Cosgrove v. Commissioner

1987 T.C. Memo. 401, 54 T.C.M. 136, 1987 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 398
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedAugust 17, 1987
DocketDocket No. 25352-83.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1987 T.C. Memo. 401 (Cosgrove 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
Cosgrove v. Commissioner, 1987 T.C. Memo. 401, 54 T.C.M. 136, 1987 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 398 (tax 1987).

Opinion

JOSEPH P. AND M. CATHERINE COSGROVE, Petitioners, v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Cosgrove v. Commissioner
Docket No. 25352-83.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1987-401; 1987 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 398; 54 T.C.M. (CCH) 136; T.C.M. (RIA) 87401;
August 17, 1987.
*398

Petitioner and other investors formed Scott-Glenn Investments, Limited, in 1976 for the purpose of investing in Scotch whiskey receipts. After failure to receive SEC approval for the unregistered sale of such securities, Scott-Glenn ceased all attempts to do business. Held: the requirements of the regulations under section 1244 have not been complied with and petitioner is not entitled to a $ 10,000 ordinary loss. Held further: petitioner is liable for an addition to tax under sec. 6651(a)(1).

Joseph P. Cosgrove, pro se.
J. Leon Peace, Jr., for the respondent.

WHITAKER

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

WHITAKER, Judge: Respondent determined a deficiency in petitioners' 1 1977 Federal income tax of $ 4,686, and an addition to tax under section 6651(a)(1)2*399 of $ 496.73. After concessions, the remaining issues are (1) whether petitioner is entitled to a $ 10,000 ordinary loss under section 1244, and (2) whether petitioner is liable for an addition to tax under section 6651(a)(1).

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly. The stipulation of facts and attached exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference.

At the time of filing the petition herein, petitioner was a resident of Media, Pennsylvania. During the early part of 1976, petitioner and three other investors organized Scott-Glenn Investments, Limited (SGIL). The District of Columbia issued a Certificate of Incorporation on March 5, 1976. SGIL's Articles of Incorporation provided for two classes of common stock, which were divided into 10,000 shares of Class A stock and 90,000 shares of Class B stock. These two classes of stock were identical in all respects, except that the Class B shares carried no voting rights.

The first joint meeting of the shareholders and board of directors of SGIL was held at its corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C. on March 11, 1976. At this meeting, petitioner signed a purchase agreement whereby he agreed to buy 1,000 shares of Class *400 A common stock and 8,000 shares of Class B common stock for $ 10,000. It was also at this meeting that the board of directors adopted a section 1244 stock purchase plan, a copy of which was attached to the corporate minutes of this meeting. That plan provided that the officers of the corporation were authorized to issue and sell shares of common stock payable in cash or other property, other than stock or securities, and that the corporation was prohibited from receiving cash and property worth more than $ 500,000. The offer to issue and sell such common stock was to terminate on March 11, 1978.

SGIL was thus formed, and was capitalized with a total cash contribution from all investors of $ 28,000. In addition to the sums paid for shares of stock in SGIL, the board of directors at the March 11 meeting authorized the corporation to enter into a loan agreement with one of its shareholders, Roger Johnson (Johnson), in the amount of $ 32,000. Of the loan proceeds, $ 7,000 was deposited in a separate SGIL account in Riggs National Bank in Washington, D.C., with Johnson's retaining sole signatory authority. The remaining $ 25,000 was not to be disbursed until the corporation had received *401 assurance from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that all requirements for dealing in Scotch whiskey investment receipts had been met. The loan was to bear a reasonable rate of interest, and as further consideration for making the loan, Johnson was given control of the board of directors until the loan was repaid.

Petitioner made installment payments pursuant to the stock purchase agreement as follows:

June 12, 1976$ 2,300
July 22, 19762,700
November 21, 19764,000
December 31, 19761,000

After making the second installment, petitioner contemplated breaching the stock subscription agreement due to SGIL's precarious financial position.

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Bluebook (online)
1987 T.C. Memo. 401, 54 T.C.M. 136, 1987 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 398, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cosgrove-v-commissioner-tax-1987.