Dallas L. Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201 (7th Cir. 1990). · Go Syfert
Dallas L. Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201 (7th Cir. 1990). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
47 citation events (31 in the last 25 years) across 13 distinct courts.
Treatment trajectory · 1990 → 2026 · click a year to view as-of
1990 2008 2026
Top citers, strongest first. 40 distinct citers. How cited ↗
discussed Cited as authority (rule) FREEMAN v. OCWEN LOAN SERVICING, INC.
S.D. Ind. · 2022 · confidence medium
"Only when the district court has been exposed to the contested documents and the specific facts which support a finding of privilege under the attorney-client relationship for each document can it make a principled determination as to whether the attorney-client privilege in fact applies." In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 220 F.3d 568, 571 (7th Cir. 2000) (citing Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1990)).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Stagger v. Experian Information Solutions, Inc.
N.D. Ill. · 2021 · confidence medium
See, e.g., United States v. Insurance Consultants of Knox, Inc., 187 F.3d 755, 760 (7th Cir. 1990); United States v. White, 970 F.2d 328, 334 (7th Cir. 1992); Hollyfield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1999).
cited Cited as authority (rule) DeLeon-Reyes v. Guevara
N.D. Ill. · 2020 · confidence medium
Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Solache v. City Of Chicago
N.D. Ill. · 2020 · confidence medium
Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990).
cited Cited as authority (rule) BELL v. ARDAGH GROUP S.A.
S.D. Ind. · 2020 · confidence medium
Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 2014 (7th Cir. 1990).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Hanse v. United States
N.D. Ill. · 2018 · confidence medium
To properly assert a privilege, Petitioner has the burden to “on a document-by-document basis * * * at least identify the general nature of that document, the specific privilege he is claiming for that document, and facts which establish all the elements of the privilege he is claiming.” First State Bank, 691 F.2d at 335 ; see also United States v. BDO Seidman, 337 F.3d 802, 811 (7th Cir. 2003) (“The mere assertion of a privilege is not enough; instead, a party that seeks to invoke the attorney-client privilege has the burden of establishing all of its essential elements.”); Holifield …
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Texas Brine Co. v. Occidental Chem. Corp.
10th Cir. · 2018 · confidence medium
Any attempt to make this type of determination without this factual foundation amounts to nothing more than a waste of judicial time and resources.” Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1990) (citations omitted).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Motorola Solutions, Inc. v. Hytera Communications Corporation Ltd.
N.D. Ill. · 2018 · confidence medium
Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1990); In re Subpoena to Produce Documents of Clapp, Moroney, Bellagamba, Vucinich, Beeman & Scheley, 2014 WL 3784112 , at *3 (N.D.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Slaven v. Great American Insurance
N.D. Ill. · 2015 · confidence medium
Litig., 270 F.3d 639, 644 (8th Cir.2001); In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 220 F.3d 568, 571 (7th Cir.2000); Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990); United States v. Tratner, 511 F.2d 248, 252 (7th Cir.1975).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Scott v. City of Peoria
C.D. Ill. · 2011 · confidence medium
Holifield v. U.S., 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990); U.S. v. White, 970 F.2d 328, 334 (7th Cir.1992); Shaffner, 626 F.2d at 37 .
discussed Cited as authority (rule) American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago v. Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States
7th Cir. · 2005 · confidence medium
Co., 197 F.R.D. 368, 376 (N.D.Ill.2000); Caremark, Inc. v. Affiliated Computer Servs., Inc., 192 F.R.D. 263, 270 (N.D.Ill.2000). 7 See also In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 220 F.3d 568 , 571 (7th Cir.2000) ("Only when the district court has been exposed to the contested documents and the specific facts which support a finding of privilege under the attorney-client relationship for each document can it make a principled determination as to whether the attorney-client privilege in fact applies." (quoting Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990))); United States v. Tratner, 511 …
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Lane v. SHARP PACKAGING SYSTEMS, INC. (2×)
Wis. · 2002 · confidence medium
Lane relies on Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1990), where the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals refused to address the merits of the alleged lawyer-client privilege because Holifield failed to properly raise the issue.
cited Cited as authority (rule) Sphere Drake Insurance v. All American Life Insurance
N.D. Ill. · 2002 · confidence medium
Id.; Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Long v. Anderson University
