Britenstool v. Commissioner

46 T.C. 711, 1966 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 47
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 2, 1966
DocketDocket No. 4170-64
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 46 T.C. 711 (Britenstool 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
Britenstool v. Commissioner, 46 T.C. 711, 1966 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 47 (tax 1966).

Opinion

Simpson, Judge:

The respondent determined a deficiency in estate tax in the amount of $69,204.58. There are three issues remaining for decision: (1) Whether a payment by the estate in satisfaction of a claim against the estate approved by a State court is deductible under section 2058, I.R..C. 1954;1 (2) whether the payment by the estate of 2 months’ rent on decedent’s apartment after his death is deductible under section 2053 as an administration expense; and (3) whether, in computing the amount of a charitable deduction when there has been an election under section 642(g) to deduct administration expenses in computing the income of the estate rather than in computing the taxable estate and when the income beneficiary is required under State law to reimburse a charity for a reduction in a charitable contribution resulting from such election, the charitable contribution includes the amount of such reimbursement.

FINDINGS OP PACT

Some of the facts were stipulated, and those facts are so found.

Petitioner is the sole, surviving executor of the Estate of Harry Britenstool, who died on March 7,1960, a resident of New York, NT.Y. The last will and testament of decedent was admitted to probate in the Surrogate’s Court, New York County, on March 23,1960. Under the provisions of the will, decedent’s sister, Blanche B. Ostheimer, and Manufacturers Hanover Trust Co. (then the Hanover Bant) were appointed executors.

The estate tax return for the estate of the decedent was filed by the executors with the district director of internal revenue, Manhattan, New York, on June 7, 1961. Blanche B. Ostheimer (Ostheimer) died on May 12, 1963, and no successor as executrix was appointed thereafter.

The total gross estate of the decedent, valued as of the date of decedent’s death, amounted to $2,288,595.27. Under the terms of decedent’s will, Ostheimer received a cash legacy of $100,000, together with all of the decedent’s personal effects. All of the rest of decedent’s estate was placed in trust with Ostheimer having the right to the income during her lifetime and the power to invade the corpus up to $10,000 in any one year. Upon her death, the corpus was to go to the following charitable remaindermen in the proportions indicated: 60 percent to the Hospital for Joint Diseases; 10 percent to St. Claire’s Hospital; 15 percent to the trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York; and 15 percent to the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York. The decedent’s will provided that all estate taxes be paid out of his residuary estate.

Petitioner claimed on the estate tax return as a deductible debt $23,177.39 paid by the estate to Blanche B. Ostheimer. Ostheimer asserted, as the basis for the claim, that she had advanced her personal funds to pay medical and other expenses of the decedent during his lifetime.

Ostheimer resided with decedent in a 12-room apartment leased by decedent. Decedent was a medical doctor, and a part of the apartment was used as his office. Ostheimer’s claim against decedent’s estate included payments for food, rent, household expenses, medical expenses, and electricity, during a period prior to decedent’s death. Since Ostheimer resided with the decedent, she also received some benefit from these payments.

Ostheimer was not reimbursed by decedent during his life for any of the payments, although the payments were made over a 6-year period prior to his death. She made the payments from her personal checking accounts, although she held a power of attorney to draw checks on decedent’s checking account. Decedent’s checking account contained ample funds at all times to make the payments.

In support of her claim, Ostheimer submitted to petitioner a schedule of the claimed payments. Prior to payment of the claim, petitioner examined this schedule and also examined decedent’s checkbooks for a 3-year period to ascertain whether there was any duplication between payments listed in the schedule and payments listed in the checkbooks. No duplication was found.

After examining 'Ostheimer’s claim, petitioner, by letter in February of 1961, sought the approval of the charitable beneficiaries in order to make payment without awaiting the accounting and the approval of the Surrogate’s Court. The charitable beneficiaries approved the claim, and petitioner then paid the claim in its face amount of $23,177.39.

The charitable beneficiaries under the will of decedent had reason to believe that they would also be charitable beneficiaries under the will of Ostheimer, whose personal wealth was estimated to be in excess of $2 million. In fact, the charitable beneficiaries were identical under both wills.

After paying Ostheimer’s claim and after her death, petitioner filed a petition, verified October 26, 1964, in the Surrogate’s Court of the County of New York, for the settlement of the first intermediate account of the decedent’s estate. Among other things, the petitioner specifically asked the court to confirm and approve payment of Ost-heimer’s claim “on the merits as a bona fide obligation of decedent’s estate.”

A hearing was held before the surrogate on February 26, 1965, at which the charitable beneficiaries filed appearances. Testimony was taken by the surrogate in support of the allowance of Ostheimer’s claim. Following the hearing, the Surrogate’s Court rendered a decision and decree, entered March 24,1965, in which the court-approved payment of the claim in the amount of $23,177.39.

Petitioner, at the time Ostheimer submitted her claim, did not see fit to question her honesty, since she was coexecutor, as to whether specific claimed expenditures were her personal expenses or for the benefit of decedent. In preparing this case for trial, petitioner’s counsel discovered that three checks of Ostheimer’s represented her personal expenses rather than expenditures on behalf of decedent. Other errors in Ostheimer’s claim can be found in the schedule she submitted in support of her claim and in her personal checkbooks. Accordingly, the petitioner now concedes that, even accepting the validity of Ost-heimer’s claim, only $22,051.28 should have been paid her.

In addition to the claim of Ostheimer pertaining to the payment of decedent’s expenses during his lifetime, Ostheimer submitted a claim to petitioner for reimbursement of payments made by her for 2 months’ rent of the apartment, after decedent’s death. Under the lease of the apartment, the decedent was required to give 2 months’ notice prior to the termination of the tenancy. After decedent’s death, Ostheimer, who remained in the apartment until her death on May 12, 1963, paid tlie April and May 1960 rent, amounting to $1,200. Petitioner paid this amount to Ostheimer, and the payment was allowed by the surrogate as an administration expense. Petitioner claimed this $1,200 payment as an administration expense on decedent’s estate tax return.

Pursuant to the provisions of section 642(g), the executors of the estate waived the right to have administration expenses totaling $102,061 allowed as deductions for the purpose of determining estate tax liability under sections 2053 and 2054. The waived amount of administration expenses was claimed on the estate’s income tax returns.

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Related

Estate of Lazar v. Commissioner
58 T.C. 543 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)
Gilberg v. Commissioner
55 T.C. 611 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)
Fowler v. Commissioner
1967 T.C. Memo. 36 (U.S. Tax Court, 1967)
Britenstool v. Commissioner
46 T.C. 711 (U.S. Tax Court, 1966)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
46 T.C. 711, 1966 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 47, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/britenstool-v-commissioner-tax-1966.