Michael Presley v. United States
Opinion
*1287 To say that the 1980 United States Men's Olympic Hockey Team had the odds stacked against it would be an understatement. With a roster of amateur players whose age averaged 22, the U.S. team had been routed 10-3 by the Soviet team less than two weeks before the Olympics began. 1 And that was not surprising since the Soviet team was filled with seasoned professionals, had won the past four Olympic gold medals, and had not even lost an Olympic game since 1968. 2 Beating the Soviet team seemed impossible. Yet on February 22, 1980, the U.S. team-led by Coach Herb Brooks-did exactly that, scoring a 4-3 "Miracle" win. 3
Our history contains many such stories of triumphs over long odds. This, however, is not one of those.
Plaintiffs-Appellants-a lawyer, his law firm, and associated parties-urge creative arguments to avoid their bank's compliance with Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") summonses for their account records. But forget about tough odds the U.S. hockey team faced, Plaintiffs face-off with something even more formidable: the Supreme Court's holdings long ago in
United States v. Miller
,
I.
In 2016, the IRS sent three summonses to Bank of America, N.A., (the "Bank") in the course of investigating the 2014 federal income-tax liabilities of each of Plaintiffs Michael Presley, Cynthia Presley, BMP Family Limited Partnership, and Presley Law and Associates, P.A. ("Presley Law"). The summonses sought records "pertaining to any and all accounts over which [each Plaintiff] has signature authority," including bank statements, loan proceeds, deposit slips, records of purchase, sources for all deposited items, and copies of all checks drawn.
*1288 As we have suggested, Plaintiff Michael Presley is an attorney, while Presley Law is his law firm. Among the records the IRS sought were the law firm's escrow and trust bank-account records, which were held in the names of Presley Law and BMP. 4 Both accounts contained information about client finances. The IRS notified Plaintiffs of these summonses, but it did not inform Plaintiffs' clients because it was not investigating them.
Plaintiffs moved to quash. They objected only to the Bank's production of records related to their escrow and trust accounts, contending that these records revealed their clients' financial information. The government moved to dismiss, and the district court granted its motion. The district court reasoned that the summonses complied with the governing standard announced in
Powell
,
Plaintiffs now appeal.
II.
We will not reverse an order enforcing an IRS summons unless it is "clearly erroneous."
United States v. Morse
,
Determining whether the district court's order was clearly erroneous requires us to first consider the general framework governing the enforceability of IRS summonses. To ensure compliance with the tax code, Congress designed a system that gives the IRS "broad statutory authority to summon a taxpayer to produce documents or give testimony relevant to determining tax liability."
United States v. Clarke
, --- U.S. ----,
Section 7602 of the Internal Revenue Code is the "centerpiece of that congressional design."
United States v. Arthur Young & Co.
,
To guard against potential abuses of this "broad" power, the courts-and not the IRS-are authorized to enforce this summons power.
United States v. Bisceglia
,
First, for the government to establish a prima facie case for enforcement,
*1289
it must demonstrate that (1) the investigation has a legitimate purpose, (2) the information summoned is relevant to that purpose, (3) the IRS does not already possess the documents sought, and (4) the IRS has followed the procedural steps required by the tax code.
III.
Plaintiffs do not contend that the IRS failed to comply with Powell . Instead, they assert that Powell does not apply at all because the Fourth Amendment and the Internal Revenue Code preclude its application in the circumstances of this case. We conduct our analysis of Plaintiffs' arguments in two parts. First, we address whether Plaintiffs have standing to raise their clients' Fourth Amendment claims. 5 Second, we consider the merits of Plaintiffs' claims.
A. Standing
Plaintiffs argue that they have standing to guard their clients' privacy rights under the Fourth Amendment. The government disagrees. We need not decide this issue.
Privacy is personal.
See, e.g.
,
Rakas v. Illinois
,
Here, Plaintiffs contest only others' privacy rights. As a result, they would ordinarily lack Fourth Amendment standing.
But some debate exists over whether those in situations analogous to Plaintiffs' have standing to assert their clients' interests. That's because Plaintiffs include an attorney and his law firm, and as non-targets of the investigation, Plaintiffs' clients could face obstacles in raising their own privacy objections.
See
United States v. Zadeh
,
*1290 (permitting summoned party to raise privacy objections of family members).
Recognizing the clients' hurdles in pursuing their own objections, some courts have authorized third-party standing in similar circumstances. In
Reiserer v. United States
, for example, the Ninth Circuit permitted an attorney to raise his clients' privacy objections to an IRS subpoena served on the attorney's bank.
But we need not resolve whether Plaintiffs here have standing to assert their clients' interests. Plaintiffs' clients' objections rely on the Fourth Amendment. And unlike Article III standing, standing under the Fourth Amendment is not jurisdictional; instead, we analyze it as a merits issue.
See
Minnesota v. Carter
,
Because Fourth Amendment standing is not jurisdictional, we need not determine as a separate question whether Plaintiffs have standing under the Fourth Amendment to raise their clients' interests.
