Curie v. United States

CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedDecember 19, 2022
Docket22-650
StatusPublished

This text of Curie v. United States (Curie v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Curie v. United States, (uscfc 2022).

Opinion

In the United States Court of Federal Claims No. 22-650T Filed: December 19, 2022

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * CHRIS DAVID CURIE, * Plaintiff, * * v. * * UNITED STATES, * Defendant. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * Chris David Curie, pro se, St. Petersburg, FL. Richard J. Markel, Trial Attorney, Tax Division, Court of Federal Claims Section, United States Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., for defendant. With him were G. Robson Stewart, Assistant Chief, Court of Federal Claims Section, David I. Pincus, Chief, Court of Federal Claims Section, and David A. Hubbert, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Tax Division, United States Department of Justice. OPINION HORN, J.

Pro se plaintiff, Chris David Curie, filed a complaint in the United States Court of Federal Claims. In response to plaintiff’s complaint, defendant moved to dismiss plaintiff’s complaint pursuant to Rules 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6) (2021) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (RCFC) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Plaintiff’s complaint, which is difficult to understand, appears to be alleging entitlement to certain monies, only some of which are allegedly due from the federal government. Plaintiff states this court has jurisdiction to hear his case because “[t]his matter involves U.S. Federal Person ‘CHRIS DAVID CURIE’ and various agencies, departments, substitute trustees of the UNITED STATES. This is an internal administrative matter of a US Estate/Inter vivos Trust.”1 Plaintiff alleges three

1 Capitalization, grammar, punctuation, abbreviations, spelling, emphasis, and choice of words when quoted in this Opinion are as they originally appear in the parties’ submissions to the court. Some of the documents received by the court, however, are illegible and are noted with the bracketed word “[illegible].” counts: (1) violations of 26 U.S.C. § 61(a)(4)2 and 26 U.S.C. § 60653 sufficient to reverse Curie v. Comm’r, No. 6557-19 (T.C. Jul. 25, 2019);4 (2) “Breach of Trust,” based on a

2 The statute at 26 U.S.C. § 61(a) (2018) defines “gross income” under the Internal Revenue Code, and is not a jurisdictional granting statute. The statute at 26 U.S.C. § 61(a) provides:

(a) General definition.--Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle, gross income means all income from whatever source derived, including (but not limited to) the following items: (1) Compensation for services, including fees, commissions, fringe benefits, and similar items; (2) Gross income derived from business; (3) Gains derived from dealings in property; (4) Interest; (5) Rents; (6) Royalties; (7) Dividends; (8) Annuities; (9) Income from life insurance and endowment contracts; (10) Pensions; (11) Income from discharge of indebtedness; (12) Distributive share of partnership gross income; (13) Income in respect of a decedent; and (14) Income from an interest in an estate or trust.

26 U.S.C. § 61(a) (emphasis in original). 3 The statute at 26 U.S.C. § 6065 (2018) states “[e]xcept as otherwise provided by the Secretary, any return, declaration, statement, or other document required to be made under any provision of the internal revenue laws or regulations shall contain or be verified by a written declaration that it is made under the penalties of perjury,” (alteration added), is not a jurisdictional granting statute. 4 Curie v. Commissioner, No. 6557-19, was filed by Mr. Curie at the United States Tax Court, and was dismissed on July 25, 2019 for lack of jurisdiction. The Tax Court order states in its entirety:

ORDER OF DISMISSAL FOR LACK OF JURISDICTION

This case is before the Court on respondent’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, filed June 6, 2019. The motion seeks to dismiss this case on the grounds that: (1) the petition was not timely filed for tax year 2013; (2) no notice of deficiency was issued to petitioner for tax years 2000 through 2012 and 2014 through 2019; (3) no notice of determination concerning collection action was issued to petitioner for tax years 2000 through 2019; 2 Dekalb County, Indiana Court’s accounting and alleged mishandling plaintiff’s mother’s mortgage foreclosure; and (3) “Breach of Trust” because plaintiff “provided appointment letters to the alleged custodian of unclaimed property requesting an accounting of the estate/inter vivos trust” but received no response.5 As relief, plaintiff seeks: A. Issue an order to cease and desist collection on “lien”, return funds taken in error, remove the Notices from the County, assign a private Treasury Agent to assist in settling accounts. B. Order an accounting of Case 17D01-1802-MF-000015 in Dekalb County, Indiana and issue an order for recoupment of non-abandoned securities to the heir. C. Certify the Trust indentures for the record and provide an accounting of securities held in trust. D. Petitioner now demands maximum allowable damages and reasonable fees pursuant at Section 813 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692, and for such other treble or punitive relief as the court deems just and proper.

and (4) respondent has not made any other determination with respect to tax years 2000 through 2019 that would confer jurisdiction on the Court. Taking into account representations contained in the petition and petitioner’s Notice to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction and for the reasons set forth in respondent’s motion, it is,

ORDERED that respondent’s motion is granted. It is further ORDERED that with respect to each year placed in issue in the petition, this case is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction upon the ground stated in respondent’s motion.

(Signed) Maurice B. Foley Chief Judge

ENTERED: JUL 25 2019

(capitalization and emphasis in original). 5 In addition to the above captioned case and Curie v. Commissioner, No. 6557-19, Mr. Curie has filed multiple cases in Federal District Court, Bankruptcy Court, and State Court, including Curie v. Obama, et al., No. 15-171 (N.D. Ind. 2015); Curie v. Obama, et al., No. 15-16 (N.D. Ind. 2015); Curie v. Commissioner, No. 3820-19 (T.C. filed Feb. 21, 2019); In re: the Estate of Chris David Curie, No. 13-BK-47868 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. filed Dec. 15, 2013); In re: the Estate of Chris David Curie, et al., No. 12-BK-29434 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. filed Jul. 25, 2012); Curie v. Heard, No. 17D02-1712-SC-001641 (DeKalb Super. Ct. Feb. 21, 2018); In re: the Estate of Chris David Curie, No. 17D02-1508-EU-000076 (DeKalb. Super. Ct. Jan. 15, 2016).

3 Along with his complaint, plaintiff attached numerous confusing attachments, proposed notices, orders, including a notice for a default judgment. The first attachment is a June 6, 2022 letter from plaintiff to the United States Court of Federal Claims titled: “Notice-to-agent-is-notice-to-principal-and-notice-to-principal-is-notice-to-agent. This first attachment appears to include three proposed orders.

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Curie v. United States, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/curie-v-united-states-uscfc-2022.