Welch v. United States

98 Fed. Cl. 655, 2011 WL 1681429
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedMay 2, 2011
DocketNo. 09-890T
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 98 Fed. Cl. 655 (Welch 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
Welch v. United States, 98 Fed. Cl. 655, 2011 WL 1681429 (uscfc 2011).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

HODGES, Judge.

Plaintiffs Joshua Welch and Alejandra de Losada filed a complaint in this court seeking a refund of $867,482.83 in income taxes and interest paid to the Internal Revenue Service for deficiencies assessed from the 1992 and 1995 tax years. Plaintiffs argue that the assessment and collection were improper because defendant did not mail statutory notices of deficiency pursuant to I.R.C. § 6213(a) within the requisite time to extend the assessment period. Accordingly, plaintiffs argue, they are entitled to a refund under I.R.C. § 6401(a) for amounts illegally collected. The parties filed cross motions for summary judgment on the issue of whether the IRS properly mailed statutory notices of deficiency for the tax years 1992 and 1995, thereby extending the statute of limitations for assessing plaintiffs’ income tax. For the reasons stated below we grant defendant’s motion for summary judgment, finding that defendant has demonstrated as a matter of law that it mailed the notices of deficiency.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Joshua Welch filed an individual federal tax return for the year 1992 and paid income taxes in the amount of $97,964. Mr. Welch subsequently married Alejandra de Losada, and in 1996 requested a carryback of net operating losses from their 1995 return to his 1992 return, and a refund of $76,570. The Service granted plaintiffs’ request for a refund in September 1996. The Service then commenced an audit of plaintiffs’ 1995 taxable year. Plaintiffs agreed to extend to December 31, 2000 the statute of limitations for assessment with respect to the 1992 taxable year.

The IRS informed plaintiffs by letter in November 1998 of a proposed adjustment to their 1995 taxes. This correspondence, known as Letter 950, explained that the IRS was denying the ordinary loss that plaintiffs had claimed in their 1995 joint return, resulting in a tax deficiency of $223,500 for 1995. The Service also proposed a twenty percent negligence penalty in the amount of $44,700, and noted that these changes had been discussed with plaintiffs’ accountant and attorney-in-fact, Eric Roseman. A separate letter to Mr. Welch explained that the Service was disallowing the $76,570 carryback claim. This notice is known as Letter 569. Plaintiffs testified that they do not recall receiving either letter, though it was Mr. Welch’s habit to open mail from the IRS and forward it to Mr. Roseman. The letters 950 and 569 are attached to plaintiffs’ Complaint.

Mr. Roseman represented plaintiffs in their 1998 appeal to IRS regarding the adjustments. IRS denied the appeal but reduced the deficiency proposed for 1992 from $76,570 to $43,032. Defendant states that notices of deficiency for the 1992 and 1995 tax years were then issued on September 11, 2000. The deficiencies were in the amounts of $43,023 for 1992 with no penalty, and $223,500 for 1995 with a penalty of $44,700. Defendant also states that it sent copies of these notices to Mr. Roseman as plaintiffs’ tax representative.

The Service issued a Final Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to a Hearing to plaintiffs on September 19, 2007 with respect to the 1992 and 1995 tax deficiencies. Plaintiffs timely requested a Collection Due Process hearing with the IRS Appeals Office. The Service issued a Notice of Determination on July 7, 2008, sustaining the collection action. Plaintiffs then filed a petition in the [657]*657United States Tax Court seeking removal of the assessments and cessation of all related collection activities.

Plaintiffs sold an apartment later that year that was subject to a tax lien filed on December 14, 2001 with respect to the 1992 assessment and a tax lien filed on June 11, 2008 with respect to the 1995 assessment. Plaintiffs testified that they were unaware at the time of any amount outstanding with respect to 1992 and 1995. Plaintiffs filed an Application for Certificate of Discharge of Property from Federal Tax Lien and offered to post a bond for the full amount of the assessments pending determination by the Tax Court on their petition. The Service denied the application, and plaintiffs satisfied the tax lien as a condition to selling the apartment.

Plaintiffs paid $142,277.55 in satisfaction of the 1992 lien and $725,205.28 in satisfaction of the 1995 lien. The Tax Court subsequently dismissed plaintiffs’ case as moot. Plaintiffs then filed two Forms 1040X on May 7, 2009, claiming a refund of federal income tax and interest paid for the deficiencies assessed for 1992 and 1995. Having received no response from the IRS, plaintiffs filed their Complaint in this court on December 28,2009.

DISCUSSION

Summary judgment is proper where no genuine issue of material fact exists. See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The moving party bears the burden of establishing the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). Once the moving party has offered evidence that no material issue of fact remains, the burden shifts to the non-moving party to provide evidence that a genuine issue of fact is present. Id. at 250, 106 S.Ct. 2505. The court must view the evidence in a light most favorable to the non-moving party, and draw all permissible inferences in favor of that party. Id. at 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505.

Section 6501 of the Internal Revenue Code imposes a statute of limitation on the IRS to make an assessment. Section 6503(a) of the Code provides that such a period may be tolled upon the mailing of a notice of deficiency to the taxpayer. In addition, a taxpayer may allow the Service to extend the time limits, as occurred in this case; the parties allowed the IRS to extend the assessment period to December 31, 2000.

Effect of Notice

The period of limitation is extended for ninety days once the statutory notice is mailed, to allow the taxpayer to petition the Tax Court. Thereafter, it is extended an additional sixty days pursuant to § 6503(a)(1). A notice of deficiency is valid if mailed by certified or registered mail by the IRS to the taxpayer’s last known address, or if the taxpayer has actual knowledge of the notice. See I.R.C. § 6212(a). The parties do not dispute that the assessment was timely if the statutory notices were sent. Plaintiffs argue that the IRS did not mail the notices of deficiency, and cannot demonstrate that it mailed the notices. This would render the February 15, 2001 assessment invalid because the assessment period would not have been tolled.

The Service enjoys a presumption of official regularity where it can demonstrate that certain procedures have been followed. The Internal Revenue Manual instructs offices on how to maintain records of mailed statutory notices. Postal Form 3877 is a list of taxpayer names, addresses, and corresponding registered or certified numbers for use by each office. Service employees are also instructed to file final copies of statutory notices that are to be mailed. Such official certificates are highly probative and considered sufficient, in the absence of contrary evidence, to establish that the notices and assessments were properly made. United States v. Zolla, 724 F.2d 808, 810 (9th Cir.1984).

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Related

United States v. Nugent
300 F. Supp. 3d 932 (E.D. Kentucky, 2018)
Welch v. United States
678 F.3d 1371 (Federal Circuit, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
98 Fed. Cl. 655, 2011 WL 1681429, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/welch-v-united-states-uscfc-2011.