See
United States v. Gonzalez
,
B. Merits
In the administrative-summons context, Plaintiffs' objections "must be derived from one of three sources: a constitutional provision;" the Internal Revenue Code; "or the general standards governing judicial enforcement of administrative subpoenas enunciated in
United States v. Powell
...."
S.E.C. v. Jerry T. O'Brien, Inc.
,
Here, Plaintiffs offer arguments under the first two sources. First, Plaintiffs contend that the Fourth Amendment obligates the government to demonstrate probable cause because their clients had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the records held by the Bank. Second, Plaintiffs argue that the IRS was obligated to proceed under
We find no merit in these contentions. First, as we explain below, settled precedent requires us to conclude that Plaintiffs' clients lack a reasonable expectation of privacy in financial records held by the *1291 Bank, so the Fourth Amendment does not require a showing of probable cause. Second, the Internal Revenue Code does not require an ex parte hearing in the circumstances here. And since Plaintiffs do not dispute that the IRS satisfied the Powell factors, that is the end of the matter.
1. Plaintiffs' Clients Lack a Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Financial Records Held By the Bank
Plaintiffs contend that the government must show probable cause to enforce the summonses. And that would be true if Plaintiffs' clients had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the financial records held by the Bank.
See
Carpenter v. United States
, --- U.S. ----,
Rather, the third-party doctrine precludes that conclusion here. According to that doctrine, a party lacks a reasonable expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment in information "revealed to a third party and conveyed by [that third party] to Government authorities, even if the information is revealed on the assumption that it will be used only for a limited purpose and the confidence placed in the third party will not be betrayed."
Miller
,
In
Miller
,
The Supreme Court rejected Miller's challenge for two reasons. First, Miller had "neither ownership nor possession" of the documents because they were "business records of the banks."
Both of the Supreme Court's considerations in Miller also apply here. As in Miller , a third-party bank holds the financial records the IRS seeks, and these records are "not confidential communications" because they are simply registries of financial transactions. Nor does it matter that Plaintiffs' clients gave their records to Plaintiffs rather than directly to the bank. Plaintiffs conveyed their records, such as checks for deposit in Presley Law's escrow or trust accounts, knowing that the firm would, in turn, deposit these items with the Bank. So if Plaintiffs cannot escape Miller directly, Plaintiffs' clients cannot avoid its application indirectly. In short, Miller precludes us from holding that Plaintiffs' clients have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the summoned records.
Despite Miller 's teachings, Plaintiffs assert their clients have a reasonable expectation of privacy because the Florida Constitution recognizes a privacy right in the circumstances of this case. But that cannot help Plaintiffs.
*1292
State law does not apply here because under the Supremacy Clause, state laws that conflict with federal laws by impeding the "full purposes" of Congress must give way as preempted.
Geier v. Am. Honda Motor Co.
,
And there is no question that the Florida constitutional provision granting a privacy interest in bank records would substantially impede the IRS's ability to summon bank records pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code.
See
United States v. First Bank
,
Faced with these problems, Plaintiffs respond with a proposed solution to
Miller
. Relying upon
Neece v. IRS
,
And even if it weren't, the RFPA does not help Plaintiffs. In response to the broad sweep of
Miller
, Congress enacted the RFPA. The RFPA prohibits financial institutions from supplying the government with information about their customers' financial records, unless the customer authorizes the disclosure of such information or the government obtains a valid subpoena.
See
But significantly, the RFPA does not affect the holding in
Miller
as it pertains to an IRS summons. On the contrary, the statute explicitly provides that "[n]othing in this chapter prohibits the disclosure of financial records in accordance with procedures authorized by Title 26."
Nor does
Neece
assist Plaintiffs. Plaintiffs assert that
Neece
renders the RFPA's exemption of IRS summonses inapplicable in situations like the one here. There, the
*1293
Tenth Circuit recognized the RFPA's exemption of IRS summonses.
See
Neece
,
In
Neece
, the IRS avoided the usual notice requirements under Title 26 by coaxing the bank into voluntarily disclosing the taxpayer's records.
See
Plaintiffs have not suggested-and the record does not support the notion-that the IRS neglected to discharge its notice obligations under
2. Compliance with Powell renders the IRS's summonses reasonable, and the IRS was not required to issue John-Doe subpoenas.
Nevertheless, the mere fact that probable cause does not apply does not mean the IRS's authority to issue subpoenas is unbridled.
See
United States v. Bailey
,
For IRS summonses of bank records, the "gist" of the Fourth Amendment protection is that the disclosure sought "shall not be unreasonable."
The summonses here satisfy that standard. In fact, as we have mentioned, Plaintiffs do not contest that the summonses satisfy each
Powell
factor. For example, Plaintiffs do not suggest that the files containing their clients' records are not relevant to the IRS's investigation and that the summonses are not narrowly tailored.
See
Tiffany Fine Arts, Inc. v. United States
,
Nor do Plaintiffs contend that the summonses were really just a subterfuge so the IRS could investigate their clients or invade the attorney-client privilege.
