The Big Bog
08-19-2008, 11:27 AM
California taxpayers could be on the hook for a staggering $388 million because of a state tax collection agency's vigorous pursuit of a former California taxpayer.
In a case that one tax expert called "completely unprecedented," jurors in a Clark County, Nev., District Court trial awarded Las Vegas inventor Gilbert P. Hyatt $250 million in punitive damages Thursday for the "outrageous conduct" of Franchise Tax Board auditors in an investigation that began in 1993.
The award was on top of $138.1 million in compensatory damages that jurors gave Hyatt last week for "invasion of privacy" and "emotional distress."
Hyatt's suit alleged that board auditors went through his garbage and mailbox, spread the word he was being audited to his business associates, and sent letters containing his Social Security number to third parties that included newspapers and doctors who had never treated Hyatt.
The tactics were portrayed as part of efforts to harass and intimidate Hyatt into paying a $7.4 million California tax bill that has grown to $49 million with interest and penalties – and the meter is still running.
Hyatt's lead counsel, Mark A. Hutchison, called the jury's awards "the shot heard 'round the world " for taxing agencies that abuse their power. "Government agencies should pause and reflect on the significance of this verdict," he said.
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link (http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1161597.html)
My comment? Don't stick the California taxpayers with the bill for this nonsense. Seriously, what'd they do? They're about as far removed from the acts of these morons as the moon in my view. Empty the bank accounts of the individuals who actually harassed this guy and treated him like a common criminal. You may work for the government but sovereign immunity does NOT exempt you from that basic human responsibility known as the Golden Rule!
Hey, I work in the tax field and I know full well how frustrating dealing with the IRS and state bureaucrats such as these can be. I may be liberal but I'm first and foremost a human ... and that comes before anything.
In a case that one tax expert called "completely unprecedented," jurors in a Clark County, Nev., District Court trial awarded Las Vegas inventor Gilbert P. Hyatt $250 million in punitive damages Thursday for the "outrageous conduct" of Franchise Tax Board auditors in an investigation that began in 1993.
The award was on top of $138.1 million in compensatory damages that jurors gave Hyatt last week for "invasion of privacy" and "emotional distress."
Hyatt's suit alleged that board auditors went through his garbage and mailbox, spread the word he was being audited to his business associates, and sent letters containing his Social Security number to third parties that included newspapers and doctors who had never treated Hyatt.
The tactics were portrayed as part of efforts to harass and intimidate Hyatt into paying a $7.4 million California tax bill that has grown to $49 million with interest and penalties – and the meter is still running.
Hyatt's lead counsel, Mark A. Hutchison, called the jury's awards "the shot heard 'round the world " for taxing agencies that abuse their power. "Government agencies should pause and reflect on the significance of this verdict," he said.
...
link (http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1161597.html)
My comment? Don't stick the California taxpayers with the bill for this nonsense. Seriously, what'd they do? They're about as far removed from the acts of these morons as the moon in my view. Empty the bank accounts of the individuals who actually harassed this guy and treated him like a common criminal. You may work for the government but sovereign immunity does NOT exempt you from that basic human responsibility known as the Golden Rule!
Hey, I work in the tax field and I know full well how frustrating dealing with the IRS and state bureaucrats such as these can be. I may be liberal but I'm first and foremost a human ... and that comes before anything.