Biggers v. Internal Revenue Service

557 B.R. 589, 2016 WL 5121893
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Tennessee
DecidedSeptember 9, 2016
DocketNO. 1:15-cv-00041
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 557 B.R. 589 (Biggers v. Internal Revenue Service) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Biggers v. Internal Revenue Service, 557 B.R. 589, 2016 WL 5121893 (M.D. Tenn. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

WAVERLY D. CRENSHAW, JR., UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

This is an appeal by Appellants James Robert Biggers (“Biggers” or the “Debtor”) and Pamela Lynette Biggers (together, the “Biggers” or the “Debtors”) from an order of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (the “Bankruptcy Court”) granting summary judgment to the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”)1 and declaring their tax assessments for 2001, 2002 (with the exception of an overage), 2003, and 2004 as nondischargeable under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(1)(B)©.2 For the rea[591]*591sons stated below, the decision of the Bankruptcy Court is REVERSED and this case is REMANDED to the Bankruptcy Court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

Background

The undisputed facts of the underlying case are relatively simple. The following background is found in the Bankruptcy Court’s memorandum opinion on the cross motions for summary judgment filed by the Biggers and by the IRS:

The [Biggers] did not file federal tax returns for 2001, 2002, 2008 and 2004. The IRS assessed federal tax against [James Biggers] for 2001 on August 23, 2004, for 2002 on February 20, 2006, for 2003 on September 4, 2006, and for 2004 on November 6, 2006.3 Thereafter, on February 15, 2007, the [Biggers] filed their joint tax returns for 2001 through 2004. With the exception of 2002, the [Biggers] reported that they owed less tax than the IRS had previously assessed. For 2002, the [Biggers] reported that they owed $15,088 more in tax. The IRS concedes that this overage of $15,088 is dischargeable. The IRS also concedes that [Pamela Biggers’] tax liability is dischargeable because the IRS never assessed federal tax against her for these years.
The [Biggers] filed a voluntary chapter 7 petition on December 9, 2009, the IRS was a scheduled creditor. The [Biggers] received a discharge on March 11, 2010.

(Doc. No. 5-14 at 2.)

The IRS argues that these are the only salient facts appropriately considered. The Biggers argue that there are disputed facts, including, most significantly for purposes of summary judgment, whether the IRS made adjustments to the tax obligations as a result of or otherwise utilized the late-filed Form 1040s submitted by the Biggers. (See Doe. No. 10-1 (Affidavit of James and Pamela Biggers)).4 Among the other disputed facts is the Biggers’ joint Affidavit in support of their motion for summary judgment, which provides some account of their reasons for not timely filing income tax returns. (See Doc. No. 5-5' (Description DE 10-1) at 2; Doc. No. 5-6 (Description DE 13) at 3.) In their Affidavit, the Biggers state:

In 1999, our financial business records were seized by Gilmore County Bank and those records were never released. We had to recreate the information to be able to proved [sic] the Defendant with the required information for the aforementioned tax years. [592]*592In addition, we moved approximately eleven times between 1999 and 2008. Between 2004 and 2006 we had engaged JK Harris to assist us with the tax years we had not filed. They had a power of attorney and were communicating with the Defendant regarding our returns. In late 2005, we realized that JK Harris was actually not doing anything for us so [sic] started talking with an account [sic] and the Defendant directly, through an agent named Ross Roy.

(Doc. No. 5-5 at 2.)

The Bankruptcy Court deemed the Big-gers’ arguments regarding disputed facts as “red herrings.” (Doc. No. 5-14 at 7.) Relying on the test articulated by the Sixth Circuit in United States v. Hinden-lang (In re Hindenlang), 164 F.3d 1029, 1033 (6th Cir.1999), the Bankruptcy Court held that the “only issue is whether the Form 1040s submitted by the [Biggers] after the IRS had assessed tax liability served any tax purpose or had any effect under the Internal Code.” (Doc. No. 5-14 at 7. Because the tax forms for 2001, 2003, and 2004 “all reported a lower liability than the amount originally assessed by the IRS”, the Bankruptcy Court held that the forms served no purpose, which compelled, as a matter of law, that the tax liability assessed by the IRS against James Big-gers for tax years 2001, 2002 (except as to the reported overage), 2003 and 2004 is nondischargeable as to James Biggers, thereby entitling to the IRS to summary judgment. (Doc. No. 5-14 at 7-8.)5 Based on this determination', the Bankruptcy Court did not consider either the underlying reasons asserted by the Biggers for the untimely Form 1040s or any action taken by the IRS in connection with the Form 1040s.

The issue on appeal is whether the Bankruptcy Court correctly determined that James Biggers’ federal income tax liabilities for the 2001, 2002 (except as to the overage), 2003, and 2004 tax years are excepted from discharge under § 523(a)(l)(B)(i), because his Form 1040s for those tax years were not “returns” within the meaning of § 523(a)(*). The Biggers argue that the Bankruptcy Court erroneously concluded that the “hanging paragraph” added to 11 U.S.C. § 523 in 2005 by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (“BAPC-PA”) defining “return” for dischargeability purposes did not change existing pre-BAPCPA law in the Sixth Circuit. The IRS urges the Court to adopt the standard applied by the Bankruptcy Court; namely, that “an untimely income tax form can be a “return” in certain circumstances, but cannot be considered a “return” when it is filed after the Internal Revenue Service [has] already assessed the tax.” (Doc. No. 11 at 6-7.)

Standard of Review

District courts have jurisdiction to hear appeals from final judgments, orders, and decrees of bankruptcy judges. See 28 U.S.C. § 158(a)(1). Because there is a bankruptcy appellate panel in the Sixth Circuit, an appellant must elect to have the appeal heard by the district court. See 28 U.S.C. § 158(c)(1). Appellants James and Pamela Biggers elected to have this appeal heard by the District Court. (Doc. No. 1 at 2.) On appeal of a bankruptcy court’s decision granting summary judgment, the district court reviews a bankruptcy court’s factual findings for clear error and its legal conclusions de novo. See In re Wells, 561 F.3d 633, 634 (6th Cir.2009). Summary judgment is appropriate when the record [593]*593shows that there are no genuine issues of material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id. (citing Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c) and Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 5.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986)).

Discussion

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bryan Starling
S.D. New York, 2020

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
557 B.R. 589, 2016 WL 5121893, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/biggers-v-internal-revenue-service-tnmd-2016.