UNITED STATES оf America and William L. Hall, Agent of Internal Revenue Service, Petitioners-Appellees,
v.
William H. ROUNDTREE, Respondent-Appellant, and
Wanda L. Roundtree, Intervenor-Respondent-Appellant.
No. 26986.
United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit.
November 20, 1969.
Rehearing Denied and Opinion Clarified April 20, 1970.
William H. Roundtree, Cocoa, Fla., for appellant.
Edward F. Boardman, U. S. Atty., Tampa, Fla., Mitchell Rogovin, Asst. Atty. Gen., Johnnie M. Walters, Lee A. Jackson, John P. Burke, Joseph M. Howard, Attys., U. S. Dept. of Justice, Tax Division, Washington, D. C., Virginia Q. Beverly, Jacksonville, Fla., for appellees.
Before WISDOM and CARSWELL, Circuit Judges, and ROBERTS, District Judge.
WISDOM, Circuit Judge:
This appeal canvasses often-discussed issues concerning a summons of the Internal Revenue Service: What showing must the IRS make to enforce a summons against a taxpayer? Hоw may the taxpayer attack the summons? Is a judgment of contempt for failure to obey the summons a final order? We hold that the Commissioner need make no particularized showing in order to summon a taxpayer and his records, but that if the purpose of the summons is to harass the taxpayer or solely to build a criminal prosecution, the courts will not enforce the summons. Moreover, a taxpayer is entitled to appropriate discovery procedures under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to prove this purpose. He must raise defenses of self-incrimination with regard to individual questions or specific records. Finally, when compliance with a district court's order that is later vacated would require surrender of the individual's defenses, and when the individual has effectively appealed that order before failing to comply, his failure to secure a stay will not, in the absence of willfulness, justify a contempt conviction.
I.
In September of 1966, an IRS agent served a summons upon the taxpаyer, William H. Roundtree. The Summons directed him to appear at the Eau Gallie, Florida, office of the IRS, there to produce books and records bearing on his and his wife's income tax liability for the years 1963, 1964, and 1965, and to testify in that regard. Roundtree appeared, but refused either to produce his records or to testify.
In December 1966 the Government petitioned under sections 7402(b)1 and 76042 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 for a court order to enforce the summons. Roundtree filed an answer and countеrclaimed for injunctive relief against further IRS proceedings. When the Government failed to answer this counterclaim within sixty days, the Clerk of the district court entered a default against the Government. But after a previously scheduled hearing held in September 1967, the district court set aside the default and granted the Government's motion to dismiss the counterclaim. The court also denied Roundtree's request for a jury trial, his motion for a writ of prohibition against the Tax Court in a deficiency proceeding relating to the year 1963,3 and various requests for admissions and interrogatories he had propounded to the IRS.4 The district court, however, granted the motion of Mrs. Roundtree to intervene, and allowed both taxpayers to file amended answers and counterclaims. The court subsequently quashed the Roundtrees' Notice of Taking Deposition of the IRS agent in charge of this case.
In October 1967 the Roundtrees filed an amended answer and counterclaim alleging that IRS agents had systematically harassed them; that enforcement of the summons would violate the fourth amendment and would be "in violation of the due process of law because of the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution"; that the material sought was "for the improper purpose of obtaining evidence for use in a criminal prosecution against the Respondents" — indeed, that this was its "sole objective"; that enforcement would violate the attorney-client privilege existing between Roundtree as attorney and his wife as client; and that the IRS was "abusing legal process unconstitutionally by filing the petition in this cause in this court". They demanded that the IRS be enjoined from any further proceedings until it could show "good cause for lawful and reasonable administrative procedure and/or legal action". The Government answered and moved to dismiss.
At a hearing on October 10, 1968, Roundtree stated that the "gist" of his defense was that the Government must show probable cause before the district court could enforce its summons. The district court dismissed the amended counterclaim, grantеd the Government's objections to further interrogatories, and ordered enforcement of the summons against Roundtree as to the years 1964 and 1965.5 Roundtree and his wife appealed this order, but failed to seek a stay of its enforcement from the district court. Instead, Roundtree appeared at IRS offices on the appointed dates and refused to testify or produce his records, asserting that he was exercising his fourth and fifth amendment rights. At the hearing of an order to show cause why he should not be hеld in contempt of court, Roundtree again asserted his fifth amendment rights. The Government maintained that he had never before raised the privilege against self-incrimination. The district court adjudged Roundtree in contempt on November 8, and fined him $500, but did not enter a written order. Roundtree appealed. The district court entered a written order of contempt on November 19, and once more ordered Roundtree to produce his books and records. He again appealed and this time movеd for a stay of execution of the order and any further proceedings. The district court denied Roundtree's motion for a stay; this Court granted it pending his appeal. The taxpayer appeals from the three district court orders of October 10 (judgment enforcing the summons), November 8 (oral judgment of contempt), and November 19, 1968 (written judgment of contempt).