S.D. Ind. · 2001 · confidence medium
“Only when the district court has been exposed to the contested documents and the specific facts which support a finding of privilege under the attorney-client relationship for each document can it make a principled determination as to whether the attorney-client privilege in fact applies.” In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 220 F.3d 568, 571 (7th Cir.2000), quoting Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) In re Grand Jury Proceedings
7th Cir. · 2000 · confidence medium
“Only when the district court has been exposed to the contested documents and the specific facts which support a finding of privilege under the attorney-client relationship for each document can it make a principled determination as to whether the attorney-client privilege in fact applies.” Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Osman, Basaam v. United States
7th Cir. · 2000 · confidence medium
"Only when the district court has been exposed to the contested documents and the specific facts which support a finding of privilege under the attorney-client relationship for each document can it make a principled determination as to whether the attorney-client privilege in fact applies." Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1990).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) In the Matter of Grand Jury Proceedings, Involving William Thullen and Kenneth Dvorak, Witnesses Before the Special January, 1999-2 Grand Jury Appeal Of: Basaam Osman and Cross-Appeal Of: United States of America
7th Cir. · 2000 · confidence medium
"Only when the district court has been exposed to the contested documents and the specific facts which support a finding of privilege under the attorney-client relationship for each document can it make a principled determination as to whether the attorney-client privilege in fact applies." Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1990).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) United States v. Insurance Consultants of Knox, Incorporated, and Marvin D. Miller
7th Cir. · 1999 · confidence medium
Should he be asked to give oral testimony which might incriminate him, we would face different questions which are not presented here. 1 See, e.g., Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990) (privilege must be asserted on a question-by-question, document-by-document basis; “blanket claim” of privilege is “unacceptable”).
discussed Cited as authority (rule) Marvin D. Miller v. United States
7th Cir. · 1998 · confidence medium
We emphasize that nothing in this opinion should be construed as retreating from the idea that the IRS is entitled to broad latitude in issuing summonses to enforce the tax laws. *773 See Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 205 (7th Cir.1990); Kis, 658 F.2d at 536 .
cited Cited as authority (rule) Menendez v. United States
S.D. Ind. · 1994 · confidence medium
Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 206 (7th Cir.1990).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Pippenger v. Gruppe
S.D. Ind. · 1994 · confidence medium
Holifield v. U.S., 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990). 2 III.
cited Cited as authority (rule) Securities and Exchange Commission v. Alvin Abrams
7th Cir. · 1994 · confidence medium
Kirby v. Illinois, 406 U.S. 682, 688-90 (1972); Holified v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 205 (7th Cir.1990).
cited Cited as authority (rule) Jackson v. Brinker
S.D. Ind. · 1993 · confidence medium
Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990); 9 Wright and Miller § 2457, at 435.
discussed Cited as authority (rule) United States v. Barbara C. McCaig
7th Cir. · 1991 · confidence medium
Furthermore, the sixth amendment right to effective representation does not "guarantee a 'meaningful attorney-client relationship' between the accused and counsel." Turk, 870 F.2d at 1307; Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 205 (7th Cir.1990).
cited Cited as authority (rule) United States v. Henderson
M.D.N.C. · 1990 · confidence medium
Id.; Holifield v. U.S., 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1990).
discussed Cited "see" Hobbs v. USAA General Indemnity Company
S.D. Ill. · 2022 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1990) (finding attorney-client privilege not sufficiently asserted where the party “did not address the applicability of the privilege with respect to each individual document he sought to exclude, nor did he set forth any specific facts to support his legal conclusions.”); Muro v. Target Corp., 2006 WL 3422181 , at *2 (N.D.
cited Cited "see" Towne Place Condo. Ass'n v. Phila. Indem. Ins. Co.
E.D. Ill. · 2018 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. United States , 909 F.2d 201 , 204 (7th Cir. 1990) ; In re Subpoena to Produce Documents of Clapp, Moroney, Bellagamba, Vucinich, Beeman & Scheley , 2014 WL 3784112 , at *3 (N.D.
cited Cited "see" Towne Place Condominium Association v. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company
N.D. Ill. · 2018 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir. 1990); In re Subpoena to Produce Documents of Clapp, Moroney, Bellagamba, Vucinich, Beeman & Scheley, 2014 WL 3784112 , at *3 (N.D.
