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure by third party complaint, cross-claim, or counterclaim. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 89–506, § 2(b), struck out provisions under which a claimant could, upon 15 days written notice, withdraw a claim from the agency and institute an action thereon. 1949—Subsec. (b). Act May 24, 1949, substituted “section” for “subsection”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1966 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 89–506 applicable to claims accruing six months or more after July 18, 1966, see section 10 of Pub. L. 89–506, set out as a note under section 2672 of this title.

§2675 Disposition by Federal Agency as Prerequisite; Evidence