Ronald Buckler v. United States

MELLOY, Circuit Judge.

Ronald C. Buckler was tragically injured at his place of work, a surface gravel mine. Mr. Buckler sued the United States of America under the Federal Tort Claims Act ("FTCA"), 28 U.S.C. § 1346 (b)(1). He argued his injuries were caused at least in part by a federal mine inspector's inadequate inspection of the mine. The district court held Missouri law contained no private-analogue duty from which FTCA liability could arise. The district court held in the alternative that the discretionary-function exception to the FTCA's waiver of sovereign immunity applied. With one…