discussed Cited "see" In Re Grand Jury Subpoena
1st Cir. · 2011 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 203-05 (7th Cir.1990) (“Any attempt to make [an attorney-client privilege] determination without [an adequate] factual foundation amounts to nothing more than a waste of judicial time and resources.”).
examined Cited "see" United States v. Bernhoft (3×)
E.D. Wis. · 2009 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990) (holding that assertions for blanket attorney-client privilege that “[do] not address the applicability of the privilege with respect to each individual document [that the party seeks] to exclude ... [or] set forth any ‘specific facts’ to support [the] legal conclusions” will not suffice.); White, 970 F.2d at 334 ; United States v. White, 950 F.2d 426, 430 (7th Cir.1991); United States v. Lawless, 709 F.2d 485, 487 (7th Cir.1983); United States v. First State Bank, 691 F.2d 332, 335 (7th Cir.1982).
discussed Cited "see" Cunningham v. Smithkline Beecham
N.D. Ind. · 2009 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. U.S., 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990) (citing U.S. v. First State Bank, 691 F.2d 332 , 335 (7th Cir.1982)) (“A blanket privilege claim is not allowed____[T]he privilege must be asserted on a document-by-document basis.”) (internal quotations and citations omitted).
discussed Cited "see" In Re Grand Jury Proceedings (Violette)
1st Cir. · 1999 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 203-04 (7th Cir.1990); cf. In re Aug., 1993 Regular Grand Jury, 854 F.Supp. 1392, 1398-99 (S.D.Ind.1993) (suggesting that a blanket assertion of the psychotherapist-patient privilege would be insufficient).
cited Cited "see" In Re Grand Jury v.
1st Cir. · 1999 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 203-04 (7th Cir. 1990); cf. In re Aug., 1993 Regular Grand Jury, 854 F. Supp. 1392, 1398-99 (S.D.
cited Cited "see" United States v. Goldberger & Dubin, P.C.
2d Cir. · 1991 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 205 (7th Cir.1990).
cited Cited "see" United States v. Goldberger & Dubin, P.C.
2d Cir. · 1991 · signal: see · confidence high
See Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 205 (7th Cir.1990).
discussed Cited "see, e.g." Schmalz v. Village Of North Riverside
N.D. Ill. · 2018 · signal: see also · confidence medium
Soc. of U.S., 406 F.3d 867, 880 (7th Cir. 2005); see also In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 220 F.3d 568, 571 (7th Cir.2000) (“On- ly when the district court has been exposed to the contested documents and the spe- cific facts which support a finding of privilege under the attorney-client relationship for each document can it make a principled determination as to whether the attor- ney-client privilege in fact applies.”) (quoting Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990)); United States v. Tratner, 511 F.2d 248, 252 (7th Cir.1975) (“Where this evidence may be presented onl…
discussed Cited "see, e.g." American National Bank & Trust Co. v. Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States
7th Cir. · 2005 · signal: see also · confidence medium
See also In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 220 F.3d 568, 571 (7th Cir.2000) ("Only when the district court has been exposed to the contested documents and the specific facts which support a finding of privilege under the attorney-client relationship for each document can it make a principled determination as to whether the attorney-client privilege in fact applies." (quoting Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990))); United States v. Tratner, 511 F.2d 248, 252 (7th Cir.1975) (" 'The responsibility of determining whether the privilege exists rests upon the District Judge and no…
cited Cited "see, e.g." United States v. Bdo Seidman
7th Cir. · 2003 · signal: see also · confidence medium
See also Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 205 (7th Cir. 1990).
cited Cited "see, e.g." United States v. BDO Seidman
7th Cir. · 2003 · signal: see also · confidence medium
See also Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 205 (7th Cir.1990).
discussed Cited "see, e.g." Scott v. Lewis
N.D. Ill. · 1991 · signal: see, e.g. · confidence medium
See, e.g., Holifield v. United States, 909 F.2d 201, 204 (7th Cir.1990) (attorney-client privilege); United States v. Schwimmer, 892 F.2d 237, 244 (2nd Cir.1989) (accountant-client privilege); Perry v. Wabash Community Hosp., No. 90-377 (N.D.Ind.
Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
Dallas L. HOLIFIELD, Petitioner-Appellant,
v.
UNITED STATES of America, Respondent-Appellee
88-2757.
Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Jul 26, 1990.
909 F.2d 201
Janice A. Rhodes, K. Scott Wagner, Kravit, Waisbren & Debruin, Milwaukee, Wis., for petitioner-appellant., Patricia J. Gorence, Asst. U.S. Atty., Milwaukee, Wis., Gary R. Allen, William S. Rose, Jr., Asst. Atty. Gen., Charles E. Brookhart, Joel A. Rabinovitz, Dept, of Justice, Tax Div., Appellate Section, Washington, D.C., for respondent-appellee.
Bauer, Easterbrook, Kanne.
Cited by 41 opinions  |  Published
KANNE, Circuit Judge.

