Duffy v. United States

CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedFebruary 13, 2015
Docket14-288
StatusPublished

This text of Duffy v. United States (Duffy 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
Duffy v. United States, (uscfc 2015).

Opinion

ORIGIF{At lfn tlir @nitt! $trtos 60urt 0f ftlors[ @laints 6lLEp No l,r-2887 FEB 13 20j5 (Filed February li.20l j)

clain for Flund of incone tlx p,id on l procccds of a serdetoenr aeteenenli JAMES T AND REATRIZ N. DUIIFY, "orig,n olthe clann" docti.ci inapplicabilily of exclusi.. lion ldation underlRc.$ 104(a)(2)ipr.cccdsldable as ordinary incoDe od nolcapital gains

UNITEDSTATES,

lmes P. Dulty and BcalrizN. Dufy, pro re, walnut Creek, Calilbhia

C! D wascmd, Trial Attomey. ComFercial LitlSanon Brdch, Td Dilision. United Srares Depanmenlol Juslicc, washinston, D.C , for defendml. With him on the bnch {ere 'l anara W. Ashford- Acring ,\sGtanl Anomcy Ce.eFl, Tax Dn ision. md David I Pincus, Chiei CounofFedenl clains scclion, u.iled States D eFanncnl of Ju stice. washingt. n. D c olcounselNas Mar) M balc, Ashtanl chiet Coun ofFcdcialclains Secrion,Unitcd Slales D.Fanment of Jusiic€. washi ngton, D c.

OPI:{ION AND ORDDR

Inthis rrx relundcasc, plaintifs lanes P. and Beatiz N Duff)" (collectirell,'1hc Du$yJ l seek aElundol$lr,049in inconc taxes allesedly olfpaid fot lax yelr 200? An. Contl ! l,EClNo.l In detr contlain! thc Duffys maintain dar thc proceeds ofd agFemenr e.tercd by Mr. DulTy lo senle a cllifr he had made *€rc not kxablc lusuul to 26 U.SC.("lR.C.)SlOa(x)(2)bccausparnent\rasonaccountofMrDufys-.phtsicalinjurv .r phlsicalsickne$ ' Ad. conpl.l lls. ln tie altemarve. lhc Dullys lver lhar the Pocccds s€E not laxable !s odlndy incone, but rather were ldablc as capital gains Bemr lo restore impaired goodwill. An. Compl. lF I 19, 125. Pend,ns beloE the coun is thc sovennentt notionlodisnNs foriailurclo stateaclainupon{hichrclief canberrantedpuNmlloRule l2lb)(6)oflheRuldsolthc CounofFederal ClainsCRCIC-). Mot. bDnnissofLnil€d SraFs( Dct'sMor. ),ECFNo.7is?eHisTr'al8:1922(Jd 27,2015)' Forthere4ons $ared. lhe coud con'ens the sovcment's notion to disDiss undo RcFc I2(b){6) into a nolion for sunnaryjudsmenr undct RCaC 56 ad concludes lhat lhc goveme'l is cn led1o judemenl as d nrner of law on the Duffys bx refund clsin

BACKGROUND

ln2004,Mr Du& maintained a pnvare consulting busines An Compl'"6 He sorked wilh the Uniled conmercial Banl ("UcB or 'the Bok") in Sil Frdcisco, California. Md thcn bame Td Dircctor dd Fnst Vice PBsident oflhe Bank //. While Norking al UCB, Mr. Duily was responsible lbr ensud.e lnat 3ll accouring policies sd pocedms witbin his depar.meni conplied with tbe Public Conpany ccounlins Refod dd Inlestor ltulection Act of2002 f'sdba;es oxley acf). Pub. L lo7 204,116 stat. ?45 An. conpl f l?,Ex B2 To thar end, he "had rhe opporlunily L obsene liCB s conplimce sith rdious lcgil, ecomt.g, and inecial procedures dnd . . panicipalcd in ndy sienincel decisions anicling UCBt ilndcial siaremenls An. Contl !r 17. In 2006, Vr. Dury sihessed o clion al Uclr thal *3s allegedly fiaudulcnl and not in conplihce silh lhe Sarboes Oxlcy Act Am. Cohll ' 13. llesubsequenrltreFodcdtheincidenlromanagemonlalUCB,includingthcChieflinacidl oficd. tte co;hiki.a6drhe SarbaneFoxley Dnector. Am conpl. !l'll 13_19,22.: Mr'Dulav sas Dlced on adminislalivc lcav€ shonly lherealtei n. Compl at Ex. D On Novenber 9, 2006, UCB tem inated h is onplo ymenl co.tact An.Conpl !170-7l,Ex.H iFunher ciblions lo the trssripl of the hedne held on Jmus] 2?, 2015 sill oDit a

rln the wake of the col lapse . I Enron c orporation, Coneres s cnacled lhe S dbanes Ox lcl' Act S??S. Rep.No l0? 146,at I (2002). Ils purpose is [l]o protect invcslots by inploving $e acclracy ed reliabilily of coryorare discbsms nade pusunt to thc sccurities la\s . . "

