United States v. Brown

398 F. Supp. 444, 37 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 903, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16471
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedAugust 22, 1975
DocketCiv. A. No. 5-71218
StatusPublished

This text of 398 F. Supp. 444 (United States v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Brown, 398 F. Supp. 444, 37 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 903, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16471 (E.D. Mich. 1975).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

JOINER, District Judge.

This is an action for judicial enforcement of an administrative summons issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Jurisdiction is proper under 26 U.S.C. §§ 7402(b), 7604(a). The pleadings, petitioner’s affidavit, exhibits, and testimony adduced at the show cause hearing in this ease disclose the following facts.

Petitioner James Budde, a special agent assigned to the Intelligence Division of IRS, has been conducting an investigation to determine respondent’s correct income tax liability for the year 1972. After audit, Budde commenced this investigation upon information that the signature of respondent’s former wife, Sharon Brown, which appeared on the joint return filed by respondent and his wife for 1972, was a forgery.

On September 27, 1974, Budde caused an administrative summons to be issued and served upon Sharon Brown directing her to testify with regard to the circumstances surrounding the filing of the 1972 return. Respondent filed suit against his former wife and the Internal. Revenue Service in this district and obtained from Judge Ralph Freeman an injunction prohibiting Sharon Brown from testifying in a manner which would violate the marital privilege.

On January 13, 1975, Budde served an administrative summons upon the respondent directing him to give handwriting exemplars and testimony relating to the preparation and execution of the 1972 tax return as well as a power of attorney issued to George Johnson & Company on June 21, 1974. On the extended return date of the summons, January 20, 1975, respondent appeared in answer to the summons but failed to comply with its terms. This enforcement suit followed.

The primary issue raised by the petition for enforcement is whether 26 U.S. C. § 7602 empowers IRS to compel the production of handwriting exemplars. Respondent asserts no Fifth Amendment privilege with respect to that aspect of the summons which directed him to testify on the preparation and execution of the 1972 return.

Use of a summons to aid a tax investigation conducted under 26 U.S.C. § 7602 is proper if the summons is issued in good faith and prior to a recommendation for criminal prosecution. Donaldson v. United States, 400 U.S. 517, 535-36, 91 S.Ct. 534, 27 L.Ed.2d 580 (1971). Judicial enforcement of a summons is appropriate upon a showing that the investigation will be conducted pursuant to a legitimate purpose', that the inquiry may be relevant to the purpose, that the information sought is not within the possession of the Secretary, and that the Secretary or his delegate has determined the necessity of further examination and has notified the taxpayer in writing to that effect. United States v. Powell, 379 U.S. 48, 57-58, 85 S.Ct. 248,13 L.Ed.2d 112 (1964).

Section 7602 of Title 26 of the United States Code authorizes the Secretary or his delegate to summon a taxpayer or any other person to testify or to provide any books, papers, records, or other data which may be relevant or material to the tax investigation. Relevancy and materiality in this context are established when the information sought might illuminate the tax liabilities in [447]*447question. See United States v. Matras, 487 F.2d 1271, 1274 (8th Cir. 1973); United States v. Egenberg, 443 F.2d 512, 515 (3d Cir. 1971).

Respondent has not challenged the underlying legitimacy, necessity, notification, relevancy, or materiality of the summons issued him. Indeed, the record in this case establishes the presence of these elements in the investigation of respondent and in the issuance of the summons. Petitioners seek handwriting exemplars from respondent in order to test the authenticity of the signatures on the 1972 return of respondent and his former wife as a prelude to determining potential civil or criminal tax liabilities in connection with that return. Petitioners do not now possess exemplars suitable for this purpose.

Neither does respondent question that the instant summons to produce handwriting exemplars violates any proscription of the Fourth or Fifth Amendments. No Fourth Amendment expectation of privacy attaches to handwriting per se. United States v. Mara, 410 U.S. 19, 21, 93 S.Ct. 774, 35 L.Ed.2d 99 (1973); United States v. Dionisio, 410 U.S. 1, 14, 93 S.Ct. 764, 35 L.Ed.2d 67 (1973). IRS’ summons power has been analogized to the subpoena power of the grand jury, United States v. Bisceglia, 420 U.S. 141, 147-48, 95 S.Ct. 915, 43 L.Ed.2d 88 (1975); United States v. Powell, supra, 379 U.S. at 57, 85 S.Ct. 248, and a grand jury subpoena is not a seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. United States v. Mara, supra, 410 U.S. at 21, 93 S.Ct. 774; United States v. Dionisio, supra, 410 U.S. at 9-11, 93 S.Ct. 764. As an identifying physical characteristic, a handwriting exemplar, unlike testimonial communication, falls beyond the ambit of the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Gilbert v. California, 388 U.S. 263, 266, 87 S.Ct. 1951 (1967).

Respondent’s challenge to the issuance of the summons in this case is premised upon the theory that section 7602 contains no . provision authorizing the production of handwriting exemplars. In pertinent part, section 7602 sanctions use of a summons “to produce such books, papers, records, or other data” as may be relevant and material to an otherwise legitimate tax investigation. Respondent urges that a handwriting exemplar is not “other data” within the meaning of section 7602 and that the other categories of productible material exclude exemplars. Petitioners assert that the term “other data” includes handwriting exemplars..

The use of a section 7602 summons to compel production of handwriting exemplars in the context of a tax investigation has been addressed in only one reported case to date, United States v. Campbell, 390 F.Supp. 711 (D.S.D.1975). Campbell ordered production of exemplars pursuant to an administrative summons upon a finding that the summons violated neither the Fourth nor Fifth Amendments although IRS’ power to issue such a summons under section 7602 went unquestioned.

The term “other data” is unique to section 7602 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. Predecessor statutes to section 7602 referred to the Commissioner’s power to examine “any books, papers, records, or memoranda” in the course of a tax investigation. See, e. g., Int.Rev.Code of 1939, ch. 34, § 3614, 53 Stat. 438; Act of Feb.

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Related

United States v. Powell
379 U.S. 48 (Supreme Court, 1964)
Gilbert v. California
388 U.S. 263 (Supreme Court, 1967)
Donaldson v. United States
400 U.S. 517 (Supreme Court, 1971)
United States v. Dionisio
410 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1973)
United States v. Mara
410 U.S. 19 (Supreme Court, 1973)
United States v. Bisceglia
420 U.S. 141 (Supreme Court, 1975)
United States of America v. Edmond Matras
487 F.2d 1271 (Eighth Circuit, 1973)
United States v. Campbell
390 F. Supp. 711 (D. South Dakota, 1975)

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Bluebook (online)
398 F. Supp. 444, 37 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 903, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16471, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-brown-mied-1975.