Celanese Corp. & Consolidated Subsidiaries v. United States

9 Cl. Ct. 45, 56 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6254, 1985 U.S. Claims LEXIS 895
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedOctober 25, 1985
DocketNo. 142-82T
StatusPublished

This text of 9 Cl. Ct. 45 (Celanese Corp. & Consolidated Subsidiaries v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Celanese Corp. & Consolidated Subsidiaries v. United States, 9 Cl. Ct. 45, 56 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6254, 1985 U.S. Claims LEXIS 895 (cc 1985).

Opinion

ORDER ON PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR AN ORDER SPECIFYING FACTS NOT IN CONTROVERSY

PHILIP R. MILLER, Judge.

The substantive question at issue is whether or not Celanese Corporation may deduct $58,364,636 as a bad debt loss, ordinary loss or business expense on its 1969 [46]*46income tax return, as the result of having paid that sum in satisfaction of its guarantees of the debts of SIACE, an Italian subsidiary, during that year.

Defendant moved for summary judgment on the legal contention that § 166 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 was the only provision under which plaintiff could deduct its loss and, even assuming bona fide debt,1 its transfer of its subrogation rights to one of SIACE’s creditors in return for a reduction in its guarantee obligation precluded a deduction under § 166. Plaintiff opposed defendant’s motion on the ground that subrogation was unnecessary to a bad debt loss deduction by a guarantor. In addition, plaintiff cross-moved for summary judgment in its own favor, urging that its payment of the guarantees conclusively established a bona fide debt entitling it to a deduction either for a bad debt loss, a business loss or a business expense. In its reply and response to the cross-motion defendant contended that the guarantees were not really debt but additional risk capital invested by Celanese in SIACE, and the waiver and assignment of subrogation rights in return for the reduction in the guarantee was a capital transaction entitling it only to a capital loss rather than a bad debt deduction.

In an opinion filed July 3, 1985, the court denied both motions for summary judgment. Celanese Corp. v. United States, 8 Cl.Ct. 456 (1985). In response to defendant’s motion it ruled that retention of subrogation rights was not essential to a guarantor’s right to a bad debt loss deduction. With respect to plaintiff’s motion, it held that plaintiff failed to establish conclusively that plaintiff’s guarantees and payments for the benefit of its subsidiary were intended to be debts rather than risk capital and that the subsidiary’s debt was in fact worthless in 1969.

In support of its cross-motion for summary judgment, plaintiff attached 237 paragraphs, covering 78 pages, of “Material Matters of Fact”, and 245 exhibits from its pretrial submission, accompanied by an affidavit of Robert A. Longman, Celanese’s Vice President and General Counsel, attesting that as an employee of Celanese during the 1960’s he “acquired personal knowledge of the events as to the acquisition, operating and disposition of SIACE” and that the facts set forth in the 237 paragraphs were “true and correct, to the best of his knowledge and recollection.” The affidavit further stated that he had also examined the 245 exhibits and, with the exception of Nos. 230 through 244, all were from the files of Celanese or its representatives, maintained by it as business records in the regular course of business.

Defendant did not submit counteraffidavits in opposition to plaintiff’s motion or otherwise contest the accuracy of plaintiff’s statement of material facts. Plaintiff now moves the court, pursuant to Rule 56(d), for an order declaring that there is no substantial controversy as to the facts set forth in the 237 paragraphs and the 245 exhibits, and that such facts be deemed established in this case.

For the reasons set forth hereinafter, plaintiff’s motion is denied.

1. Rule 56(d)' of the Rules of the United States Claims Court (RUSCC) provides:

Case Not Fully Adjudicated on Motion. If on motion under this rule judgment is not rendered upon the whole case or for all the relief asked and a trial is necessary, the court at the hearing of the motion, by examining the pleadings and the evidence before it and by interrogating counsel, shall if practicable ascertain what material facts exist without substantial controversy and what material facts are actually and in good faith controverted. It shall thereupon make an order specifying the facts that appear without substantial controversy, including the extent to which the amount of [47]*47damages or other relief is not in controversy, and directing such further proceedings in the action as are just. Upon the trial of the action the facts so specified shall be deemed established, and the trial shall be conducted accordingly.

Plaintiff contends that in determining what material facts exist without substantial controversy for purposes of Rule 56(d), the court should be governed by the following provisions of Rule 56(e).

(e) Form of Affidavits; Further Testimony; Defense Required. * * * When a motion for summary judgment is made and supported as provided in this rule, an adverse party may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials of his pleading, but his response, by affidavits or as otherwise provided in this rule, must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. If he does not so respond, summary judgment, if appropriate, shall be entered against him.

The difficulty with plaintiffs argument is that the quoted portion of Rule 56(e) merely provides a sanction for an adverse party’s failure to respond to a motion for summary judgment by filing affidavits or other proof to counter the affidavits of the moving party: if it does not so respond, summary judgment may be entered against it. It does not provide that if the court denies summary judgment because there are material issues of fact to be tried the court must find the uncrossexamined allegations of the moving party’s affidavits to be uncontroverted for purposes of trial.

Rule 56(e) provides conclusive presumption as a sanction for failure to provide counter-evidence, regardless of the pleadings, the positions of the parties and their counsel. Rule 56(d) requires the court to ascertain what material facts are actually in controversy and what facts are not in controversy, not only from the evidence but by examining the pleadings and interrogating counsel, and then only if practicable. The notes of the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for the United States District Courts (F.R.C.P.) on the original formulation of Rule 56(d) in 1938, refer to the procedure under that rule as being similar to the procedures in a pretrial conference under Rule 16. The Advisory Committee notes on the 1946 amendments refer to an adjudication under Rule 56(d) as being “akin to the preliminary order under Rule 16.” {See 28 U.S.C.A. Rules 16 and 56, Notes.) Unlike a summary judgment order under Rule 56(e), a Rule 56(d) order is not final and may be amended at any time during the trial. See Coffman v. Federal Laboratories, Inc., 171 F.2d 94, 98 (3d Cir. 1948), cert. denied, 336 U.S. 913, 69 S.Ct. 603, 93 L.Ed. 1076 (1949); E.I. DuPont DeNemours & Co. v. United States Camo Corp., 19 F.R.D. 495, 498 (W.D.Mo.1956); New Hampshire Fire Ins. Co. v. Perkins, 30 F.R.D. 382, 385 (D.Del.1962).

2. Under Rule 56(c) there is a sufficient basis for denial of a motion for summary judgment if there is a genuine issue as to any material fact. There is no requirement that an adverse party having a sufficient defense to such a motion also investigate and produce evidence in opposition to every allegation of fact advanced by the moving party.

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Related

Coffman v. Federal Laboratories, Inc.
171 F.2d 94 (Third Circuit, 1948)
Woodruff Ex Rel. Moore v. Lavine
399 F. Supp. 1008 (S.D. New York, 1975)
Celanese Corp. v. United States
8 Cl. Ct. 456 (Court of Claims, 1985)
New Hampshire Fire Insurance v. Perkins
30 F.R.D. 382 (D. Delaware, 1962)
Berman v. Royal Knitting Mills, Inc.
86 F.R.D. 124 (S.D. New York, 1980)
SFM Corp. v. Sundstrand Corp.
102 F.R.D. 555 (N.D. Illinois, 1984)
United States v. Copacabana, Inc.
17 F.R.D. 297 (S.D. New York, 1955)

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Bluebook (online)
9 Cl. Ct. 45, 56 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6254, 1985 U.S. Claims LEXIS 895, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/celanese-corp-consolidated-subsidiaries-v-united-states-cc-1985.