United States v. First Capital Nat. Bank of Iowa City

89 F.2d 116
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedMarch 31, 1937
Docket10729
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 89 F.2d 116 (United States v. First Capital Nat. Bank of Iowa City) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. First Capital Nat. Bank of Iowa City, 89 F.2d 116 (8th Cir. 1937).

Opinion

BOOTH, Circuit Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment in an action at law by the United States against the First Capital National Bank of Iowa City and two 'of its officers to recover a money judgment by reason of the failure and refusal of the defendants to surrender to the collector of .internal revenue a credit arising from money deposited in the defendant bank by the board in control of athletics of the state University of Iowa, Inc. (hereinafter called “the board in control”), to its own credit.

The action was brought by virtue and under authority of section 1114 (e) (f) of the Revenue Act of 1926 (title 26, § 1610, U.S.C. [26 U.S.C.A. § 1610]). It is not an action against a taxpayer for the collection of a tax, but is a proceeding to enforce a statutory liability under the statute cited. The statute contains the following provision:

“Section 1114. * * * (e) Any person in possession of property, or rights to property, subject to distraint, upon which a levy has been made, shall, upon demand by the collector or deputy collector making such levy, surrender such property.”

The record shows, and the trial court found, that the preliminary steps were properly taken by the Commissioner and the Collector of Internal Revenue such as making the assessment, serving and filing a notice of tax lien, issuing and serving the warrant for distraint, and levy upon the credit standing upon the books of the bank in the name of said board in control.

Various defenses were set up, but the one which was adopted by the court is that the property levied upon was not subject to distraint, but that it at.all times was the property of the University of the state of Iowa, and as such not subject to levy. We shall assume, without deciding, that the words “subject to distraint” permit inquiry as to the ownership of the property levied upon, as well as to the kind of property levied upon.

Many of the facts are undisputed.

The date of the levy under the warrant for distraint was October 21, 1933.

It appeared that during the months of September, October, November, and December, 1932, football games were held at the University of Iowa, which were participated in by the students of that University and of other Universities. Tickets of admission were sold by the board in control, and in addition to the admission price, there was collected from each purchaser the federal tax imposed by section 500 (a) of the Revenue Act of 1926^ as amendéd by section 711 of the Revenue Act of 1932 (26 *118 U.S.C.A. § 940 and note). 1 This admission money and the federal tax money, together with .other moneys collected by the board in control, were deposited in the defendant bank, and a copy of the deposit slip was handed by the board in control to the comptroller of the University. It may be noted in passing that this is not the usual way of transferring the right to bank deposits.

The account in the bank in which the money was deposited was designated': “Board in control of athletics”; and checks against the account were signed: “Board in Control of Athletics, .Inc.,” authenticated by the signatures of two of its officers.

It appears that after some of the money had been collected including the tax, there arose a question in the minds of the board in control as to whether the government was entitled to the tax collected; and the said board directed the comptroller .of the University to establish a reserve for the amount of the tax, and this was established on the books of the University and was carried as such. Such amount of reserve was part of the amount on deposit in the defendant bank'to the credit of the board in control.

Demand was duly made by the collector of internal revenue upon the defendants for the federal tax collected, but this, by authority of the officers of the state of Iowa, was refused by the defendants. Suit followed.

The case was triable by a jury, but a jury was expressly waived by stipulation; and at the close of all the evidence each side submitted findings of fact and conclusions of law to the trial court. The court made findings and conclusions in favor of defendants. The findings in full are set out in the margin. 2

*119 Appeal is from the judgment.

The vital findings were that the credits levied upon as the property of the board in control were in reality credits belonging to the State University of Iowa and not “subject to distraint”; and that, therefore, they did not come within the purview of section 1114 (e) of the Revenue Act of 1926. (See finding 27, and conclusion 9). There was a good deal of testimony offered as to the necessity of a physical education as a part of a general education, *120 and to the effect that these athletic contests were an essential part of the physical education at the University. But as heretofore indicated, and as shown by the findings, the trial' court restricted the case to narrower issues.

In its memorandum opinion accompanying the findings, the trial court says (13 F. Supp. 380, 382):

“Although many questions are presented, the question to be determined by this court is whether the money levied upon *121 and in the hands of the defendant bank was subject to distraint.”

And again:

“Plaintiff having definitely alleged, according to the terms of section 1114, that the property was subject to distraint, and the defendants having denied this, it seems to me that this question is not only directly in issue and can be determined in this suit, but that the burden of proof is on the government to establish that the fund levied upon was in fact subject to dis-traint.”

And further:

“It is true that a part of this fund was collected for and on behalf of the govern *122 ment of the United States, but the fund itself had not been segregated from other property of the State University of Iowa, and until this was done it could not be considered in law as the property of the United States government.”

Finally, the trial court specifically finds (finding 27) :

“That the money in the hands of the defendants and each of them and which is attempted to be levied upon and distrained by the plaintiff, and which is sought to be en *123 forced in this' action, was at all times property and moneys of the State University of Iowa.”

And concludes (conclusion 9) :

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Bluebook (online)
89 F.2d 116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-first-capital-nat-bank-of-iowa-city-ca8-1937.