V.R. Streeter v. United States

150 F. Supp. 3d 82, 2015 WL 8215936, 116 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6972, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164375
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedDecember 8, 2015
DocketNo. 14-cv-10290-DJC
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 150 F. Supp. 3d 82 (V.R. Streeter v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
V.R. Streeter v. United States, 150 F. Supp. 3d 82, 2015 WL 8215936, 116 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6972, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164375 (D. Mass. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

CASPER, DISTRICT JUDGE.

I. Introduction

Plaintiff Cornelia V.R. Streeter (“Street-er”) has- filed this lawsuit against Defendant the United States of America (“United States”) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1346 and 26 U.S.C. §§ 6511 and 7422 seeking a refund, with interest, of the sum paid to remove a lien filed by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) on her property (Count I). D. 1. Streeter also brings a claim for damages pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 7432 for the IRS’s alleged failure to release the lien (Count II) and requests attorneys’ fees and costs. Id. Both Streeter and the United States have moved for summary judgment on all of Streeter’s claims. D. 41; D. 44. For the reasons stated ■below, the Court DENIES in part and ALLOWS in part the motions.

II. Standard of Review

The Court grants summary judgment where there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the undisputed facts demonstrate that the moving party is entitled to, judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). “A fact is material if it carries with it the potential to affect the outcome of the suit under applicable law.” Santiago-Ramos v. Centennial P.R. Wireless Corp., 217 F.3d 46, 52 (1st Cir.2000) [84]*84(quoting Sanchez v. Alvarado, 101 F.3d 223, 227 (1st Cir.1996)). The movant bears the burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Carmona v. Toledo, 215 F.3d 124, 132 (1st Cir. 2000); see Celotex v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). If the movant meets its burden, the non-moving party may not rest on the allegations or denials in her pleadings, Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 256, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986), but “must, with respect to' each issue on which she would bear the burden of proof at trial, demonstrate that a trier of fact could reasonably resolve that issue in her favor,” Borges ex rel. S.M.B.W. v. Serrano-Isern, 605 F.3d 1, 5 (1st Cir.2010). “As a general rule, that requires the production of evidence that is ’significantly] probative.’” Id. (quoting Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505) (alteration in the original). The Court “view[s] the record in the light most favorable to the nonmovant, drawing reasonable inferences in his favor.” Noonan v. Staples, Inc., 556 F.3d 20, 25 (1st Cir. 2009).

III. Factual Background

The following facts are taken from the parties’ Statement of Agreed Facts, D. 42, and the exhibits to the complaint, D. 1. The parties agree that the material facts are not in dispute. D. 43 at 2-3; D. 46 at 3.

Streeter was previously married to An-war Wissa (“Wissa”). They had two children and divorced in 2001. D. 42 ¶ 2. Before their divorce, Streeter and Wissa jointly owned, as tenants by the entirety, a property located at 83 Asbury Street in Topsfield, Massachusetts (the “Property”). Id. ¶ 4. On May 10, 2001 (nunc pro tunc March 19, 2001), the Essex Probate and Family Court entered a divorce decree stating that Wissa was to transfer all “his right, title and interest” in the Property to Streeter and Streeter was to pay Wissa $1,164,995.50 on or before June 15, 2001. Id. ¶¶ 5-7.

Following entry of the divorce decree, Wissa abducted the two children and left the United States. Wissa has not returned, but the children were returned in 2003. Id. ¶¶ 9, 14. With Wissa absent from the country, on August 9, 2001, the Essex Probate and Family Court directed that Streeter’s payment for the Property otherwise due to Wissa to be held in ah escrow account. Id. ¶ 10. Streeter' and her attorney at that time established an escrow account in the' name of the designated escrow agents, not in’ the name of Wissa. Id. ¶ 11. Streeter funded the account in the amount of $1,164,995.50 and the account operiéd with a starting’ date of September 24, 2001. Id. Wissa, absent from the country, never filed a deed to transfer his interest in the Property but, sometime in 2001, Streeter recorded a copy of the divorce, decree in the Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds. Id. ¶ 18.

On March 4, 2004, the IRS issued a Notice'of a Federal Tax Lien on all property belonging to Wissa. Id. ¶-15. The tax lien stated that Wissa owed $247,126 for the tax year 2000. Id. Streeter and Wissa did .not file a joint tax return for the year 2000 and Streeter was not personally liable to pay Wissa’s tax liability. Id. ¶¶ 16-17. The Notice of a Federal Tax Lien was addressed to Wissa at the Property’s address, where Streeter was living at the time. Id. ¶ 24. Streeter knew Wissa was receiving tax notices, but did not know that they related to a lien on the Property. Id. On March 11, 2004,- the IRS filed the tax lien with the Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds. Id. ¶ 15. Pursuant to Mass. Gen. L. c. 183, § 43, and by a declaration of the Essex Probate and Family Court issued in January 2010, Wissa did not have an interest in the Property when [85]*85the Notice of Federal Tax Lien was filed in 2004. Id, ¶¶ 12, 18. In 2009, Streeter learned of the lien on the Property in the course of obtaining a mortgage on the Property. Id. ¶ 24.

In January 2010, Streeter requested a certificate of non-attachment from the IRS for the lien on the Property pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 6325(e). Id. ¶25.1 The IRS responded, stating that such a request was not proper and suggested that Streeter request a certificate of discharge. Id, ¶ 26. In February 2010, Streeter requested a certificate of discharge from the IRS and provided a copy of the January 2010 declaration from the Essex Probate and Family Court and a letter from Streeter’s attorney stating that Streeter made the required payment for the Property in September 2001. Id. ¶ 27. Streeter did not include any supporting documents, such as a canceled . check for the payment, with the letter to the IRS. Id,; D. 45-1 ¶ 4. In June 2010, despite the lien, Streeter sold a small portion of the Property to an adjoining landowner.- D. 42 f 28. In 2011, Streeter found a buyer to sell the majority portion of the Property and, according to Streeter, the buyer insisted that the lien be resolved before purchasing the Property. Id. ¶¶ 29-30. The ultimate deadline set to sell the Property was March 20, 2012. Id. ¶40.

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150 F. Supp. 3d 82, 2015 WL 8215936, 116 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6972, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164375, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vr-streeter-v-united-states-mad-2015.