2003 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 14">*14 PURSUANT TO INTERNAL REVENUE CODE SECTION 7463(b), THIS OPINION MAY NOT BE TREATED AS PRECEDENT FOR ANY OTHER CASE.
POWELL, Special Trial Judge: This case was heard pursuant to the provisions of
Respondent determined a deficiency of $ 17,641 and an accuracy-related penalty under
Background
[3] Dobbs International Services (Dobbs) hired petitioner in April of 1993 as a service employee at O'Hare International Airport. Every October, Dobbs required all employees to "bid" for job positions with the company. The bidding process was based on seniority, and Dobbs granted the most senior employees the right to bid for a job position first. Petitioner alleged that in October of 1993, a manager at Dobbs granted a male employee, with less seniority than petitioner, the right to bid for petitioner's job position before her. As a result, petitioner lost her position as service employee, and Dobbs placed her in an on-call position.
Petitioner filed her first complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on December 8, 1993. The complaint stated in part:
III. I believe that I have been discriminated against on the
basis of my sex, female, in violation of Title VII of the 1964
Civil Rights Act, in that I was denied the opportunity2003 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 14">*16 to bid on
a position for which male employees were allowed to bid, and in
that [Dobbs] stated that certain positions are not available to
females.
[5] On June 23, 1994, while petitioner was in the on-call position, Dobbs asked her to report to work. At that assignment, petitioner slipped on grease, dislocating her shoulder and injuring her lower back. Petitioner filed a workmen's compensation claim against Dobbs as a result of her injuries. In August of 1995, Dobbs agreed to pay petitioner $ 5,820.96 in settlement of that claim.
Subsequently while petitioner was on-call, Dobbs attempted to notify petitioner that work was available. After failing to reach her by telephone, Dobbs terminated petitioner. Petitioner filed a second complaint with the EEOC on March 14, 1995. The complaint stated in part:
III. I believe that I have been discriminated against because of
my sex, female in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964, as amended, and retaliated against in violation of
704(a) of the Act, in that I had filed a previous charge of
discrimination and am treated different than male employees.
2003 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 14">*17 Male employees have been placed on the on-call list and on lay
off and were not terminated while on this list due to lack of
contact.
[7] On October 7, 1998, Dobbs and petitioner entered into a settlement agreement. The settlement agreement stated in part:
An investigation having been made under Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Title VII), by the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and reasonable cause
having been found, the parties do resolve and conciliate this
matter as follows:
* * * * * * *
CHARGING PARTY RELIEF
[Dobbs] agrees that within 30 days of the effective date of this
Agreement it shall:
1. a. Pay to the Charging Party the sum of twelve thousand
dollars ($ 12,000.00) as back wages, less legal deductions for
taxes;/[2]/
b. Pay to the Charging Party the sum of seventy-one thousand and
six hundred dollars ($ 71,600.00) as damages. Charging Party
shall be liable for any and all taxes which may be due2003 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 14">*18 for this
payment.
[8] In preparing her 1998 Federal income tax return, petitioner excluded the $ 71,600 damage award that she received. Petitioner argues that the damage award is excludable from her gross income under
Discussion
[9]
Where amounts are received pursuant to a settlement agreement, the nature of the claim that was the actual basis for settlement controls whether such amounts are excludable under
In
Similarly, petitioner did not allege physical injury or sickness in her complaints filed with the EEOC. Petitioner, however, argues that the $ 71,600 damage award represented compensation for her personal physical injury in that she suffered "pain and suffering from not being able to pay my bill, not being able to work and knowing the fact that I was discriminated against". Further, petitioner argues that the damage award was additional compensation for her injuries when she slipped on grease at work. Petitioner reasons that, if Dobbs had not sexually discriminated against her, Dobbs would not have placed her on the on-call list and assigned her to a position where she received physical injuries.
The flush language of
We find that petitioner failed to establish that any amount of the settlement proceeds was based on personal physical injuries or sickness, and, thus, hold that the $ 71,600 damage award is not excludable under
However, "No penalty shall be imposed * * * if it is shown that there was a reasonable cause * * * and2003 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 14">*23 that the taxpayer acted in good faith".
Reviewed and adopted as the report of the Small Tax Case Division.
To reflect the foregoing,
Decision will be entered for respondent.
1. Unless otherwise indicated, subsequent section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the year in issue.↩
3.