There were four major cases originally filed relative to the harassment and delays sustained by Tea Party and liberty-oriented groups in seeking 501(c)(3)and 501(c)(4) status. Three were filed in the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, and one was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. It is this last case in which the Finney Law Firm is co-counsel.
Today, Federal District Court Judge Reggie Walton dealt a blow to the Plaintiffs in two of those cases after the IRS finally granted tax exempt status to the remaining Plaintiffs, ruling the matter moot, and thus dismissing both Complaints. Those decisions are here (True the Vote, Inc. v. Internal Revenue Service) and here (Linchpins of Liberty v. United States).
In the third case, Z Street v. John Koskinen (the Plaintiff is a pro-Israel group harassed by the IRS in a manner similar to the IRS harassment of Tea Party groups), the District Court did allow the claims in that case to survive a Motion to Dismiss, but discovery has been stayed pending the outcome of an interlocutory appeal of that decision, which could take another 18 months or more.
However, our firm’s case, NorCal Tea Party Patriots v. Internal Revenue Service, in front of Federal District Court Judge Susan Dlott, has survived a withering Motion to Dismiss from the IRS’s phalanx of attorneys and shortly will be proceeding with discovery.
Thus, while we fervently hope the three cases noted above survive their appeals and proceed to discovery and judgment, at present the Cincinnati case is the sole surviving litigation to get to the bottom of the conspiracy to deprive liberty-minded citizens of fair treatment by the IRS, to achieve justice for these targeted groups, and to enjoin the IRS from ever again singling out individuals and groups for discriminatory treatment based solely on their viewpoints.
We are proud to be a part of this landmark litigation and excited for the next steps.
