Terrell v. Internal Revenue Service (In re Terrell)

569 B.R. 881
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 19, 2017
DocketCase No. 10-16662-SAH; Adv. No. 16-01109-SAH
StatusPublished

This text of 569 B.R. 881 (Terrell v. Internal Revenue Service (In re Terrell)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Terrell v. Internal Revenue Service (In re Terrell), 569 B.R. 881 (Okla. 2017).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING UNITED STATES’ MOTION TO COMPEL ANSWERS TO INTERROGATORIES & PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS AND NOTICE OF OPPORTUNITY FOR HEARING [DOC. 20]

Sarah A. Hall, United States Bankruptcy Judge

In what the Court can only describe as one of its most loathsome duties as a trial [885]*885judge, presiding over a discovery dispute, the following came on for consideration by the Court:

1. United States’ Motion to Compel Answers to Interrogatories & Production of Documents and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing [Doc. 20], filed on May 26, 2017 (the “Motion”), by the United States of America ex rel. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”);
2. Declaration of Gretchen E. Nygaard in Support of United States’ Motion to Compel Answers to Interrogatories & Production of Documents [Doc. 21], filed on May 26, 2017, by the IRS;
3. David E. Terrell’s Response with Brief in Support to United States’ Motion to Compel Answers to Interrogatories <& Production of Documents and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing [Doc. 27], filed on June 16, 2017, by David E. Terrell (“Terrell”); and
4. United States’ Reply [Doc. 30], filed on June 22,2017, by IRS.

Background

Terrell and IRS have a tortuous history that is essential to understanding the present dispute. Terrell has a history of tax problems involving the IRS dating back to 1997. In fact, in an earlier adversary proceeding, Adv. No. 15-01272, commenced by Terrell seeking to discharge his 1997 federal tax obligation under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(1), this Court determined that Terrell’s 1997 federal tax obligation was excepted from his discharge pursuant to Section 523(a)(1)(C)1 based, in large part, on a guilty criminal plea agreement and related judgment entered in Case No. 04-CR-0188-F in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Terrell filed a second adversary proceeding seeking a determination that his 1998 and 1999 federal tax obligations are discharged. The IRS strenuously objects to such tax obligations being excepted from Terrell’s discharge, once again under Section 523(a)(1)(C).

The burden of proof under Section 523(a)(1)(C) is on the IRS to demonstrate, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the taxes in question are non-dischargea-ble. Dalton v. I.R.S. (In re Dalton), 77 F.3d 1297, 1302 (10th Cir. 1996); Sherwood v. I.R.S. (In re Sherwood), 2009 WL 113486 (Bankr. N.D. Iowa 2009). This is true even where the debtor, here Terrell, is the plaintiff rather than the taxing authority. Bryen v. United States (In re Bryen), 433 B.R. 503, 515 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 2010) (citing In re Fegeley, 118 F.3d 979, 983 (3d Cir. 1997)); Rossman v. United States (In re Rossman), 487 B.R. 18, 35 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2012).

In an effort to compile evidence to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Terrell either made a fraudulent return or willfully attempted to evade or defeat his 1998 and 1999 federal tax obligations, the IRS served Terrell with its Interrogatories (the “Interrogatories”), Requests for Admissions and Requests for Production of Documents (the “Document Requests”) on March 24, 2017 (collectively, the “Discovery Requests”). On April 18, 2017, Terrell [886]*886provided a combined response to the Discovery Requests and produced no documents (the “Discovery Responses”). The IRS followed-up Terrell’s responses with a letter highlighting the deficiencies in the Discovery Responses. In response, Terrell served supplemental answers to the Discovery Requests (the “Supplemental Discovery Responses”).2 Still unsatisfied with Terrell’s responses, the IRS then filed the Motion.

For the reasons set forth below, the Court agrees with the IRS and grants the Motion.

Legal Analysis

At issue are certain of Terrell’s responses to the IRS’ Interrogatories and Document Requests. Rule 33 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (applicable pursuant to Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7033): (i) requires that responses and objections to interrogatories be made within 30 days after service thereof; (ii) mandates that objections be stated with specificity; and (iii) provides for a waiver of any objection not set forth in a timely objection unless excused by the court for good cause. Similarly, Rule 34 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (applicable pursuant to Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7034): (i) requires that responses to requests for production of documents be in writing within 30 days after being served; (ii) mandates that each response state that inspection will be permitted or state with specificity the grounds for objecting to the requests including reasons; and (iii) requires that objections state whether any responsive documents are being withheld on the basis of the objection and specify any documents that will be produced.

As set forth below, Terrell failed in many respects to satisfy his obligations under Rules 33 and 34.

I. ALL OBJECTIONS TO DISCOVERY MUST BE MADE INITIALLY AND SPECIFICALLY.

Substantive objections to discovery requests are required to be contained in the answers and responses and are not to be withheld until inquiries are made by the requesting party as a result of deficient discovery responses or in response to a motion to compel. Waldrop v. Discover Bank (In re Waldrop), 560 B.R. 806, 810 (Bankr. W.D. Okla. 2016). If a party fails to object timely to interrogatories, production requests, or other discovery efforts, any objections thereto which are later raised in response to inquiry by the requesting party are waived. Waldrop, 560 B.R. at 810 (citing Fed. R. Bankr. P. 7033(b)(4)); Matthews v. J & J Serv. Solutions, LLC, 2017 WL 2256963 (M.D. La. 2017) (citing Scott v. United States Postal Service, 2016 WL 7440468, at *4 (M.D. La. 2016) (quoting In re United States, 864 F.2d 1153, 1156 (5th Cir. 1989))).

When preparing his Supplemental Discovery Responses, Terrell only raised additional objections to the Discovery Requests rather than adding substantive information to his Discovery Responses. As parties are required to raise objections in a timely fashion, he. within 30 days of service of the discovery requests, any new objections to discovery raised by Terrell in his Supplemental Discovery Responses are waived.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
569 B.R. 881, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/terrell-v-internal-revenue-service-in-re-terrell-okwb-2017.