Bradison v. Commissioner of Revenue

825 N.W.2d 747, 2013 WL 440083, 2013 Minn. LEXIS 41
CourtSupreme Court of Minnesota
DecidedFebruary 6, 2013
DocketNo. A12-0428
StatusPublished

This text of 825 N.W.2d 747 (Bradison v. Commissioner of Revenue) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bradison v. Commissioner of Revenue, 825 N.W.2d 747, 2013 WL 440083, 2013 Minn. LEXIS 41 (Mich. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION

PAGE, Justice.

Relator Candy S. Bradison, as personal representative for the estate of her minor child, Katelyn S. Janson, appeals a Minnesota Tax Court order affirming the Commissioner of Revenue’s denial of a refund of estate taxes paid by the estate in the amount of $41,000 and assessing tax, pen[749]*749alty, and interest in the amount of $75,800.90 for unpaid estate taxes. We affirm.

Katelyn Janson died on April 30, 2006, as a result of complications from injuries she received in a 1995 automobile accident that took place in the state of Iowa. Katelyn’s injuries were severe and left her permanently disabled. A lawsuit was brought on behalf of Katelyn and other family members and ended with a confidential settlement. As part of the settlement, two annuities were established, both of which guaranteed payments to Katelyn, through an Iowa conservator, for 15 years starting in 2001 and then continuing so long as Katelyn was alive. In addition to listing Katelyn as the annuitant or measuring life, the annuity contracts list the Estate of Katelyn Janson as the beneficiary or contingent payee so that if Katelyn died before the 15 years expired, annuity payments would be made to her estate.

In 2001, Katelyn and her family moved to Wyoming. Bradison petitioned a Wyoming court to set up a conservatorship to protect Katelyn’s assets on the ground that Katelyn was a minor and mentally incompetent. In her petition, Bradison noted that she, as Katelyn’s natural mother, was responsible for Katelyn’s care, custody, and control. The petition was granted and resulted in all assets being transferred from the Iowa conservator to a Wyoming conservator, Hilltop National Bank.

After learning that Katelyn needed major spinal surgery, Bradison decided to move her family to Minnesota because Minnesota had facilities equipped to perform the surgery and address Katelyn’s needs. A July 2003 order from the Wyoming court granted a petition by the conservator and authorized Bradison to seek special medical care for Katelyn in Minnesota or any other state. The order also authorized payment of certain medical expenses by the conservator and required Bradison to report annually on Katelyn’s general condition while receiving special medical treatment.

In 2004, the family moved to a home in East Bethel, Minnesota, that was built specially for Katelyn. Katelyn underwent surgery in September 2005 and, as noted above, died on April 30, 2006. Bradison was appointed personal representative of Katelyn’s estate by the Anoka County District Court. On July 6, 2006, a Wyoming court granted a petition by Hilltop National Bank to terminate the conservatorship and authorized the transfer of conservator-ship assets to the personal representative of Katelyn’s estate.

The estate filed its first federal and state estate tax returns in 2007. The Minnesota return indicated that the estate was that of a resident of Minnesota and reflected a federal gross estate value that included the value of the annuity payments guaranteed under the annuity contracts. The estate had no federal estate tax liability, but owed Minnesota estate taxes in the amount of $99,590. The estate made a partial payment of $41,000 when it filed the original state estate tax return. In February 2010, Bradison filed, on behalf of the estate, amended state and federal estate tax returns seeking a refund of the amount previously paid to the Minnesota Department of Revenue. The Commissioner denied the refund and, after an administrative appeal, Bradison appealed to the tax court.

At trial, Bradison argued that the annuity payments were not includable in Katelyn’s estate because Katelyn did not own or contribute to the annuities and because the annuity payments were payments for personal injuries. Among other things, Bra-dison argued that Katelyn was a ward of the Wyoming court and therefore was [750]*750domiciled in Wyoming at the time of her death. In support of those arguments, Bradison contended that the value of the estate and the designation of Katelyn’s domicile as Wyoming on amended federal returns that were “accepted as filed” by the IRS were controlling for the purpose of determining the estate’s Minnesota tax liability.

