Gluck v. United States

84 Fed. Cl. 609, 102 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 7014, 2008 U.S. Claims LEXIS 334, 2008 WL 5096918
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedNovember 14, 2008
DocketNo. 08-194 T
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 84 Fed. Cl. 609 (Gluck 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
Gluck v. United States, 84 Fed. Cl. 609, 102 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 7014, 2008 U.S. Claims LEXIS 334, 2008 WL 5096918 (uscfc 2008).

Opinion

[610]*610 OPINION AND ORDER

SWEENEY, Judge.

Before the court is defendant’s Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction. In this action, plaintiffs seek the abatement of income taxes and interest assessed against them by defendant, by and through the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). Defendant moves to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (“RCFC”) on the grounds that plaintiffs have not fully paid their taxes for the year in question and that the court cannot order an abatement of tax. For the reasons set forth below, the court grants defendant’s motion.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND1

On or about April 24, 1999, plaintiffs Adrian and Susan Gluck filed a joint income tax return for the 1996 calendar year. Compl. Ex. B at 2; cf. Compl. 115 (alleging that plaintiffs filed their return “[o]n or before May 31, 1999”). On their joint return, plaintiffs reported business income of $200,000.00, an adjusted gross income of $198,729.00, taxable income of $175,601.00, and a total tax liability of $59,668.00. Compl. Ex. B at 2; Groen Deck Ex. 1 at 4; Groen Deck Ex. 2 at 9-10. Plaintiffs did not pay the tax when they filed their return. Def.’s Mot. 2; Compl. Ex. B at 2-3; Compl. Ex. C. The IRS subsequently made minor adjustments to plaintiffs’ total tax liability, Def.’s Mot. 2, and, on May 31, 1999, assessed $60,842.36 as plaintiffs’ federal income tax liability for 1996, Groen Deck Ex. 1 at 4. Thereafter, plaintiffs were assessed interest and penalties totaling $43,577.96 for their failure to pay income tax for 1996. See Compl. Ex. B at 2-3; Groen Deck Ex. 1 at 3-8.

In December 2000, plaintiffs filed an amended income tax return for 1996.2 Compl. U 5. Plaintiffs allege that their amended return

claim[ed] a casualty loss which they failed to report on their original tax return for the loss of their personal residence due to mold contamination; on the amended tax retum[,] the Plaintiffs claimed that the sellers failed to disclose the problems with water intrusion[,] which caused the growth of mold and fungus and which, as a result, forced the Plaintiffs to abandon their house.

Id. Plaintiffs claimed $292,000.00 as a casualty loss, which included the following itemized amounts: $200,000.00 for a down payment on the house; $25,000.00 for heating and air conditioning repairs; $5,000.00 for repairs to walls and ceilings; $10,000.00 for roofing repairs; and $2,000.00 for window replacement.3 Id. Plaintiffs’ amended return indicated that they sought an increase—from $10,582.00 to $282,609.00—in itemized deductions on their original 1996 return. Compl. Ex. A at 1. As such, plaintiffs reported a casualty theft loss of $272,027.00.4 Id. at 1-2. Plaintiffs calculated their tax liability as $47,711.00. Id. at 1.

On January 18, 2006, Kris Bodner, an IRS appeals officer, sent plaintiffs’ counsel a letter in which the IRS stated that it reviewed a [611]*611settlement document plaintiffs submitted to the agency.5 Compl. Ex. C at 2-3. Ms. Bodner indicated:

Based on the documents provided, it is my finding that this issue lends itself to a hazards settlement. In the settlement of the lawsuit against Crowell & Moring and in the other documents you provided concerning the lawsuits, there are no direct statements that the court found that the [sellers] intentionally failed to disclose the water/mold problems with the house. However, the fact that the settlement awarded the Gluck children monetary damages lends credence to the fact that the court gave some credibility to the taxpayers’ allegation that the water/mold in the house caused medical problems and damage to the children____This, in turn, implies that the court gave some credibility to the taxpayers’ allegation that the [sellers] intentionally failed to disclose the problem when they sold the house to the taxpayers[,] which would construe a theft loss under CA law. If the finding were that the [sellers] were only negligent, then the nondisclosure would not rise to the level of being illegal and there would be no ... theft loss and no settlement. However, the settlement in this ease was for the lawsuit against Crowell & Moring and not for the action against the [sellers].

Id. Ms. Bodner concluded that a forty percent hazards settlement “reflects the litigating hazards in this case since there is not enough information to know one way or the other and since I believe the taxpayers face greater litigating hazards than the government.” Id. at 3. As a result, the IRS indicated that it would allow plaintiffs’ $250,000.00 down payment to be deducted “only for purposes of computing the theft loss.” Id. The IRS determined plaintiffs’ deductible loss to be $80,027.00 and “computed the amount of the decrease in the tax to be $26,163 with corresponding decreases in the failure to file and failure to pay penalties of $5,886.75 and $3,421.96[,] respectively.” Id. Ms. Bodner prepared and enclosed a form for plaintiffs’ signatures “if [they] agree[d] with the determination,” and requested receipt of the form by no later than January 30,2006. Id.

Plaintiffs did not accept the IRS’s settlement offer for a partial abatement of tax and decreases in the failure to file and to pay penalties. Id. at 1. On March 22, 2006, the IRS rejected plaintiffs’ claim for a $47,711.00 tax adjustment. Id. In its March 22, 2006 notice, the IRS determined that it

cannot allow the above claim for an adjustment to your tax for the reasons stated below:
In the letter sent to you dated 1/18/06 you were offered a settlement allowing part of the amount of your claim. You decided not to accept the settlement offer, so none of the claimed amount is being allowed.
Our decision is based on provisions of the Internal Revenue laws and regulations. This letter is your legal notice that your claim is fully disallowed.

Id. Plaintiffs do not allege that they made any payment of tax for 1996. See Compl. 11111-8.

On March 20, 2008, plaintiffs instituted a lawsuit in the United States Court of Federal Claims (“Court of Federal Claims”) seeking “the abatement of income taxes and interest erroneously and illegally assessed [against] the Plaintiffs____” Id. II3; accord id. 117 (alleging that the “assessment and collection of the full deficiency assessment plus interest for the calendar year 1996 without adjustment for the casualty loss is erroneous and illegal”). Plaintiffs seek judgment against defendant in the amount of $47,711.00 plus interest, as well as attorney’s fees and other costs. Compl. Prayer for Relief.

[612]*612II. LEGAL STANDARDS A. Jurisdiction

The Court of Federal Claims is a court of limited jurisdiction. Jentoft v. United States, 450 F.3d 1342, 1349 (Fed.Cir.2006) (citing United States v. King, 395 U.S. 1, 3, 89 S.Ct. 1501, 23 L.Ed.2d 52 (1969)).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
84 Fed. Cl. 609, 102 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 7014, 2008 U.S. Claims LEXIS 334, 2008 WL 5096918, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gluck-v-united-states-uscfc-2008.