Gorski v. United States

104 Fed. Cl. 605, 109 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1948, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 453, 2012 WL 1512119
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedApril 30, 2012
DocketNo. 09-742T
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 104 Fed. Cl. 605 (Gorski 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
Gorski v. United States, 104 Fed. Cl. 605, 109 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1948, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 453, 2012 WL 1512119 (uscfc 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND FINAL ORDER

BRADEN, Judge.

I. RELEVANT FACTUAL BACKGROUND.1

On May 18, 1999, the City of Chicago (“the City”) demolished a house (“the Oakdale house”) and the personal property therein located at 6974 W. Oakdale Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Sec. Am. Compl. ¶ 12; see also Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 35 at 13364. At the time, the Oakdale house was owned by the Estate of Roman M. Gorski (“the Estate”). Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 7 at 1389; Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 37. Roman Gorski was the father of John R. Gorski and Wayne Gorski. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 1 at 133. Mr. John R. Gorski and Mr. Wayne Gorski were the sole heirs to the Estate. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 1 at B3. Mr. Wayne Gorski was the Independent Administrator for the Estate. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 1 at B4-5; Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 38 at B377-78.

Subsequently, on May 17, 2001, Mr. Wayne Gorski filed suit against the City in the Circuit Court of Cook County (the “State Court”) for wrongful demolition of the Oak-dale house. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 39 at B380. The State Court Complaint, as amended August 10, 2001, alleged claims for failure to provide proper notice and failure to comply with the City Ordinance on demolitions. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 39 at B382-83. The Amended Complaint sought $250,000 in damages “for the loss of the property and per[607]*607sonal possessions that resulted from this illegal demolition!!]” Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 39 at B383-84.

On July 22, 2002, Mr. Wayne Gorski moved for summary judgment as to liability, arguing that the City failed properly to notify himself and Mr. John R. Gorski of the pending demolition. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 40. On August 27, 2002 the State Court granted Mr. Wayne Gorski’s Motion. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 41. The ease then proceeded to trial solely on the issue of damages.2 See Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 42.

On May 8, 2003, a hearing was held on the issue of damages before Judge Robert E. Gordon of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 47 at B574. On that same date, Judge Gordon entered a final order stating:

This case appearing as a bench trial, the jury having been waived by plaintiff, the judge having heard the evidence IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT—
(1) The court finds in favor of the plaintiff & against the City of Chicago in the amount of [$] 110,000 and judgment is entered in favor of Wayne Gorski and against the City of Chicago in the amount of $110,000.00.
(2) It is further ordered that the City return [$] 8,967.76 from the demolition lien to the plaintiff.
(3) The City shall have no liens against the Gorski ownership of the property.
(4) No Costs.

Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 47 at B574.

Mr. Wayne Gorski did not appeal this judgment and subsequently received a check from the City in the amount of $120,278.03. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 47 at B575-76. This amount was then split, with Mr. John R. Gorski receiving $54,125.12 (45%), Mr. Wayne Gorski receiving $42,097.31 (35%), and the remaining $24,055.60 (20%) paid for legal fees. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 4 at B80-81.

On November 21, 2003, a “Notice of Account — Final” was entered in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Probate Division, reporting, among other items, a “net casualty loss” for the Estate of $277,686.59 that was derived by adding up “lost assets” and “expenses,” and then subtracting out “partially recovered assets.” Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 4 at B76-80. The Estate was closed on December 3, 2003. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 4 at B82.

On October 19, 2004, Mr. John R. Gorski and his wife, Jean Gorski, filed a joint federal income tax return, Form 1040, for the 2003 tax year. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 50 at B596-97. For the 2003 tax year, Mr. John R. Gorski reported an income of $13,634.34 in Social Security benefits and income of $60,764.71 from Mrs. Jean Gorski’s job. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 50 at B596. Their joint return claimed the standard deduction and did not claim a casualty loss. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 50 at B596-97. Subsequently, they paid the amount of taxes they owed for the 2003 tax year. See Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 50 at 599.

On April 19, 2006, Mr. John R. Gorski and Mrs. Jean Gorski filed an amended joint federal income tax return, Form 1040X, for the 2003 tax year. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 51 at B603-09. On the amended return, Plaintiffs claimed an itemized deduction in the amount of $269,230.37 for the casualty loss of the Oakdale house, resulting in a refund claim for the entire amount of federal taxes paid by the Plaintiffs for the 2003 tax year, ie., $8,251.00. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 51 at B603, 605-06. They also filed an Application for Tentative Refund, Form 1045, for claimed carry-back losses for the 2000, 2001, and 2002 tax years. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 51 at B610-11.

On October 31, 2007, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) sent a letter to Plaintiffs, disallowing the 2003 refund claim in total on the ground that casualty losses are deductible only in the taxable year that the casualty occurred. Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 52. The IRS also explained that the casualty loss was not allowed, because it was not substantiated in that the Gorskis “ha[d] not shown that the fair market value [of the Oakdale house] immediately before the loss was more than you received or expect to receive as insurance proceeds or other compensation.” Gov’t PFUF, Ex. 52.

[608]*608II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY.

The procedural history of this case from October 29, 2009, the date Mr. John R. Gorski filed a pro se complaint in the United States Court of Federal Claims for a tax refund, to August 16, 2010, is set forth in Gorski v. United States, 94 Fed.Cl. 253, 254-55 (2010).

On August 17, 2010, the court issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order granting the Government’s January 29, 2010 Motion For Joinder to add Jean A. Gorski as a co-Plaintiff and requiring Plaintiffs to file a Second Amended Complaint on or before September 30, 2010, and the Government to file an Answer within 30 days thereafter. Id. at 259.

On October 4, 2010, the court granted an oral request for enlargement of time until October 12, 2010 for Plaintiffs to file a Second Amended Complaint.

On November 29, 2010, F. Patrick Matthews, Esq., filed as counsel for Plaintiffs.

On December 29, 2010, Plaintiffs filed a Motion For Extension Of Time to file the Second Amended Complaint and complete fact discovery. The court granted that motion on December 30, 2010. On January 14, 2011, a Second Amended Complaint was filed adding Mrs. Jean Gorski as a co-Plaintiff. On February 16, 2011, the Government filed an Answer to the Second Amended Complaint. On April 30, 2011, fact discovery was completed.

On July 15, 2011, the Government filed a Motion For Summary Judgment (“Gov’t Mot.”) on the ground that issue preclusion bars Plaintiffs from claiming a casualty loss deduction. In the alternative, the Government argued that the demolition of the Oak-dale house was not a casualty loss within the meaning of 26 U.S.C. (“I.R.C.”) § 165(c) and, in any event, Plaintiffs were entitled only to fifty percent of any claimed casualty loss deduction. That same day the Government also filed Proposed Findings Of Uncontro-verted Facts.

On December 1, 2011, Plaintiffs submitted a Response to the Government’s Motion For Summary Judgment (“PI. Resp.”) and a Response to the Government’s Proposed Findings of Uncontroverted Facts.

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Bluebook (online)
104 Fed. Cl. 605, 109 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1948, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 453, 2012 WL 1512119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gorski-v-united-states-uscfc-2012.