II.
United States v. Powell, 1964,
[i]t is the court's process which is invoked to enforce the administrative summons and a court may not permit its process to be abused. Such an abuse would take place if the summons had been issued for an improper purpose, such as to harass the taxpayer or to put pressure on him to settle a collateral dispute, or for any other purpose reflecting on the good faith of the particular investigation.
Powell did not explicitly consider constitutional limitations on the Commissioner's power. But in our view, Camara v. Municipal Court, 1967,
In terms of protection to the individual, a summons submitted to a court for enforcement is at least equivalent to a search warrant.8 Our task is to apply to the process the analysis of interests that Camara considered requisite to the issuance of a search warrant.9
The Camara Court spoke in terms of "balancing the need to search against the invasion which the search entails".
The individual taxpayer on whom an audit has focussed is no doubt reluctant to see his records disclosed to the taxing authorities, but we are unable to say that the public has exhibited a strong animosity toward this method of securing proper compliance with the revenue laws. The significance of the public interest, governmental revenue, is beyond dispute. The fact is that Congress built the tax code upon the principle of self-assessment and voluntary compliance with the Code's rules and regulations. To determine deviations from its rules, the IRS must place unusual reliance upon the taxpayer's own records and statements.10
The final factor, the invasion of privacy, is difficult to evaluate. In Camara the Court noted that the search there was neither criminally oriented nor personal in nature. Althоugh the IRS summons does not involve a search of the person of the taxpayer but an examination of his papers and his testimony,11 typically it is unclear whether a given tax investigation will lead to criminal proceedings. The IRS often must see the taxpayer's records before it can make that determination. Powell,
Roundtree, however, contends that the summons issued against him did not meet the Powell and Venn requirements. He makes two significant arguments: (1) that the sole purpose of the summons is the establishment of a criminal case against him, and (2) that the IRS and its agents are bent upon a considered course of personal harassment toward him. We declared in Venn that it "would be a misuse of the tax summons for the IRS to endeavor to use it to obtain evidence for use in an existing criminal prosecution", but that "the mere fact that the evidence obtained through the summons may be later used against the taxpayer in a criminal prosecution is no barrier to enforcement".
A proceeding to enforce a summons is an adversary proceeding. Reisman v. Caplin, 1964,
III.
We may quickly dispose of Roundtree's contentions as to self-incrimination and the objections of the IRS. The fact situation could assume one of several postures on remand. We have already pointed out that if Roundtree is able to prove that the sole purpose of the summons is to build a criminal prosecution, the summons must fail. Roundtree's pleadings adequately preserved this defense. If the IRS sustains its contention that this is a civil investigation, the mere fact that evidence might be used against Roundtree in a later prosecution will not support a claim of self-incrimination.
IV.
There remains the question whether despite our remand, Roundtree's conviction for contempt should nevertheless stand. The Government points to Roundtree's failure to request a stay of the district court's order beforе violating it, and refers us to cases such as Walker v. City of Birmingham, 1967,
The Government admits that Roundtree did properly file his appeal from the district court's order enforcing the summons. Roundtree accomplished this before the dates on which the order directed him to produce his records. Clearly he had the right to such an appeal. Reisman v. Caplin,
We do not find United Mine Workers or Walker persuasive authority to the contrary. Walker involved relationships between two branches of the federal system. The Suprеme Court determined not to interfere with the state judiciary's method of ensuring respect for its mandate. That factor of comity is not present in our review of a federal district court. Furthermore, despite the arguments that might have been raised to limit the authority of an ex parte order, the Supreme Court used that consideration against the contemnors. It reasoned that one who had not yet argued his position before the state court ought not to violate its mandate without giving it the benefit of his argumеnt. Again, Roundtree had fully presented his position to the district court. In addition, the contemnors in Walker arguably would not have entirely forfeited their first amendment rights by delaying their civil rights march, although admittedly its impact would have diminished with the passing of Easter. Here, Roundtree stood to forfeit his defenses entirely. In United Mine Workers, the district court's order was eventually upheld on appeal, and again the contemnors arguably would not have forfeited their right to strike by delaying it. Most importantly, however, the decree in this case was not of thе significance of the decrees in United Mine Workers and Walker. Those cases sought respectively to halt a nationwide coal strike, and to implement the "legitimate state concern" of the "prevention of public disorder and violence". Walker,
We emphasize that we do not approve Roundtree's failure to seek a stay of the district court's order. But in the absence of evidence of wilfulness, we reverse the judgment of contempt.
