Guaranty State Bank v. Commissioner

12 B.T.A. 543, 1928 BTA LEXIS 3517
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedJune 11, 1928
DocketDocket No. 5459.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 12 B.T.A. 543 (Guaranty State Bank v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Guaranty State Bank v. Commissioner, 12 B.T.A. 543, 1928 BTA LEXIS 3517 (bta 1928).

Opinion

[544]*544OPINION.

Littleton:

Counsel for petitioner insists that this case presents the single issue on its merits of the faith and credit to be given to findings made by the Commissioner of Banking of Texas in the [545]*545discharge of his statutory duties, and also to the decree of the State court approving the Commissioner’s report. He insists that the findings of the Banking Commissioner approved by the court are binding on the Board. The report of the Banking Commissioner and the decree of the court approving it constitutes the only evidence offered before this Board. The Banking Commissioner’s report and the court decree were admitted in evidence at the hearing of this proceeding over the objection of counsel for the Commissioner for the consideration of the Board as to their competency, relevancy and materiality.

It is urged on behalf of petitioner that the question in this proceeding as to the income and profits tax claimed is really res ad judicata by reason of the adjudication in the Texas State court. It is argued that if we should not so hold we would not be giving full faith and credit ” to the judicial proceedings of the Texas district court. It is also urged that by virtue of the adjudication of the Texas court, there should be a redetermination of invested capital.

The Board does not agree with petitioner’s interpretation of the “ full faith and credit ” clause of the Constitution of the United States. At the time the statutory notice of deficiency was issued by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, the Guaranty State Bank of Greenville, Tex., was in the hands of the State Banking Commissioner for liquidation and subject to the jurisdiction of said district court. The State Banking Commissioner instituted this proceeding by the filing of a petition on July 11, 1925, and under the decision of the Board in French & Company, 10 B. T. A. 665, it is held that the Board acquired jurisdiction as to the year 1920. The Board has no jurisdiction to redetermine the tax liability for prior years in which there were overassessments.

Petitioner contends that if we do not accept the certified copy of the findings of the banking commissioner as conclusive, we will violate the provisions of Article IY, section 1, of the Constitution of the United States. This section has no application here. Ezra E. Connell, Estate, 11 B. T. A. 1254.

In Vicksburg v. Henson, 231 U. S. 259, the court announced that the doctrine of res adjudicata must be applied with caution.

In the case of Washington, etc., Steam Packet Co. v. Sickles, 24 How. 333, 341, Mr. Justice Campbell, speaking for the court, declared that:

* * * The essential conditions under which the exception of the res judicata, becomes applicable are the identity of the thing demanded, the identity of the cause of the demand, and of the parties in the character in which they are litigants.

[546]*546To the same effect is Lyons v. Perin & Goff Manufacturing Co., 125 U. S. 698, 700.

In Oklahoma v. Texas, 256 U. S. 70, 88, Mr. Justice Pitney, delivering the opinion of the court, stated:

* * * But we concede tliat in a subsequent suit upon a different cause of action, tbe question whether the matter decided on the former occasion was within the issues then proper to be decided, or was presented and actually-determined in the course of deciding those issues, is open to inquiry, and that, unless it be answered in the affirmative, the matter is not res judicata.
What was involved and determined in the former suit is to be tested by an examination of the record and proceedings therein, including the pleadings, the evidence submitted, the respective contentions of the parties, and the findings and opinion of the court; there being no suggestion that this is a proper case for resorting to extrinsic evidence. Russell v. Place, 94 U. S. 606, 608; Last Chance Mining Co. v. Tyler Mining Co., 157 U. S. 683, 688, et seq.; Baker v. Cummings, 181 U. S. 117, 124-130; Rational Foundry & Pipe Works v. Oconto Water Supply Co., 183 U. S. 216, 234.

Jones on Evidence, 3d Ed., sec. 590, p. 918, states:

* * * Where the parties to the suit are not the same or in privity, the record of the former suit cannot be introduced to establish the facts on which it was- rendered, yet there are certain incidental purposes for which such records may be introduced. * * *

He quotes Stephen as stating:

All judgments, whatever, are conclusive proof, as against all persons, of the existence of that state of things which they actually effect, when the existence of the state of things so effected is a fact in issue, or is, or is deemed to be relevant to the issue.

In Orr v. Hadley, 36 N. H. 575, the Court said:

As a general rule the parties must be the same and the point in issue must be the same. * * * But the testimony offered in this- case was not admissible, according to any of the authorities we have examined. The parties in the present suit are not the same as in the former, nor are they in privity with them, so as to be hound by what was said and done in that action. Peter E. Hadley, one of the present defendants, was plaintiff in that suit; but the other defendant so far as the case shows, had no connection with the proceedings either as a party or a privity, he had no opportunity to cross examine the witnesses and his rights cannot he affected by the testimony in that cause. * * * -yve have found no cases where the testimony has been admitted, if new parties, who are not privies, are introduced in the second suit. * * * (Italics supplied.)
The determination, after due hearing before bankruptcy, by the State Board of Assessment or other state tribunal having in charge the settlement of disputes over the amount of taxes, is not res judicata in bankruptcy. (Volume 6, Section 2805, p. 292,' Remington on Bankruptcy, Third Edition.)
Where the state asserted a claim for corporation taxes on the bankruptcy of a corporation, it is the duty of the bankruptcy cqurt to reassess the tax, in case objection is made, regardless of its original assessment by the proper state authority. (In re Simcox, Inc., 243 Fed. 479 (D. C. N. Y.).)

It is clear from the authorities cited that all the essentials necessary for the application of the doctrine of res adjudícala are lacking [547]*547in this proceeding. In Union Metal Manufacturing Co., 4 B. T. A. 287, the board stated:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Tsou v. Commissioner
1980 T.C. Memo. 100 (U.S. Tax Court, 1980)
Peveler v. Commissioner
1979 T.C. Memo. 460 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
Suarez v. Commissioner
58 T.C. 792 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)
Republic Bank & Trust Co. v. Commissioner
36 B.T.A. 680 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1937)
Jackson v. Commissioner
32 B.T.A. 470 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1935)
Winchester v. Commissioner
27 B.T.A. 798 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1933)
Guaranty State Bank v. Commissioner
12 B.T.A. 543 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1928)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
12 B.T.A. 543, 1928 BTA LEXIS 3517, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guaranty-state-bank-v-commissioner-bta-1928.