Tworek v. United States

46 Fed. Cl. 82, 85 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 956, 2000 U.S. Claims LEXIS 19, 2000 WL 195126
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedFebruary 15, 2000
DocketNo. 98-531T
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 46 Fed. Cl. 82 (Tworek 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
Tworek v. United States, 46 Fed. Cl. 82, 85 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 956, 2000 U.S. Claims LEXIS 19, 2000 WL 195126 (uscfc 2000).

Opinion

OPINION ON PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

REGINALD W. GIBSON, Senior Judge.

INTRODUCTION

In this case, Bernard and Kathleen Tworek of Hayward, Wisconsin, seek a refund of income taxes paid to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for income generated from unauthorized gambling sponsored by them at their establishments. Pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code, business operators of a gambling enterprise pay two separate yearly taxes on their wagering income, ie., one as a percentage of receipts and one as a flat fee. 26 U.S.C. §§ 4401, 4411 (1995). The rate of the two taxes is based on whether the activity is state authorized. Id. If the gambling is authorized in the state in which it occurs, the IRS levies a $50 yearly fee and a 0.25% tax on wage receipts. Id. Those amounts are stepped up to $500 and 2.00%, respectively, if the wage activity is not legal or authorized in the state. Id.

As a result of the administrative determination, the IRS determined that plaintiffs’ gambling activity in Hayward, Wisconsin, was unauthorized by the State of Wisconsin and, therefore, levied against them the two higher taxes. The Tworeks have paid at least a portion of these taxes and currently seek a refund of the difference between the higher and lower rates. According to the plaintiffs, their gambling should be considered authorized by the state because the Wisconsin statute prohibiting it is unconstitutional and, thus, invalid. Although not relevant to this instant motion, the Tworeks additionally argue in their papers that some of their activity deemed gambling by the IRS was not actual wagering. By their partial summary judgment motion, plaintiffs request this court to hold that the Wisconsin statute, proscribing their gambling, is unconstitutional because it carries suspect classifications that favor Native-Americans and other groups over them.

The government responds with case law supporting the constitutionality of the Wisconsin statute as a valid exercise of that state’s legislative power. Furthermore, it argues that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (“IGRA”) creates the racial classification, not the Wisconsin statute, and that the IGRA has been upheld by the Supreme Court in recent decisions. Defendant, therefore, requests that plaintiffs’ partial summary judgement motion be denied in its entirety. Additionally, defendant has filed a counterclaim against plaintiffs for additional unpaid taxes, which are not part of this instant motion. For the reasons stated herein, the court finds that, as a matter of law, plaintiffs’ motion should be denied.

BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The plaintiffs, Bernard and Kathleen Tworek, are a married couple living and operating businesses in Hayward, Wisconsin. During the relevant times herein, Kathleen Tworek owned the Wildlife Museum and Bar, [84]*84and Bernard Tworek owned, inter alia, the Moccasin Bar, both located in Hayward. At various times, both establishments offered cards for sale which provided the holder the opportunity to win a cash prize. Plaintiffs and defendant disagree as to the collectibility of these cards and, while such resolution is pertinent to the main issue in this case, it is irrelevant to deciding this instant motion for partial summary judgment, ie., the constitutional issue.

Under Wisconsin law, the Tworeks’ gambling activities are considered lotteries. Wis. Stat. § 945.01 (1997).1 In the State of Wisconsin, lotteries that are not run by the state cannot be conducted by private individuals, except by Native Americans on federal reservations. Wis. Stat. § 945.02 (1997); Wis. Const. Art. 4, § 24 (1999);2 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, 25 U.S.C.A. § 2710. This is so because Indian reservations are considered federal lands and, therefore, federal law takes precedence over local law where congressional intent of such is obvious. See Gaming Corporation of America v. Dorsey & Whitney, 88 F.3d 536 (8th Cir.1996). The Tworeks’ lottery was not conducted either by the state or on a reservation, thus, was not authorized under Wisconsin state law.

Consequently, the IRS assessed $2,950 in tax, interest, and penalties against the Tworeks pursuant to 26 U.S.C. §§ 4411(a) and 4401. In November, 1997 the Tworeks remitted cheeks totaling the $2,950 tax assessed, along with a claim for refund of those amounts. In February 1998, the IRS denied the Tworeks’ refund claims.

Following thereon, plaintiffs filed this action on June 19, 1998, alleging in their complaint two counts each for overpayment of the flat fee and the percentage taxes pursuant to U.S.C. §§ 4401 and 4411. Defendant filed its answer on October 29, 1998, and, subsequently, filed an amended pleading containing a counterclaim for additional gambling taxes pursuant to §§ 4401 and 4411. Trial is scheduled to commence in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 22, 2000.

On November 16, 1999, plaintiffs filed this instant motion for partial summary judgment, seeking a ruling from this court that the IRS must tax the Tworeks at the lower rates of the aforementioned code sections. Specifically, plaintiffs argue that because the Wisconsin statute outlawing their gambling operation is unconstitutional, their wagering is thus legal and should be taxed at the lower state authorized rate.

The task before this court on the instant motion is simple — and that is to determine the constitutionality of the Wisconsin gambling statute as applied to the plaintiffs and, therefore, whether or not their gambling operation was state authorized as a matter of law.

DISCUSSION

A. REQUEST FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Plaintiffs seek partial summary judgment pursuant to RCFC 56(c), which provides for judgment if “there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and ... the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” A “genuine issue” is one in which a reasonable jury, or in this case, a reasonable judge, could return a judgment for the nonmovant. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The burden is on the moving party both to show that there is no genuine dispute or issue as to any material fact and that it [85]*85would be entitled to a directed verdict at trial. Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 157, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970). In reaching a decision on summary judgment, the court is not to weigh the evidence, nor make credibility assessments, nor seek the truth of the matter. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505.

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Bluebook (online)
46 Fed. Cl. 82, 85 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 956, 2000 U.S. Claims LEXIS 19, 2000 WL 195126, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tworek-v-united-states-uscfc-2000.