Fontenot v. United States

547 F. Supp. 496, 51 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1219, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14849
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Louisiana
DecidedAugust 30, 1982
DocketCiv. A. No. 81-28-B
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 547 F. Supp. 496 (Fontenot v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fontenot v. United States, 547 F. Supp. 496, 51 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1219, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14849 (M.D. La. 1982).

Opinion

POLOZOLA, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on the motion of the defendant United States for summary judgment. The plaintiff, Leon A. Fontenot, filed this suit seeking the refund of $100 which he paid in partial satisfaction of a penalty assessed against him by the United States under 26 U.S.C. § 6672. The total penalty assessed against him was $43,-100 for Withholding and FICA taxes due from Allstate Painting, Inc. for the second and third quarters of 1978. A similar assessment for the second quarter of 1978 was made against Simmitt S. Bankston in the amount of $26,651.13. The Government has counterclaimed against Fontenot for the full amount of the assessment and joined Bankston as an additional defendant on the counterclaim.

Leon A. Fontenot has formally opposed the Government’s motion in accordance with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 and the Local Rules of Court. Simmitt S. Bankston, on the other hand, has failed to file a statement of reasons advanced in opposition to the motion as required by Local Rule 5B(3). He further has failed to deliver to the Court a statement of material facts as to which there exists any genuine issue to be tried as required by Local Rule 5E(2) and Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e). Noncompliance with Local Rule 5B(3) is sufficient cause for granting a motion. The Court held oral argument on the pending motion and concluded that the Government’s motion should be granted. The Court now supplements its oral reasons with the following written reasons.

The Government contends that Fontenot and Bankston are liable under § 6672 because they were officers and employees of Allstate Painting, Inc. who were responsible [498]*498for the collection of employment taxes from the pay due to the corporation’s employees. As such, the Government contends that they may be assessed a penalty equal to the amount of taxes which they are alleged to have willfully failed to account for and pay over when due to the United States. In Mazo v. United States, 591 F.2d 1151 (5 Cir. 1979) Judge Rubin set forth the statutory scheme upon which the Government bases its theory of recovery in this action.

Under the withholding system set up in the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C.A. § 3401 et seq., employers have a duty to collect both income and FICA (“social security”) taxes from their employees. These sums are commonly referred to as “trust funds” because the Code provides that they are deemed to be “a special fund [held] in trust for the United States.” 25 U.S.C. § 7501. When net wages are paid to the employee, the taxes that were, or should have been, withheld are credited to the employee even if they are never remitted to the government; so the IRS has recourse only against the employer for their payment.
However, Section 6673 of the Internal Revenue Code imposes a penalty on any “person required to collect, truthfully account for, and pay over any tax” withheld who willfully fails to do so. The penalty is equal to the total amount of the tax" not paid over, and is itself referred to as a “tax” in Section 6671. The term “person,” as defined in Section 6671, includes “an officer or employee of a corporation ... who as such officer [or] employee ... is under a duty” to collect, account for, and pay over the withheld tax. This is known as a “responsible person.” Thus, liability for a penalty is imposed only on (1) a responsible person (as defined in Section 6671), who has (2) willfully failed to perform a duty to collect, account, “and” pay over the tax.

It is settled that the burden of proof is on the taxpayer to show that he either was not a responsible person or his failure to pay was not willful. Liddon v. United States, 448 F.2d 509, 513-14 (5 Cir. 1971); United States v. Pomponio, 635 F.2d 293, 296 (4 Cir. 1980).

During the entire second and third quarters of 1978 Fontenot served as the president and a member of the Board of Directors of Allstate. (Deposition of Leon A. Fontenot at p. 5). He also served as its treasurer from approximately June 19,1978 to its demise in October of that year. (Fontenot’s answers to defendant’s interrogatories at p. 1; Fontenot Dep. p. 15). Bankston served as general manager of the corporation from 1974 through June 13, 1978. (Deposition of Simmitt S. Bankston at p. 4). He also served as its secretary-treasurer from April 21, 1978 through June 13, 1978. (Bankston Dep. p. 6). In his deposition, Bankston admitted that until the latter date, he was responsible for seeing that the taxes in question were paid to the Internal Revenue Service (Bankston Dep. p. 8). He also admitted that during the second quarter of 1978, the corporation, with his knowledge, failed to pay over the taxes owed by it to the Government. (Bankston Dep. p. 14).

The stock of Allstate was entirely owned by U.S. Investments, Inc. Fontenot owned 45% of the stock of the latter corporation during the period in question as did Bankston. The remaining 10% belonged to one Walter Barnes. (Fontenot Dep. pp. 5-6).

From 1976 onward, Fontenot was authorized to sign checks of the corporation. (Fontenot Dep. p. 13). Fontenot exercised this authority in various transactions, including the payment of federal taxes. (Fontenot Dep. p. 14). Bankston had the authority to sign checks up until his termination as an officer and employee on June 13, 1978. (Bankston Dep. p. 10, Fontenot Answers to defendant’s interrogatories, pp. 5, 6). After April 21, 1978 either Fontenot or Bankston could sign checks for up to $250.00. For amounts over $250.00 which included checks to the IRS, the checks had to be signed jointly by the two of them.. After June 13, 1978 Fontenot signed all checks of the corporation. (Fontenot Dep. pp. 46-47; Fontenot answers to defendant’s interrogatories, pp. 5-6).

[499]*499The quarters for which the Government seeks to impose liability on its counterclaim are not the first periods for which Allstate was delinquent in paying its taxes. The company also failed to timely turn over the taxes due for the final quarter of 1977. When the IRS contacted Allstate to hold the company accountable, it was Fontenot and not Bankston who met with IRS agent Leslie Newman in February of 1978 to discuss the delinquency. (Bankston Dep. pp. 14-16; Fontenot Dep. pp. 59-60). At this meeting Fontenot signed an agreement with the Government in his capacity as a corporate officer concerning the manner in which payroll taxes would be paid. (Fontenot Dep. p. 60).

On June 13, 1978 a stockholders meeting was held in which Bankston was terminated as secretary-treasurer of Allstate. (Fontenot Dep. p. 11). At the same time a majority of the board of directors of Allstate, i.e. Fontenot, and a George Clauer, voted to fire Bankston as general manager. (Fontenot Dep. p. 11 and Exhibit A attached thereto).

After Bankston’s firing, Bruce E. Austin took over as general manager. However, only Fontenot signed checks after June 13, 1978.

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Bluebook (online)
547 F. Supp. 496, 51 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1219, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14849, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fontenot-v-united-states-lamd-1982.