Bankers Club of America v. United States, 48513.

Decision Date05 December 1949
Docket NumberNo. 48513.,48513.
Citation87 F. Supp. 253,115 Ct. Cl. 50
PartiesBANKERS CLUB OF AMERICA, Inc. v. UNITED STATES.
CourtU.S. Claims Court

Norman S. Rein, New York City, for plaintiff. Maurice Mound and Rein, Mound & Cotton, New York City, were on the brief.

Joseph H. Sheppard, Washington, D. C., with whom was Asst. Atty. Gen. Theron Lamar Caudle, for the defendant. Andrew D. Sharpe and Ellis N. Slack, Washington, D. C., were on the brief.

Before JONES, Chief Judge, and WHITAKER, MADDEN, LITTLETON and HOWELL, Judges.

WHITAKER, Judge.

Plaintiff sues to recover taxes paid on members' dues and initiation fees, which taxes were levied on the theory that plaintiff was a social club. Whether or not it is in fact a social club is the issue presented. Plaintiff alleges that it is not a social club, but a luncheon club.

In Bankers Club of America v. United States, 37 F.2d 982, 69 Ct.Cl. 121, we held that plaintiff was not a social club.

Subsequently, however, plaintiff has added to its facilities a bar which opens at 8:00 a. m. and remains open until 5:00 p. m. The revenue from this bar for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1946, was $118,578.89, as contrasted with the revenue from the dining room of $458,537.66. In addition, plaintiff maintains a ladies' dining room, with adjacent toilet facilities and lobby, where ladies can go unaccompanied by a member and where they may bring guests. The club also maintains a barber shop and a manicurist. The principal activities of the club are at the noon hour, as is the case with practically all downtown clubs, but members may obtain breakfast at the club if they desire.

Membership in the club is not restricted to any particular business. Out of a membership of 1,601 resident members, 383 are bankers and investment brokers, 296 stock and bond brokers, 153 are persons who are engaged in the insurance business, 265 industrialists, 219 lawyers, 115 manufacturers, and 170 people engaged in various sorts of businesses.

Although no games of any kind are permitted on the club premises, and although there is no radio, piano, or other musical instrument, still, a club whose bar stays open from 8 o'clock in the morning until 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and which maintains a ladies dining room where they can go unaccompanied by a member and may have guests, can hardly be said to be merely a luncheon club where social activities are purely incidental.

Indeed, we see no substantial distinction between the relevant facts in this case and in the case of Uptown Club of...

To continue reading

Request your trial
6 cases
  • Epstein v. United States
    • United States
    • U.S. Claims Court
    • March 18, 1966
    ...201, 84 Ct.Cl. 253 (1936); Merchants Club of America v. United States, 66 F. Supp. 126, 106 Ct.Cl. 562 (1946); Bankers Club v. United States, 87 F.Supp. 253, 115 Ct.Cl. 50 (1949); Drug & Chemical Club of New York v. United States, 115 Ct.Cl. 66 (1949), cert. denied 340 U.S. 810, 71 S.Ct. 37......
  • ENGINEERS'CLUB OF LOS ANGELES v. United States
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Southern District of California
    • March 20, 1959
    ...held social: Railroad-Machinery Club of N. Y. v. United States, 95 F. Supp. 822, 1951, 118 Ct.Cl. 542; Bankers Club of America, Inc. v. United States, 1949, 87 F.Supp. 253, 115 Ct.Cl. 50; Drug & Chemical Club of New York v. United States, 1949, 115 Ct.Cl. 66, certiorari denied 340 U.S. 810,......
  • Rockefeller Center Luncheon Club v. Johnson
    • United States
    • U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York
    • June 1, 1955
    ...N. Y. v. United States, 1951, 95 F.Supp. 822, 118 Ct.Cl. 542; Uptown Club of Manhattan, supra, note 19; Bankers Club of America v. United States, 1949, 87 F.Supp. 253, 115 Ct.Cl. 50; Drug and Chemical Club of New York v. United States, 1949, 115 Ct.Cl. 66, certiorari denied 340 U.S. 810, 71......
  • Arkwright Club of City of New York v. United States
    • United States
    • U.S. Claims Court
    • January 5, 1954
    ...v. United States, 83 F.Supp. 823, 113 Ct.Cl. 422, certiorari denied 338 U.S. 823, 70 S.Ct. 70, 94 L.Ed. 500; Bankers Club of America v. United States, 87 F.Supp. 253, 115 Ct.Cl. 50; Drug and Chemical Club of New York v. United States, 115 Ct.Cl. 66, certiorari denied 340 U.S. 810, 71 S.Ct. ......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT