Alon International, Inc. v. United States

910 F. Supp. 233, 76 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6505, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13689, 1995 WL 644221
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 5, 1995
DocketCiv. A. No. 94-1801
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 910 F. Supp. 233 (Alon International, Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alon International, Inc. v. United States, 910 F. Supp. 233, 76 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6505, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13689, 1995 WL 644221 (W.D. Pa. 1995).

Opinion

[234]*234MEMORANDUM OPINION

LEE, District Judge.

Before the Court are Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Document No. 7) and Plaintiffs Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (Document No. 12). For the reasons stated below, Plaintiffs motion for summary judgment will be denied and Defendant’s motion for summary judgment will be granted.

I. Factual Background

This is an action by plaintiff, Alon International, Inc. (“Alon”), against defendant United States of America (the “Government”) to recover an overpayment of federal income tax and interest thereon for the taxable year ended December 31, 1989. Jurisdiction is alleged pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1346(a)(1).

Alon is a “foreign sales corporation” under 26 U.S.C. §§ 921-927. Alon Processing, Inc. (“Processing”) is the “related supplier corporation” to Alon. During the tax year 1989, both Alon and Processing were solely owned by Morris Weinbaum and his wife. During the tax year 1989, Processing was a Subchapter S corporation.

On January 1,1990, Nukem GmbH, a German corporation, purchased the stock of both Alon and Processing from Morris Weinbaum. As a Subchapter S corporation cannot be owned by a nonresident alien, Nukem GmbH terminated the Subchapter S election of Processing on January 1, 1990, and began reporting income from Processing as a Sub-chapter C corporation.

In August, 1992, Nukem GmbH filed an amended corporate tax return (Form 1120FSC) on behalf of Alon for the tax year 1989 and also filed an amended information return (Form 1120S) for Processing. Additionally, Nukem GmbH issued amended Forms K-l (Shareholder’s Share of Income, Credits and Distributions, etc.) to Mr. Weinbaum.

In its refund claim, Alon alleged that its income was overreported and that the income of Processing, the related supplier, was underreported by a corresponding amount. The effect of the amended return of Alon and the amended information return of Processing was to obtain a refund of tax for 1989 for Nukem GmbH, and corresponding increase in tax for 1989 for Morris Weinbaum, the former sole shareholder and owner of Processing.

By letters dated September 4, 1992, and September 24, 1992, Morris Weinbaum’s accountant and lawyer, respectively, informed the Internal Revenue Service and Nukem GmbH that Mr. Weinbaum did not consent to the filing of an amended return for Alon or an amended information return for Processing for the year 1989.

The parties cross move for summary judgment pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 because of an asserted absence of any genuine issues of material facts. Alon contends it is entitled to a recovery of an overpayment of federal income tax and interest thereon paid to the IRS on its 1989 tax return. The Government contends provisions of the Internal Revenue Code clearly proscribe the redetermination filed by Alon on behalf of Processing.

II. Summary Judgment Standard

Rule 56(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure reads, in pertinent part, as follows:

[Summary judgment] shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

Fed.R.Civ.P. 56.

In interpreting Rule 56(c), the United States Supreme Court has stated:

The plain language ... mandates entry of summary judgment, after adequate time for discovery and upon motion, against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s ease, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial. In such a situation, there can be no genuine issue as to material fact, since a complete failure of proof concern[235]*235ing an essential element of the non-moving party’s case necessarily renders all other facts immaterial.

Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).

An issue of material fact is genuine only if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the non-moving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The court must view the facts in a light most favorable to the non-moving party and the burden of establishing that no genuine issue of material fact exists rests with the movant. Id. at 242, 106 S.Ct. at 2505. The “existence of disputed issues of material fact should be ascertained by resolving ‘all inferences, doubts and issues of credibility against the moving party.’” Ely v. Hall’s Motor Transit Co., 590 F.2d 62, 66 (3d Cir.1978) (quoting Smith v. Pittsburgh Gage & Supply Co., 464 F.2d 870, 874 (3d Cir. 1972)). Final credibility determinations on material issues cannot be made in the context of a motion for summary judgment, nor can the district court weigh the evidence. Josey v. Hollingsworth Corp., 996 F.2d 632 (3d Cir.1993); Petruzzi’s IGA Supermarkets, Inc. v. Darling-Delaware Co., 998 F.2d 1224 (3d Cir.1993).

When the non-moving party will bear the burden of proof at trial, the moving party’s burden can be “discharged by ‘showing’— that is, pointing out to the District Court— that there is an absence of evidence to support the non-moving party’s case.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 325, 106 S.Ct. at 2554. If the moving party has carried this burden, the burden shifts to the non-moving party who cannot rest on the allegations of the pleadings and must “do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1355, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986); Petruzzi’s IGA Supermarkets, 998 F.2d at 1230. When the non-moving party’s evidence in opposition to a properly supported motion for summary judgment is “merely colorable” or “not significantly probative,” the court may grant summary judgment. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249-50, 106 S.Ct. at 2510-11.

The parties agree that the only issue in this case is whether Processing, under new ownership and no longer an S corporation since January 1,1990, has standing to file the 1989 amended Form 1120S at issue. Because the parties agree on the facts relevant to this dispute, the ease is a particularly appropriate candidate for summary judgment analysis. See Continental Ins. Co. v.

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910 F. Supp. 233, 76 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6505, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13689, 1995 WL 644221, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alon-international-inc-v-united-states-pawd-1995.