Alphonso v. Commissioner

136 T.C. No. 11, 136 T.C. 247, 2011 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 16, 2011
DocketDocket No. 17130-08.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 136 T.C. No. 11 (Alphonso v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alphonso v. Commissioner, 136 T.C. No. 11, 136 T.C. 247, 2011 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11 (tax 2011).

Opinion

OPINION

CHIECHI, Judge:

This case is before us on respondent’s motion for summary judgment (respondent’s motion). We shall grant respondent’s motion.

Background

The record establishes and/or the parties do not dispute the following.

At the time she filed the petition in this case, petitioner resided in New York.

During 2005, the year at issue, 1 petitioner owned shares of stock in Castle Village Owners Corp. (Castle Village), a cooperative housing corporation as defined in section 216(b). 2 Castle Village owned a tract of land that overlooks the Henry Hudson Parkway and Riverside Drive in New York, New York. At a time not disclosed by the record before the year at issue, Castle Village constructed on that land, inter alia, 5 multistory buildings in which there are a total of 589 apartments. (We shall refer collectively to the tract of land that Castle Village owned and the buildings and other improvements that it constructed on that land as the Castle Village complex.)

As a stockholder of Castle Village, petitioner had the right to enter into a so-called proprietary lease (proprietary lease) with Castle Village with respect to the apartment in the Castle Village complex to which Castle Village had allocated the shares of stock in Castle Village that she owned. On a date not disclosed by the record before the year at issue, petitioner and Castle Village executed such a proprietary lease with respect to that apartment. 3 Petitioner lived in the apartment to which Castle Village had allocated her shares of stock in Castle Village and with respect to which she had executed the proprietary lease.

The model proprietary lease provided in pertinent part:

WHEREAS, the Lessor [Castle Village] is the owner of the land and the buildings erected thereon at 110-200 Cabrini Boulevard, New York, New York, hereinafter called the buildings.
WHEREAS, the Lessee [the stockholder of Castle Village] is the owner of_ shares of the Lessor, to which this lease is appurtenant and which have been allocated to apartment _ in the building; _ Cabrini Boulevard, New York, New York;
DEMISED PREMISES AND TERM
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, the Lessor hereby leases to the Lessee, and the Lessee hires from the Lessor, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, Apartment_in the building at_ Cabrini Boulevard, New York, New York (hereinafter referred to as the apartment) for a term from_, 19_, until December 31, 2036 (unless sooner terminated as hereinafter provided). As used herein, “the apartment” means the rooms in the buildings as partitioned on the date of the execution of this lease designated by the above-stated apartment number, together with their appurtenances and fixtures and any closets, terraces, balconies, roof, or portion thereof outside of said partitioned rooms, which are allocated exclusively to the occupant of the apartment.
Rent (Maintenance) How Fixed
1. (a) The rent (sometimes called maintenance) payable by the Lessee for each year, or portion of a year, during the term shall equal that proportion of the Lessor’s cash requirements for such year, or portion of a year, which the number of shares of Lessor allocated to the apartment bears to the total number of shares of the Lessor issued and outstanding on the date of the determination of such cash requirements. Such maintenance shall be payable in equal monthly installments in advance on the first day of each month, unless the Board of Directors of the Lessor (hereinafter called Directors) at the time of its determination of the cash requirements shall otherwise direct. The Lessee shall also pay such additional rent as may be provided for herein when due.
* if! * * * * *
Cash Requirements Defined
(c) Whenever used herein the term “cash requirements” shall mean the estimated amount in cash which the Directors shall from time to time in their judgment determine to be necessary or proper for (1) the operation, maintenance, care, alteration and improvement of the corporate property during the year or portion of the year for which such determination is made; (2) the creation of such reserve for contingencies as they may deem proper; and (3) the payment of any obligations, liabilities or expenses incurred or to be incurred, after giving consideration to (i) income expected to be received during such period (other than rent from proprietary lessees), and (ii) cash on hand which the Directors in their discretion may choose to apply. The Directors may from time to time modify their prior determination and increase or diminish the amount previously determined as cash requirements of the corporation for a year or portion thereof. No determination of cash requirements shall have any retroactive effect on the amount of the rent payable by the Lessee for any period prior to the date of such determination. All determinations of cash requirements shall be conclusive as to all lessees.
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Lessor’s Repairs
2. The Lessor shall at its expense keep in good repair all of the buildings including all of the apartments, the sidewalks and courts surrounding the same, and its equipment and apparatus except those portions the maintenance and repair of which are expressly stated to be the responsibility of the Lessee pursuant to Paragraph 18 hereof. [ 4 ]
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Penthouses, Terraces and Balconies
7. If the apartment includes a terrace, balcony, or a portion of the roof adjoining a penthouse, the Lessee shall have and enjoy the exclusive use of the terrace or balcony or that portion of the roof appurtenant to the penthouse, subject to the applicable provisions of this lease and to the use of the terrace, balcony or roof by the Lessor to the extent herein permitted. The Lessee’s use thereof shall be subject to such regulations as may, from time to time, be prescribed by the Directors. * * * No planting, fences, structures or lattices shall be erected or installed on the terraces, balconies, or roofs of the buildings without the prior written approval of the Lessor. No cooking shall be permitted on any terraces, balconies or the roofs of the buildings, nor shall the walls thereof be painted by the Lessee without the prior written approval of the Lessor. * * *
H* H» H»
House Rules
13. The Lessor has adopted House Rules which are appended hereto, and the Directors may alter, amend or repeal such House Rules and adopt new House Rules.

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Related

Alphonso v. Comm'r
2016 T.C. Memo. 130 (U.S. Tax Court, 2016)
Alphonso v. Commissioner
708 F.3d 344 (Second Circuit, 2013)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
136 T.C. No. 11, 136 T.C. 247, 2011 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alphonso-v-commissioner-tax-2011.