United States v. McLaren

CourtDistrict Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedNovember 16, 2021
Docket3:20-cv-02714
StatusUnknown

This text of United States v. McLaren (United States v. McLaren) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. McLaren, (D.S.C. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA DIVISION

United States of America, Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-2714-CMC-PJG Plaintiff, vs. ORDER James T. McLaren,

Defendant.

On July 23, 2020, the Government filed this tax case seeking a judgment against James T. McLaren (“McLaren”) for unpaid individual federal income taxes, plus statutory penalties and interest, for tax years 2003 through 2009 and 2012 through 2015. ECF No. 1. In accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(b) and Local Civil Rule 73.02 (B)(2), D.S.C., the matter was referred to United States Magistrate Judge Paige J. Gossett for a Report and Recommendation on the Government’s motion for summary judgment. ECF No. 26. Although McLaren is a licensed attorney in South Carolina, he is proceeding pro se in this action. Accordingly, the court entered a Roseboro1order notifying McLaren of the summary judgment and dismissal procedures and the possible consequences if he failed to respond adequately to the Government’s motion. ECF No. 27. McLaren filed a response in opposition to the motion, ECF No. 36, and the Government filed a reply. ECF No. 38. On August 13, 2021, the Magistrate Judge issued a Report and Recommendation (“the Report”), recommending the court grant the Government’s motion for summary judgment. ECF No. 41. McLaren filed three objections to the Report, ECF No. 43, and the Government filed a

1 Roseboro v. Garrison, 528 F.2d 309 (4th Cir. 1975). reply. ECF No. 44. The case is presently before the court to consider the Report and McLaren’s three objections in resolving the Government’s motion for summary judgment. I. The Magistrate Judge makes only a recommendation to this court. The recommendation

has no presumptive weight, and the responsibility to make a final determination remains with the court. See Mathews v. Weber, 423 U.S. 261 (1976). The court is charged with making a de novo determination of any portion of the Report of the Magistrate Judge to which a specific objection is made. The court may accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the recommendation of the Magistrate Judge or recommit the matter to the Magistrate Judge with instructions. See 28 U.S.C. § 636(b). In the absence of an objection, the court only reviews the Report for clear error. See Diamond v. Colonial Life & Accident Ins. Co., 416 F.3d 310, 315 (4th Cir. 2005) (in absence of a timely filed objection, district court need not conduct a de novo review of Magistrate Judge’s report and recommendation, but instead must only satisfy itself there is no clear error on the face of the record in order to accept the recommendation).

The summary judgment standard is well-settled. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 (“Rule 56”), summary judgment is appropriate “if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A genuine dispute as to a material fact exists if the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party and drawing all reasonable inferences in the nonmoving party’s favor, Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 255 (1986), “is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party,” id. at 248. Under this standard, 2 “the mere existence of a scintilla of evidence” in favor of the nonmovant’s position is insufficient to withstand a properly supported motion for summary judgment. Id. at 252. The same is true of mere conclusory allegations or denials. Wai Man Tom v. Hospitality Ventures, LLC, 980 F.3d 1027, 1037 (4th Cir. 2020).

In regard to procedure, “[a] party asserting that a fact cannot be or is genuinely disputed must support the assertion by: (A) citing to particular parts of materials in the record, including depositions, documents, electronically stored information, affidavits or declarations, stipulations (including those made for purposes of the motion only), admissions, interrogatory answers, or other materials; or

(B) showing that the materials cited do not establish the absence of a genuine dispute, or that an adverse party cannot produce admissible evidence to support the fact.

Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(1)(A)–(B) (emphasis added). An Affidavit is “[a] voluntary declaration of facts written down and sworn to by a declarant, [usually] before an officer authorized to administer oaths.” Black’s Law Dictionary 70 (11th ed. 2019). Notably, a signed, dated, but unsworn Declaration executed within the United States may be considered as evidence for summary judgment purposes in lieu of an affidavit only if the declarant subscribes to the statements contained therein “as true under penalty of perjury . . . in substantially the following form: . . . ‘I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.’” 28 U.S.C. § 1746(2). See also United States ex rel. Doe v. Heart Solution, PC, 923 F.3d 308, 315– 16 (3d Cir. 2019) (unsworn statement not given under penalty of perjury as set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 1746 cannot be considered on summary judgment); Willard v. IRS, 776 F.2d 100, 102 n.3, 5 (4th 3 Cir. 1985) (citing 28 U.S.C. § 1746 as authority for holding unsworn Declarations made under penalty of perjury are permitted in lieu of affidavits on summary judgment). Moreover, “although the court should review the record as a whole, it must disregard all evidence favorable to the moving party that a jury would not be required to believe.” Reeves v.

Sanderson Plumbing Products, 530 U.S. 133, 151 (2000). This means, “the court should give credence to the evidence favoring the nonmovant as well as that ‘evidence supporting the moving party that is uncontradicted and unimpeached, at least to the extent that the evidence comes from disinterested witnesses.” Id. (quoting 9A C. Wright & A. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2529, p. 300 (2d ed. 1995)). Next, [w]hen the moving party has carried its burden, the nonmoving party must come forward with evidence which shows more than some ‘metaphysical doubt’ that genuine and material factual issues exist.” Austin v. Clark Equipment Co., 48 F.3d 833, 836 (4th Cir. 1995) (quoting Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co.

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Related

Mathews v. Weber
423 U.S. 261 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
477 U.S. 242 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Carl Junior Higginbotham v. United States
556 F.2d 1173 (Fourth Circuit, 1977)
United States v. Donald L. Bowers Janet E. Bowers
920 F.2d 220 (Fourth Circuit, 1990)
United States v. Sarubin
507 F.3d 811 (Fourth Circuit, 2007)
Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.
530 U.S. 133 (Supreme Court, 2000)
Wai Tom v. Hospitality Ventures LLC
980 F.3d 1027 (Fourth Circuit, 2020)
Austin v. Clark Equipment Co.
48 F.3d 833 (Fourth Circuit, 1995)

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Bluebook (online)
United States v. McLaren, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mclaren-scd-2021.