Davidson v. Crossmann Communities, Inc.

699 N.E.2d 789, 1998 Ind. App. LEXIS 1622, 1998 WL 665855
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 29, 1998
DocketNo. 49A02-9712-CV-824
StatusPublished

This text of 699 N.E.2d 789 (Davidson v. Crossmann Communities, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davidson v. Crossmann Communities, Inc., 699 N.E.2d 789, 1998 Ind. App. LEXIS 1622, 1998 WL 665855 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION

GARRARD, Judge.

Case Summary

Susan Davidson appeals the granting of a motion to dismiss filed by Crossmann Communities, Inc., Deluxe Homes, Inc., and Trimark Homes, Inc. (collectively, “Cross-mann”). We affirm.

Issue

Davidson presents two main issues as well as various sub-issues. We restate the dis-positive issue as: whether Crossmann was immune from liability pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 6332(e) for surrendering Davidson’s property upon receipt of two Form 668-W(c) Notices of Levy on Wages, Salary and Other Income (“notices of levy”) from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).

Facts and Procedural History

Crossmann is an Indiana company which constructs and sells single family houses. From August of 1988 through January of 1997, Davidson worked as a successful1 independent contractor selling homes for Cross-mann. According to a “Sales Compensation Plan” between Davidson and Crossmann, she was to receive compensation via commission on her new home sales. Record at 10.

On or about September 29, 1996, Cross-mann received an IRS notice of levy which stated that Davidson owed $304,796.39 in taxes, interest, and penalties. On or about December 3, 1996, Crossmann received another IRS notice of levy, this one indicating that Davidson owed $311,840.59 in taxes, interest, and penalties. Both notices included the following information:

The Internal Revenue Code provides that there is a hen for the amount that is owed. Although we have given the notice and demand required by the Code, the amount owed hasn’t been paid. This levy requires [791]*791you to turn over to us: (1) this taxpayer’s wages and salary that have been earned but not paid yet, as well as wages and salary earned in the future until this levy is released, and (2) this taxpayer’s other income that you have now or for which you are obligated.
* * *
If you don’t owe money to this taxpayer, please complete the back of part 3.
If you do owe money to this taxpayer, please see the back of this page for instructions on how to act on this notice.

Record at 17,18.

Pursuant to the notices of levy, on January 15, 1997, Crossmann paid the IRS all the money that was due and owing to Davidson, less exemptions, for that period. Approximately one week later, Crossmann terminated Davidson’s contract. On January 26, 1997, Davidson’s counsel formally challenged the effectiveness of the notice of levy. Thereafter, Crossmann paid the IRS all additional money that was due and owing to Davidson, less exemptions.

In March of that year, Davidson filed a complaint against Crossmann for damages and permanent injunction for breach of contract and violation of due process. In the complaint and in a later amended complaint, she alleged that Crossmann had surrendered her pay based on its receipt of invalid IRS notices of levy and had applied the notices to the wrong property in its possession. The injunctive relief count was eventually dropped.

On April 30, 1997, Crossmann filed a motion to dismiss Davidson’s complaint. Davidson responded. After a hearing on the matter, the trial court filed an order of dismissal. In that July 8, 1997 order, the judge found that “Crossmann is immune from any obligation or liability to [Davidson] arising from surrender of her income to IRS” and that Davidson’s “Amended Complaint fails to state or contain such claims upon which relief can be granted[.]” Record at 66. The trial judge denied a motion to correct error filed by Davidson.

Discussion and Decision

In its motion to dismiss and supporting memorandum, Crossmann contended that it was immune from any obligation or liability to Davidson arising from the payment of Davidson’s income to the IRS. Davidson argued that the notices of levy were invalid, and that she was not paid salary or wages; thus, the notices of levy created no obligation or immunity for Crossmann to surrender her pay to the IRS.

Initially, we note our standard of review: A trial rule 12(B)(6) motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted tests the sufficiency of a claim, not the facts supporting it. Therefore, we view the pleadings in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party and draw every reasonable inference therefrom in favor of that party. When reviewing a ruling on a motion to dismiss, we stand in the shoes of the trial court and must determine if the trial court erred in its application of the law. We will affirm the trial court’s denial of the motion to dismiss unless it [is] apparent that the facts alleged in the challenged pleading are incapable of supporting relief under any set of circumstances.

Borgman v. Aikens, 681 N.E.2d 213, 216-17 (Ind.Ct.App.1997) (citations omitted), trans. denied.

Recently, we handed down a case which raised virtually identical issues to those argued in the present appeal. Thornburg v. Ball Memorial Hosp., 694 N.E.2d 1195 (Ind.Ct.App.1998).2 In Thornburg, we affirmed the dismissal of a complaint for damages brought by an employee against her employer whom she alleged should have declined to withhold money from her paychecks pursuant to a notice of levy. Id. at 1196. Our opinion in Thornburg was based on federal law because “[f]ederal law, not state law, determines whether property held by a third [792]*792party must be surrendered to the IRS for payment of tax debt.” Id. at 1197.

Thornburg had argued that her employer, the Hospital, should not have honored a notice of levy because of alleged deficiencies in the notice. We responded:

This necessarily implies that the Hospital had a duty to recognize the alleged deficiencies and oppose the IRS’s request on Thornburg’s behalf. Federal courts have deemed this argument meritless. In fact, the United States Supreme Court has indicated that the option to refuse a notice of levy served upon a third party is more restricted than Thornburg argues: “[A] bank served with a notice of levy has two, and only two, possible defenses for failure to comply with the demand: that it is not in possession of the property of the taxpayer, or that the property is subject to a prior judicial attachment or execution.”

Id. (quoting United State v. National Bank of Commerce, 472 U.S. 713, 727, 105 S.Ct. 2919, 86 L.Ed.2d 565 (1985)). It was undisputed that the Hospital was “in possession of property that was subject to the IRS tax levy, ie., Thornburg’s salary.” Thornburg, 694 N.E.2d at 1197. It was also undisputed that the property was not subject to a prior judicial attachment or execution.3 Id.

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

Related

United States v. National Bank of Commerce
472 U.S. 713 (Supreme Court, 1985)
Borgman v. Aikens
681 N.E.2d 213 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1997)
Thornburg v. Ball Memorial Hospital, Inc.
694 N.E.2d 1195 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
699 N.E.2d 789, 1998 Ind. App. LEXIS 1622, 1998 WL 665855, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davidson-v-crossmann-communities-inc-indctapp-1998.