Docket No. 14410-15, Lampercht v. CIR (order here)
Up until now, I was the only designated orders’ author who had yet to cover this case which has had eight orders designated in it since March of 2018. The case’s recent orders have addressed discovery-related matters, and in this order on petitioner’s motion, the Court reconsiders a previously issued “order to show cause.” It decides to withhold its final ruling in part to allow more time for petitioners to comply, discharge it in part, and make it absolute in part.
The Tax Court strongly encourages parties to engage in informal discovery, so it is somewhat rare to encounter an order related to discovery. Tax Court Rule 91(f) allows the Court to issue an “order to show cause” related to stipulations when one of the parties “has refused or failed to confer with an adversary with respect to entering into a stipulation” or “refused or failed to make such a stipulation of any matter.”
The order describes the effect an “order to show cause” has on the parties and the proceedings. The case involves several different types of documents all of which appear to be difficult obtain and some which may not even exist. The first documents addressed by the Court relate to property owned by petitioners in another country. Earlier on, petitioners conveyed that their ability to obtain the documents was symmetrical to the IRS’s ability, so the Court ordered petitioners to execute a waiver which the IRS could use to obtain the documents. Even with the waiver, the IRS was unsuccessful but learned that petitioners could obtain the documents by requesting them from the local authorities where the property is located. As a result, the Court sets a specific date for the petitioners to do this or else the order will be made absolute.
Next, petitioners state that certain business-related records do not exist, and they wish to provide affidavits instead. The IRS challenges the sufficiency of the affidavits, but the Court says the IRS can press his criticisms of petitioners’ explanation at trial and dismisses the “order to show cause” as it relates to these items.
Finally, petitioners contend that they were unable to get necessary records from their bank in order to participate in the IRS’s voluntary offshore disclosure program. The IRS also needs a waiver from petitioners to attempt to obtain the bank records. The petitioners executed a waiver but it was ultimately returned because it was not notarized, and petitioners failed to provide the identity verification requested. The Court makes the “order to show cause” absolute as it relates to this item.
What is the effect of an “order to show cause” being made absolute? In this case, it means that petitioners are precluded from offering any evidence at trial with the respect to the item or the inexistence of the item. In other words, the Court will not allow petitioners to use their alleged inability to the obtain records serve as a reason for their inaction at trial.
Docket No. 13892-19, Malone v. CIR (order here)
This next order involves the Court’s concern with a petitioner’s capacity to engage in litigation and a conflict that may arise if a certain family member tries to help him.
The tax return at issue in the case is a section 6020(b) substitute for return which didn’t account for any of petitioner’s business expenses. The case was scheduled for trial in June 2020 but was delayed due to Covid-19 and since then parties have kept the Court apprised of their progress in monthly status reports. In the reports, petitioner’s counsel repeatedly states that petitioner has not made much progress with retrieving and organizing documents due to side effects of brain surgery he had in February 2019.
Since the petitioner has not made much progress, the Court is concerned with petitioner’s capacity under rule 60(c). Petitioner’s counsel states that petitioner’s family is helping him gather documents and information but does not identify which family members are assisting him which also raises the potential conflict concern for the Court.
Petitioner may wish to challenge the IRS’s determination of his filing status. This is permitted because a substitute for returns does not constitute “separate” returns for purposes of section 6013(b) (see Millsap v. Commissioner, 91 T.C. 926 (1988)). The 6020(b) substitute for return used married filing separate status, so the Court speculates that if petitioner challenges his filing status and files a married filing joint tax return, then petitioners’ spouse may have a conflict of interest in helping him gather documents and information, unless his spouse disavows themselves of innocent spouse relief.
Without additional information, the Court isn’t sure that petitioner’s counsel can proceed without the appointment of a representative or if petitioner does not have such a duly appointed representative, a next friend or guardian ad litem.
To resolve their concerns the Court specifically asks whether petitioner was married during the year at issue, and if so, the status of petitioner’s spouse’s tax liability that year, including whether petitioner plans to submit a joint return. The Court also asks whether petitioner’s spouse has a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest that may prohibit them from acting on petitioner’s behalf.
Docket No. 6341-19W, Sebren A. Pierce (order here)
This order provides the Court with another opportunity to reiterate its record rule and standard of review in whistleblower cases. The Court also cites its Van Bemmelen opinion which Les mentions in his very recent post on the record rule here.
In this designated order, the Court is addressing petitioner’s motion for summary judgement. Petitioner’s case alleged that a certain State had defrauded taxpayers of more than $43 billion in connection with the incarceration of prisoners in that State who were wrongfully prosecuted. The whistleblower office’s final decision rejected the claim “because the information provided was speculative and/or did not provide specific or credible information regarding tax underpayments or violations of internal revenue laws.”
After pleadings were closed, petitioner filed a motion for summary judgment asserting that he is entitled to a whistleblower award of 15% to 30% of the amount and requests an advance payment of $20 million, with any discrepancies in the award amount to be resolved by IRS audit.
The Court goes on to explain that is not how summary judgment works in whistleblower cases. The Court cannot determine that petitioner is entitled to an award and force the IRS to pay up, because it is not a trial on the merits. The Court explains that the de novo standard of review petitioner desires is not possible.
Orders not discussed, include:
- Docket No. 1781-14, Barrington v. CIR (order here), petitioner’s motion to compel is denied because it is inadequately supported since petitioner cannot yet show that the IRS has failed to respond to formal discovery.
- Docket No. 18554-19W, Wellman v. CIR (order here) the IRS’s motion for summary judgment in this whistleblower case is granted and petitioner does not object.
- Docket No. 13134-19L, Smith v. CIR (order here), the IRS’s motion summary judgment is granted in a CDP case where petitioners submitted an offer in compromise but were not current with estimated tax payments.