Van Vorst v. United States

85 Fed. Cl. 227, 103 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 338, 2008 U.S. Claims LEXIS 378, 2008 WL 5456134
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedDecember 31, 2008
DocketNo. 08-130 T
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 85 Fed. Cl. 227 (Van Vorst 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
Van Vorst v. United States, 85 Fed. Cl. 227, 103 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 338, 2008 U.S. Claims LEXIS 378, 2008 WL 5456134 (uscfc 2008).

Opinion

SWEENEY, Judge.

Before the court are the following motions: (1) Defendant’s Motion for More Definite Statement; (2) Defendant’s Motion to Stay Proceedings; (3) Plaintiffs August 13, 2008 Motion for Supplemental Pleadings; (4) Plaintiffs August 13, 2008 Motion to Add a Refund Claim for Year 2007; (5) Plaintiffs September 23, 2008 Motion for Supplemental Pleadings; and (6) Plaintiffs October 30, 2008 Motions for Injunctive Relief and Award of Legal Cost[s]. In its September 23, 2008 order, the court deferred ruling upon plaintiffs September 23, 2008 motion for supplemental pleadings “[bjecause plaintiff currently has a Motion for Supplemental Pleadings and a Motion to Add a Refund Claim for Year 2007 pending before the court, ... [and ojnce these motions are fully briefed, the court shall issue a ruling.” Order 3, Sept. 23, 2008. Although plaintiff has been afforded ample opportunity — thirty days — to reply to defendant’s response to her motion for injunctive relief, she has not done so, and the court determines, given plaintiffs silence, that there is no reason to delay its ruling. Each motion is addressed below.

I. Defendant’s Motion for More Definite Statement

On May 5, 2008, defendant filed a motion for a more definite statement pursuant to Rule 12(e) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (“RCFC”). Defendant argued that plaintiff omitted special matters, as required by former RCFC [229]*2299(h)(6),1 thereby preventing it from determining whether the court possesses jurisdiction over plaintiffs amended complaint. The court granted defendant’s motion on August 1, 2008, and plaintiff filed a more definite statement on August 13, 2008. Defendant now submits a second motion for a more definite statement and notes that plaintiffs more definite statement “relies upon a spreadsheet ... which sets forth the tax year, approximate time of filing of tax return, place of filing of tax return, wage income, reasonable compensation exemption limit, and amount of refund. Plaintiffs spreadsheet fails to include the amount, date, and place of each payment to be refunded for tax years 1975-1983.” Resp. United States Pl.’s More Definite Statement & Mot. Leave File Supp’l Pleadings (“Def.’s Resp. Pl.’s Mots.”) 3. Plaintiffs omission of this information for the years 1975-1983, defendant maintains, renders plaintiffs more definite statement deficient under the RCFC. Id. Additionally, defendant argues that plaintiff has failed to provide “the basic information required by RCFC 9(h)(6)” for tax years 1975-2002 and has also failed to provide a copy of those refund claims. Id. Furthermore, defendant asserts that plaintiff “did not identify the date and place each claim for refund was filed for the years 1975 through 2007,” information that defendant maintains is necessary “in order to verify that the jurisdictional requirements for the suit have been met.” Id. at 4.

As the court previous indicated in its August 1, 2008 order, former RCFC 9(h)(6) governed special matters required to be plead in the complaint in tax refund suits. The complaint “shall include”:

In any action for refund of federal tax, for each tax year or period for which a refund is sought, the amount, date, and place of each payment to be refunded; the date and place the return, if any, was filed; the name, address, and identification number of the taxpayer or taxpayers appearing on the tax return; the date and place the claim for refund was filed; and the identification number for each plaintiff, if different from the identification number of the taxpayer. A copy of the claim for refund shall be annexed to the complaint.

RCFC 9(h)(6) (2002). Instead of furnishing copies of the claims for refund, plaintiff submitted an appendix, “Spreadsheet Showing the Tax Year, Place and Time of Filing, Wage Income, Reasonable Compensation Limit, and Approximate Amount of Tax Refund,” which she generated using Microsoft Excel. See Pl.’s Resp. Ct.’s Order More Definite Statement & Mot. Supp’l Pleadings & Mot. Add Refund Claim for Year 2007 (“Pl.’s Resp. & Mots.”) 2; see also Pl.’s Opp’n Mot. Stay Proceedings, Reply Def.’s Resp. Pl.’s More Definite Statement, Mot. Inj. Relief/Award of Legal Cost[s] (“Pl.’s Opp’n Mot. Stay & Mots.”) 10 (stating that plaintiff “provided a copy of the Social Security Administration’s account statement where all the [230]*230withheld social security taxes are listed, along with [plaintiffs] income for each year”). Plaintiff has not, however, satisfied the requirements set forth in former RCFC 9(h)(6) for the reasons cited by defendant. Accordingly, defendant’s motion is granted. Plaintiff must submit a more definite statement that complies with the amended RCFC.2 See supra note 1.

II. Defendant’s Motion to Stay Proceedings

Defendant asks that the court, pursuant to section 7422(e) of the Internal Revenue Code (“I.R.C.”),3 stay proceedings through March 7, 2009, with respect to plaintiffs 2006 tax year. Def.’s Mot. Stay Proceedings (“Def.’s Mot. Stay”) 1. Section 7422(e) provides, in relevant part:

If the Secretary prior to the hearing of a suit brought by a taxpayer in a district court or the United States Court of Federal Claims for the recovery of any income tax ... mails to the taxpayer a notice that a deficiency has been determined in respect of the tax which is the subject matter of taxpayer’s suit, the proceedings in taxpayer’s suit shall be stayed during the period of time in which the taxpayer may file a petition with the Tax Court for a redetermination of the asserted deficiency, and for 60 days thereafter. If the taxpayer files a petition with the Tax Court, the district court or the United States Court of Federal Claims, as the case may be, shall lose jurisdiction of taxpayer’s suit to whatever extent jurisdiction is acquired by the Tax Court of the subject matter of taxpayer’s suit for refund.4

26 U.S.C. § 7422(e) (2000) (footnote added). Defendant notes that plaintiffs amended complaint requests a refund of income tax for the 2006 tax year. Def.’s Mot. Stay 1. Furthermore, defendant indicates that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), on October 8, 2008, issued a Notice of Deficiency to plaintiff that reflected an increase in income tax for the 2006 tax year. Id. at 1-2. According to defendant, plaintiff has ninety days after the Notice of Deficiency was mailed within which to file a petition with the United States Tax Court (“Tax Court”). Id. (citing I.R.C. § 6213(a)). It therefore argues that proceedings in this case must be stayed through March 7, 2009. Id. at 3 (citing eases); ac- ■ cord Def.’s Reply Supp. Mots. 2 (“Under § 7422(e)[,] proceedings in a tax refund suit will be stayed[] if the taxpayer is sent a notice of deficiency with respect to the tax which is the subject matter of the suit, during the period of time in which the taxpayer may file a petition with the Tax Court for a redetermination of the asserted deficiency and for 60 days thereafter.”).

, Plaintiff asserts that she does not want to petition the Tax Court and that “the forum selected by the Plaintiff ... should be respected by the Court.” Pl.’s Opp’n Mot. Stay & Mots. 3.

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85 Fed. Cl. 227, 103 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 338, 2008 U.S. Claims LEXIS 378, 2008 WL 5456134, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-vorst-v-united-states-uscfc-2008.