Petitioner-appellant, Dallas Holifield, challenges the propriety of the district court’s dismissal of his petition to quash an IRS summons for the production of documents which had been served upon his attorney. 689 F.Supp. 865. He argues, as he did below: (1) that the information requested by the summons is protected by the attorney-client privilege; (2) that the enforcement of the summons will jeopardize his sixth amendment right to counsel; and, (3) that the issuance of the summons itself constituted an abuse of the summons process in that the IRS did not comply with safeguards established by the Department of Justice for the issuance of a grand jury subpoena to an attorney. We affirm.

I.

John Morgan, a Special Agent for the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, was investigating the federal tax liabilities of Dallas Holifield for the years 1983 through 1986. Under the authority granted in §§ 7601 and 7602 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), Agent Morgan served a summons upon Martin Kohler, Holifield’s attorney, directing him to produce certain documents relevant to that investigation. [1] Under § 7609(b)(2) of the Code, Holifield petitioned the district court to quash the summons. He argued that the enforcement of this summons would jeopardize the attorney-client privilege as well as his sixth amendment right to counsel and that the issuance of the summons constituted an abuse of the summons process. The IRS submitted a motion to dismiss Holifield’s petition to quash which was granted by the district court. The district court subsequently ordered compliance with the summons, excluding from the third production request Mr. Kohler’s written statements, private memoranda, and personal recollections prepared or formed in the course of his legal duties. Petitioner appeals from that final decision.

II.

Holifield raises three challenges to the enforcement of this IRS summons. We address each challenge in turn.

A. The Attorney-Client Privilege

Holifield’s initial challenge to the enforcement of the IRS summons argues that it requests too much. Specifically, he maintains, as he did in his petition to quash, that certain documents requested by the summons are protected by the attorney-client privilege and, as such, are not subject to the investigatory authority granted to the IRS under § 7602. We note initially that the issue raised by Holifield is not whether the otherwise broad information-gathering authority granted to the IRS under § 7602 is subject to the attorney-client privilege; the fact that it is has already been firmly established. United States v. Euge, 444 U.S. 707, 714, 100 S.Ct. 874, 879, 63 L.Ed.2d 141 (1980). Rather, the issue which Holifield posits is whether the specific information requested by the IRS in this summons is protected by the attorney-client privilege. See Upjohn Co. v. United States, 449 U.S. 383, 396, 101 S.Ct. 677, 686, 66 L.Ed.2d 584 (1981) (“the recognition of a privilege based on a confidential relationship ... should be determined on a case-by-case basis”) (quoting S.Rep. No. 93-1277, p. 13 (1974), U.S.Code[*204] Cong. & Admin.News 1974, pp. 7051, 7059). We need not address the merits of this issue, however, in light of our conclusion that Holifield has failed as a threshold matter to properly raise the question of whether these documents are covered by the attorney-client privilege. See United States v. First State Bank, 691 F.2d 332, 335 n. 2 (7th Cir.1982).

