Manry v. Commissioner
Manry v. Commissioner
Opinion of the Court
John Manry (Manry) brought this pro se action for injunctive relief against his employer, Louisiana Pacific Fiberboard Corporation, and the IRS to stop his employer from taking withholding out of his paychecks. The IRS was served with an order to show cause why a preliminary injunction should not be granted. A preliminary injunction hearing was set for September 9, 1988. The IRS responded by filing a motion to dismiss and a motion to shorten time for the hearing on its motion to dismiss. On September 1, the district court granted the motion to shorten time, setting argument on the motion to dismiss for September 9 with the preliminary injunction hearing. In serving Manry with its motion to dismiss by mail the IRS put the wrong zip code on the envelope. Manry received the motion to dismiss on the afternoon of September 7. Manry appeared at the September 9 hearing. The district court granted the IRS’s motion to dismiss. When Manry complained that he did not receive the IRS’s motion until the day before, the district judge responded: “Sorry, sir. We don’t treat you any different because you don’t have an attorney.”
Fed.R.Civ.P. 6(d) provides in part:
A written motion, other than one which may be heard ex parte, and notice of the hearing thereof shall be served not later than 5 days before the time specified for the hearing unless a different period is fixed by these rules or by order of the court. Such an order may for cause shown be made on ex parte application.
(Emphasis added). In this case the district court did not set a shorter period of time for service under Rule 6(d). The order to shorten time related to the 28 day minimum between notice and hearing provided for in Northern District of California Local Rule 220-2. When the district judge granted the motion to shorten time on September 1, he could not have anticipated that Manry would not be served with the motion to dismiss until September 7. When Manry called the problem to the court’s attention on September 9, nothing was done.
This court has recognized the power of a court to shorten time under Rule 6(d) in grand jury situations. United States v. Taulbee, 476 F.2d 804, 805 (9th Cir. 1973); United States v. Fitch, 472 F.2d 548, 549 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 412 U.S. 954, 93 S.Ct. 3003, 37 L.Ed.2d 1007 (1973); United States v. Weinberg, 439 F.2d 743, 746-47 (9th Cir. 1971). The reasoning of these decisions, however, does not extend to this case in which no order shortening time under Rule 6(d) was issued regarding the IRS’s motion to dismiss. Cf. Swallow
REVERSED.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- John L. MANRY v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE and Michael Sassi, District Director of Internal Revenue Service for Northern California, and Louisiana Pacific Fiberboard Corp., and its agents Al Bebout and Bruce Kundert
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published