Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Supreme Court Defers to State Law on Ownership of Tax Refund

By Michael L. Cook
April 01, 2020

Federal courts should "turn to state law to resolve" a "fight over a tax refund," held a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 25, 2020. Rodriquez v. FDIC (In re United W Bancorp., Inc.), 589 U.S. ___, 2020 WL 889191 (Feb. 25, 2020). Vacating a Tenth Circuit decision, the Supreme Court remanded the case for the lower court to apply state law in resolving "the distribution of a consolidated corporate tax refund." The bankruptcy trustee of a bank holding company was litigating against the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), as receiver for the subsidiary bank that had incurred losses generating the refund. According the Supreme Court, it was not deciding "[w]ho is right about all this …." Id. at 4. Instead, the Court rejected the Tenth Circuit's application of the Ninth Circuit's so‑called Bob Richards rule. In re Bob Richards Chrysler‑Plymouth Corp., 473 F.2d 262, 265 (9th Cir. 1973) (in absence of tax allocation agreement, refund belongs to group member responsible for losses that led to it). In so doing, the Court rejected the Bob Richards rule as inappropriate federal "common lawmaking."

Relevance

The Court granted certiorari in Rodriguez not only to resolve a split among the circuits, but also "to decide Bob Richard's fate." Id. at 3. As it evolved over time, Bob Richards supplied a federal common law rule that, absent a clear agreement to the contrary, tax refunds belong to a taxpayer group member responsible for the losses that led to the refund.

The Facts

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in Rodriguez paid a tax refund to the bank holding company, although the tax refund had resulted from losses incurred by its bank subsidiary. The bankruptcy trustee of the holding company sued the FDIC, as receiver for the bank, claiming ownership of the refund. The Tenth Circuit, applying Bob Richards, affirmed the district court's judgment that the tax refund belonged to the FDIC, finding that the parties' tax allocation agreement was "ambiguous." Nevertheless, the Tenth Circuit relied on the terms of the document providing that any "ambiguity … shall be resolved … in favor of any insured depository institution." The parent holding company had an agency relationship "with respect to federal tax refunds" and had agreed to an "equitable allocation of tax liability." According to the agreement, tax benefits would be computed "on a separate‑entity basis for each" member of the affiliated corporate group.

The Supreme Court

The Court explained how federal courts should resolve a dispute when "the group members dispute the meanings of the terms found in their agreement …. State law is replete with rules readymade for such tasks — rules for interpreting contracts, creating equitable trusts, avoiding unjust enrichment, and much more." Id. at 2.

Limited Federal Common Law

The Court stressed that "there is 'no federal general common law.'" Id. at 3, quoting Erie R. Co., v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64, 78 (1938). Federal judges "may appropriately craft the rules of decision" in such limited areas as admiralty disputes and "certain controversies" between States. But unless Congress authorizes it, "common lawmaking must be 'necessary to protect uniquely federal interests.'" Id., quoting Texas Industries, Inc. v. Radcliff Materials, Inc., 451 U.S. 630, 640 (1981). Id.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws Image

This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.

Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin Image

With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.

The Article 8 Opt In Image

The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.

Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York Image

In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?

Fresh Filings Image

Notable recent court filings in entertainment law.