In his Petition to Quash the IRS summons, Holifield’s assertion that the requested documents were “protected by the attorney-client privilege” was supported only by brief conclusory summations as to why each of the three production requests was so protected. Holifield did not address the applicability of the privilege with respect to each individual document he sought to exclude, nor did he set forth any “specific facts” to support his legal conclusions. This type of “blanket objection” will not suffice to support a claim that the attorney-client privilege prohibits the production of documents.

This aspect of the taxpayer’s burden in asserting the attorney-client privilege in this context was directly addressed by this court in United States v. First State Bank, supra. In that case, we stated, “once the IRS establishes a prima facie case in favor of enforcing a summons, a taxpayer must ‘... answer the Government’s case through responsive pleadings, supported by affidavits, that allege specific facts in rebuttal.’ Legal conclusions or memoranda of law will not suffice.” 691 F.2d at 335 (quoting United States v. Kis, 658 F.2d 526, 539 (7th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 1018, 102 S.Ct. 1712, 72 L.Ed.2d 135 (1982) (emphasis in original)). We further stated:

[a] blanket privilege claim ... is not allowed by Kis. See also United States v. Davis, 636 F.2d 1028, 1044 n. 20 (5th Cir.1981). The “specific facts” requirement of Kis mandates that the privilege must be asserted on a document-by-document basis. A taxpayer need not reveal so many facts that the privilege becomes .worthless but he must at least identify the general nature of that document, the specific privilege he is claiming for that document, and facts which establish all the elements of the privilege he is claiming. These allegations must be supported by affidavits.

First State Bank, 691 F.2d at 335; see also United States v. Lawless, 709 F.2d 485, 487 (7th Cir.1983) (a claim of privilege must be made on a document-by-document basis; a blanket claim of privilege is unacceptable); United States v. Rockwell Intern., 897 F.2d 1255, 1265 (3d Cir.1990). Holifield’s assertion of the privilege in this case falls far short of this standard.

We have previously recognized the substantial policy justifications underlying the requirement that the attorney-client privilege be asserted on a document-by-document basis. Indeed, First State Bank sums up the general concern that justifies this requirement: “The IRS summonses and affidavits were no more helpful to the district court than was [the petitioner’s] general answer; they did not allow the district court to determine whether a valid privilege could be inferred from the alleged facts.” 691 F.2d at 335. Only when the district court has been exposed to the contested documents and the specific facts which support a finding of privilege under the attorney-client relationship for each document can it make a principled determination as to whether the attorney-client privilege in fact applies. See In re Walsh, 623 F.2d at 493. Any attempt to make this type of determination without this factual foundation amounts to nothing more than a waste of judicial time and resources. Cf. Kis, 658 F.2d at 540. Accordingly, we reject Holifield’s claim of “attorney-client privilege” with respect to these documents.

B. Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel

As both parties point out, this circuit has not expressly ruled upon the sixth amendment right to counsel in this context. The ninth circuit, which has ruled on this issue, has concluded that an IRS summons which is sent to a taxpayer’s attorney requesting information regarding fees does not implicate the taxpayer’s sixth amendment right. Tornay v. United States, 840 F.2d 1424, 1429 (9th Cir.1988). We agree[*205] with the ninth circuit and reject Holifield’s arguments to the contrary.

As the court in Tornay recognized, the sixth amendment right to counsel attaches “only at or after the ‘initiation of adversary judicial proceedings.’ ” Id. (emphasis in original) (quoting United States v. Gouveia, 467 U.S. 180, 185-89, 104 S.Ct. 2292, 2295-98, 81 L.Ed.2d 146 (1984)). The enforcement of this IRS summons simply did not place Holifield in such a situation; he had not been indicted, nor had any recommendation been made 1 to the Department of Justice for criminal charges to be brought. This summons was simply one aspect of the investigatory stage of an IRS audit to which the sixth amendment right to counsel did not attach.

