Whayne v. Glenn

114 F. Supp. 784, 44 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 452, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4079
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Kentucky
DecidedSeptember 16, 1953
DocketCiv. A. No. 1936
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 114 F. Supp. 784 (Whayne v. Glenn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Whayne v. Glenn, 114 F. Supp. 784, 44 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 452, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4079 (W.D. Ky. 1953).

Opinion

SHELBOURNE, Chief Judge.

The instant action was brought to recover taxes paid by plaintiff when defendant Collector found that income earned by plaintiff’s wife as a partner in Roy C. Whayne Supply Company was taxable to plaintiff. The case was tried upon stipula[785]*785tions. On September 8, 1952, the Court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law, and on September 19, 1952, entered judgment in favor of defendant Collector against plaintiff taxpayer.

Thereafter, on October 1, 1952, the Court set side the judgment on motion of plaintiff.

On March 2, 1953, the Collector gave notice to plaintiff that on March 9, 1953, a motion for judgment filed by defendant the same day would be argued. By inadventure, the Court entered judgment in favor of defendant Collector against plaintiff taxpayer on March 2, 1953.

When defendant’s counsel discovered the entry of judgment on March 2, 1953, and called the Court’s attention to its premature entry, the Court voided it.

Before March 9, 1953, the date set for hearing the Collector’s motion for judgment, counsel for both sides orally agreed that no motion for judgment should be made for thirty days. About March 30, 1953, counsel for both sides orally agreed that within thirty days thereafter counsel for plaintiff might file a motion to revise the judgment.

About April 29, 1953, plaintiff’s counsel filed a motion for leave to amend the complaint “to show that his claim is asserted against defendant, Selden R. Glenn, individually and as former Collector of Internal Revenue." On the same day, plaintiff’s counsel also moved the Court “to reconsider and revise its Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law heretofore rendered.”

Plaintiff’s counsel filed a brief setting out the particulars in which revisions were sought. Defendant’s counsel filed a brief opposing plaintiff’s motion to revise and reconsider on the ground that under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S. C.A., such motion was not timely. Plaintiff’s counsel filed a reply brief.

Questions Presented

At the outset it is necessary to dispose of the Collector’s contention that taxpayer’s motion to reconsider and revise is not .timely filed, for if this contention has merit, the Court is without jurisdiction to hear taxpayer’s motion on its merits.

In view of the mutual agreements of counsel for both parties extending the time in which plaintiff could file his motion to revise and reconsider the findings of fact and conclusions of law, defendant should be held to have waived the provision of the rules requiring such a motion to be filed within ten days of the entry of judgment. Leishman v. Associated Wholesale Electric Company, 318 U.S. 203, 63 S.Ct. 543, 87 L.Ed. 714, cited by defendant is not in point. The decision in that case states, 318 U.S. at page 206, 63 S.Ct. at page 545, that the “10 day limit for filing fixed in Rule 59 cannot be enlarged under Rule 6(b) except as provided in subsection (c) of Rule 59.” Here no enlargement is made under Rule 6(b) by Court order, but the extension of time within which plaintiff filed his motion resulted from express agreement of counsel for both parties, as set out in the statement of facts, supra. In Z and F Assets Realization Corporation v. Hull, D.C., 31 F.Supp. 371, Id., 72 App.D.C. 234, 114 F.2d 464, Id., 311 U.S. 470, 61 S.Ct. 351, 85 L.Ed. 288, the parties had not agreed, as they have here, to an extension of time in which plaintiff could move for a reargument,' but plaintiff there sought to make the motion as of right after the ten-day period had expired and after appeals had been perfected.

It follows therefore that defendant’s objection to the timeliness of plaintiff’s motion is not well taken and must be overruled.

The several particulars in which plaintiff’s counsel desires revisions in the Court’s findings and conclusions will be discussed serially.

1. The Court has overlooked on page two of the Opinion, [107 F.Supp. 311] in Finding No. 7, and on page eleven of the Opinion [107 F.Supp. 313], a highly material qualification upon Roy C. Whayne’s “belief that the income on the fifteen percent interest in the partnership was properly taxable to the plaintiff Roy C. Whayne and he agreed to pay it.”

This contention seems to be supported by the record.

The stipulation in paragraph 1 of which Roy C. Whayne agreed that the income [786]*786from Bessie Whayne’s partnership interest should be taxable to himself provided as follows in paragraph 3—

“The basis above provided for treatment of the * * * Partnership Interest * * * shall be binding upon the parties for the remaining period that the relevant facts remaining unchanged, to-wit, until June 30, 1942.”

The significance of the date June 30, 1942, was that, after that date, the restrictions upon Bessie Whayne’s partnership interest by the original partnership agreement were removed, effective that date.

These restrictions provided that she should be a silent partner, should not be required to devote any time to the business, should not be authorized to take any active part in the business or act for it, should not draw a salary, and should not, with certain exceptions, withdraw any part of her investment in or profits from the firm for twenty-five years. Roy C. Whayne had an option, under the restrictions, to repurchase Bessie Whayne’s interest.

It follows, therefore, that Roy C. Whayne expressly limited his agreement that Bessie Whayne’s partnership income should be taxable to himself only until June 30, 1942.

The Court’s opinion should be revised accordingly. The stipulation is not an admission by Roy C. Whayne with respect to the period after June 30, 1942, which is the period now in suit and this date was long before and not shortly after the Tower and Lusthaus decisions, as Opinion page 2 [107 F.Supp. 311] indicates.

2. The Court erred in stating in Finding No. 8 that the Agent in Charge at Louisville prepared a report providing for settlement of the tax liability for 1942-1945 “in accordance with the written stipulation filed in Action No. 551 September 18, 1947.” 107 F.Supp. 311.

What has been said in paragraph 1 above shows that the stipulation was expressly limited to the period ended June 30, 1942, therefore, the Agent’s report could not have accorded with that stipulation. The period covered by the Agent’s report began after the period covered by the stipulation had ended.

It is -a fact, however, that Roy C. Whayne agreed to the Agent’s report, notwithstanding the fact that his prior stipulation did not bind him to agree to it.

3. The Court erred in construing the Forms 870 and 1291 as agreements by Roy C. Whayne to pay the tax assessed against Bessie Whayne.

Form 870, executed by the taxpayer, was not dated, but it was stamped filed by the Agent in Charge, November 21, 1947.

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Bluebook (online)
114 F. Supp. 784, 44 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 452, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4079, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/whayne-v-glenn-kywd-1953.