Estate of Haverlah v. United States

327 F. Supp. 243, 27 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1820, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13594
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Texas
DecidedApril 26, 1971
DocketCiv. A. No. 5102
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 327 F. Supp. 243 (Estate of Haverlah v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Estate of Haverlah v. United States, 327 F. Supp. 243, 27 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1820, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13594 (E.D. Tex. 1971).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT

STEGER, District Judge.

1. Plaintiff Harry L. Brown is the duly qualified and acting Executor of the Estate of Harry A. Haverlah, who died December 4, 1964, testate, while a resident of Palestine, Anderson County, Texas.

2. On or about May 18, 1967, plaintiff filed an estate tax return for the Estate of Harry A. Haverlah with the District Director of Internal Revenue, Dallas, Texas.

[244]*2443. On or about December 19, 1969, following audit of the estate tax return for the Estate of Harry A. Haverlah, a deficiency in estate tax in the amount of $122,692.78 was assessed, together with interest in the amount of $27,807.-56, for a total of $150,500.34. The amount so assessed was paid by plaintiff on or about December 30, 1969.

4. Following assessment and payment of the foregoing amounts, plaintiff filed a claim for refund with the District Director of Internal Revenue, Dallas, Texas, which claim was denied by letter dated January 21, 1970.

5. On April 16, 1970, the Internal Revenue Service, by statutory notice of deficiency, proposed an additional deficiency in estate tax of $26,573.55 against plaintiff. On May 22, 1970, plaintiff paid such proposed deficiency, together with interest thereon in the amount of $6,687.07.

6. Following timely assessment and payment of the deficiency referred to in paragraph 5, swpra, plaintiff filed an amended claim for refund in which refund of such deficiency was sought, and thereafter, incorporated its amended claim for refund into this action by the filing of its First Amendment to the Complaint.

7. At the date of the decedent’s death, he had a gross estate valued at $869,865.28 of which $770,013 consisted of capital stock of the Franklin Life Insurance Company. The remainder of his estate consisted of other stocks, including 147 shares of capital stock of H. L. Brown & Associates, Inc., real estate, cash, insurance and other miscellaneous property.

8. At the time of his death, the decedent was single, his wife having died approximately three months before his death.

9. Decedent left a Will, dated November 16, 1964, in which he named Harry L. Brown Independent Executor and Trustee, and the Trustee was empowered to make all or any part of decedent’s estate available to H. L. Brown & Associates, Inc., a corporation of which Harry L. Brown was president (and until his death the plaintiff had been vice president), or any successor corporation of which Harry L. Brown was president, as collateral for loans to that corporation. Also, the Trustee was empowered to make direct loans of the decedent’s estate to H. L. Brown & Associates, Inc., or a successor corporation as above described.

10. The Will further provided that if H. L. Brown & Associates, Inc. is given the use of all or any portion of the decedent’s estate for purposes of collateral, that corporation was to pay fees to the estate in the manner set out in the Will. If direct loans are made to H. L. Brown & Associates, Inc., such loans must be made on the same or substantially the same terms as those then in existence between H. L. Brown & Associates, Inc. and other lending institutions except that the loans did not have to be secured.

11. In paragraph V. D. of decedent’s Will, it is provided that:

“D. The Trustee is directed to pay over to Shirley Johnson, for and during her lifetime or until she shall marry, as the same are collected, all cash dividends paid on my Franklin Life Insurance Company stock.
“Further, the Trustee shall pay over to Shirley Johnson, for and during her lifetime or until she shall marry, as the same are collected, any and all fees paid to the Trustee by H. L. Brown & Associates, Inc. or any successor corporation for its use of any portion of the corpus of the trust estate as collateral; and in the event during any month no such fee is paid by H. L. Brown & Associates, Inc. or any successor corporation, or in the event during any month such fee is less than $450.00, the Trustee is directed to pay over to the said Shirley Johnson a sum of money equal to the difference between $450.00 and the fee actually paid to the Trustee by H. L. Brown & Associates, Inc. or any successor corporation. Such sum shall be paid first out of any undistributed [245]*245income then in the hands of the Trustee, but if there be no undistributed income or if it be insufficient in amount to assure such regular monthly payment to Shirley Johnson of $450.00, then I authorize and direct the Trustee to pay such sum to the said Shirley Johnson out of the corpus of the trust estate.
“In addition to the other provisions of this subparagraph D hereof, for and during the lifetime of Shirley Johnson or until she shall marry, my Trustee is authorized, empowered and directed to * * * pay out of any accumulated undistributed income of the trust estate, or if such undistributed income be insufficient therefor, the Trustee is authorized to sell the corpus of the trust estate to the extent necessary and to pay from the proceeds of such sale, all costs, expenses and charges for any unusual medical services and all costs and expenses for unusual care and maintenance, including but not limited to the fees and charges of doctors, surgeons, nurses, laboratory fees, hospitals and clinics, incurred by Shirley Johnson, or incurred by either Gary Johnson or Cliff Johnson at any time while the one of said boys incurring the same shall be less than 21 years of age and in the legal custody of Shirley Johnson; and further, the Trustee is authorized, empowered and directed in behalf of the said Shirley Johnson to pay the reasonable costs and expenses of any unusual emergency of a character other than that related to health or medical care. With reference to this emergency provision for additional benefits for the said Shirley Johnson, the Trustee may in his sole discretion determine that the condition called to his attention by Shirley Johnson is unusual and of an emergency nature, in which case he shall forthwith make payments therefor as herein provided; but in the event the Trustee declines to deem such condition unusual or of an emergency nature when the same is called to his attention by the said Shirley Johnson, and the said Shirley Johnson believes the judgment of the Trustee thereon to be in error, then and in such event the determination of the matter as to whether or not such condition is ‘unusual’ or of an ‘emergency’ nature shall be made by the Board of Directors of H. L. Brown & Associates, Infe. or any successor corporation, to the end that a decision thereon made by the majority of such Board of Directors shall be conclusive on the issue and binding on both the Trustee and the said Shirley Johnson; * * *.
“Upon the death of Shirley Johnson, or upon her marriage, whichever shall occur first, the provisions of this subparagraph D shall be of no further force and effect, and all benefits to which Shirley Johnson would have otherwise been entitled shall be held and used by the Trustee in accordance with the other provisions hereof. The provisions of this sub-paragraph D, which inure to the benefit of Shirley Johnson, are calculated to extend to her support and financial aid in excess of what she might be able to earn, and I was moved to place the limitation of ‘marriage’ upon her right to receive benefits hereunder with the thought that in the event of her marriage her need for support from my estate would not be imperative.

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327 F. Supp. 243, 27 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1820, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13594, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-haverlah-v-united-states-txed-1971.