Our resolution of this sixth amendment issue is not altered by the fact that Holifield has a longstanding attorney-client relationship with Attorney Kohler that could possibly be jeopardized by whatever may result from this investigation. We emphasize the word “possibly” because Holifield’s argument, like that of the petitioner in Tornay, presumes too much with regard to the potential implications of Kohler’s compliance with the summons. It does not necessarily follow that compliance with this summons will result in Kohler testifying against Holifield at trial and subsequently being disqualified because of that testimony. Holifield has not been indicted, nor is an indictment necessarily sure to follow. Indeed, even if an indictment does result, there is no telling whether the government will choose to use the information obtained from these documents or, if they do, whether Kohler will be called to testify as to their contents. Even were Kohler called to testify as to the contents of these documents, it is still not apparent that Holifield’s sixth amendment right would be jeopardized. While the sixth amendment guarantees the right to “effective assistance of counsel,” it does not guarantee the accused counsel of his choosing or one with whom he has a “meaningful relationship.” Morris v. Slappy, 461 U.S. 1, 14, 103 S.Ct. 1610, 1617, 75 L.Ed.2d 610 (1983); United States v. Turk, 870 F.2d 1304, 1307 (7th Cir.1989). The ninth circuit noted all but the last of these observations in rejecting the sixth amendment challenge in Tornay. 840 F.2d at 1429-30. We, like the ninth circuit, find these observations persuasive and reject Holifield’s argument that the enforcement of this summons will jeopardize his sixth amendment right to counsel.

C. Abuse of Summons Process

As a final challenge to the enforcement of this IRS summons, Holifield argues that the summons should be quashed because the IRS did not comply with five procedural safeguards which have been established by the Department of Justice for the issuance of subpoenas to attorneys in grand jury proceedings. The district court rejected this argument concluding that the guidelines which have been laid down by the Department of Justice for grand jury proceedings do not have any application in the context of an' IRS summons under § 7602. We agree.

The information-gathering authority granted to the iRS under § 7602 is quite broad. Indeed, the Supreme Court has described § 7602 as the “centerpiece” of a much larger congressional design to endow the IRS with expansive authority tó conduct effective tax investigations. United States v. Arthur Young & Co., 465 U.S. 805, 815, 104 S.Ct. 1495, 1502, 79 L.Ed.2d 826 (1984). With this congressional design in mind, the Court stated that, with the exception of the traditional privileges and limitations, “other restrictions upon the IRS summons power should be avoided ‘absent unambiguous directions from Congress.’ ” Id. at 816, 104 S.Ct. at 1502 (quoting United States v. Bisceglia, 420 U.S. 141, 150, 95 S.Ct. 915, 921, 43 L.Ed.2d 88 (1975)). Holifield has pointed to nothing which would lead us to believe that Congress would wish this court to engraft these restrictions, self-imposed by the Executive Branch on its own proceedings, on the statutory framework of § 7602. [2]

[*206] III.

For all of these reasons, we Affirm the dismissal of Holifield’s petition to quash the IRS summons and order enforcement in line with the limitations established by the district court.

1

.This summons directed Mr. Kohler to produce:

1. Records/documents pertaining to retainers/legal fees paid by Holifield to the law firm of Levine and Epstein for legal services during the years 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986.
2. Records/documents pertaining to the legal fee paid by Holifield to the law firm of Levine and Epstein relative to the insurance settlement Holifield received from Liberty Mutual in October 1986 — auto accident.
3.Records/documents pertaining to the acquisition of assets (real estate, vehicles, etc.), or the negotiation for the acquisition of assets, by Holifield during the years 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986.
2

. We note as additional support for our rejection of Holifield's position that we have held[*206] that these Justice Department guidelines do not establish rights in favor of witnesses. In re Klein, 776 F.2d 628, 635 (7th Cir.1985). Thus, their breach cannot serve independently as a basis for resisting the enforcement of a subpoena.