Solicitor General’s Third Backup Argument Is a Winner in Health Law Case

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. surprised many court watchers on Thursday when he joined with the court’s more liberal justices to uphold the Obama administration’s health care law and its insurance mandate. Roberts wrote (PDF) that Congress had the authority to adopt the mandate—which requires most Americans to purchase…

Jun 28, 2012 2:10 PM CDT

Illinois Seeks to Discipline Lawyer with History of Taking Frivolous Positions in Federal Tax Cases

An Illinois lawyer faces potential attorney disciplinary action in his home state following prior sanctions by federal appellate courts for taking frivolous positions in tax cases. Jerold W. Barringer, 54, has a history of taking frivolous positions in federal tax cases, including an argument that Internal Revenue Service doesn’t have…

Jun 27, 2012 8:34 PM CDT

Collection Law Firm Sends $26,573 Check to Client City; Taxpayer’s Money Was Taken by Ex-Employee

A law firm that collects taxes for a Tennessee city has sent its client a check for $26,573. The money will be applied to pay taxes of an elderly resident who wrote checks directly to a former employee of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, reports the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “The…

Jun 26, 2012 10:58 PM CDT

Jailed Ex-BigLaw Partner Once Made $183K Monthly, Now Has Court-Appointed Lawyer for Tax Case Appeal

Until May 2009, John J. O’Brien was making $183,000 per month as a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell. Now serving a 28-month federal prison sentence, after pleading guilty to four misdemeanors in a tax-evasion case, he is pursuing an appeal of his sentence with the help of a court-appointed lawyer.…

Jun 19, 2012 8:55 PM CDT

Authorities Say Woman Used TurboTax to Get Fraudulent $2.1M Refund on False $3M Earnings Claim

Observers are wondering how a 25-year-old Oregon woman whose only criminal history appears to be a traffic ticket was able to use popular tax-preparation software to obtain a $2.1 million state tax refund to which authorities say she wasn’t entitled. Krystle Marie Reyes is accused of falsely claiming on an…

Jun 11, 2012 11:25 PM CDT

Singer Lauryn Hill Faces Tax Case re Allegedly Unfiled Federal Returns

Grammy-award winning singer Lauryn Hill faces a federal tax case. In a criminal information filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., she is accused of failing to file returns with the Internal Revenue Service for 2005, 2006 and 2007 while earning millions in income, reports Bloomberg. The fact that…

Jun 7, 2012 4:12 PM CDT

Federal Judge Strikes Down Portion of DOMA in Estate Tax Case

A federal judge in Manhattan has struck down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act in a case involving estate taxes. U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones ruled that the provision denying equal federal benefits to gay married couples violates the equal protection clause, report the New York Law Journal,…

Jun 7, 2012 2:07 PM CDT

Judge OKs New Trial for Ex-Jenkens Tax Leader, Cites ‘Breathtaking’ Lies of Suspended Lawyer on Jury

A federal judge in Manhattan has thrown out guilty verdicts against a former head of the Chicago tax practice at now-shuttered Jenkens & Gilchrist and another ex-partner there, due to “breathtaking” lies by a suspended lawyer on the jury. Paul Daugerdas and Donna Guerin will now get new trials under…

Jun 5, 2012 3:04 PM CDT

City Didn’t Violate Equal Protection Clause by Differing Tax Forgiveness, Supreme Court Rules

A tax forgiveness plan that caused some people to pay as much as 30 times more for a sewer hook-up than their neighbors did not amount to a constitutional violation, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. At issue was a 2005 decision by the city of Indianapolis to forgive future…

Jun 4, 2012 3:50 PM CDT

The Good Gift: Check Out the Charity You Use

Jun 1, 2012 7:00 AM CDT

1st Circuit Strikes Down Section of DOMA Law Denying Federal Benefits to Gay Couples

A federal appeals court has struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act on equal protection and federalism grounds. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the law discriminates against married gay couples who are denied federal benefits, the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times…

May 31, 2012 3:20 PM CDT

Faced with IRS Crackdown re Offshore Bank Accounts, Some Resolve Issue by Renouncing US Citizenship

It hasn’t yet become a deluge. But a trickle of Americans opting to give up their United States citizenship has increased to a steady stream, in conjunction with an ongoing effort by the Internal Revenue Service to collect tax owed by those with assets in offshore bank accounts, the Miami…

May 14, 2012 10:13 PM CDT

Lawyer Held In Lieu of $2M Bail re Claimed Conspiracy to Help Clients Avoid Tax on Offshore $10M

A lawyer who has been federally indicted on accusations he participated in a conspiracy to help relatives of a retired Fidelity Investments executive avoid estate and income tax on $10 million in offshore funds was still in jail at last report, being held in lieu of $2 million bond. A…

May 14, 2012 5:30 PM CDT

Husband-and-Wife Attorneys Get Reciprocal Sentences in Tax Case

As part of a plea deal, a former Michigan attorney is serving a 15-month federal prison term in a tax evasion case, now that his attorney wife has completed her own eight-month stint in the slammer on a misdemeanor conviction for failing to file a tax return. Charles Rominger Jr.…

May 11, 2012 4:31 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Why Can’t We Deduct Student Loan Interest from Taxes?; 10-Year Blawggers

Home? Schooling? Philadelphia lawyer Kelly Phillips Erb has already disclosed to her blawg’s readers that she has substantial student loan debt. This week at Taxgirl, she wonders why the government severely limits what student loan interest can be deducted from one’s personal income tax. “There are practically no restrictions on…

May 11, 2012 1:30 PM CDT