In re Conticommodity Services, Inc.

123 F.R.D. 574, 14 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 935, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12582, 1988 WL 142148
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedNovember 4, 1988
DocketMDL No. 644
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 123 F.R.D. 574 (In re Conticommodity Services, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Conticommodity Services, Inc., 123 F.R.D. 574, 14 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 935, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12582, 1988 WL 142148 (N.D. Ill. 1988).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

HART, District Judge.

ContiCommodity Services, Inc. (“Conti”) seeks to compel Joseph Odom to answer [576]*576deposition questions and provide documents concerning claims for refunds (amended tax returns)1 of certain customer parties. Odom is an accountant employed by a law firm representing “certain customer parties” (“customers”). Per the customers’ representation in their surreply, the dispute over documents has been settled except as to four documents. As for testimony, it is not particularly clear what the customers’ position is. Despite the fact that, by Conti’s count, Odom was instructed 79 times to either not respond or limit his response, the customers claim Odom responded to Conti’s questions in all areas except two. Conti, though, had delineated seven other areas where Odom had not responded. The court must assume that privileges claimed as to these seven topics are no longer being claimed. Odom therefore must answer questions in those areas to the extent they do not overlap with any area discussed below where an immunity is found to exist. The two areas where the customers claim a dispute remains are questions as to “(1) the reasons why Brown and Hemmings did not report the results of their Conti trading on their original tax returns for 1984 and (2) whether Brown was in the trade or business of trading commodity futures as claimed on earlier returns.”

First, the court rejects any argument by the customers based on Odom’s incompetence to testify. Deposition testimony is not limited to admissible evidence. Although Odom prepared only the amended returns, he has knowledge about the original returns as well. Even if his testimony would be hearsay, it would not be nondiscoverable for that reason.

The Seventh Circuit has held that “information transmitted for the purpose of preparation of a tax return, though transmitted to an attorney, is not privileged information.” United States v. Lawless, 709 F.2d 485, 488 (7th Cir.1983). Accord United States v. Windfelder, 790 F.2d 576, 579 (7th Cir.1986). This holding rested primarily on the view that the information was not confidential since given to the attorney for the purpose of providing information to the government on tax returns. Lawless, 709 F.2d at 487-88; Windfelder, 790 F.2d at 579-80. The holding further relied on the view that preparing a tax return is essentially an accounting service. Lawless, 709 F.2d at 487. The Seventh Circuit recognized the possibility, though, that a person can also be seeking professional legal advice from an attorney so that some communications with the attorney may be privileged. Id.

The customers are not relying on the attorney-client privilege; they rely on the attorney work product immunity. In United States v. Davis, 636 F.2d 1028, 1039-40 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 862, 102 S.Ct. 320, 70 L.Ed.2d 162 (1981), the Fifth Circuit held that the immunity did not apply to tax preparation documents because not prepared in anticipation of litigation. In In re Special September 1978 Grand Jury, 640 F.2d 49, 64-65 (7th Cir.1980) (“September Grand Jury”), the Seventh Circuit held that the work product immunity did not apply to representation before the Internal Revenue Service involving negotiation of the payment of tax deficiencies and the regaining of tax exempt status. The Seventh Circuit held that the “in anticipation of litigation” requirement was not satisfied. The customers seek to distinguish these holdings on the ground that the preparation of a claim for refund is different than preparation of an income tax return.

The court rejects the customers’ argument to the extent it relies on a general proposition that claims for refund are prepared in anticipation of litigation. The customers provide no evidence in support of that proposition.2 But that does not mat[577]*577ter, the customers have provided evidence, unrefuted by Conti, that their claims were filed for the purpose of moving their cases from the Tax Court to this court. However, although a claim for refund (and the rejection or nonaction of the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”)) is a prerequisite to bringing a tax suit in federal district court, it is not itself a lawsuit. The initial proceedings on a claim are administrative. The court recognizes that administrative proceedings are sometimes considered to be litigation for purposes of the work product rule. See, e.g., Natta v. Zletz, 418 F.2d 633 (7th Cir.1969); Natta v. Hogan, 392 F.2d 686, 693 (10th Cir.1968). September Grand Jury, supra, however, involved adversarial proceedings before the IRS and the Seventh Circuit held there was no work product in anticipation of litigation. That case, though, leaves open the possibility that proceedings before the IRS can be closely enough linked to litigation to involve work product prepared in anticipation of litigation.

The focus of the decision on this motion should not so much be on “anticipation of litigation”, but on the nature of the work done by Odom. He prepared an amended tax return form for the customers. This required accumulating and computing the figures necessary for the return. This is no different than calculating the figures for an original tax return. This is accountant’s work product not attorney’s work product. See United States v. Cote, 326 F.Supp. 444, 450 (D.Minn.1971), aff'd, 456 F.2d 142 (8th Cir.1972). Cf. United States v. Davis, 636 F.2d at 1040, 1043; Lawless, 709 F.2d at 487. The attorney work product immunity does not apply to the actual preparation of the customers’ claims for refunds, including the preparation of schedules for computation of figures for the amended returns. To the extent, however, that Odom was an agent of the customers’ attorneys involved in an investigation for purposes of the district court suit, documents he prepared for that purpose are protected by the work product immunity. See In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 601 F.2d 162, 171 (5th Cir.1979). As noted in a prior ruling in this case, it is only the documents that are protected by the work product immunity, not the facts in the documents.3 June 14, 1988 Order at 2-3. See also Feldman v. Pioneer Petroleum, Inc., 87 F.R.D. 86, 89 (W.D.Okla.1980), aff'd, 813 F.2d 296 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S.-, 108 S.Ct. 346, 98 L.Ed.2d 372 (1987). This does not mean, however, that an attorney or an attorney’s agent can be asked questions regarding the attorney’s “mental impressions, conclusions, opinion, or legal theories.” Fed.R.Civ.P.

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Bluebook (online)
123 F.R.D. 574, 14 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 935, 1988 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12582, 1988 WL 142148, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-conticommodity-services-inc-ilnd-1988.