FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, PETITIONER v. JOHN H. MEYER, 510 U.S. 471

Summary

The employee was discharged from his employment with the FDIC, and sued, claiming that the FDIC deprived him of a property right without due process of law in violation of the Fifth Amendment. The employee won a judgment at trial, and the FDIC appealed, arguing that it could not be held liable for constitutional rights violations and that the employee should have proceeded under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). The court held that the employee's suit was not amenable under the FTCA, as his claim was not cognizable. The court determined that the employee properly brought his suit as a Bivens action but that the substantive law did not provide any avenue of relief for the employee. The court dismissed the employee's claim, holding that federal agencies, such as the FDIC, were immune from Bivens actions alleging a violation of constitutional rights.