Fromson v. United States

32 Fed. Cl. 1, 74 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5642, 1994 U.S. Claims LEXIS 151, 1994 WL 412344
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedAugust 9, 1994
DocketNo. 92-98T
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 32 Fed. Cl. 1 (Fromson 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
Fromson v. United States, 32 Fed. Cl. 1, 74 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5642, 1994 U.S. Claims LEXIS 151, 1994 WL 412344 (uscfc 1994).

Opinion

OPINION

YOCK, Judge.

This tax case is before the Court on cross-motions for summary judgment pursuant to RCFC 56. In this action, the plaintiffs seek to recover an alleged overpayment of taxes for the tax year ending December 31, 1986, in the amount of $2,406,916.1 As the basis of their claim, the plaintiffs allege that their 1986 income should not include a cashier’s check in the amount of $4,813,833 that the plaintiffs received on December 30, 1986, in partial payment of a judgment in the plaintiffs’ favor.2 The Government argues that the plaintiffs’ 1986 income should include the cashier’s check because the plaintiffs received the check in 1986, the check was not subject to any restrictions or limitations, and the plaintiffs had a legal right to have the court-ordered judgment partially satisfied by the check in 1986. After a full and careful review of the pleadings, briefs and submissions filed by the parties, the Court concludes that the Government’s argument prevails. For the reasons set forth below, the defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment is granted, and accordingly, the plaintiffs’ motion is denied.

Facts

For purposes of the Government’s Motion for Summary Judgment, the following facts are not in dispute: Mr. Howard A Fromson (referred to singularly as the “plaintiff’) is the inventor and owner of United States Letters Patent No. 3,181,461 (the “ ‘461 patent”), issued to him on May 4, 1965. The patent covered various photolithographic plates used in printing as well as the technology utilized in producing those plates. The plaintiff is also the founder of Ano-Coil Corporation, a company that manufactures litho[3]*3graphic plates such as the ones covered by the ’461 patent. Ano-Coil Corporation has its headquarters and principal place of business in Connecticut, the plaintiffs home state.

In December 1976, the plaintiff brought suit against Advance Offset Plate, Inc. (“Advance”), a company that manufactured and sold lithographic plates that allegedly infringed the plaintiff’s ’461 patent. Advance was a subsidiary of Cookson America, Inc., in 1986. In 1978, the plaintiff also sued three customers of Advance that had also apparently infringed the plaintiffs patent. In 1980, the district court consolidated these three suits with the plaintiffs suit against Advance. In his consolidated suit, the plaintiff claimed that Advance and its customers directly and contributorily infringed his ’461 patent. In that action, the plaintiff requested injunctive relief against the patent infringement, an accounting for damages and treble damages, plus attorney’s fees and costs.

The district court initially held that Advance and its customers had not infringed upon the plaintiffs patent, however, the court’s ruling did not withstand appeal. Fromson v. Advance Offset Plate, Inc., 219 U.S.P.Q. 88, 90 (D.Mass.), vacated and remanded, 720 F.2d 1565 (Fed.Cir.1983). On remand, the district court held that Advance and its customers had, in fact, infringed the plaintiffs ’461 patent, but then went on to find the patent invalid for obviousness. The district court’s finding with regard to the invalidity of the plaintiffs patent was also overturned on appeal. Fromson v. Advance Offset Plate, Inc., 223 U.S.P.Q. 1132, 1138, 1984 WL 1390 (D.Mass.1984), affd in part, rev’d in part, 755 F.2d 1549 (Fed.Cir.1985) (reversing district court’s holding that plaintiffs patent was invalid for obviousness). Subsequently, in an unpublished opinion dated December 11, 1986, the district court awarded the plaintiff $1,630,217 in compensatory damages, $1,630,217 in punitive damages, $1,553,399 in prejudgment interest, plus post-judgment interest and court costs. The trial court did not, however, award the plaintiff his attorney’s fees.

Sometime between December 11,1986, and December 23,1986, Advance offered to settle the district court’s judgment with the plaintiff for $200,000 less than the face amount of the judgment.3 The settlement offer also excluded post-judgment interest and court costs. As part of its settlement offer, however, Advance agreed to delay payment of the settlement proceeds until early 1987. Although the plaintiff would have had to forego his appellate rights and accept over $200,000 less than the judgment amount, the proposed delay in payment would have allowed the plaintiff to benefit significantly from the new lower 1987 tax rate that would have been applicable to the plaintiffs patent infringement award or settlement. Nonetheless, upon the advice of his attorney, the plaintiff flatly rejected Advance’s settlement offer.

On Monday, December 29, 1986, Cookson America, Inc., the parent company of Advance, mailed a cashier’s check in the amount of $4,813,833 to the plaintiffs residence, payable to Howard A. Fromson. The check bore no limiting restrictions or conditions on its face or reverse side, and no release or settlement agreement accompanied the check. Attached to the check, however, was a letter that read:

Enclosed is a cashier’s check dated December 29, 1986, made payable to you in the amount of Four Million Eight Hundred Thirteen Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty-three ($4,813,833) dollars.
This payment is made pursuant to the order issued by the Honorable Robert E. Keeton, United States District Court Judge, on December 23, 1986.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me.
Sincerely,
/s/
John H. Doherty

[4]*4The plaintiff received the check on Tuesday, December 30, 1986. Although the letter accompanying the cashier’s check indicated that payment was being made “pursuant to the order issued by the Honorable Robert E. Keeton, United States District Court Judge, on December 23,1986,” the check amount did not include court costs or post-judgment interest. As such, the plaintiff claims that he subjectively believed that if he accepted the check by presenting it for payment, he would be forfeiting his appellate rights and the court costs and post-judgment interest granted by the district court’s award.

Because of the plaintiff’s fear that he might create an accord and satisfaction by presenting the cashier’s check for payment, the plaintiff returned the check uncashed to Advance via overnight mail on Tuesday, December 30, 1986. Enclosed with the un-cashed check was a letter which read:

Dear Mr. Doherty:
I wish to acknowledge receipt of your Cashier’s check in the amount of $4,813,-833. In view of the fact that Cookson and I both have the right to appeal the judgment of December 23, 1986, and these appeal rights do not expire until January 22, 1987, upon advice of counsel, I am returning your check until such time as the funds are unencumbered.
Yours sincerely,
/s/
Howard A. Fromson

By letter dated Wednesday, December 31, 1986, Cookson America, Inc., again remailed the cashier’s check to the plaintiff.

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32 Fed. Cl. 1, 74 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5642, 1994 U.S. Claims LEXIS 151, 1994 WL 412344, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fromson-v-united-states-uscfc-1994.