National Australia Bank v. United States

74 Fed. Cl. 435, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 7843, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 346, 2006 WL 3347882
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedNovember 17, 2006
DocketNo. 99-690C
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 74 Fed. Cl. 435 (National Australia Bank 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
National Australia Bank v. United States, 74 Fed. Cl. 435, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 7843, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 346, 2006 WL 3347882 (uscfc 2006).

Opinion

OPINION

BRUGGINK, Judge.

This case returns to us on remand from the Federal Circuit. In our most recent decision, National Australia Bank v. United States, 63 Fed.Cl. 352 (2004) (“NAB III”), we granted plaintiffs motion for summary judgment, finding that plaintiff was not allowed to deduct $103,155,357 in covered-asset losses on its tax returns because of the government’s breach of an implied duty in its contract with plaintiffs predecessor in interest, which resulted in an additional $36,135,373 in taxes paid. We determined that, based on a prior “Termination Agreement” with the government, plaintiff was entitled to a tax benefits sharing ratio of 75% of the $36,135,373 in tax savings, or $27,101.530. On appeal, the Federal Circuit, in National Australia Bank v. United States, 452 F.3d 1321 (Fed.Cir. 2006) (“NAB IV”), affirmed our determination as to the government’s liability, but reversed our ruling as to the correct tax benefits sharing ratio applicable in the event of such a breach. The Federal Circuit remanded the case to determine the ratio agreed upon by the parties and to consider extrinsic evidence to determine whether reformation of the Termination Agreement might better reflect the parties’ original intent.

Trial on the remand issue is scheduled for February 2007. Now pending is plaintiffs motion for partial judgment for immediate payment of what it alleges is the minimum undisputed quantum of damages owed. The matter is fully briefed.

BACKGROUND

We assume familiarity with most of the background facts of our prior decisions which give rise to this Winstar-related1 tax benefit litigation. See Nat’l Australia Bank v. United States, 54 Fed.Cl. 238 (2002) (“NAB I”); Nat’l Australia Bank v. United States, 55 Fed.Cl. 782 (2003) (“NAB II”); NAB III, 63 Fed.Cl. 352. In 1988, plaintiffs predecessor in interest entered into an agreement (“Assistance Agreement”) with the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (“FSLIC”) to acquire Beverly Hills Savings & Loan, a failing savings and loan institution. FSLIC agreed to reimburse plaintiff for so-called “covered-asset losses.” Under the tax law applicable at the time, plaintiff could deduct the losses from its taxable income, and the reimbursement payments received from FSLIC would not be characterized as taxable income. Pursuant to the Assistance Agreement, plaintiff was required to maximize its tax benefits for the covered-asset losses because plaintiff shared some of the tax benefits with FSLIC. The Assistance Agreement established a tax benefit sharing ratio of 75/25 in favor of plaintiff. The subsequent enactment of the “Guarini” legislation, Pub.L. 103-66, § 13224, 107 Stat. 312 (1993), eliminated the tax deduction for covered-asset losses. As a result, plaintiff and FSLIC terminated the Assistance Agreement and executed the Termination Agreement in 1994, which established a different tax benefit sharing ratio. The new ratio was 50/50. The parties dispute the significance and application of the 50/50 ratio in the language of the Termination Agreement, which is the subject of the forthcoming trial.

In NAB II, we found the government liable for expectancy damages because it breached an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing when it retroactively eliminated the tax benefits through the enactment of the Guarini legislation. In NAB III, we found that plaintiff met its burden of proof in demonstrating expectancy damages with reasonable certainty. We also held that the tax benefit sharing ratio of 75/25 was applicable in quantifying plaintiffs damages, which meant that plaintiff received 75% of the benefits of the covered-asset loss deduction, while FSLIC received 25%. See NAB III, 63 Fed.Cl. at 362-363. The government appealed our decisions in both NAB II and NAB III. In NAB IV, the Federal Circuit affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded.

[437]*437DISCUSSION

The issue is whether, in light of the mandate from the Federal Circuit, entry of partial judgment is appropriate before we hold trial to determine the correct percentage of tax benefits to which plaintiff is entitled. Plaintiff argues that it is appropriate to enter partial judgment because there is a minimum quantum of damages that is not in dispute. Plaintiff contends that the only issue on remand is whether the Termination Agreement calls for a 75/25 tax benefit sharing ratio, or a 50/50 split. Because the government has consistently argued that the correct ratio is 50/50, plaintiff contends that it is uncontro-verted that plaintiff is entitled to at least 50% of the $36,155,357 tax savings, or $18,067,687. As support for its motion, plaintiff emphasizes that, because it is not entitled to prejudgment interest, the value of damages continues to be diluted by the time-value of money, costing plaintiff nearly $1 million for every year that the damages are unpaid. The government argues in opposition that: (1) the government has not exhausted its appeal rights, (2) the Federal Circuit reversed our award as to the quantum of damages, (3) plaintiff cannot meet the standard for partial judgment under Rule 54(b) of the Rules of the Court of Federal Claims (“RCFC”), and (4) considerations of judicial economy weigh against partial judgment. Because the government’s second argument is sufficient to dispose of plaintiff’s motion, we refrain from addressing the remaining three.

As a preliminary matter, we must first resolve what the Federal Circuit established in NAB IV. In so doing, we are reminded that “[a]ll matters decided by the Federal Circuit have been made the law of this case. We would not be permitted, on remand, to rule inconsistently with what has been decided.” Home Savings of America, F.S.B. v. United States, 69 Fed.Cl. 187, 192 (2005).

In NAB IV, the Federal Circuit affirmed our determination of the government’s liability in NAB II. See 452 F.3d at 1325. The Federal Circuit also affirmed our determination in NAB III of the availability of expectancy damages. Id. at 1327. In NAB III, we first determined that the Guarini legislation eliminated plaintiffs tax deduction for covered-asset losses in the amount of $103,135,373, and, as a result, plaintiff paid an additional $36,155,357 in taxes. We then determined that the appropriate tax benefit sharing ratio was 75/25 in favor of plaintiff, awarding $27,101,530 in damages (75% of $36,155,357). In affirming our grant of summary judgment, the Federal Circuit rejected the government’s arguments that plaintiff did not prove its covered-asset losses with reasonable certainty and that we erroneously shifted the burden of proving damages to the government. Id. at 1326. Therefore, the Federal Circuit affirmed our determination that plaintiff’s covered-asset losses amounted to $103,135,373.

The Federal Circuit, however, reversed our finding that the Termination Agreement incorporated the Assistance Agreement’s 75/25 tax benefit sharing ratio as the agreed-upon measure of damages in the event of litigation between plaintiff and FSLIC. Id. at 1328 (Termination Agreement “is ambiguous and does not, on its face, support the trial court’s conclusion that the 75/25 split applies to damages accruing to NAB ... award of damages must therefore be reversed”).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Lambro v. United States
Federal Claims, 2026
United States v. Philip Morris USA, Inc.
783 F. Supp. 2d 23 (District of Columbia, 2011)
United States v. Philip Morris USA
District of Columbia, 2011
American Savings Bank, F.A. v. United States
83 Fed. Cl. 555 (Federal Claims, 2008)
Globe Savings Bank, F.S.B. v. United States
74 Fed. Cl. 736 (Federal Claims, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
74 Fed. Cl. 435, 98 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 7843, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 346, 2006 WL 3347882, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-australia-bank-v-united-states-uscfc-2006.