Batterton v. United States

287 F. Supp. 681, 21 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1706, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11680
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedApril 10, 1968
DocketNo. 67-361 Civ. T
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 287 F. Supp. 681 (Batterton v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Batterton v. United States, 287 F. Supp. 681, 21 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1706, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11680 (M.D. Fla. 1968).

Opinion

JUDGMENT

LIEB, Chief Judge.

This cause came on for consideration upon the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by the Plaintiff, A. J. Batterton, Executor of the Will of Mary Todd Batterton, Deceased, and the Cross Motion for Summary Judgment filed by the Defendant, United States of America.

The Court has heard oral argument of counsel, considered the briefs and pleadings in this case, and entered an opinion in this case. It is therefore, upon consideration,

ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED :

1. That the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by the Plaintiff, A. J. Batterton, Executor of the Will of Mary [682]*682Todd Batterton, Deceased, be, and it is hereby, denied.

2. That the Cross Motion for Summary Judgment filed by the Defendant, United States of America, be, and it is hereby, granted.

3. That the Plaintiff take nothing; that the action be dismissed on its merits; and that Defendant recover of the Plaintiff its taxable costs.

Done and Ordered at Tampa, Florida, this 10th day of April, 1968.

OPINION

The Plaintiff, A. J. Batterton, filed a motion for summary judgment, and the Defendant, United States of America, filed a cross motion for summary judgment. There is no factual dispute in this case.

On May 3, 1954, A. J. Batterton and his wife, Mary Todd Batterton, executed mutual wills, true copies of which are attached to the Complaint and marked Exhibits “B” and “C”, respectively. Also, on May 3, 1954, the decedent and her husband, A. J. Batterton, entered into an agreement whereby neither would, without the other’s consent, revoke or change their wills, and that neither would make any gift or transfer or assign any of his property without fair consideration, except for public charities.

The decedent’s will disposed of her property as follows:

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF MARY TODD BATTERTON
I, Mary Todd Batterton, of County of Hillsborough and State of Florida, pursuant to the attached contract this day made with my husband, do hereby make, publish and declare the following my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former wills:
1. Should my husband survive me, I give, devise and bequeath to my husband, A. J. Batterton, all of my property, real, personal, and mixed, wherever situated, whereof I may be seized or possessed, or to which I may be in any manner entitled, or in which I may be interested, at the time of my death, and I appoint him executor of my estate and waive the statutory requirement that he give bond as such executor, and hereby give him as such executor full power to sell, convey, transfer, and assign the property of my estate, or any interest therein.
2. Should my said husband predecease me, I give, devise, and bequeath all of my property, real, personal, and mixed, wherever situated, whereof I may be seized or possessed, or to which I may be in any manner entitled, or in which I may be interested, at the time of my death, to the United Christian Missionary Society, Missions Building, Indianapolis, Indiana, a corporation created by and existing under the laws of the State of Indiana, in trust nevertheless to be used for charitable purposes only, the income therefrom to be divided equally between Florida Christian Home, Edgewood, Jacksonville, Florida, Hazel Green Academy, Hazel Green, Kentucky, and said United Christian Missionary Society.

The will of A. J. Batterton similarly devised all of his property to Mary Todd Batterton, if she should survive him, and to the United Christian Missionary Society, if she did not survive him.

The agreement, a true copy of which is attached to the Complaint and marked as Exhibit “D”, reads in pertinent part as follows:

This AGREEMENT, made this 3 day of May, 1954 by and between A. J. Batterton and Mary Todd Batter-ton, husband and wife,
WITNESSETH: each hereby agrees, in consideration of the promises of each to the other, that neither will without the consent in writing of the other revoke, or make any Last Will and Testament different from, his or her Last Will and Testament copies of which are attached hereto, and that neither will during his or her lifetime make any gift, or transfer or [683]*683assign any of his or her property without receiving a fair financial consideration, except for Public Charities.

At the time of the decedent’s death, these wills and the agreement were in full force and effect.

On or about July 9, 1963, A. J. Batter-ton, as Executor of the Estate of Mary Todd Batterton, filed a federal estate tax return, a copy of which is attached to the Complaint and marked Exhibit “E”. The estate tax return showed a total gross estate of $272,039.37. The total deductions, including the marital deduction of $131,025.91 and a $60,000.00 exemption, resulted in a taxable estate of $71,025.90.

On July 9, 1963, a tax in the amount of $12,339.04 was paid to the Internal Revenue Service and a tax in the amount of $248.21 was paid to the State of Florida.

By letter dated March 15, 1965, the Internal Revenue Service disallowed the marital deduction of $131,025.91 and reduced the value of stocks and bonds by $1,654.33, thereby resulting in a deficiency of tax in the amount of $35,830.-66 to the Internal Revenue Service and $2,401.33 to the State of Florida. A copy of said letter is attached to the Complaint and marked Exhibit “F”. This disallowance by the Internal Revenue Service was made on the theory that the interest passing to the decedent’s surviving spouse was a terminable interest under Section 2056(b) (1) of the Internal Revenue Code, and as such did not qualify for the marital deduction.

On July 12, 1965, a protest was filed with the Internal Revenue Service. As a result of a conference, the deficiency was reduced by the Internal Revenue Service from $35,830.66 to $17,853.84, which resulted by allowing the estate a charitable deduction in the approximate amount of $65,000.00. An agreement, Form 890-B, was signed by the Executor and submitted to the Internal Revenue Service. A copy of said agreement is attached to the Complaint and marked Exhibit “G”. The review section of the Internal Revenue Service disallowed the adjustment and the full deficiency of $35,830.66 was reasserted.

On July 14, 1966, A. J. Batterton, as Executor, paid to the Internal Revenue Service the asserted deficiency of $38,-480.20 plus interest to that date, total-ling $45,148.34. A check for $2,813.90 was also paid to the State of Florida, representing a deficiency of tax of $2,401.-33, together with interest of $412.57.

On January 20,1967, the Internal Revenue Service refunded $2,969.82 to the estate, representing mainly the excess previously paid because the credit to the State of Florida had not been applied against the original deficiency.

On March 31, 1967, A. J. Batterton, as Executor, filed with the District Director of Internal Revenue a claim for refund, a copy of said claim being attached to the Complaint and marked Exhibit “H”. The claim for refund was to recover the sum of $47,936.84, or such greater amount as would be legally refundable, assessed and collected, plus interest as provided by law, on the ground that the property passing to him under the will was qualified for the marital deduction.

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Related

Estate of Davis v. Commissioner
86 T.C. No. 67 (U.S. Tax Court, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
287 F. Supp. 681, 21 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1706, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11680, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/batterton-v-united-states-flmd-1968.