Four Rivers Investments, Inc. v. United States

77 Fed. Cl. 592, 100 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5405, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 238, 2007 WL 2193884
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJuly 27, 2007
DocketNo. 06-598 T
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 77 Fed. Cl. 592 (Four Rivers Investments, Inc. 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
Four Rivers Investments, Inc. v. United States, 77 Fed. Cl. 592, 100 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5405, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 238, 2007 WL 2193884 (uscfc 2007).

Opinion

OPINION

BUSH, Judge.

Plaintiff filed suit in this court on August 22, 2006, and amended its complaint on April 18, 2007 and May 25, 2007. Plaintiff seeks the return of monies it alleges were “wrongfully levied/seized” by the Internal Revenue Service of the United States Department of the Treasury (IRS). Defendant contests this court’s jurisdiction over plaintiff’s claims and filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on May 3, 2007. Defendant’s motion has been fully briefed. Plaintiff has also filed a Request for Temporary Restraining Order and Injunction addressing recent collection activities by the IRS, which has also been fully briefed.1 For the reasons stated below, the court grants defendant’s motion to dismiss and denies plaintiffs request for injunctive relief.2

BACKGROUND3

Plaintiff Four Rivers Investments, Inc. (Four Rivers) is a Nevada corporation doing business in California, whose sole owner is Vicki Seidel.4 Compl. U 3, Ex. 1 f 4. Vicki Seidel is married to Thomas Seidel. Id. IT 6. Thomas Seidel was president of T.E. Seidel Electric, Inc. (Seidel Electric). Id. IT 5. Sei-del Electric operated from June 1, 1992 through June 1, 1996.

Mr. Seidel failed “to collect and pay over employment taxes in his capacity as the pres[594]*594ident of T.E. Seidel Electric, Inc.” Def.’s Mot. at 2; Compl. It 5. Mr. Seidel was assessed a one hundred percent trust fund recovery penalty, “pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 6672 [ (2000) ] for failing to collect and pay over certain payroll tax[es] owed to the IRS.” Compl. II5; Def.’s Mot. at 2. The penalty assessment totaled $601,251.24 for the tax period ending September 30,1996.

Seidel Electric filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with no assets on August 8,1996. On October 25, 1996, the Seidels filed for their own Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The date of the IRS penalty assessment against Thomas Sei-del is in dispute. According to plaintiff, the IRS assessment occurred in December 1996, but was then “fraudulently backdated” to October 23,1996. Compl. H10; PL’s Opp. at 2, 4. According to defendant, the penalty assessment occurred on October 23, 1996. The difference in alleged assessment dates is not material to the jurisdictional motion before the court.

The IRS collection activities that are at issue in this suit occurred from 2003 to 2005, and are related to the penalty assessed against Mr. Seidel in 1996. The IRS levied against a Four Rivers bank account at Wells Fargo Bank in Salinas, California in April 2003, and credited the amount received, $4,011.87, against Mr. Seidel’s outstanding balance with the IRS. The IRS also levied against a Four Rivers account at A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. in Monterey, California in April 2003, and credited the amount received, $41,007.32, to Mr. Seidel’s outstanding balance. In both instances, the IRS levied against accounts belonging to Four Rivers, “as the nominee, alter ego, and/or transferee of Thomas E. Seidel.” Def.’s Mot. at 3.

In addition, in April 2003, the IRS placed a lien against Four Rivers’ property rights in real property located in Monterey County, California. The hen named Four Rivers “as the Nominee, alter ego, and/or transferee of Thomas E. Seidel.” Def.’s Mot. at 4. This lien, in the amount of almost $600,000, affected the proposed sale of a parcel of property in Salinas, California that was held in the name of Four Rivers. In November 2004, Four Rivers applied to the IRS for a discharge of the lien as it applied to the Salinas property being sold. The IRS conditioned the discharge of the lien on payment of $161,334.55 and $143.90, or a total of $161,478.45. This amount, which was received by the IRS in two payments, one in November 2004 and the other in March 2005, was credited to Thomas Seidel’s outstanding balance with the IRS and the IRS issued a certificate of discharge from the tax lien for the Salinas property.

DISCUSSION

I. Standard of Review for a Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction

In rendering a decision on a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (RCFC), this court must presume all undisputed factual allegations to be true and construe all reasonable inferences in favor of the plaintiff. Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974), abrogated on other grounds by Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 814-15, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 73 L.Ed.2d 396 (1982); Reynolds v. Army & Air Force Exch. Serv., 846 F.2d 746, 747 (Fed.Cir.1988). However, plaintiff bears the burden of establishing subject matter jurisdiction, Alder Terrace, Inc. v. United States, 161 F.3d 1372, 1377 (Fed.Cir.1998) (citing McNutt v. Gen. Motors Acceptance Corp. of Ind., 298 U.S. 178, 189, 56 S.Ct. 780, 80 L.Ed. 1135 (1936)), and must do so by a preponderance of the evidence, Reynolds, 846 F.2d at 748. If jurisdiction is found to be lacking, this court must dismiss the action. RCFC 12(h)(3).

II. Standard of Review for a Request for a Temporary Restraining Order or Preliminary Injunction

“Four factors are weighed in considering a motion for a preliminary injunction: (1) immediate and irreparable injury to the movant; (2) the movant’s likelihood of success on the merits; (3) the public interest; and (4) the balance of hardship on all the parties.” U.S. Ass’n of Importers of Textiles & Apparel v. United States Dep’t of Commerce, 413 F.3d 1344, 1346 (Fed.Cir.2005) (USA-ITA) [595]*595(citing Zenith Radio Corp. v. United States, 710 F.2d 806, 809 (Fed.Cir.1988)). A motion for a temporary restraining order is decided upon consideration of the same four factors. OAO Corp. v. United States, 49 Fed.Cl. 478, 480 (2001) (citations omitted). If jurisdiction is challenged, a court must consider that challenge as a threshold issue, because lack of jurisdiction mil preclude likelihood of success of the merits, the second factor in determining the appropriateness of injunctive relief. See USA-ITA 413 F.3d at 1348 (“We disagree, however, that ... jurisdictional arguments could be ignored in ruling on [a] preliminary injunction motion. The question of jurisdiction closely affects the [plaintiffs] likelihood of success on its motion for a preliminary injunction. Failing to consider [jurisdiction would be] legal error.”).

III. Jurisdiction over Plaintiffs Challenge to Tax Levies

Plaintiff Four Rivers challenges the legality of the two IRS levies and the tax lien-related collections by the IRS, citing a variety of legal arguments. The initial question, however, is whether Four Rivers has brought claims that are within the jurisdiction of this court.

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77 Fed. Cl. 592, 100 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5405, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 238, 2007 WL 2193884, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/four-rivers-investments-inc-v-united-states-uscfc-2007.