Silver Brand Clothes, Inc. v. United States

404 F. Supp. 721, 37 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 314, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15149
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. West Virginia
DecidedNovember 24, 1975
DocketCiv. A. No. 75-0017-CH
StatusPublished

This text of 404 F. Supp. 721 (Silver Brand Clothes, Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Silver Brand Clothes, Inc. v. United States, 404 F. Supp. 721, 37 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 314, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15149 (S.D.W. Va. 1975).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM ORDER

DENNIS R. KNAPP, Chief Judge.

Plaintiff brings this action under the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 1346(a)(1) and 26 U.S.C. § 7422 for the recovery of federal income taxes and interest in the amount of $84,699.40 alleged to have been erroneously and illegally assessed against and collected from plaintiff. The years involved are fiscal years ending July 31, 1965, July 31, 1966, July 31; 1967, July 31, 1968 and July 31, 1969.

On plaintiff’s corporate tax return for fiscal year ending July 31, 1964, plaintiff claimed a deduction of $163,013.47, which represented the amount of monies theretofore advanced by plaintiff to certain related corporations.

Under the provisions of Section 172 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, plaintiff “carried over” a portion of that claimed deduction to each of the five years following the year of. the alleged loss.

Plaintiff received a Notice of Deficiency from the Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the year ending July 31, 1965, in the amount $2,245.44 and for [723]*723the year ending July 31, 1966, in the amount of $21,391.75.

With regard to those years, litigation ensued in the United States Tax Court. See Silver Brand Clothes, Inc. v. Commissioner, P-H Memo T.C. Par. 72,060 (1972). In that proceeding the principal issue, as stated by the Tax Court, was “whether petitioner [plaintiff in the instant case] should be allowed a bad debt deduction under Section 166 [of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954] for advances made to three related corporations.” The Tax Court determined that issue' adverse to Silver Brand. (Defendant’s Exhibit No. 1.)

In addition the Tax Court stated in its opinion:

“On brief, petitioner [Silver Brand] claims, in the alternative, that the net advances in question are deductible as ‘trade or business expenses’ under section 162 or as a ‘loss sustained during the taxable year and not compensated for by insurance or otherwise’ under section 165.
The same reasoning which underlies our decision with respect to the bad debt issue under section 166 is also applicable to petitioner’s claims under sections 162 and 165. Our holding that the transfers of merchandise by petitioner to the three related corporations served no valid business purpose of the petitioner requires the conclusions that such transfers or advances were not ‘ordinary or necessary’ expenses paid or incurred in carrying on petitioner’s trade or business, within the meaning of section 162(a). Cf. C. M. Gooch Lumber Sales Co., supra. Nor were the losses which resulted from such advances deductible under the provisions of section 165(a). See International Trading Co., 57 T.C. 455 (Dec. 28, 1971); Richard R. Riss, Sr., 57 T.C. 469 (Dec. 30, 1971). . . .”

From that adverse ruling by the Tax Court, Silver Brand did not prosecute an appeal and, thus, that judgment became final.

Thereafter, plaintiff received a Notice of Deficiency from the Commissioner for taxable years ending July 31, 1967, July 31, 1968, July 31, 1969. Plaintiff paid the deficiency plus accrued interest for those years in the sum of $52,680.48. Thereafter, plaintiff timely filed with the Internal Revenue Service separate claims for refund for the years 1965 through 1969. The grounds for each claim for refund was that the assessed amount for each year “constituted ordinary and necessary business expenses under section 162(a) 1 and were business losses under section 165(a) 2.” Upon these grounds plaintiff filed this civil action to recover the refunds claimed for the years 1965 through 1969 with interest.

In lieu of an answer, the Government filed a Motion to Dismiss the complaint on the grounds that the plaintiff is precluded from maintaining this action by reason of the provisions of 26 U.S.C. § 6512(a) and by the doctrines of res judicata and collateral estoppel and that the complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

The Motion to Dismiss for failure to state a claim will be denied.

In its memorandum in opposition to the Government’s Motion to Dismiss, plaintiff concedes that the provisions of 26 U.S.C. § 6512(a) do constitute a bar to this action as to the years 1965 and 1966. Plaintiff requests the Court for leave to amend the complaint to omit its claim with respect to the years 1965 and [724]*7241966. The Court will treat that request as a motion which will be granted.

Inasmuch as the provisions in 26 U.S. C. § 6512(a) would act as a bar only for the years 1965 and 1966, the only issue remaining for determination is whether the complaint, now amended, should be dismissed by reason of the doctrines of res judicata and collateral estoppel. That is, whether the Court lacks jurisdiction of the subject matter. Rule 12(b)(1), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Under federal income tax law, both doctrines are applicable in proper instances. Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Sunnen, 333 U.S. 591, 68 S. Ct. 715, 92 L.Ed. 898 (1948). The doctrine of res judicata “applies to repetitious suits involving the same cause of action”. Id. It provides that where a court has entered judgment in an action, the parties to that action are bound “not only as to every matter which was offered and received to sustain or defeat the claim or demand, but as to any other admissible matter which might have been offered for that purpose.” Cromwell v. County of Sac., 94 U.S. 351, 24 L.Ed. 195 (1877). Restatement of Law of Judgments §§ 47, 48.

The doctrine of collateral estoppel, however, involves different causes of action. A judgment in a former cause of action will act as an estoppel in a subsequent cause of action “only as to those matters in issue or points controverted, upon the determination of which the finding . . . was rendered.” Cromwell v. County of Sac., supra. (Emphasis supplied). In other words, “where a question of fact essential to the judgment is actually litigated and determined in the first tax proceeding, the parties are bound by that determination in a subsequent proceeding even though the cause of action is different.” Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Sunnen, supra, 833 U.S. at p. 601, 68 S. Ct. at p. 721.

With respect to income tax litigation, “each year is the origin of a new liability and of a separate cause of action.” Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Sunnen, supra. Thus, in the instant case, plaintiff’s claims for refunds for the years 1967, 1968 and 1969 constitute separate causes of action, although brought in one action. This action therefore is a different action from that litigated in the Tax Court for the years 1965 and 1966.

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Related

Cromwell v. County of Sac
94 U.S. 351 (Supreme Court, 1877)
Tait v. Western Maryland Railway Co.
289 U.S. 620 (Supreme Court, 1933)
Commissioner v. Sunnen
333 U.S. 591 (Supreme Court, 1948)
Wade H. Cooper v. United States
238 F.2d 40 (D.C. Circuit, 1957)
Northeastern Consolidated Company v. United States
406 F.2d 76 (Seventh Circuit, 1969)
International Trading Co. v. Commissioner
57 T.C. 455 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)
Riss v. Commissioner
57 T.C. 469 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
404 F. Supp. 721, 37 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 314, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15149, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/silver-brand-clothes-inc-v-united-states-wvsd-1975.