Federal Tax Crimes: Court of Federal Claims Rejects Taxpayer Games in Partial Payment FBAR Civil Penalty Refund Suit (April 10, 2021)

Jack Townsend, in his Federal Tax Crimes Blog, discusses the case: Mendu v. United States.

In Mendu v. United States, 2021 U.S. Claims LEXIS 537 (4/7/21), Mendu filed a partial payment FBAR penalty refund suit for $1,000 and the Government counterclaimed for the unpaid balance on the FBAR assessment of about $752,000 (plus additions).  The Court made these key holdings:

• The Court has jurisdiction over a  partial payment FBAR penalty refund suit.  The Flora rule does not apply because the FBAR penalty is not a tax.
• The Court made that jurisdictional holding in rejecting Mendu’s own motion to dismiss for want of jurisdiction.
• The Court rejected also Mendu’s motion to voluntarily dismiss the refund suit under Rule 41(a)(2) and transfer to the counterclaim to the district court for SD Cal..

To see the full article, click: “Court of Federal Claims Rejects Taxpayer Games in Partial Payment FBAR Civil Penalty Refund Suit.”

To download the full opinion, click “Claims Court Holds FBAR Penalties Are Not Internal Revenue Taxes”

Posted by Jessica Ji, Associate Editor, Wealth Strategies Journal.