Sutcliffe Storage & Warehouse Co. v. United States

Sutcliffe Storage & Warehouse Co. (plaintiff) leased property to the Navy under a 1942 lease later extended by three identical renewal leases; the Navy allegedly began occupying and using additional premises beyond the leased property starting June 15, 1942. In 1946, Sutcliffe filed four separate district-court actions against the United States (defendant), each claiming under $10,000 and each corresponding to one lease period, rather than one consolidated suit; the district court dismissed the three actions tied to the renewal periods as improperly splitting a single claim, and Sutcliffe appealed, arguing that consolidating the claims would force it into Court of Claims jurisdiction since the aggregate exceeded $10,000.