Filed: May 12, 2005
Latest Update: Mar. 03, 2020
Summary: 124 T.C. No. 13 UNITED STATES TAX COURT PATRICIA M. FRIDAY, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent Docket No. 6325-04. Filed May 12, 2005. P filed a petition seeking relief from joint and several tax liability under sec. 6015, I.R.C., and R moved for summary judgment. R then moved to withdraw his summary judgment motion. The Court granted the motion to withdraw. R also moved the Court to “remand” this matter to R’s office that specializes in sec. 6015, I.R.C., cases for furth
Summary: 124 T.C. No. 13 UNITED STATES TAX COURT PATRICIA M. FRIDAY, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent Docket No. 6325-04. Filed May 12, 2005. P filed a petition seeking relief from joint and several tax liability under sec. 6015, I.R.C., and R moved for summary judgment. R then moved to withdraw his summary judgment motion. The Court granted the motion to withdraw. R also moved the Court to “remand” this matter to R’s office that specializes in sec. 6015, I.R.C., cases for furthe..
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124 T.C. No. 13
UNITED STATES TAX COURT
PATRICIA M. FRIDAY, Petitioner v.
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Docket No. 6325-04. Filed May 12, 2005.
P filed a petition seeking relief from joint and
several tax liability under sec. 6015, I.R.C., and R
moved for summary judgment. R then moved to withdraw
his summary judgment motion. The Court granted the
motion to withdraw. R also moved the Court to “remand”
this matter to R’s office that specializes in sec.
6015, I.R.C., cases for further consideration by R
before any further consideration by the Court.
Held: R’s motion for remand will be denied.
Held further: This case will be returned to the
general docket for trial in due course.
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Warren N. Nemiroff, for petitioner.
Valerie L. Makarewicz, for respondent.
OPINION
GERBER, Chief Judge:1 Respondent issued a notice of
determination to petitioner denying her request for relief under
section 60152 and specifically finding that she was ineligible
for relief under section 6015(b), (c), or (f). Petitioner filed
a petition with this Court seeking relief from joint and several
liability. On October 12, 2004, respondent filed a motion for
summary judgment.
At the hearing, relying on our holding in McGee v.
Commissioner,
123 T.C. 314 (2004), respondent moved to withdraw
his summary judgment motion, and the Court granted respondent’s
motion to withdraw. Concurrent with respondent’s motion to
withdraw, respondent filed a motion for remand, which the Court
took under advisement. The motion for remand requests the Court
to remand the case to respondent’s Cincinnati Centralized
Innocent Spouse Operation Unit for consideration of petitioner’s
claim for relief, under section 6015, from a 1995 tax liability.
1
This case was reassigned from Special Trial Judge Dean to
Chief Judge Gerber by an order dated Mar. 10, 2005.
2
Unless otherwise indicated, section references are to
sections of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended.
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Respondent contends that this case should be remanded
because he did not sufficiently analyze the merits of
petitioner’s claim under section 6015(f). In support of his
request, respondent relies on Natl. Nutritional Foods Association
v. Weinberger,
512 F.2d 688, 701 (2d Cir. 1975), Camp v. Pitts,
411 U.S. 138, 143 (1973), and Asarco, Inc. v. EPA,
616 F.2d 1153,
1160 (9th Cir. 1980). Those cases, however, are examples where
courts, in reviewing administrative action, remanded for further
factual determinations that were deemed necessary to complete an
inadequate administrative record or to make an adequate one.
In certain specific cases where statutory provisions reserve
jurisdiction to the Commissioner, a case can also be remanded to
the Commissioner’s Appeals Office. Under sections 6320(c) and
6330(d)(1), this Court may consider certain collection actions
taken or proposed by the Commissioner’s Appeals Office. Under
paragraph (2) of section 6330(d), the Commissioner’s Appeals
Office retains jurisdiction with respect to the determination
made under section 6330. As part of the process, a case may be
remanded to the Appeals Office for further consideration. See,
e.g., Parker v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2004-226.
The situation is different, however, in a section 6015
proceeding, which is sometimes referred to as a “stand alone”
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case. Although entitled “Petition for Review by Tax Court”,3
section 6015(e) gives jurisdiction to the Court “to determine the
appropriate relief available to the individual under this
section”. The right to petition is “In addition to any other
remedy provided by law” and is conditioned upon meeting the time
constraints prescribed in section 6015(e)(1)(A)(i) and (ii).
Even if the Commissioner fails to do anything for 6 months
following the filing of an election for relief (where there is
nothing to “review”), the individual may bring an action in this
Court. See sec. 6015(b), (e)(1)(A)(i)(II). A petition for a
decision as to whether relief is appropriate under section 6015
is generally4 not a “review” of the Commissioner’s determination
in a hearing but is instead an action begun in this Court. There
is in section 6015 no analog to section 6330 granting the Court
jurisdiction after a hearing at the Commissioner’s Appeals
Office.
Now that respondent’s motion to withdraw his motion for
summary judgment has been granted, the case will be returned to
3
Where statutory text is complicated and prolific, headings
and titles can do no more than indicate the provisions in a most
general manner. Bhd. of R.R. Trainmen v. Baltimore & O.R. Co.,
331 U.S. 519, 528-529 (1947).
4
We note that in our consideration of a request for relief
under sec. 6015(f), the standard for “review” is abuse of
discretion. See Hopkins v. Commissioner,
121 T.C. 73 (2003);
Cheshire v. Commissioner,
115 T.C. 183, 197-198 (2000), affd.
282
F.3d 326 (5th Cir. 2002).
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the Court’s general docket for trial in due course. If
respondent wishes to reconsider his determination or to provide
petitioner with the opportunity for further consideration, that
may be accomplished during the pretrial period. If the amount of
time before trial is insufficient to accomplish further
administrative consideration, the parties may seek additional
time by motion or other appropriate means.
Accordingly, respondent’s motion for remand will be denied.
An appropriate order
will be issued.