rMr. Dufy was convinced thal a pdftdd ld adjusiaent, suggesFd by Deloine Touche Tohnarsu Liniled ( D& f ), violared Generauy Accepted Accounlins Pdnciples .tet -^m Compl..ll22 23 Alrhoueh thh adjuslmenl \ould hare incr.ascd cash flow [al UCBI dd Esulted in a ldge ben€ill to lhc books," An. Compl. fl24, it was possibly liaud," r,e Am Compl.jl48. Accordine to Mr. Dufly, UCB nmgeDenl nevenncbs booked the D&T adju$nenl incontaventionofde Sdbdes oxley Act. J_ee Am Compl ni 53,57_58 In 2008, UCD's p!rent company, UCBH Holdinss, Inc ("UCBH"), rcceived bushly $298 million in bailoul tunds fron lhc Uniled Sratos l usurj-''s Truubled Asscl ReliefPnsFm ('TARI") An. C.npl. ll 96. Approxindely one yee l.ler. lhe Bdk collapscd md wd taken over by the Federal Deposil lnsurance CoaoFlion n Compl.ll96, Er K fhe pnmary reasonforUCB'sliilue was inadeludrc oversigh by'se lhe Roard ofDnedos od n&aecnenl . . . [V]anous UcB offciah nisrepresenGd or omired rclerant l.d pcrform.nce data, alleEd docunenG to inprove tbe perception ol lom quality. and nlde othcr nisEDEsenulions rhal inpacled UCBIh find.ial sbtcmenls." Am. Conpl attx K UCBH was rhe fi6i recipienr oI I RP funds 10 fail. md ldpaym los their entne $298 nillion invcsibe.t. Sge Hr'g Tr.3l:lS lo l2:17. A. J R UI', vr DLlr) ri eo d cl.rm.gdni l o BaL on'D(d) : ?0n- tri h he D.pdrenr' dl'o' d les ns eml o) r c| dF.r mrnd'ron n'rola on oi l8 U S C 6 \laral l Am. CodDl. al Ex. D. Mr. DuflY nainuined that "UCB rcminated his edplovnenl bectusc or his paniciFation in m edlny protccled by the Sdbdcloxlev Act, md thal UCB r€talialed aaainsl hih lo punish hin for his rcfusal L paniciplte in the unelhical md illesal cohduct of UC8." An. Conpl. !16t. UCB filed d objection io M. Dultt onplainr on or about Ap.il 5, 2007. An. ConDl. ar ux D.5 Following his depanuF froi ucB.Mr' Dui! pusued olher cmployment opponmides md altenpled 1o expmd his cons tine praclice, vr.An Conpl lltl 73-74. bul was not successtul in lhese endeavos bccause "[potential cmplove$ ed clienls] rcquned a rcfeEnce fiom UCBL,I shich ws nol po$iblc," An Conpl 'll 76_78 During lhis 1ime, Mr. Dufy rcponedly suliered $rcss md anxieq lion thc Sdbmes Oxlev Elaliation Hre lr.21 8 10,*hichallcsedly"afectshinevenloday,"An Compl.ll106. A ltw dsys bcaore an Adninistative Law Judse wd eheduled 10 hw Mr DDt\t cde against IJCB, Mr. Dully enlered into t'Serdemcnt Agreem€nl dd Ccneral Release resollin3 i all clains acain$ the 8.nl Am contl l80,Ex l C'selllene.l aetcneni ) The setlcmenl Asrenenr wd i full dd complete dan8enenl for lhe pemanent leminalion of lMr'l Duttt\ employncnt iclalionship wirh [UCB], ' Senlenent Asreemenl ' 4, and specified that

lUcB I has entered inlo this Agreencnl for the ercl,rn" ?,/p,r? ,/ ar.i.1ihg the.,p.rre an.l inconrehiehce oJfulther liti$nioh lhis Agreencnl shall not be deened, aL myline or in any lbrun,6 d adnission by mr penon or enlity releded by lhis AsEemenL ol liabilitr to, oi the validily of my dain, by [Mr.l Dufy.

aThc rhistleblower ol the Sdbdcs-Oxley Acl, I 8 U s.c $ I 514(a), vas Drovision eMded ro conbal dd lhwan a colpodle climate lhal discouEgelsl enplotces frcn reponine fraudulenr bchavior not only 10 the proper aurhorilics, such 6 ihe [Fedeial Bureau of I nvesd gari onl &d thc lunned Slales Secuili es ed Exchmge Conm hsi onl , bDt even

inrcmlly." S. Rep No l0T- 1,16, at 5 (2002). Acconlingly, Scclion 15 l4(r) lolects lwhGtleblowdsl rhcn $el tatc lavtul acs lo disclos iniomalion or othesise assisl cdmnd invcstisalors. federal regulrlo^, constc$, superyiso$ (or other proper people vilnin a corlonlion),orpaniesinajudicial procccd ing in delec ri ng dd sloppi ng ftaud " /l al lr llan cmFloyer does llke Ftaliatoiy aclion aeainsl lhe vhisdeblower, fs]ubsction (b) lotSalion ltl4lalloNslheeDployeelollleaconplaint$ithlheDepannenlof Labor.. . & rThe complainl *€s disnissd in May 2005 on iimeliness grouds. lde Ph Reply btl toDettMot.tollismhs(Ph'Oppn)a14.ECFNol0Mi.Duilyobject.dlolhaldecision ed sousht rcinstatemenl of his claim. See n. Conpl. al Ex. D. According to lho Dufl)"s. 'lhis reinslalcn€nl issue *€s resolred in lavor of Mr.

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Duffy v. United States, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/duffy-v-united-states-uscfc-2015.