Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. v. United States

140 F. Supp. 863, 110 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 213, 49 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1141, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3550
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Indiana
DecidedMay 3, 1956
DocketNo. IP 54-C-11
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 140 F. Supp. 863 (Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. v. United States, 140 F. Supp. 863, 110 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 213, 49 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1141, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3550 (S.D. Ind. 1956).

Opinion

HOLDER, District Judge.

In this case, the plaintiff instituted suit against the United States of America alleging defendant erroneously and illegally assessed and collected taxes and interest and that it also overpayed taxes for all of which plaintiff asks refund based on its refund claims in the sum of $68,345.22, plus interest, after it abandoned on March 15, 1956, a part of its claim of June 2, 1955, in the amount of $1,710.

Following the filing of the amended complaint and an amended answer thereto, the plaintiff renewed its motion for summary judgment pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A., in favor of plaintiff for the reason that the pleadings on file, together with the affidavit of Sarkes Tarzian, President of the plaintiff, and exhibits attached and filed with the motion for summary judgment, showed that there was no genuine issue as to any material fact and that plaintiff is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

The defendant objects to the granting of plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on grounds that a genuine dispute exists in respect to material facts, and that plaintiff is not entitled to judgment as a matter of law, and defendant filed with its objections, its brief and two affidavits of Gilbert E. Andrews, its trial attorney in the Tax Division, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C., and who serves as one of the attorneys for defendant in this case. Thereafter, defendant filed and propounded its written interrogatories to plaintiff to. be answered by a duly authorized officer or [866]*866agent pursuant to Rule 33, of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which were answered under oath in writing by plaintiff’s attorneys and filed with the Court.

This Court will disregard the affidavits of defendant's attorney under Rule 56(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure as such was not made on personal knowledge, nor did it set forth facts as would be admissible in evidence and did not affirmatively show that the affiant attorney was competent to testify to the matters stated therein. No issue of fact was presented from defendant’s objections, affidavits, interrogatories, answers thereto and brief in the summary judgment proceeding.

Considering defendant’s attorney’s affidavits under Rule 56(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to determine whether defendant could not for reasons stated, present under Rule 56(e) by affidavit, the facts essential to justify its opposition to plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment, it is first necessary that I examine the defendant’s reasons and I quote the essential and material parts of the first affidavit as follows:

“That the principal issues * *, as shown by the pleadings are whether plaintiff is entitled to any deduction for depreciation on two patent applications, and, in the event that any deduction is allowable, the amount of that deduction. The threshold issue, * * * is whether the patent .applications were sold to plaintiff * * * or whether the patent applications were acquired by plaintiff solely in exchange for its capital stock. * * whether * * * an exchange for stock or a sale depends upon the substance of the transaction in terms of what the parties actually accomplished and what they intended to accomplish. This ultimate issue of fact hinges upon a multitude of subsidiary facts, not the symbols or labels employed by the parties to the transaction, or the form in which they chose to cast the transaction. Based upon an examination of the files, containing protests and briefs filed by plaintiff’s representatives, reports of Internal Revenue Agents, and other data, and not upon mere suspicion or surmise, affiant believes that the following facts, among others, which cannot now be shown by affidavits, can be shown at the trial: (Italics mine) * * *
“ * * * the resolution of the ultimate factual issues in this case requires that defendant be afforded an opportunity to cross examine * * * with respect to crucial facts which are peculiarly within their knowledge. Questions of credibility, motive and intent are presented, and demeanor testimony is essential to defendant in the presentation of its case.
“-» * * An apportionment of the basis must be made between patent application * * *, with respect to which patent * * * was issued on February 14, 1950, and patent application * * *, with respect to which a patent was not issued. * * *, a further apportionment must be made so that only depreciation subsequent to February 14, 1950, is allowed as a deduction. Underlying these issues is the question of the number of television tuners sold by taxpayer during the taxable year ending June 30, 1950, and the date and selling price with respect to each sale, together with similar data in regard to any licensees. All of these facts are peculiarly within the knowledge of taxpayer and obviously are not susceptible of presentation by way of affidavit.”

and I further quote the essential and material parts of the second affidavit as follows:

“Based upon additional information * * * depositions of Sarkes Tarzian, Donald Duck, Charles Clap-ham and Robert L. Floyd taken at Indianapolis, Indiana on April 19 [867]*867and 20, 1956, it is believed that the following facts, which cannot presently be shown by affidavit, can be shown at the trial. These facts are believed to support defendant’s position that a genuine dispute exists between the parties in respect to material facts, including the issue as to whether or not the acquisition by plaintiff on September 1, 1949, of patent applications numbered 16771 and 772773 was or was not a purchase: * * (Italics mine.)

The defendant on March 23, 1956, requested the Court for an order for continuance which was granted to permit it to obtain affidavits, or depositions, or discovery, or for any other just order in aid of defendant in the summary judgment proceedings. The defendant thereafter propounded the said interrogatories and received the said answers thereto which have been filed with this Court. The defendant as recited in its affidavit filed April 30, 1956, had at its disposal, written depositions of Sarkes Tarzian, Donald Duck, Charles Clapham and Robert L. Floyd, which depositions were not offered in support of defendant’s position. The defendant has not requested any further order for a continuance to permit it to obtain affidavits, or depositions, or discovery, or for any other just order in aid of defendant in the summary judgment proceedings and the Court sees no just cause to further volunteer a continuance since this action has been on file since October 4, 1954.

The plaintiff under Rule 56(a) and (c) in view of the controverted pleadings chose to support its motion for summary judgment with affidavits of its President, its Accountant, and its Controller and Assistant Treasurer and exhibits of records of the plaintiff and not rely solely upon the admissions of the pleadings only.

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Related

Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. v. United States
159 F. Supp. 253 (S.D. Indiana, 1958)
Sarkes Tarzian Inc. v. United States
240 F.2d 467 (Seventh Circuit, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
140 F. Supp. 863, 110 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 213, 49 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 1141, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3550, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sarkes-tarzian-inc-v-united-states-insd-1956.