Kaufman v. Internal Revenue Service

CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedMay 26, 2011
DocketCivil Action No. 2010-1610
StatusPublished

This text of Kaufman v. Internal Revenue Service (Kaufman v. Internal Revenue Service) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kaufman v. Internal Revenue Service, (D.D.C. 2011).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

RICHARD PHILIP KAUFMAN and MICHAEL NORLEY,

Plaintiffs, Civil Action No. 10-cv-1610 (RLW) v.

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, et al.,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Pro se Plaintiffs Richard Philip Kaufman and Michael Norley have filed this “Complaint

on Contract and Promise on Value (Sweat Equity) Loaned” purportedly as relators on behalf of

“The People of the State of Pennsylvania.” Plaintiffs have named more than 60 Defendants,

including the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the Secretary of the Treasury, the chairman of

the Federal Reserve, the entire Pennsylvania state court system, Pennsylvania state judges,

federal judges and federal prosecutors. Plaintiffs make wholesale attacks on the legitimacy of

the IRS, the Federal Reserve Bank, the U.S. treasury and system of currency, some state and

federal courts, and other individuals or entities that Plaintiffs believe to be “acting as agents” for

the IRS.

Defendants have moved to dismiss the Complaint under Rules 12(b)(1), (2), (5) and (6).

For the reasons set forth below, this Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to entertain Plaintiffs’

suit. Accordingly, Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss (Docket Nos. 4, 11, 52, 74, 75, & 76) are

1 granted. Moreover, because Plaintiffs have abused the litigation process through their numerous

improper filings, including signing and filing counterfeit orders as “common law magistrates” or

“private attorney generals,” Plaintiffs’ CM/ECF privileges are revoked and they are enjoined

from submitting any additional filings in this case without prior leave of the Court.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

A. Plaintiffs’ Previous Federal and State Cases

Although Plaintiffs are proceeding pro se, they are no strangers to the court system.

Residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Plaintiffs have between them filed at least 15

pro se suits in federal district and bankruptcy courts over the last ten years, almost all of which

have been dismissed. 1 Some of the federal cases, moreover, detail the numerous state cases they

have filed to attempt to prevent adverse action against them. It appears that, whenever Plaintiffs

are unhappy with the result of a case (including criminal prosecutions), they file a new lawsuit—

often in a different court—suing the judge, court staff, lawyers, and/or other government officials

involved in the previous case. Their strategy appears, at least in part, to challenge the authority

1 See In re Kaufman, No. 08-bk-11087 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. filed Feb. 14, 2008); In re Kaufman, No. 08-bk-13185 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. filed May 15, 2008); Kaufman v. U.S., No. 6-mc- 146 (E.D. Pa filed Aug. 1, 2006); Norley, et al. v. Wolfe, et al., No. 09-cv-1129 (N.D. N.Y. filed Sept. 20, 2009); Norley v. Landis, et al., No. 10-cv-5893 (E.D. Pa. filed Oct. 29, 2010); Norley v. Platt, et al., No. 00-cv-3695 (E.D. Pa. filed July 21, 2000); Norley v. Welsh, et al., No. 03-cv- 5596 (E.D. Pa. filed Oct. 7, 2003); Norley v. State of Pennsylvania, et al., No. 03-cv-6039 (E.D. Pa. filed Oct. 31, 2003); Norley v. State of Pennsylvania, et al., No. 05-cv-5311 (E.D. Pa. filed Oct. 7, 2005); Norley v. East Bradford Township, No. 06-cv-2038 (E.D. Pa. filed May 12, 2006); Norley v. Norley, et al., No. 06-cv-3016 (E.D. Pa. filed July 10, 2006); In re Norley, No. 03- 18613 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. filed June 4, 2003); In re Norley, No. 04-33025 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. filed Sept. 24, 2004); In re Norley, No. 09-18782 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. Nov. 18, 2009); In re Norley, No. 10-10436 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. filed Jan. 21, 2010).

2 of those who have taken action against them. See Order at 3, n.1, Norley, et al. v. Wolfe, et al.,

No. 09-cv-1129 (N.D.N.Y. Jan. 13, 2010), ECF No. 3 (demanding credentials of clerk of court

and judges that had failed to enter judgment sought by plaintiffs; in dismissing case, Court stated

that “it is cases like this one that delay the resolution of other cases, and that contribute to this

District’s dubious distinction has having . . . one of the longest median times to disposition for

civil cases . . . .”); see also Complaint, Norley v. State of Pennsylvania, et al., No. 05-cv-5311

(E.D. Pa. Oct. 7, 2005) (suing and challenging authority of judges, sheriffs and other government

officials who had taken adverse action against Norley in previous cases).

Plaintiffs have both been reprimanded for successive bankruptcy filings in the U.S.

Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania seeking to, among other things, stop

the foreclosure and sheriff’s sales of their properties. Kaufman has already been ordered not to

file any further bankruptcy cases without prior leave of that court. See Order, In re Kaufman,

No. 08-13185 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. Aug. 27, 2008), ECF No. 38. In Plaintiff Norley’s most recent

bankruptcy filing, Norley “repeatedly” admitted that the sole reason he filed that case and “all

but one of his prior bankruptcy cases was to prevent the [local municipality] from moving

forward with the Sheriff’s Sale of his real property or to stop other actions by [that

municipality].” See Order at 7-8, In re Norley, No. 10-10436 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. Mar. 30, 2010),

ECF No. 33. After holding an evidentiary hearing at which Norley was present, the Court

ultimately found Norley had filed his bankruptcy case in bad faith, dismissed his case, and

enjoined any future bankruptcy filings without leave of the court “to prevent [Norley’s]

continued abuse of the bankruptcy process.” Id. at 7-10.

3 B. The Complaint and Filings in this Case

In August 2010, Plaintiff Kaufman was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern

District of Pennsylvania for, among other things, failure to file tax returns in violation of 26

U.S.C. § 7203, attempt to obstruct lawful function of Internal Revenue Service in violation of 26

U.S.C. § 7212(a), and making false claims in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 287. See Indictment,

United States v. Kaufman, No. 10-cr-553 (E.D. Pa. Aug. 24, 2010), ECF No. 1. Approximately

one month after he was indicted, Kaufman, along with Norley, filed this suit against the IRS and

other Defendants “acting as agents” for the IRS.

In this case, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants, particularly the IRS, have fraudulently

induced Plaintiffs into “involuntary servitude” (¶¶ 21, 30). Plaintiffs allege, among other things,

that: 1) the IRS operates in the United States without disclosing that it is a “private” or “foreign

usury” debt collector, and an “offshore trust maintained in Puerto Rico” that fraudulently

operates in the “secret collection of usury” (¶¶ 11-12; 23-4); 2) the Internal Revenue Code is

applicable only to “those who elect to volunteer to submit” to it (¶ 23(k)); and 3) that the IRS

and other Defendants have “converted Plaintiffs’ value sweat equity to private money for

enrichment of Defendants” (¶¶ 30-2). Plaintiffs appear to allege that they are immune from the

power of the IRS to impose and collect taxes (¶ 59).

Plaintiffs allege a wide conspiracy, including the IRS and the other Defendants, who have

“routinely aided and abetted” the IRS (¶¶ 23(o), 30, 53). In addition to the IRS, the alleged

4 conspiracy includes: 2 1) Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner; 2) Chairman of the Federal

Reserve Benjamin Bernanke; 3) the Depository Trust Company; 4) the Delaware County,

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