Community Bank of Bergen County v. Borough of Maywood

CourtNew Jersey Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 10, 2018
Docket000961-2015, 001225-2016, 005776-2017
StatusUnpublished

This text of Community Bank of Bergen County v. Borough of Maywood (Community Bank of Bergen County v. Borough of Maywood) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Community Bank of Bergen County v. Borough of Maywood, (N.J. Super. Ct. 2018).

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT APPROVAL OF THE TAX COURT COMMITTEE ON OPINIONS

TAX COURT OF NEW JERSEY

153 Halsey Street JONATHAN A. ORSEN Gibraltar Building - 8th Floor JUDGE Newark, New Jersey 07101 (609) 815-2922 Ext. 54600 Fax: (973) 648-2149

September 7, 2018

Richard B. Nashel, Esq. Nashel and Nashel, LLC 415 Sixtieth Street West New York, New Jersey 07093

Brian E. Eyerman, Esq. Dario, Albert, Metz & Eyerman, LLC 345 Union Street Hackensack, New Jersey 07601

Re: Community Bank of Bergen County v. Borough of Maywood Docket Nos. 000961-2015; 001225-2016 and 005776-2017

Dear Counsel:

This letter constitutes the court’s decision with respect to plaintiff Community Bank of

Bergen County’s motion to enforce litigant’s rights under R. 1:10-3. Such motion requests relief

to direct the defendant Borough of Maywood to transmit to plaintiff’s attorney, Mr. Richard

Nashel, Esq. of Nashel and Nashel LLC, a refund check made payable to ‘Nashel and Nashel LLC

Trust Account’ as part of a property tax appeal settlement without requiring plaintiff’s counsel to

furnish its taxpayer identification number (“TIN”). Plaintiff maintains that the proper TIN is that

of plaintiff which was submitted to defendant for payment. Defendant opposes and argues that

Nashel and Nashel LLC’s TIN must be provided, because defendant is obligated to issue tax

information returns (Forms 1099) which mandates inclusion of such TIN. Defendant further

asserts it met all of its responsibilities pursuant to the Stipulation of Settlement and that the only

1 reason for the non-issuance of the refund check is because of Nashel and Nashel LLC’s missing

TIN.

Based on the moving papers, the court denies plaintiff’s motion due to the necessity to

adhere to state and federal reporting requirements. If plaintiff wants to be refunded in full

satisfaction, then either (1) Nashel and Nashel LLC must provide its TIN to defendant so that the

refund check can be issued to ‘Nashel and Nashel LLC Trust Account’ in conformance with the

terms of the Stipulation of Settlement as written; or (2) the parties must agree to an alternative

payment method consistent with law and advise the court within 30 days.

FACTS

The following findings of facts and conclusions of law are based on the certifications and

exhibits summarized in support of the parties’ pleadings.

Plaintiff filed respective complaints contesting the 2015, 2016 and 2017 tax years on the

grounds that defendant assessed plaintiff’s properties in excess of the true or assessable value of

the property. The subject properties are located at 111 West Pleasant Avenue, Maywood, New

Jersey, otherwise known as Block 70, Lot 16, and 119-139 West Pleasant Avenue, Maywood, New

Jersey, otherwise known as Block 70, Lot 17, for the taxable years at issue.

Both parties engaged in discussions and came to a global tax appeal settlement on or about

May 5, 2017. Subsequently, the parties filed a Stipulation of Settlement for the respective tax

years. The Tax Court entered a judgment for each tax year on July 11, 2017 reflecting the agreed

upon assessments of the subject properties.

In the Stipulation of Settlement, the parties additionally agreed that the plaintiff waive any

interest payable on any refund (provided the refund was paid within 60 days from the judgment

date), and that any refund payable to the plaintiff be settled under Paragraph 7, which states that:

2 “Refunds as a result of the settlement as set forth herein shall be made payable to ‘Nashel and Nashel LLC Trust Account’ and delivered to Richard B. Nashel, Esq., Nashel and Nashel LLC, 415 60th Street, West New York, NJ 07093.”

Before issuing the refund, the Tax Collector of the defendant, Ashley Morrone

(“Collector”), requested on September 5, 2017, that plaintiff’s attorney furnish the law firm’s TIN,

explaining that since the refund was negotiated to be made payable to the ‘Nashel and Nashel LLC

Trust Account,’ the law firm becomes the vendor in accordance with the defendant’s Finance

Office procedures. In following these procedures, defendant requires a Form W-9 and New Jersey

Business Registration Certificate of all current and future vendors before releasing payment. It

was further explained by the Collector that these procedures parallel the State of New Jersey’s

compliance with federal reporting requirements in issuing a Form 1099 for reporting and taxation.

Plaintiff’s attorney refused to supply the law firm’s TIN.

On September 8, 2017, plaintiff’s attorney requested clear, written authority - whether

statute, regulation, or official public notice from a governmental agency – in support of defendant

requesting the law firm’s TIN for reporting requirements. Plaintiff’s attorney claimed that since

the law firm was not entitled to the refund, any Form 1099 issued by defendant showing the firm

as the recipient of a refund for State of New Jersey and federal income tax reporting purposes

would be incorrect.

Plaintiff then filed the instant Motion to Enforce Litigant’s Rights pursuant to R. 1:10-3,

directing defendant to forward the refund check payable to ‘Nashel and Nashel LLC Trust

Account’ and use plaintiff’s TIN on Form 1099. Defendant responded on November 10, 2017,

explaining that in accordance with State of New Jersey and federal tax and reporting requirements,

the issuance of any refund check would require that they receive the TIN for Nashel and Nashel

LLC. Clarifying, defendant outlined its procedural issuance of refunds checks: where the check is

3 being issued to an attorney’s trust account for further disbursement to the taxpayer, defendant

requires that the attorney submit their TIN for the purchase order of the refund check. Defendant

additionally explained that most municipalities in New Jersey use this standard process when

issuing refund checks to attorney trust accounts.

After having an opportunity to examine Internal Revenue Code (“I.R.C.”) § 6045(f) and

Treas. Reg. §1.6045-5, plaintiff’s attorney advised the court on November 14, 2017, explaining

that because the law firm’s trust account is not a payee attorney, it does not have a TIN. Further,

plaintiff’s attorney clarified that pursuant to the Stipulation of Settlement, the refund payment is

to be paid directly to the trust account and not to the law firm. Plaintiff’s attorney also suggested

that the defendant designate the check payee as “Nashel and Nashel Attorneys Trust Account/FBO

Community Bank of Bergen County” in response to the requirements of Treas. Reg. § 1.6045-5.

Defendant submitted a Second Response to the Taxpayer’s Motion to Enforce Settlement

on November 30, 2017, explaining that defendant’s practice of issuing a check payable directly to

attorneys and law firms, as custodians or trustees on behalf of their respective clients in connection

with tax appeal matters, falls squarely within I.R.C. § 6045(f). Accordingly, defendant argues that

I.R.C. § 6045(f) presents a bright line rule and clearly defines defendant’s reporting requirement

and plaintiff’s attorney’s obligation in providing the firm’s TIN where the refund check is being

issued to an attorney's client trust fund.

After further discussions, the parties subsequently came to an impasse and both parties

asked the court to rule on the pending motion based on the submitted filings.

4 ANALYSIS

A. Jurisdiction

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Bluebook (online)
Community Bank of Bergen County v. Borough of Maywood, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/community-bank-of-bergen-county-v-borough-of-maywood-njtaxct-2018.