V.
We dеal summarily with taxpayer Roundtree's remaining contentions. Fed.R.Civ.P. 55(e) prohibits entry of default judgment against the United States, its officers or agencies, "unless the claimant establishes his claim or right to relief by evidence satisfactory to the court". Thus, the district court correctly set aside the Government's default in answering Roundtree's counterclaim, and treated the claim on the merits. Furthermore, Roundtree has an adequate remedy in the defenses he can raise to enforcement of the summons. We affirm thе district court's conclusion that he is not entitled to injunctive relief. See Reisman v. Caplin. We note the rest of Roundtree's contentions and find them to be without merit.
We reverse and remand for further disposition consistent with this opinion.
Notes:
Notes
26 U.S.C. § 7402(b) (1964):
If any person is summoned under the internal revenue laws to appear, to testify, or to produce books, papers, or other data, the district court of the United States for the district in which such person resides or may be found shall have jurisdiction by appropriate procеss to compel such attendance, testimony, or production of books, papers, or other data.
26 U.S.C. § 7604 (1964):
(a) [Substantially similar to § 7402 (b), note 1 supra]
(b) Whenever any person summoned under section 6420(e) (2), 6421(f) (2), 6424(d) (2), or 7602 neglects or refuses to obey such summons, or to produce books, papers, records, or other data, or to give testimony, as required, the Secretary or his delegate may apply to the judge of the district court or to a United States commissioner for the district within which the person so summoned resides or is found for an attaсhment against him as for a contempt. It shall be the duty of the judge or commissioner to hear the application, and, if satisfactory proof is made, to issue an attachment, directed to some proper officer, for the arrest of such person, and upon his being brought before him to proceed to a hearing of the case; and upon such hearing the judge or the United States commissioner shall have power to make such order as he shall deem proper, not inconsistent with thе law for the punishment of contempts, to enforce obedience to the requirements of the summons and to punish such person for his default or disobedience.
Reisman v. Caplin, 1964,
During the proceedings below, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue issued a notice of deficiency for 1963, taxpayers sought a redetermination of the deficiency in the Tax Court, and the IRS dropped the year from its request for enforcement. After oral argument on the appeal, taxpayers petitioned this Court to dismiss the proceedings as moot, on the ground that the Commissioner has now issued notices of deficiency for all the years in question and the taxpayers have sought redetermination of those deficiencies in the Tax Court. We reject this contention. Proceedings in the tax court do not extinguish the Commissioner's summons power. National Plate & Window Glass Co. v. United States, 2 Cir. 1958,
Among other things, Roundtree sought to elicit detailed information concerning publicly reported cases of wiretapping and electronic eavesdropping by the IRS; to inspect all the IRS's records and files relating to himself and his wife; and to ascertain the basis for the IRS claim of deficiency against him and his wife for 1963
See note 3 supra.
U.S.C. § 7605(b) (1964):
No taxpayer shall be subjected to unnecessary examination or investigations, and only one inspection of a taxpayer's books of account shall be made for each taxable year unless the taxpayer requests otherwise or unless the Secretary or his delegate, after investigation, notifies the taxpayer in writing that an additional inspection is necessary.
Camara and See considered fourth amendment rights as they are enforced against the states under the fourteenth amendment.
The requirement of judicial enforcement marks the important distinction of this case from Mancusi v. DeForte, 1968,
We note in passing that the Supreme Court's use of probable cause as "the standard by which a particular decision to search is tested against the constitutional mandate of reasonableness",
See Bolich v. Rubel, 2 Cir. 1933,
The fourth amendment protects the people as to their "houses, papers, and effects", as well as their "persons", but the Supreme Court inCamara indicated that it considers a personal search to be a greater invasion of privacy (protection of which is the "basic purpose" of the fоurth amendment,
See United States v. DeGrosa, 3 Cir. 1969,
See note 3 supra.
See note 4 supra.
See United States v. Nunnally,
We repeat our footnote inVenn that "the Court's enforcement of the summons in these circumstances constitutes no predetermination of the question whether evidence so obtained may be admissible in a criminal prosecution".
Compare Justice Holmes's refusal in United States v. Sullivan, 1927,
See Warnell v. United States, 5 Cir. 1961,
