Shawn K. Weiler sued the IRS for refunds for taxes he paid. Weiler v IRS, 17 cv 2226 (N.D. Ohio Eastern Division). The IRS moved for summary judgment and sanctions. The motion for summary judgment was granted and the Magistrate Judge also awarded Rule 11 sanctions for the filing of a frivolous pleading.
Mr. Weiler claimed that the Constitution does not permit the imposition of an income tax. He contended that (1) the Sixteenth Amendment does not authorize a direct, non-apportioned income tax; (2) the federal income tax is an improper excise tax that cannot be levied in this case; and (3) Weiler is not subject to income tax because he is not a governmental employee.
The IRS responded that these arguments have been rejected numerous times by U.S. Courts and are, in fact, frivolous.
The IRS also requested the imposition of Rule 11 sanctions against Weiler.
Under Rule 11, a party signing a pleading attests to the court that, to the party’s knowledge, information, and belief, formed after reasonable inquiry under the circumstances, the claims and legal contentions are warranted by existing law or by a nonfrivolous argument for extending, modifying, or reversing existing law. By its own terms, Rule 11 applies to pro se litigants as well as to attorneys.
Once a pleading is found by the court to have violated Rule 11, the Rule itself states that the court “shall impose on the person who signed it, . . . an appropriate sanction,” which may include paying the reasonable expenses incurred by the opposing party as a result of filing the action. District courts have broad discretion in tailoring an appropriate and reasonable sanction. Courts should seek to “impose a sanction limited to that which is sufficient to deter repetition of future conduct, either by the offending party or by others similarly situated.”
Here, Weiler certainly violated Rule 11 in filing this action. He has asserted a taxprotestor claim of the sort that federal courts have uniformly rejected in clear language for years. And numerous federal courts have imposed Rule 11 sanctions in similar tax protestor cases.
Therefore, because Weiler asserted a manifestly frivolous claim that did nothing more than burden the courts and the government with addressing claims that he knew, or should have known, to be completely without merit, I recommend the imposition of sanctions consisting of $1,000 payable to the Clerk of Court.
(Footnotes Omitted)
Comment: the federal courts deal with a significant amount of tax protestor litigation. Here, the tax protestor presented legal theories that have been rejected by the courts for many, many years and was sanctioned as a result.
Ed Clinton, Jr.
fedcivilprocedure 