Morell v. United States

185 F.R.D. 116, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3695, 1999 WL 170309
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedMarch 8, 1999
DocketNo. Civ.A. 98-1033(DRD)
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 185 F.R.D. 116 (Morell v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morell v. United States, 185 F.R.D. 116, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3695, 1999 WL 170309 (prd 1999).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

DOMINGUEZ, District Judge.

Pending before the court is plaintiffs’ Motion to Strike Defendant’s Affirmative Defenses filed on May 27, 1998. (Docket No. 5B). Plaintiffs maintain that defendant’s first, second, third, sixth and eighth affirmative defenses raised in the answer to the complaint should be stricken. On June 19, 1998 defendant United States of America filed an opposition to plaintiffs’ motion. (Docket No. 8). After consideration of the above mentioned submissions, plaintiffs’ motion to strike is Denied.

Plaintiffs, Rafael Morel and Mabel Campos Lopez, filed the present action against the United States and Internal Revenue Service agent Norberto Ruiz on January 23, 1998. The complaint raised three causes of action seeking damages for unauthorized collection action pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 7433; failure to release lien pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 7432; and violations of plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.1 (Docket No.l). On May 6,1998, the United States filed an answer to the complaint asserting therein eight affirmative defenses. (Docket No. 5). Subsequently, on May 27, 1998, plaintiffs moved the court to strike defendant’s first, second, third, sixth and eighth affirmative defenses. (Docket No. 5B). Defendant’s first two defenses assert that plaintiffs have failed to exhaust administrative remedies with respect to their claims under 26 U.S.C. § 7432 and § 7433. The third defense alleges that plaintiffs’ claims are time-barred. The sixth defense asserts that there is no subject matter jurisdiction to the extent plaintiffs seek a declaratory judgement that the tax assessments are invalid. Finally, the eighth defense maintains that, because of the doctrine of sovereign immunity, the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to the extent the third cause of action (damages for constitutional violations) seeks to recover from the United States. Plaintiffs maintain these defenses “are irrelevant to the Plaintiffs’ case and are therefore, confusing and prejudicial.” (Docket No. 5B).

I. STANDARD FOR MIOTION TO STRIKE

Pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.Pro. 12(f), a court “may order stricken from any pleading any insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or scandalous matter.” However, “[b]oth because striking a portion of a pleading is a drastic remedy, and because it often is sought by the movant simply as a dilatory tactic, motions under Rule 12(f) are viewed with disfavor and are infrequently granted.” Federal Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Niblo, 821 F.Supp. 441, 449 (N.D.Tex.1993); See also Augustus v. Board of Public Instruction, 306 F.2d 862, 868 (6th Cir.1962); Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. v. United States, 201 F.2d 819, 822 (6th Cir.1953); Systems Corp. v. American Telephone & Telegraph Co., 60 F.R.D. 692, 694 (S.D.N.Y.1973); Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure: Civil 2d § 1380 at 647. This remedy should be used only when the purpose of justice so requires. Augustus, 306 F.2d at 868; Brown, 201 F.2d at 822; Abramson v. Florida Gas Transmission Co., 908 F.Supp. 1383, 1386 (E.D.La.1995). “In order to succeed on a motion to strike sur[118]*118plus matter from an answer, it must be shown that the allegations being challenged are so unrelated to plaintiffs claim as to be unworthy of any consideration as a defense and that their presence in the pleading throughout the proceeding will be prejudicial to the moving party.” Niblo, 821 F.Supp. at 449; See also Augustus, 306 F.2d at 868; Brown, 201 F.2d at 822.

In addition “[a] disputed question of fact cannot be decided on motion to strike.” Augustus, 306 F.2d at 868. “It is true, also, that when there is no showing of prejudicial harm to the moving party, ... the courts generally are not willing to determine disputed and substantial questions of law upon a motion to strike.” Id.; Niblo, 821 F.Supp. at 449 (“The court must deny a motion to strike if there is any question of fact or law.”); Bryant v. American Nat’l Bank & Trust Co., 407 F.Supp. 360, 363 (N.D.Ill.1976) (“A motion to strike a defense should be denied if the defense presents a question of law which the court should hear.”); South v. United States, 40 F.R.D. 374, 376 (1966) (motion to strike “not intended to furnish an opportunity for the determination of disputed and substantial questions of law.”). “Under such circumstances, the court may property, and we think should, defer action on the motion and leave the sufficiency of the allegations for determination on the merits.” Augustus, 306 F.2d at 868. Thus, “[b]efore this type of motion can be granted the Court must be convinced that there are no questions of fact, that any questions of law are clear and not in dispute and that under no set of circumstances could the defenses succeed.” Systems Corp., 60 F.R.D. at 694. The granting of the motion to strike is within the discretion of the court. Niblo, 821 F.Supp. at 449.

II. DISCUSSION

In the instant case, the court does not find that defendant’s affirmative defenses are so unrelated, or so prejudicial, to plaintiffs’ claims as to meet the standard for granting a motion to strike. Plaintiffs have not persuaded the court that defendant cannot establish, as a matter of law, a valid defense under those theories espoused in the answer to the complaint. The court shall discuss the challenged affirmative defenses seriatim.

Plaintiffs first argue that defendant’s first and second affirmative defenses claiming lack of subject matter jurisdiction for failure to exhaust administrative remedies should be stricken. They maintain that such remedies have been fully exhausted by “giving more than one formal written notice, opposing the liens placed on their properties, and requesting that liens be lifted, in each letter giving detailed reasoning for their request” and that any deficiencies in the notices are minor. (Docket No. 5B, p. 3). Defendant responds, however, that said notices do not constitute exhaustion of administrative remedies since they did not comply with all the elements required under 26 C.F.R § 301.7432-l(f).2 To resolve this question, the court must determine whether plaintiffs notices, as a matter of law, satisfy the notice requirements under § 7432-l(f). An exercise which, as discussed above, is not appropriate for a motion to strike. See e.g., Augustus, 306 F.2d at 868.

Plaintiffs also claim defendant’s third affirmative defense, that the claims are time barred, should also be stricken as the two-year statute of limitations is inapplicable to plaintiffs’ claims in this case. Plaintiffs maintain that while defendant’s allegedly invalid collection practices began over two years ago, such actions constitute a “continuous” injury. In such cases of continuing injury, the cause of action generally does not accrue until the injury ceases. Page v.

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185 F.R.D. 116, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3695, 1999 WL 170309, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morell-v-united-states-prd-1999.