American Propeller Mfg Co v. United States

• Decision Date: 29 March 1937
• Docket Number: No. 605,605
• Citation: 81 L.Ed. 751,300 U.S. 475,57 S.Ct. 521
• Parties: AMERICAN PROPELLER & MFG. CO. v. UNITED STATES
• Court: U.S. Supreme Court

300 U.S. 475

57 S.Ct. 521

81 L.Ed. 751

AMERICAN PROPELLER & MFG. CO.

v UNITED STATES.

No. 605.

Argued March 12, 1937.

Decided March 29, 1937.

Messrs. Edgar Allan Poe and J. Kemp Batlett, both of Baltimore, Md., for petitioner.

Mr. J. Louis Monarch, of Washington, D.C., for respondent.

Mr. Justice SUTHERLAND delivered the opinion of the Court.

This is a proceeding brought in the Court of Claims by petitioner to recover a balance of $144,238.03 alleged to be due from the government under certain designated contracts. The government filed a general traverse, an a counterclaim for a deficiency income and excess profits tax assessment in the sum of $191,403.77. The taxes were for the year 1918, and were assessed on the 14th day of June, 1924. The court below found that the government was indebted to petitioner upon the contracts in the sum of $119,413.04. Upon the counterclaim the court found that the tax liability of petitioner was $82,701.29. Upon this latter sum, it allowed interest, at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum from the date of assessment, in the sum of $58,607.64, bringing the total allowance upon the counterclaim to the sum of $141,308.93. Judgment was given against petitioner for the difference between that sum and the sum due under the contracts; namely, $21,895.89. The opinion of the court will be found in 14 F.Supp. 168; and a supplemental opinion in the form of a memorandum was filed on October 5, 1936. 17 F.Supp. 215, 216. We granted certiorari, limited to the question of the allowance of interest to the government upon its counterclaim. 300 U.S. 648, 57 S.Ct. 491, 81 L.Ed. —-.

In the argument here, both parties proceed upon the theory that interest was allowed under the Revenue Act of 1918, c. 18, 40 Stat. 1057, 1082, 1083, § 250(e).¹ The government contended below that under that section it was entitled to interest at the rate of 1 per centum per month instead of 6 per centum per annum. It abandons that contention here, but insists that it is entitled to at least the interest allowed by the court below.

It will be seen that under the findings, the government was indebted in 1924 to petitioner in the sum of $119,413.04, against which there was at the same time a just counterclaim of $82,701.29; so that, if the account had been adjusted at that time instead of 12 years later, the government would have been obliged to pay petitioner the difference between these two sums, or $36,711.75. The inequity of allowing the government interest for 12 years under these circumstances, so as to bring the petitioner in debt to the government in the sum of over $21,000, is so gross as to be shocking.

We have said (United States v. The Thekla, 266 U.S. 328, 339 340, 341, 45 S.Ct. 112, 113, 69 L.Ed. 313): 'When the United States comes into Court to assert a claim it so far takes the position of a private suitor as to agree by implication that justice may be done with regard to the subject matter. The absence of legal liability in a case where but for its sovereignty it would be liable does not destroy the justice of the claim against it. * * * The reasons are strong for not obstructing the application of natural justice against the Government by technical formulas when justice can be done without endangering any public interest.' If the principle thus stated is not strictly applicable, it at least suggests that the court should not affirm what is clearly an unjust and inequitable result unless under plain compulsion of law.

Section 250(e), supra, provides for the allowance of interest where the tax remains unpaid after the date when it is due and 'for ten days after notice and demand by the collector.' The court below found that on June 14, 1924, the Commissioner made the assessment 'and duly notified plaintiff with regard thereto.' It made no other finding in respect of that matter. The government contends that the finding which was made means that the Commissioner set in motion the normal administrative machinery which resulted in a notice demanding payment, and relies upon the presumption of official regularity as being sufficient to make this finding the equivalent of a finding of notice and demand by the collector. Pacific States Box & Basket Co. v. White, 296 U.S. 176, 186, 56 S.Ct. 159, 163, 80 L.Ed. 138, 101 A.L.R. 853.

But we are dealing here not with a presumption, but with a specific finding; and that finding should be examined in the light of...