7
Cf.
But Plaintiffs raise yet one more argument-this time under a different section of the Code. Specifically, Plaintiffs contend that the district court erred by not holding an ex parte hearing pursuant to § 7609(f). They base their contention on the premise that in
Tiffany
,
First, Plaintiffs make this argument for the first time in their reply brief. That is too late to raise a new issue.
See
Big Top Koolers, Inc. v. Circus-Man Snacks, Inc.
,
Second, even if it were not, the text of § 7609(f) does not support Plaintiffs' argument. Section 7609(f) requires the Secretary to make certain showings concerning so-called John Doe summonses-summonses that "do[ ] not identify the person with respect to whose liability the summons is issued,"
*1295
Third and finally, Tiffany hurts, not helps, Plaintiffs' case. In fact, Tiffany 's holding requires the conclusion that notice to Plaintiffs affords their clients protection without notifying the unnamed clients specifically.
In
Tiffany
, the IRS issued summonses to a company for its financial statements as well as for a list of the names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of persons who had acquired licenses to distribute Tiffany's products.
The Supreme Court rejected Tiffany's arguments. The Court held that so long as the IRS followed the proper notice procedures as to one party it was investigating (Tiffany), the IRS was not required to comply with § 7609(f) for the unidentified licensees who were also under investigation but had not received a summons.
Plaintiffs seek to draw a distinction between this case and
Tiffany
. They argue that
Tiffany
suggests that if the summoned party-in this case, the Bank-is not under investigation, the IRS must use the § 7609(f) process if the summons happens to sweep in information about somebody other than the taxpayer being investigated. But Plaintiffs miss
Tiffany
's point. Under
Tiffany
, it matters only that Plaintiffs received notice under § 7609(a) that they were being investigated and were afforded the opportunity to contest the summonses.
See
V.
For these reasons, the judgment of the district court is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
E.M. Swift, A Reminder of What We Can Be , Sports Illustrated, Dec. 22, 1980, https://www.si.com/vault/1980/12/22/106775781/a-reminder-of-what-we-can-be; Miracle (Walt Disney 2004).
https://www.hockey-reference.com/olympics/teams/URS (last visited July 10, 2018).
In many ways, Coach Brooks's story mirrored that of the 1980 team. Cut from the Olympic team in 1960, Brooks steadily rose through the coaching ranks, earning a reputation for fanatical preparation. Jamie Fitzpatrick, The Miracle Unfolds , https://www.thoughtco.com/miracle-on-ice-american-hockey-2778288 (last visited July 9, 2018). Coach Brooks knew the U.S. team faced overwhelming odds, but he used that fact to motivate the players. Indeed, the legendary pregame speech attributed to Coach Brooks relied in significant part on the long odds the team faced. The speech was so unforgettable that years later, for purposes of shooting the film Miracle , team member Jack O'Callahan (who faced the additional odds of coming back from a knee injury sustained in the 10-3 pre-Olympics loss to the Soviets) was able to recreate Coach Brooks's speech based on his own memories and those of his teammates. Bill Littlefield, Hollywood Scores a 'Miracle' With Locker Room Speech , WBUR, http://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2015/06/06/us-miracle-olympics-herb-brooks (last visited July 10, 2018). In that speech, Coach Brooks is said to have told the team, among other things, "[I]f we played [the Soviets] ten times, they might win nine. But not this game, not tonight." See Miracle (Walt Disney 2004).
Neither the Amended Petition nor any other part of the record sets forth Cynthia Presley's relationship to the escrow and trust accounts summonsed. But one of the summonses sought "all records without limitation, pertaining to any and all accounts over which MICHAEL PRESLEY ... & CYNTHIA PRESLEY ... have signature authority...."
Plaintiffs have Article III standing to raise their clients' objections under the Internal Revenue Code because § 7609(b)(2) grants any person who has received notice of an IRS summons the right to file a petition challenging the summons on any ground.
See
United States v. Gottlieb
,
The way Plaintiffs attempt to use the Florida Constitution here would plainly interfere with the IRS's abilities to execute its summons authority and conduct its investigation. For that reason, the Court need not conduct a full-on preemption analysis. For a more thorough discussion of conflict preemption and its several forms,
see
Arizona v. United States
,
This latter point bears repeating. Notably, Plaintiffs do not raise their clients' Sixth Amendment rights. For that reason, we have no occasion to consider how Plaintiffs' clients' Sixth Amendment rights might affect the analysis, if at all. The record likewise contains no evidence concerning this issue, and "[t]he identity of a client or matters involving the receipt of fees from a client are not normally within the [attorney-client] privilege."
In re Grand Jury Proceedings (David R. Damore)
,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Michael PRESLEY, Cynthia Presley, BMP Family Limited Partnership, Presley Law and Associates, P.A., Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. UNITED STATES, Defendant-Appellee.
- Cited By
- 23 cases
- Status
- Published