Houser v. Commissioner

96 T.C. No. 10, 96 T.C. 184, 1991 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 10
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 13, 1991
DocketDocket No. 18937-88
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 96 T.C. No. 10 (Houser v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Houser v. Commissioner, 96 T.C. No. 10, 96 T.C. 184, 1991 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 10 (tax 1991).

Opinion

CHABOT, Judge:

This matter is before us on petitioner’s motion to suppress evidence on the ground that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated during the searches in which the evidence was seized.

Respondent determined deficiencies in Federal individual income tax and additions to tax against petitioner as follows:

Sec. Sec. Sec. Sec. Sec. Additions to tax
6661 Year Deficiency 6651(a)(1)1 6651(a)(2) 6653(b) 6653(b)(1) a Í8 |o
1977 $21,942.10 $10,971.05
1978 17,318.82 8,659.41
1979 22,322.85 11,161.43
1980 32,110.60 16,055.30
1981 45,888.34 22,944.17
$14,272.65 1982 59,526.16 2($282.33) $41,993.83
_Additions to tax__ Sec. See. Sec. Sec. Sec. Sec.
Year Deficiency 6651(a)(1) 6651(a)(2) - 6653(b) 6653(b)(1) 6653(b)(2) 6661
1983 51,598.86 --- --- --- 25,799.43 ** 12,899.72
1984 32,834.25 ($2,205.41) (1,718.24) --- 51,579.63 *** 8,208.56

By second amendment to answer and by answer to amended petition, respondent asserted increased deficiencies, and corresponding increases in additions to tax, for each year except 1984.

The issues for decision are as follows:

(1) Whether a search and seizure by State officers was unconstitutional;
(2) If so, then whether respondent’s employees participated in the search and seizure to such an extent that the evidence secured thereby is to be suppressed.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated; the stipulations and the stipulated exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference.

When the petition was filed in the instant case, petitioner resided in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Petitioner was a physician in general practice during all the years in issue. Petitioner’s offices included a principal business office (hereinafter sometimes referred to as petitioner’s office) and a subsidiary office at his residence (hereinafter sometimes referred to as petitioner’s residence). Petitioner started practicing at petitioner’s residence about 1961 or 1962. Petitioner started practicing with another doctor at petitioner’s office about 1968. About 1974, the other doctor left and petitioner continued practicing at both locations. Petitioner’s practice included a general practice; more than 50 percent of his practice was weight control work. The weight control medications petitioner dealt in were controlled substances.

Petitioner’s medical practice included dispensing prescription drugs from his offices.

On May 27, 1983, Bruce Koehn (hereinafter sometimes referred to as Koehn) visited petitioner’s office. Koehn was an agent of the Hamilton County, Ohio, Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit (hereinafter sometimes referred to as RENU). Charles Young (hereinafter sometimes referred to as Young), an investigator for the Ohio State Medical Board, accompanied Koehn, Petitioner was not at petitioner’s office at that time. Janet Grieco (hereinafter sometimes referred to as Grieco), petitioner’s office manager, refused to allow Koehn and Young to inspect any records in petitioner’s absence. Koehn communicated with petitioner, who agreed to meet with Koehn at petitioner’s office the next day.

In addition to being petitioner’s office manager, Grieco was a nurse.. Grieco dispensed medication. when petitioner ordered her to do so; she gave injections when petitioner ordered her to do so.

Petitioner had left some vitamins to be picked up on May 27, 1983, for an elderly housebound patient. The patient was cared for by a neighbor. The neighbor’s son came to pick up the vitamins at petitioner’s office. While Koehn and Young were present, Grieco gave the vitamins to the boy, the boy gave hér money for the vitamins, and she gave a receipt to the boy. Young told Grieco she could not do that, she was practicing medicine without a license. Young took the medicine from the boy, but eventually returned it to him.

On May'28, 1983, Koehn again visited petitioner’s office. Petitioner spent about 4 hours showing to Koehn the procedures that petitioner used in examining patients, prescribing medications, recording patient information and drug dispensing information, and packaging and inventorying the drugs. Petitioner took Koehn through petitioner’s office and through the office at petitioner’s residence. Koehn told petitioner that he (Koehn) saw nothing wrong with petitioner’s procedures and would give the results of his inspection to Young. Koehn’s inspection of May 28, 1983, was without a warrant.

On or about June 1, 1983, Koehn and several local police officers came to petitioner’s office to arrest Grieco. Grieco was away from petitioner’s office. When she returned, and petitioner told her about the police officers’ visit, she went to the pólice station. She was arrested for practicing medicine without a license, Young having sworn out the arrest warrant. Later that year, after a 3-day trial, the court dismissed the charges. Grieco then filed a false arrest and malicious prosecution civil suit against Young, Koehn, and two of the local police officers. The trial in the civil case was repeatedly postponed; the last time, it was scheduled for about August 23, 1985.

On August 21, 1985, Koehn and Fred Williams (hereinafter sometimes referred to as Williams), of the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, came to petitioner’s office. Koehn told petitioner that he and Williams had come to inspect petitioner’s office and the places where petitioner kept drugs. Koehn and Williams did not have a warrant. When petitioner challenged them, Koehn said that he and Williams were proceeding under the authority of section 3719.13 of the Ohio Revised Code3, a copy of which Koehn showed to petitioner during this meeting. Koehn’s duty with RENU was to monitor healthcare facilities, pharmacies, doctors’ offices, and hospitals. Koehn and Williams visited petitioner’s office to conduct a general inspection because Koehn had visited a pharmacy and noticed that an unusually large quantity of an amphetamine had been sent by the pharmacy to petitioner.

Koehn told petitioner that some of the drugs (controlled substances used in weight control) were outdated and some were mislabeled; Koehn and Williams “embargoed” some of the drugs and took the drugs with them. Koehn insisted that petitioner produce invoices and the required Drug Enforcement Agency (hereinafter sometimes referred to as DEA) records. Petitioner telephoned his attorney, who was not then available. At Koehn’s insistence, petitioner produced petitioner’s invoices and some of petitioner’s DEA records. Petitioner told Koehn that the other DEA records were at petitioner’s residence.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
96 T.C. No. 10, 96 T.C. 184, 1991 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 10, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houser-v-commissioner-tax-1991.