Kean's v. Parish of East Baton Rouge

668 So. 2d 1343, 95 La.App. 1 Cir. 1054, 1996 La. App. LEXIS 466, 1996 WL 77115
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 23, 1996
DocketCA 95 1054
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 668 So. 2d 1343 (Kean's v. Parish of East Baton Rouge) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kean's v. Parish of East Baton Rouge, 668 So. 2d 1343, 95 La.App. 1 Cir. 1054, 1996 La. App. LEXIS 466, 1996 WL 77115 (La. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

laWHIPPLE, Judge.

This case is before us on appeal from a judgment in favor of Kean’s Partnership d/b/a Red Stick Linen Services (“Red Stick”) and against the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge and Lynn Schofield, in his capacity as Finance Director of the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge (collectively referred to as “City/Parish”) in the amount of $106,437.21, together with interest as provided in LSA-R.S. 33:2718, representing a refund of sales taxes collected by the City/Parish from Red Stick on the purchases of certain textile products. For the following reasons, we reverse.

FACTS

The parties have stipulated to the relevant facts as follows. In the course of its business, Red Stick purchased textile products, such as uniforms and other linens, for its customers. Red Stick entered into a service agreement with its customers for a period of three to five years, which usually covered the useful life of the textile products. The service agreements provided for periodic pickup, laundering, mending and delivery of the textile products. Each uniform was customized with the logo of the customer and tailored to fit the customer’s employees. If a service contract was breached or canceled, the textile products reverted to Red Stick.

From January 1, 1985 through July 31, 1986, Red Stick purchased textile products to furnish to its customers under its service [1345]*1345agreements. Red Stick paid sales taxes to the City/Parish in the amount of $106,437.21 on the purchases of these textile products pursuant to City/Parish Tax Ordinances Nos. 7713, 7714, 7715, 7716, 8046, 8047, 8048 and 8049 of the Metropolitan Council.

While the State of Louisiana, Department of Revenue and Taxation (“the Department of Revenue” or “the Department”) had initially assessed Red Stick with state sales taxes on the purchases of the textile products which are the subject matter of this litigation, the State canceled its assessment against Red Stick in the proceeding before the Board of Tax Appeals, entitled and numbered Kean’s, a Partnership, d/b/a Bed Stick Linen Services v. Shirley McNamara, Secretary of the Department of Revenue and Taxation, State of Louisiana, B.T.A. Docket No. 3250 (Bd. of Tax Appeals 1989).

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The present suit was filed on July 14,1989, by Red Stick, seeking a refund of the $106,-437.21 paid in eity/parish sales taxes on Red Stick’s purchase of textile products for the period of January 1, 1985 to July 31, 1986.

The parties filed opposing motions for summary judgment. Red Stick maintained that the purchases of these textile products constituted sales for the purpose of resale, which were not subject to the payment of sales tax under the applicable municipal and parish tax ordinances. Red Stick further contended that Department of Revenue regulation Article 2-82, by which the City/Parish was bound, specifically provided that the purchases of textile products for the purpose of furnishing them to customers pursuant to service agreements are not subject to the payment of sales tax because they are sales for resale.1 The City/Parish contended that this regulation had not been included in the regulations of the Department of Revenue since 1973 and, further, that they were not bound by the Department of Revenue regulations.

A hearing on the motions was held on July 12, 1991. Thereafter, the trial court rendered judgment in favor of the City/Parish, granting their motion for summary judgment and dismissing plaintiffs claim for a refund.2

On appeal, this court, in an unpublished opinion, reversed the trial court’s grant of summary judgment. Although this court concluded that the City/Parish was bound by the jurisprudence and regulations applicable to the interpretation of the state provision defining “sale at retail,” LSA-R.S. 47:301(10)(a), this court determined that Red Stick had nonetheless failed to prove its entitlement to Usummary judgment. We noted that although Red Stick claimed that Article 2-82 was a valid regulation of the Department of Revenue, it did not appear in the current regulations of the Department. Furthermore, the copy of the regulation attached to Red Stick’s petition was not a certified copy, and therefore we would not consider it. Thus, this court concluded that Red Stick had not produced adequate evidence with its motion for summary judgment to establish that Article 2-82 was in full force and effect during the relevant time period. Kean’s, A Partnership, d/b/a Bed Stick Linen Services v. Parish of East Baton Rouge, et al, 91 CA 1999, p. 4, 630 So.2d 6 (La.App. 1st Cir. 2/8/93) (unpublished opinion).

In the absence of any proven valid regulation, this court looked to the relevant jurisprudence to determine whether either Red Stick or the City/Parish had established entitlement to summary judgment. Concluding [1346]*1346that under the relevant jurisprudence genuine issues of material fact existed, this court reversed the granting of summary judgment in favor of the City/Parish and remanded to the trial court for further proceedings. Kean’s, A Partnership, d/b/a Red Stick Linen Services v. Parish of East Baton Rouge, et al, 91 CA 1999, at pp. 5-6, 630 So.2d 6.

On remand, trial on the merits was held on December 9, 1994. At trial, oral testimony was taken and additional documentary evidence was introduced. By judgment dated January 26, 1995, the trial court, concluding that Article 2-82 was in full force and effect during the relevant times, rendered judgment in favor of Red Stick and against the City/Parish in the amount of $106,437.21, with interest as provided by LSA-R.S. 33:2718.

From this judgment, the City/Parish appeals, asserting that the trial court erred in: (1) considering Article 2-82 as binding on the City/Parish, and (2) ordering the City/Parish to refund taxes which had not been paid under protest.

FAILURE TO MAKE PAYMENT UNDER PROTEST

(Assignment of Error No. 2)

The City/Parish contends that Red Stick is not entitled to a refund, because the sales taxes at issue were not paid under protest. The City/Parish argues that pursuant to the relevant ordinances, a voluntary payment is only refundable if: (1) |sno question of fact or law is involved and the payment was made due to a mistake of fact or law on the part of the taxpayer; or (2) if the tax was paid under protest and suit filed within thirty days. According to the City/Parish, because this case involves questions of law and the tax was not paid under protest, Red Stick is not entitled to a refund.

The relevant sections of City/Parish ordinances providing a refund mechanism are contained in Sections 14(a) and 26 of City/Parish Tax Ordinances Nos. 7713, 7714, 7715, 7716, 8046, 8047, 8048 and 8049, which provide:

Section H.

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Related

Kean's Partnership v. Parish of East Baton Rouge
685 So. 2d 1043 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
668 So. 2d 1343, 95 La.App. 1 Cir. 1054, 1996 La. App. LEXIS 466, 1996 WL 77115, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/keans-v-parish-of-east-baton-rouge-lactapp-1996.