The Commissioner argued that Katelyn was domiciled in Minnesota because Bradi-son was domiciled in Minnesota at the time of Katelyn’s death and, under Minnesota law, the domicile of a child is the domicile of her parent. The Commissioner also argued that because the Wyoming conservator controlled only Katelyn’s assets, the location of the conservatorship did not control Katelyn’s domicile. In addition, the Commissioner asserted that the federal returns were not determinative and that the annuities were intangible property includa-ble in the estate under I.R.C. § 2039 (2006). The tax court concluded that because the Wyoming conservatorship only had control over Katelyn’s assets and Bra-dison was domiciled in Minnesota at the time of Katelyn’s death, Katelyn was a domiciliary of Minnesota at the time of her death. The tax court also held that the annuity payments were includable in Katelyn’s estate under I.R.C. § 2039.

I.

We may review a final order of the tax court “on the ground that the Tax Court was without jurisdiction, that the order of the Tax Court was not justified by the evidence or was not in conformity with law, or that the Tax Court committed any other error of law.” Minn.Stat. § 271.10, subd. 1 (2012). The tax court’s conclusions of law and interpretation of statutes are legal questions that we review de novo. Wilson v. Comm’r of Revenue, 656 N.W.2d 547, 552 (Minn.2003).

We first address Bradison’s argument that Katelyn was domiciled in Wyoming at the time of her death and that, as a result, Katelyn’s intangible property is not properly included in her Minnesota gross estate. In her appeal to this court, Bradison does not contest the tax court’s finding that she was domiciled in Minnesota at the time of Katelyn’s death. Rather, she argues that an exception to the general rule regarding the domicile of a minor applies in this case and asserts that Katelyn was domiciled in Wyoming at the time of her death as an incapacitated minor ward of the Wyoming courts because of the establishment of the conservatorship in that state. We conclude that this argument is without merit.

If a decedent “has an interest in property with a situs in Minnesota,” her estate must file a Minnesota estate tax return if the estate is required to file a federal estate tax return or if the federal gross estate exceeds $1,000,000. Minn. Stat. § 289A.10, subd. 1 (2012). As relevant here, the situs of property is, “with respect to intangible personal property, the state or country in which the decedent was domiciled at death.” MinmStat. § 291.005, subd. 1(9) (2012). Domicile is established by physical presence in a place “coupled with an intent to make such place one’s home.” Miller’s Estate v. Comm’r of Taxation, 240 Minn. 18, 19, 59 N.W.2d 925, 926 (1953); see also Minn. R. 8001.0300, subp. 2 (2011). In the case of a minor child, her domicile is generally that of her custodial parent. State ex rel. Larson v. Larson, 190 Minn. 489, 492, 252 N.W. 329, 330 (1934); Restatement (Second) Conflict of Laws § 22 (1971). However, an exception may apply when a minor is under guardianship. Restatement (Second) Conflicts of Law § 22, cmt. h (1971).

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Related

Miller v. Commissioner of Taxation
59 N.W.2d 925 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1953)
Wilson v. Commissioner of Revenue
656 N.W.2d 547 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 2003)
Busch v. Commissioner of Revenue
713 N.W.2d 337 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 2006)
State Ex Rel. Larson v. Larson
252 N.W. 329 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1934)
State Ex Rel. Thornton v. Probate Court
243 N.W. 389 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1932)
Estate of Davenport v. Comm'r
2006 T.C. Memo. 215 (U.S. Tax Court, 2006)
Arrington v. United States
34 Fed. Cl. 144 (Federal Claims, 1995)

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Bluebook (online)
825 N.W.2d 747, 2013 WL 440083, 2013 Minn. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bradison-v-commissioner-of-revenue-minn-2013.