Arthur E. Hempel, Jr., Rosemary S. Hempel v. United States

14 F.3d 572, 73 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1372, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 2485, 1994 WL 19118
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedFebruary 16, 1994
Docket92-2499
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 14 F.3d 572 (Arthur E. Hempel, Jr., Rosemary S. Hempel v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arthur E. Hempel, Jr., Rosemary S. Hempel v. United States, 14 F.3d 572, 73 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1372, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 2485, 1994 WL 19118 (11th Cir. 1994).

Opinions

KRAVITCH, Circuit Judge:

The Internal Revenue Code’s Anti-Injunction Act generally forbids courts to restrain the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from assessing1 or collecting a tax. 26 U.S.C. § 7421(a) (1988).2 One exception to this rule arises when the IRS fails to send the taxpayer a statutorily required notice of deficiency, or “90-day letter,” prior to assessment; in such a case, an injunction may issue. See id. §§ 6212(a), 6212(c), 6213(a), 7421(a).3 If, however, the taxpayer waives [574]*574his or her right to receive a deficiency notice, the general rule applies and neither assessment nor collection may be enjoined. See 26 U.S.C. § 6213(d) (authorizing taxpayer to waive notice).4

The question in this case is whether the taxpayers, Arthur and Rosemary Hempel, waived their right to a statutory notice of deficiency with respect to certain taxes assessed against them. The district court dismissed their action for injunctive relief from assessment. Although we disagree with the reasoning of the district court, we hold that dismissal was proper for other reasons. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court.

I.

The taxpayers invested in a tax shelter operated by the Nitrol Corporation. In connection with this venture, the taxpayers claimed losses and credits on their federal income tax returns for tax years 1977 through 1981. The IRS later audited the shelter and disallowed certain losses and credits claimed by numerous Nitrol investors, including the taxpayers.5

The limitation period within which the IRS must assess a deficiency in income tax is generally three years from the date the return was filed. 26 U.S.C. § 6501(a). That period may be enlarged, however, by consent of the taxpayer. Id. § 6501(c)(4). Beginning in 1980, the taxpayers executed a series of such consents.6 This process culminated on July 15, 1985, when the taxpayers signed a Form 872-A, or Special Consent to Extend the Time to Assess Tax.7 The 872-A extended the limitation period for assessment until “the 90th ... day after :.. the Internal Revenue Service office considering the case receive[d] Form 872-T, Notice of Termination of Special Consent to Extend the Time to Assess Tax, from the taxpayer(s).”8 The time for assessment was thus prolonged indefinitely, with the taxpayers assuming the burden of affirmatively terminating their consent.

In the meantime, several other Nitrol investors brought an action in the United States Tax Court challenging the IRS’s ruling disallowing the losses and credits. These cases were consolidated under the case name Sutton v. Commissioner,9 Because the controlling issues in Sutton were identical to those in the taxpayers’ case and because the taxpayers’ attorney also represented the Sutton litigants, the taxpayers on January 8, 1985 entered into a Closing Agreement with the government, submitting to a “final and conclusive resolution” of their dispute with the IRS.10 By this agreement the taxpayers consented to be bound by the decision in Sutton and to be assessed “on a basis ... consistent with” that case.11 In short, the taxpayers and the IRS agreed to “piggyback” on the Sutton case, thereby avoiding further litigation expenses. With respect to procedural issues, paragraph 8 of the closing agreement provided as follows:

[575]*5758. The amount of any federal income tax that becomes due from the taxpayers under the terms of this agreement may be assessed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue on or before the expiration of the one year (365 days) period following the date on which the decision in the controlling eases become [sic] final, notwithstanding the expiration of any period of limitation on assessment and collection otherwise prescribed by Internal Revenue Code section 6501. This assessment shall be made without the issuance of the notice of deficiency authorized by ... section 6212 and without regard to the restrictions otherwise imposed by ... section 6213.12

After trial in the Sutton matter, the tax court ruled in favor of the government. Sutton v. Commissioner, 84 T.C. 210, 226, 1985 WL 15310 (1985). This court affirmed on April 16,1986. Sutton v. Commissioner, 788 F.2d 695, 696 (11th Cir.1986). For purposes of the instant case, the Sutton decision became final on that date.

No further action occurred in this case for nearly two years. Then, on February 17, 1988, the IRS received from the taxpayers a signed Form 872-T, terminating their special consent to extend the time to assess.13 ,By the terms of the earlier-executed 872-A, the limitation period for assessment was thus set to expire ninety days later, on May 17, 1988. Accordingly, on April 14, 1988, the IRS assessed the taxes due under the closing agreement — taxes which the taxpayers owed pursuant to the result in Sutton. The IRS did not send the taxpayers a notice of deficiency prior to assessing.14

The taxpayers brought this action to enjoin collection of the taxes assessed pursuant to the closing agreement. Although they acknowledged that courts generally have no power to restrain the assessment or collection of a tax, the taxpayers asserted that the aforementioned exception to that rule applied because the IRS never sent them a'statutory notice of deficiency covering the taxes assessed. And although they conceded that in the closing agreement they waived their right to receive a deficiency notice, that waiver, they argued, was contingent upon the assessment being made within 365 days after the conclusion of the Sutton litigation. Because the IRS did not assess within that time, they reasoned, a deficiency notice was required, the exception to the Anti-Injunction Act applied, and the district court had jurisdiction to entertain their suit for injunc-tive relief. The government rejoined that the taxpayers’ express waiver of their right to receive a 90-day letter was not confined to the one-year period following Sutton. As such, the IRS argued, the district court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the taxpayers’ action.15

The district court dismissed the taxpayers’ suit. The court stated that the taxpayers “appear[ed] to have executed a conditional waiver, limited to the one year period following the Sutton resolution.”16 Nevertheless, the court concluded that the taxpayers had not suffered prejudice from the government’s failure to send them a 90-day letter in view of the fact that “the legitimacy of [the Nitrol] tax shelter had been litigated in the tax forum, with plaintiffs’ counsel directly involved ... [and that] plaintiffs agreed to be bound by the result of those ‘controlling cases.’ ”17

We review de novo both a dismissal for lack of jurisdiction and the interpretation of a closing agreement. Woodruff v.

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Bluebook (online)
14 F.3d 572, 73 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1372, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 2485, 1994 WL 19118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arthur-e-hempel-jr-rosemary-s-hempel-v-united-states-ca11-1994.