Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. United States

55 Fed. Cl. 271, 91 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1035, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 25, 2003 WL 478639
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedFebruary 20, 2003
DocketNo. 98-789 T
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 55 Fed. Cl. 271 (Pacific Gas & Electric Co. 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
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. United States, 55 Fed. Cl. 271, 91 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1035, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 25, 2003 WL 478639 (uscfc 2003).

Opinion

[272]*272 OPINION

HEWITT, Judge.

Plaintiffs, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and PG & E Corporation (collectively, plaintiff or PG & E) seek recovery in this action for a refund of additional overpayment interest plus interest accruals relating to tax year 1982. Complaint passim. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that a 1992 refund payment was too low because of an illegal offset procedure employed by the Internal Revenue Service (Service). See id. ¶¶ 18, 19. Now before the court are the Motion of Pacific Gas and Electric Company and PG & E Corporation for Summary Judgment and Brief in Support Thereof (Pl.’s Mot.) and the Cross-Motion of the United States for Summary Judgment and Brief in Support Thereof, and in Opposition to Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment (Def.’s Mot.).

The dispute revolves around two central issues. First, the parties dispute whether the “erroneous overpayment” should be characterized as consisting of “excess overpayment interest” or an “erroneous refund” and whether the statute of limitations barring collection of erroneous refunds after two years applies. Second, the parties dispute the applicability of Lewis v. Reynolds, 284 U.S. 281, 52 S.Ct. 145, 76 L.Ed. 293 (1932), and subsequent cases addressing the circumstances in which the Service may offset taxpayer liabilities against taxpayer refund claims.

Plaintiff argues that the Service cannot recover its erroneous overpayment through the offset procedure used here. Plaintiff contends that the erroneous overpayment the Service paid to PG & E in 1988 was an “erroneous refund” and that the statute of limitations to recover an erroneous refund contained in I.R.C. § 7405 had expired prior to the date the Service brought this action. Pl.’s Mot. at 12-15. Plaintiff also contends that the “erroneous refund” consisted solely of overpayment interest, with the result that the Service cannot recover it by assessment or administrative collection procedures available to collect a tax deficiency or liability. Id. at 15-16. Further, plaintiff argues that the Lewis v. Reynolds doctrine does not authorize the offset procedure used in this case. Id. at 16-18. Plaintiff also contends that there are strong policy reasons for limiting the recovery of an erroneous refund to suit under I.R.C. § 7405. Id. at 18-20. These reasons include the avoidance of “double taxation.” Plaintiff contends that “double taxation” occurred here because it had the use of only 60% of the erroneous overpayment, the amount remaining after taxes, while the government recovered 100% of the erroneous overpayment through its offset. Id. at 18-19. Finally, plaintiff argues that the Service was not entitled to recover interest on the erroneous overpayment, even if the Service can recover the erroneous overpayment itself. Id. at 20-22.

Defendant argues that plaintiff in fact seeks to have the government pay the same amount twice, plus interest. Transcript of Oral Argument on December 18, 2002(Tr.) at 36. Defendant contends that the statute of limitations under I.R.C. § 7405 has no bearing on this case because the government never brought a suit to recover an erroneous refund. Def.’s Mot. at 9-11 (citing I.R.C. § 6532(b)). Further, defendant argues that Lewis v. Reynolds and its progeny authorize the offset procedure used in this case when the Service is faced with a refund claim with respect to the same taxpayer, and the same tax year as to which the Service seeks to make the offset. Id. at 11-16. Defendant argues that any harm to plaintiff due to so-called “double taxation” problems was addressed by the Service in adjustments made in 1992. Id. at 17-18. Finally defendant argues that the Service did not recover interest on the erroneous overpayment; it simply refused to pay interest on overpayment interest already delivered to plaintiff. Id. at 18-19.

For the following reasons, plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment and defendant’s Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment are both GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

I. Background

This dispute has its origins in 1983 when PG & E filed its income tax return for tax year 1982. Stipulation of Facts (Jt.Stip.) ¶ 5. [273]*273Plaintiff reported a tax liability of $401,284,337, which plaintiff later increased to $405,571,988.90.1 Id ¶ 5, 8. Plaintiff paid this amount in full on January 27, 1984. Id ¶ 8, Table 3. As finally determined in 1994, however, plaintiffs correct tax liability for 1982 was $291,020,158. Id ¶ 6.

While attempts began to correct this problem in April of 1985, id 119, the transactions material to this case began in 1988, when the Service attempted to calculate overpayment interest due plaintiff with respect to tax year 1982. As the parties stipulated, in 1988 overpayment interest was due on an overpayment of $36,998,114, to which was added the amount of $789,986.93 in deficiency interest,2 for a total of $37,788,101. Id. ¶ 11. The Service calculated this interest to be $28,203,245.13. Id., Table 4. This calculation involved a mistake, however. The Service had calculated interest as if plaintiffs installation payment, made on June 20, 1983, had instead been made on March 15, 1983. Defendant’s Proposed Findings of Uncontroverted Fact (DPFUF) ¶ 1.3 If the interest had been computed correctly, plaintiff would have been paid only $24,832,699.87. Id ¶ 2. The payment to the taxpayer of $28,203,245 in 1988 included an erroneous overpayment of $3,370,545.13. Jt. Stip. ¶ 11. The record is silent on whether the erroneous overpayment of $3,370,545.13 was noticed by either party; but in any event, it was not corrected at the time.

The 1988 mistake came to the surface in 1992, when plaintiff requested another refund with respect to tax year 1982. Jt. Stip. ¶ 13. In reviewing the refund request, the Service analyzed the 1988 refund request and determined that all but $627,921 of the 1988 overpayment of $3,370,545.13 was actually owed to the plaintiff. See Pl.’s Mot. at 10 n. 5; Def.’s Mot. at 17. The $627,921 that the Service determined was not owed plaintiff was used as an offset against plaintiffs refund of $6,347,389, so that plaintiff received a total of $5,719,467.52. Jt. Stip. ¶ 14, Table 6. Plaintiff was also allowed a deduction from its taxable income for 1992 of $627,921 to account for the downward adjustment to its refund. Def.’s Mot. at 18. Plaintiffs tax year 1982 overpayment was finally resolved on September 29, 1994, when the Service made its final refund payment to plaintiff. Jt. Stip. ¶ 16.

II. Discussion

A. Summary Judgment

Summary judgment is warranted when there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (RCFC) 56(c); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). A fact that might significantly affect the outcome of the litigation is material. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505. Disputes over facts that are not outcome determinative will not preclude the entry of summary judgment. Id. at 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505.

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

Related

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. United States
417 F.3d 1375 (Federal Circuit, 2005)
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. United States
58 Fed. Cl. 1 (Federal Claims, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
55 Fed. Cl. 271, 91 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1035, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 25, 2003 WL 478639, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pacific-gas-electric-co-v-united-states-uscfc-2003.