Northcutt v. United States

103 Fed. Cl. 184, 109 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 738, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 36, 2012 WL 300410
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJanuary 31, 2012
DocketNo. 06-860T
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 103 Fed. Cl. 184 (Northcutt 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
Northcutt v. United States, 103 Fed. Cl. 184, 109 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 738, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 36, 2012 WL 300410 (uscfc 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

BRADEN, Judge.

Pending before the court is Plaintiffs’ August 4, 2011 Motion For Reconsideration (“PL Mot.”) in their AMCOR partnership tax refund case. Plaintiffs argue, first, that their limitations and penalty interest claims were reinstated when the April 18, 2008 judgment against them was vacated on July 1, 2008, and, second, if these claims were not reinstated, then reconsideration of their dismissal is warranted. For the reasons stated herein, the Plaintiffs’ Motion For Reconsideration is denied.

1. RELEVANT BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY.1

In 1984, 1985, and 1986, Merlin and Elizabeth Northcutt invested in limited partnerships managed by American Agri-Corp, Inc. (“AMCOR”) that made investments in certain agricultural crops.2 Compl. ¶¶ 6, 17, 30; see also Prati I, 81 Fed.Cl. at 425. Investors paid for all the farming expenses up front, and then deducted the amount invested from their federal income taxes. Prati I, 81 Fed. [185]*185Cl. at 425. In short, “by participating in an AMCOR partnership, an investor could obtain what amounted to an interest-free loan from the [federal] government for the unpaid portion of [the investor’s] taxes.” Id. at 426.

In 1987, AMCOR partnerships became the subject of an Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) investigation and audit. Id. at 424. In 1991 and 1992, the IRS issued 43 Notices of Final Partnership Administrative Adjustment (“FPAA”),3 disallowing deductions from AMCOR partnerships “for several reasons, including that the partnership activities constituted a series of ‘sham transactions.’ ” Prati III, 603 F.3d at 1302. Representatives of the AMCOR partnerships then filed petitions in United States Tax Court challenging the FPAAs. Compl. ¶¶ 8, 19, 31; see also Prati III, 603 F.3d at 1302. In 2001, the AMCOR partnerships, the IRS, and the Tax Court entered stipulated decisions in those cases. Compl. ¶¶ 9, 20, 32; see also Prati III, 603 F.3d at 1303. Some of the AMCOR partners, however, settled their disputes individually by executing Form 870-P(AD) pri- or to the issuance of the Tax Court’s stipulated decision (the “settled partners”). See Prati III, 603 F.3d at 1303.

The Northeutts were among those partners who declined to settle (“the unsettled partners”) and are bound by the stipulated decisions. Compl. ¶¶ 9-10, 20-21, 32-33. Subsequently, the IRS assessed the North-eutts, and other AMCOR partners, for unpaid federal taxes and interest, including § 6621(c) tax-motivated interest, for each of the three years at issue. Compl. ¶¶ 10, 21, 33. The Northeutts then paid the assessed tax liability for each year. Compl. ¶¶ 11, 22, 34.

Beginning in 2001, AMCOR partners began to file refund cases in the United States Court of Federal Claims. See Prati I, 81 Fed.Cl. at 423. As of the time Prati I was decided, approximately 129 AMCOR Partnership cases had been filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims. Id.

On December 15, 2006, the Northeutts filed a Complaint alleging six separate grounds for recovery:

(1) Three claims that the IRS assessed taxes after the statute of limitations period had expired for tax years 1984, 1985, and 1986. Compl. ¶¶ 13.A-B, 26.A-B, 36.B-C (the “limitations claims”).
(2) Three claims concerning an improperly imposed § 6621(e) penalty interest rate for tax years 1984, 1985, and 1986. Compl. ¶¶ 13.D-F, 26.D-E, 26.G, 36.E-G (the “penalty interest claims”).
(3) Three claims concerning interest that should have been abated under 26 U.S.C. § 6404(e) for tax years 1984, 1985, and 1986. Compl. ¶¶ 13.H-I, 26.I-J, 36.H-I (the “interest abatement claims”).
(4) One claim concerning over-assessed interest, after applying a 1991 overpayment for tax year 1985. Compl. ¶ 26.F.
(5) One claim concerning an over-assessment of the AV85-related portion of the tax for tax year 1986. Compl. ¶ 36.B.
(6) One claim concerning an offer-in-compromise for tax year 1986. Compl. ¶ 36.J.

Pursuant to the United States Supreme Court decision in Hinck v. United States, 550 U.S. 501, 503, 127 S.Ct. 2011, 167 L.Ed.2d 888 (2007), holding that “the Tax Court provides the exclusive forum for judicial review of a refusal to abate interest under § 6404(e)(1),” the interest abatement claims were dismissed. Prati I, 81 Fed.Cl. at 440; see also PL Mot. at 1. In addition, in Plaintiffs’ August 4, 2011 Motion For Reconsideration, Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their “offer-in-compromise” claim. PI. Mot. at 2; see also Notice Of Partial Dismissal, August 4,2011, ECF No. 23.

Of the 129 AMCOR tax refund cases eventually filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims, 124 were assigned to the Honorable Lawrence J. Block “for administrative convenience and efficiency!.]”4 Prati [186]*186I, 81 Fed.Cl. at 423. On July 17, 2007, the parties in three representative eases (Prati v. United States, No. 02-60T; Isler v. United States, No. 01-344T; and Scuteri v. United States, No. 01-358T) jointly filed a chart that identified 77 of those 124 cases as presenting two common issues: (1) whether assessments made against the various plaintiffs were untimely because these assessments occurred after the statute of limitations expired; and (2) whether the assessment of 26 U.S.C. § 6221(c) penalty interest was improper because the AMCOR tax partnerships were not tax-motivated.5 See Prati I, 81 Fed.Cl. at 423; see also Prati III, 603 F.3d at 1303. These common issues correspond with the limitations claims and penalty interest claims asserted by the Northcutts’ December 15, 2006 Complaint. See Compl. ¶¶ 13.A-B, 26.A-B, 36.B-C (limitations claims); Compl. ¶¶ 13.D-F, 26.D-E, 26.G, 36.E-G (penalty interest claims); see also Prati I, 81 Fed.Cl. at 423 n. 2 (listing the 77 cases presenting legally and factually similar claims, including this case). The parties then selected Prati as a representative case to decide the common issues, and the 76 other cases were stayed pending the final resolution thereof.6 See Prati III, 603 F.3d at 1303.

On April 16, 2008, Judge Block issued Pra-ti I, determining that the United States Court of Federal Claims did not have jurisdiction, pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 7422(h), to adjudicate the limitations claims or the penalty interest claims, and thus that those claims should be dismissed. See Prati I, 81 Fed.Cl. at 440. The court also ordered that the other 76 cases presenting similar issues be dismissed, including the instant case. See id. On April 18, 2008, a Final Judgment was entered in the Northcutts’ case “[pjursuant to the court’s Published Opinion and Order [in Prati /.]” Entry Of Judgment, April 18, 2008, ECF No. 6.

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103 Fed. Cl. 184, 109 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 738, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 36, 2012 WL 300410, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/northcutt-v-united-states-uscfc-2012.