Locke v. United States

77 Fed. Cl. 460, 100 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5154, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 218, 2007 WL 2019540
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJuly 10, 2007
DocketNo. 06-629T
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 77 Fed. Cl. 460 (Locke v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Locke v. United States, 77 Fed. Cl. 460, 100 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5154, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 218, 2007 WL 2019540 (uscfc 2007).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

CHRISTINE O.C. MILLER, Judge.

This ease is before the court after briefing on defendant’s motion to dismiss pursuant to RCFC 12(b)(1) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Defendant challenges jurisdiction over a claim for damages based on a wrongful tax levy. Argument is deemed unnecessary.

BACKGROUND

As an initial matter, the court is compelled to point out that the pleading and brief filed by plaintiffs’ counsel were deficient in almost every respect. Some egregious errors include incorrect case citations; case names without any citations; statutes that have either been repealed or never existed; unclear and confusing facts purporting to support plaintiffs’ claims; and arguments based entirely on conjecture. Relying principally on defendant’s motion to dismiss, and only partially on plaintiffs’ complaint, see RCFC 8(a),1 and their response to defendant’s motion, the court was able to piece together sufficient relevant facts to address the jurisdictional adequacy of the complaint.

FACTS

Plaintiffs jointly filed their 1994 and 1997 tax returns on October 2, 1998.2 Plaintiffs’ 1994 tax return reported a total tax due of [462]*462$9,929.00; plaintiffs’ 1997 tax return reported a total tax due of $7,965.00. Plaintiffs did not make any payments on either their 1994 or 1997 income tax returns. On November 16, 1998, the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) assessed plaintiffs $17,150.03—includ-ing penalties and interest—in total outstanding income tax liability for the 1994 tax year. On November 9, 1998, the IRS assessed plaintiffs with $8,707.25 in total outstanding income tax liability for the 1997 tax year. The IRS subsequently abated both assessments. As a result, plaintiffs’ outstanding income tax liabilities were lowered to $16,618.56 for the 1994 tax year and to $5,177.48 for the 1997 tax year.

As a result of plaintiffs’ outstanding tax liabilities for tax years 1994 and 1997, the IRS sent plaintiffs on February 9, 2004, notices of intent to levy. On July 26, 2004, the IRS again sent plaintiffs’ notices of intent to levy for tax year 2002. On August 25, 2004, plaintiffs’ counsel sent the IRS a Form 12153 (Request for a Collection Due Process Hearing),3 for tax years 1990 through 1993 and 1997. “Per plaintiffs’ counsel’s instructions, the IRS treated this request as a request for a hearing with respect to plaintiffs’ 1994 and 2002 tax years as well.” Def.’s Br. filed Jan. 5, 2007, at 2. Plaintiffs’ request was timely only with respect to tax year 2002. However, the IRS determined that plaintiffs were entitled to an “equivalent hearing” for their untimely requests. I.R.S. Appeals Transmittal and Case Memorandum (Dec. 15, 2004), at 1; DX 11. While attempting to schedule the hearing, the IRS advised plaintiffs that at the hearing they could request an alternative to the proposed levy with the IRS Appeals Office. See I.R.C. § 6330(c)(2)(A), (“The person may raise at the hearing any relevant issue relating to the unpaid tax or the proposed levy, including ... offers of collection alternatives____”). Plaintiffs’ counsel later notified the IRS that both a “penalty abatement request ... and an Offer In Compromise, based on doubt as to liability” had been submitted prior to the request for a collection due process hearing. I.R.S. Appeals Transmittal and Case Memorandum (Dec. 15, 2004), at 3; DX 11. Plaintiffs’ counsel requested that the appeal be conducted by mail. Plaintiffs’ counsel did not propose any collection alternative.

An IRS Appeals Officer responded in a letter to plaintiffs dated November 3, 2004. The letter advised that, if plaintiffs still wished to proceed with the collection due process hearing, they were required to submit a proposed alternative to the levy action or to submit a written withdrawal of their request for the collection due process hearing “within two weeks of the date of this letter.” I.R.S. Appeals Transmittal and Case Memorandum (Dec. 15, 2004), at 3. The Appeals Officer explained to plaintiffs the importance of proposed collection alternatives to their case:

[I]t is imperative I be informed as to how you wish to proceed with the disposition of your Collection Due Process Case(s).
If I have not received a response as to how you wish to proceed ... I will have no choice but to presume you do not wish to propose an alternative to the proposed levy action other than those already under consideration, and do not wish to withdraw your request for a Collection Due Process Hearing.

Id. at 3-4. Although on November 16, 2004, plaintiffs’ counsel informed the Appeals Officer that plaintiffs would submit a withdrawal of their request for a collection due process hearing by no later than November 26, 2004, counsel failed to submit the request. On December 1, 2004, the Appeals Officer gave plaintiffs a third opportunity to respond by letter. Plaintiffs again failed to respond. The Appeals Officer then reviewed plaintiffs’ file and concluded that the proposed levy should be sustained. On January 29, 2005, the Appeals Office issued a notice of determination for the 2002 tax year. On May 5, [463]*4632005, it issued decision letters for the 1994 and 1997 tax years.

Shortly thereafter, the IRS began to levy plaintiffs’ social security benefits pursuant to I.R.C. § 6331(h)4 in order to satisfy their unpaid tax liabilities for tax years 1994 and 1997. On May 15, 2006, and July 3, 2006, the IRS mailed plaintiffs Final Notices Before Levy on Social Security Benefits for the 1994 tax year. On June 26, 2006, Final Notices Before Levy on Social Security Benefits were sent for the 1997 tax year. On August 9, 2006, plaintiffs’ social security benefits were levied in the amount of $184.80. On September 1, 2006, plaintiffs’ benefits were levied in the amount of $81.00. These levies were credited against plaintiffs’ 1994 tax liability. On September 13,2006, plaintiffs’ social security benefits were again levied in the amount of $184.80 and credited to their 1997 tax liability. Plaintiffs filed their complaint in the United States Court of Federal Claims on September 7, 2006.

DISCUSSION

1. Standard of review

Defendant invokes RCFC 12(b)(1) to dismiss plaintiffs’ complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. When a federal court hears such a jurisdictional challenge, “its task is necessarily a limited one.” Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1974). “The issue is not whether a plaintiff will ultimately prevail but whether the claimant is entitled to offer evidence to support the claims.” Id. The court must accept as true the facts alleged in the complaint, and must construe such facts in the light most favorable to the pleader. See Henke v. United States, 60 F.3d 795, 797 (Fed.Cir.1995) (holding that courts are obligated “to draw all reasonable inferences in plaintiffs favor”). Nevertheless, if the jurisdictional facts alleged in the complaint are disputed, “the ... court may consider relevant evidence in order to resolve the factual dispute.” Reynolds v. Army and Air Force Exch. Serv., 846 F.2d 746, 747 (Fed.Cir.1988); see also Moyer v. United States, 190 F.3d

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77 Fed. Cl. 460, 100 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5154, 2007 U.S. Claims LEXIS 218, 2007 WL 2019540, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/locke-v-united-states-uscfc-2007.