HAN KIM v. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Cite as 950 F.Supp.2d 29 (D.D.C. 2013)
[7] Although the plaintiffs have not
provided sufficient evidence to support jurisdiction under the FSIA, a district court
ruling on whether facts in a complaint
adequately allege a basis for invoking the
torture exception under the FSIA should
be immediately appealable. See Price, 294
F.3d at 92 (allowing Libya to immediately
appeal a district court decision rejecting
Libya’s argument that the facts alleged in
the complaint do not bring the case within
an FSIA immunity exception). Moreover,
this case qualifies for an interlocutory appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b). That statute provides that an interlocutory appeal
may be certified to the court of appeals
when
a district judge TTT shall be of the opinion that such order involves a controlling
question of law as to which there is
substantial ground for difference of
opinion and that an immediate appeal
from the order may materially advance
the ultimate termination of the litigation.
28 U.S.C. § 1292(b). ‘‘Under § 1292(b), a
controlling question of law is one that
would require reversal if decided incorrectly or that could materially affect the
course of litigation with resulting savings
of the court’s or the parties’ resources[ ]’’
and ‘‘include[s] issues that would terminate
an action if the district court’s order were
reversed.’’ APCC Servs., Inc. v. Sprint
Communic’ns Co., L.P., 297 F.Supp.2d 90,
95–96 (D.D.C.2003) (internal citations and
quotation marks omitted). Here, the determination of subject matter jurisdiction
qualifies as a controlling question of law.
See id. Also, there is ‘‘a substantial
ground for difference of opinion’’ about
whether plaintiffs have presented the requisite quantum of evidence to show that
Reverend Kim was tortured under the
FSIA. Cf. Doe v. Qi, 349 F.Supp.2d 1258,
1312–17 (N.D.Cal.2004) (discussing Price
and collecting cases applying the standard
for sufficient factual allegations to allege
torture under the FSIA). Finally, ‘‘[w]hen
43
there are substantial grounds for difference of opinion as to a court’s subject
matter jurisdiction, courts regularly hold
that immediate appeal may ‘materially advance the ultimate termination of the litigation.’ ’’ Al Maqaleh v. Gates, 620
F.Supp.2d 51, 55 (D.D.C.2009). Certification for an interlocutory appeal in this
case, then, is warranted.
CONCLUSION AND ORDER
Subject matter jurisdiction over this action depends in part upon an adequate
demonstration that Reverend Kim was tortured following his abduction. Plaintiffs
have not met to the court’s satisfaction the
high standard recognized by this circuit
under the FSIA for showing that Reverend Kim was tortured. Thus, the court
lacks subject matter jurisdiction over this
action. The motion for default judgment
will be denied, and the case will be certified for interlocutory appeal on the issue of
the requisite quantum of evidence for sufficiently alleging torture under the FSIA.
Accordingly, it is hereby
ORDERED that plaintiffs’ motion [14]
for default judgment be, and hereby is,
DENIED. It is further
ORDERED that this case be, and hereby is, certified for immediate appeal under
28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) because it involves a
controlling question of law as to which
there is a substantial ground for difference
of opinion, and an immediate appeal may
materially advance the ultimate termination of this litigation. It is further
ORDERED that all proceedings in this
case be stayed upon the application of the
plaintiffs for an interlocutory appeal under
28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) of the finding that the
court lacks subject matter jurisdiction under the FSIA.
,