Mallo v. United States (In re Mallo)

498 B.R. 268, 2013 WL 4873057
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedSeptember 11, 2013
DocketCivil No. 13-cv-00098-AP-LTB
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 498 B.R. 268 (Mallo v. United States (In re Mallo)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mallo v. United States (In re Mallo), 498 B.R. 268, 2013 WL 4873057 (D. Colo. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

BABCOCK, District Judge.

Appellants, Debtors Edson Pamittan Mallo and Liana Carol Mallo, appeal an order of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado dated January 3, 2013, denying their Motion for Summary Judgment and granting the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by the Appellee, The United States of America. [Appellate Record Doc # 6-1 pg. 197] Oral argument would not materially assist me in the determination of this appeal. After consideration of the record and the parties’ briefs, and for the reasons set forth below, I AFFIRM the order of the Bankruptcy Court.

I. Facts

The underlying facts in this case are undisputed. As relevant here, Debtors failed to timely file their Form 1040 Federal Income Tax Returns for the tax years 2000 and 2001. As a result, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) made assessments for the Debtors’ 2000 and 2001 tax years following an examination and the issuance of Notices of Deficiency. Debtors did not challenge the tax determinations set forth in the Notices and, as such, a tax assessment was made against Debtor Lia-na Mallo — for the 2000 tax year — on July 10, 2006. A tax assessment was made against Debtor Edson Mallo — for the 2001 tax year — on July 10, 2006. After Debtors failed to pay their assessed income tax debts for 2000 and 2001, the IRS undertook collection action by issuing a Notice of Intent to Levy regarding Debtor Liana Mallo’s 2000 tax debt on November 13, 2006, and a Notices of Intent to Levy regarding Debtor Edson Mallo’s 2001 tax debt on January 7, 2006 and on February 15, 2006.

Debtors then jointly filed a Form 1040 return reporting their 2001 federal income, over a year later, on or about April 6, 2007. They subsequently filed a joint Form 1040 return for their 2000 federal income taxes six month later, on October 7, 2007. As a result, the IRS assessed an additional tax liability against the Debtors jointly (in the amount of $4,576) for the 2000 tax year, in a total amount equal to the amount reported by Debtors on their Form 1040. For the 2001 tax year, the IRS partially abated the Debtors’ joint tax assessment, in a total amount equal to the amount reported by Debtors on their Form 1040.

[271]*271Thereafter, on February 18, 2010, Debtors voluntarily filed a petition for bankruptcy under Chapter 13, Title 11, of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which was converted to a Chapter 7 filing on March 23, 2011. At the time the petition was filed, Debtors owed tax liabilities for various periods between 2000 and 2009. The Court issued a discharge order on July 5, 2011. [Doc # 6-1 pg. 14]

Following the discharge, Debtors filed an adversary proceeding against the IRS (AP No. 11-1624-MER) seeking a determination that their income tax debt from the years 2000 and 2001 were discharged by the discharge order. [Doc # 6-1 pg. 6] The IRS responded by filing a motion seeking summary judgment and a determination that Debtor Liana Mallo’s 2000 income tax debt (with the exception of the additional portion arising from the $4,576 assessed after Debtors submitted a return in 2007), and all of Ed Mallo’s 2001 income tax debt were excepted from discharge because they were debts for which a return was not filed within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(l)(B)(i). [Doc #6-1 pg. 18] Debtors, in response, filed a cross-motion seeking summary judgment in their favor and a ruling that the 2000 and 2001 income tax debts were not subject to the exception in 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(l)(B)(i) and, as such, were discharged. [Doc # 6-1 pg. 90]

On January 3, 2013, the Bankruptcy Court ruled in favor of the IRS by granting its motion for summary judgment, and denying the Debtors’ motion for summary judgment. [Doc # 6-1 pg. 197] In re Mal-lo, 2013 WL 49774 (Bkrtcy.D.Colo.2013). Debtors appealed and elected to have this Court hear the appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 158(a)(1).

II. Standard of Review

In reviewing a Bankruptcy Court’s decision, the district court functions as an appellate court and is authorized to affirm, reverse, modify or remand the Bankruptcy Court’s ruling. 28 U.S.C. § 158(a); Fed. R. Bankr.P. 8013. As relevant here, a Bankruptcy Court’s legal conclusions — as opposed to its factual findings — are reviewed de novo. In re Warren, 512 F.3d 1241, 1248 (10th Cir.2008); In re D.E. Frey Group, Inc., 387 B.R. 799, 802 (D.Colo.2008).

III. Underlying Law

The legal question at issue here is whether the Debtors’ income tax debts for tax year 2000 (as to Edson Mallo) and tax year 2001 (as to Debtor Liana Mallo) were discharged in bankruptcy by the order of discharge — as argued by Debtors — or whether the exception found at 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(1)(B)® applies, making the tax debts non-dischargeable — as argued by the United States.

The general rule is that a debtor who files a bankruptcy petition is discharged from personal liability for all debts incurred before the filing of the petition, including those related to unpaid taxes. 11 U.S.C. § 727(b). The Bankruptcy Code lists several exceptions to the general rule of dischargeability of an unpaid tax debt under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)®, which precludes the discharge of a tax debt in several circumstances. For example, a priority tax is not dischargeable, pursuant to § 523(a)(1)(A), nor is a debt with respect to a fraudulent return, pursuant to § 523(a)(1)(C). The exception to discharge at issue here is § 523(a)(1)(B), which renders a tax debt nondischargeable if a related return was filed within the two years of the filing of the bankruptcy petition or, as relevant here, when a return was not filed. Specifically, that exception provides as follows:

[272]*272(a) A discharge [in bankruptcy] does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt—
(1) for a tax ...—
(B) with respect to which a return ... if required—
(I) was not filed ...

In October 2005, § 528(a) was amended by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005,119 Stat. 23 (April 20, 2005)(the “BAPCPA”), which — as relevant here — added an unnumbered paragraph at the end of the section that provides a definition of a “return” as follows:

For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘return’ means a return that satisfies the requirements of applicable non-bankruptcy law (including applicable filing requirements).

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Bluebook (online)
498 B.R. 268, 2013 WL 4873057, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mallo-v-united-states-in-re-mallo-cod-2013.