Sherwood v. United States

5 F.2d 991, 5 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 5463, 1925 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1082
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedApril 17, 1925
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 5 F.2d 991 (Sherwood v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sherwood v. United States, 5 F.2d 991, 5 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 5463, 1925 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1082 (E.D.N.Y. 1925).

Opinion

CAMPBELL, District Judge.

This is an action in equity brought by permission of this court, after notice, under the provisions of section 3207 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, as amended by section 1030 of the Revenue Act of 1924 (43 Stat. 350), which reads as follows:

’“Sec. 3207. (a) In any ease where there has been a refusal or neglect to pay any tax, and it has become necessary to seize and sell real estate to satisfy the same, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue may direct a bill in chancery to be filed, in a District Court of the United States, to enforce the lien of the United States for.tax upon any real estate, or to subject any real estate owned by the delinquent, or in which he has any right, title, or interest, to the payment of such tax. All persons having liens upon or claiming any interest in the real estate sought to be subjected as aforesaid, shall be made parties to such proceedings, .and be brought into court as provided in other suits in chancery therein. And the said court shall, at the term next after the parties have been duly notified of the proceedings, unless otherwise ordered by the court, proceed to adjudicate all matters involved therein, and finally determine the merits of all claims to and liens upon the real estate in question, and, in all eases where a claim or interest of the United . States therein is established, ishall decree a sale of such real estate, by the proper officer of the court, and a distribution of the proceeds of such sale according to the findings of the court in respect to the interests of the parties and of the United States.

“(b) Any person having a lien upon or any interest in such real estate, notiee of which has been duly filed of record in the .jurisdiction in which the real estate is located, prior to the filing of notice of the lien of the United States as provided by section 3186 of the Revised Statutes as amended, or any person purchasing the real estate at a sale to satisfy such prior lien or interest, may make written request to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to direct the filing of a bill in chancery as provided in subdivision (a), and if the Commissioner fails'to direct the filing of such bill within six months after receipt of such written request, such person or purchaser may, after giving notiee to the Commissioner, file a petition in the District Court of the United States for the district in which the real estate is located, praying leave to file a bill for a final determination of all claims to or liens upon the real estate in question. After a full hearing in open court, the District Court may in its discretion enter an order granting leave to file such bill, in which the United States and all persons having liens upon or claiming any interest in the real estate shall be made parties. Service on the United States shall be had in the manner provided by sections 5 and 6 of the Act of March 3, 1887, entitled ‘An act to provide for the bringing of suits against the government of the United States.’ Upon the filing of such bill the District Court shall proceed to adjudicate the matters involved therein, in the same manner as in the case of bills filed under subdivision (a) of this section. For the purpose of such adjudication, the assessment of the tax upon which the lien of the United States is based shall be conclusively presumed to be valid, and all costs of the proceedings on the petition and the bill shall be borne by the person filing the bill.” .

There does not seem to be any dispute as to the facts.

The Atlantic Dock Company was the owner of the premises in question, and on the 20th day of May, 1920, the 'then trustees, -in pursuance of an order of the New York Supreme Court, conveyed the said premises to Rodney T. Martinsen for $625,000, the said conveyance was duly recorded, and on the same day the said Rodney T. Martinsen paid $225,000 in cash to the then trustees and executed and delivered to them his bond for the balance of $400,000, with interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum, payable semiannually, the principal of said bond to be paid in sums of $50,000 each, on the 20th day of May, 1919, and the 20th day of May, 1920, and the balance on the 20th day of May, 1923; and also a purchase-money mortgage, which was duly recorded in said reg- *993 isteffs office, covering the premises in question, and to secure the said sum with interest as provided in said bond, the said trustees being empowered to sell said premises in case of default in the payment of said principal sum or interest as therein provided.

Thereupon the said Rodney T. Martinsen conveyed said premises to the Ramberg Iron Works, the same being subject to said mortgage. . .

_ Default was made in the payment of the installment of principal which became due on May 1, 1920, and on or about the 2d day of December, 1921, the then receivers commenced an action in the state court for the foreclosure of said mortgage, alleging that there was due them on said bond and mortgage the sum of $308,000, with interest thereon at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum from June 1, 1921.

To this action all persons, firms, or corporations having any right, title, or interest in or lien on the premises, except the United States of America, were made parties defendant, and said action proceeded to judgment.

On a sale of the said premises, the then receivers, to protect their interest as such receivers, purchased the said premises and paid the sum of $28,391.43 for taxes and water charges, which were liens on the said premises, for which they were allowed credit on the purchase price on April 12, 1922.

That on such sale there arose a deficiency for which the then receivers recovered a deficiency judgment, which has never been paid, nor has any payment been made on account of the principal of or interest on said mortgage since the commencement of said action.

Since the then receivers became the purchasers of the said premises on said foreclosure sale, they have paid for taxes on said premises the following sums, on the following dates, to wit: $5,678.65 on May 31, 1923; $5,678.65 on November 28, 1923; $5,-968.50 on May 31, 1924; and $5,968.50 on November 29, 1924.

After the filing of the lis pendens in the foreclosure action in the state court and before the sale in that action, to wit, on the 30th day of December, 1921, there was filed in the office of the clerk of this court and in the office of the register of the county of Kings, by the collector of internal revenue for the First district of New York, on behalf of the United States of America, a notice of lien against the Ramberg Dry Dock & Repair Company, Inc., and the Ramberg Iron Works, Inc., for income, excess profit, and capital stock taxes, for a period commencing some years prior to that time, in the sum of $77,136.24, and thereafter on th? 18th day of July, 1923, after the said receivers had acquired title to said premises on said foreclosure sale, the said collector of internal revenue, on behalf of the United States of America, filed a supplemental notice of lien against the same corporations, in the same offices, in the sum of $17,891.11.

These notices of lien are a cloud on the title of the plaintiffs in this action; the plaintiff Burehard Duteher having succeeded George G. Duteher, deceased, as receiver, by appointment of the state court on the 5th day of September, 1923.

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Bluebook (online)
5 F.2d 991, 5 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 5463, 1925 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1082, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sherwood-v-united-states-nyed-1925.