Estate of Rolin v. Commissioner

68 T.C. 919, 1977 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 46
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1977
DocketDocket No. 5766-73
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 68 T.C. 919 (Estate of Rolin 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
Estate of Rolin v. Commissioner, 68 T.C. 919, 1977 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 46 (tax 1977).

Opinion

OPINION

Quealy, Judge:

Respondent determined a deficiency in the amount of $74,435.80 in petitioner’s estate tax. In an amendment to his answer, respondent determined that this amount should be increased to $99,280.98.

The only issues for decision are as follows:

(1) Whether the disclaimer and renunciation by the decedent’s executors of decedent’s interest in the marital deduction trust created by decedent’s husband was effective so as to exclude the value of that trust from decedent’s taxable estate;

(2) Whether decedent had a general power of appointment over the assets of the nonmarital trust created by decedent’s husband so as to include the value of that trust in decedent’s taxable estate.

All of the facts have been stipulated. The stipulation of facts and the exhibits attached thereto are incorporated herein by this reference.

Genevieve Rolin, hereinafter sometimes referred to as decedent, died testate on January 31, 1969. At the time of her death, decedent was a resident of Scarsdale, N.Y. Her will was admitted to probate by the Surrogate’s Court of Westchester County, N.Y., on May 12, 1969. On that same day, letters testamentary were issued to Haydee Rolin and the Marine Midland Bank-New York, as executors of her estate.

These executors are the petitioners herein. At the time the petition was filed, petitioner Haydee Rolin, resided in San Anselmo, Calif., and petitioner Marine Midland Bank, was a New York corporation with offices in New York city, N.Y. The Federal estate tax return for the Estate of Genevieve Rolin was filed with the District Director of Internal Revenue, Manhattan, N.Y.

Decedent’s husband, Daniel H. Rolin, had created a revocable trust under a trust agreement dated April 28, 1958. The entire net income of this trust was paid to Mr. Rolin. during his lifetime. All of the assets of the trust as of the date of Mr. Rolin’s death were included as part of his adjusted gross estate. Mr. Rolin’s will directed that his entire residuary estate be added to this trust.

The trust agreement provided that upon the death of Mr. Rolin, the property of the trust should be divided into two separate trusts referred to as trust A and trust B. Trust A was to have a value equal to the maximum marital deduction allowable in determining the Federal estate tax payable in Mr. Rolin’s estate reduced by the value of all other property included in his taxable estate qualifying for the marital deduction. Trust B was to consist of the balance of the trust property. Decedent was to receive the income from both trust A and trust B for her life and was given the power to appoint the whole or any part of the principal of trust A to her estate or to any person, corporation, or other organization by specific reference to such power of appointment in her will. The decedent was aware of this general power of appointment at the time the trust was created or shortly thereafter.

Subparagraph (3) of paragraph C of article I of the trust agreement provided as follows:

(3) The Grantor’s wife (or after her death her executor or administrator) may disclaim or renounce either in whole or in part her interest under Trust A, in which event so much of her interest as is so disclaimed or renounced shall be disposed of as a part of Trust B. Any such disclaimer or renunciation shall be made by written instrument and delivered to the corporate Trustee within fourteen months after the death of the Grantor.

Paragraph C of article II, which is entitled "Invasion of Principal,” provides as follows:

C. No Trustee shall have any power to pay or apply or to join with any other Trustee in paying or applying any principal to or for the benefit of himself or herself.

Paragraphs A and B of article V, which is entitled "Investment and Administrative Provisions,” provide as follows:

A. Except as provided in paragraph B of this Article, the Trustee is authorized, in the Trustee’s absolute discretion, with respect to any property, real or personal, including accumulated income, at any time held under any provisions of this Agreement, and without authorization by any court:
To retain such property; to sell, mortgage, lease (for any term, whether or not extending beyond the term of any trust created by this Agreement or the term fixed by any law) or otherwise dispose of any or all thereof upon any terms; to hold all or any part thereof uninvested for any period of time except that this authorization shall not apply to Trust A; to invest and reinvest in any securities or other property, real or personal, domestic or foreign, income or nonincome producing, including preferred and common stocks, interests in investment trusts and participations in any legal or discretionary common trust funds maintained by any bank or trust company at any time acting as trustee hereunder, all without regard to any law concerning the investment of funds by fiducuaries, except that no investment shall be made for Trust A which would disqualify the property constituting said Trust for the marital deduction allowable in the United States estate tax proceeding in the Grantor’s estate; to manage, maintain, alter, improve, develop or abandon any real personal property; to grant any options in connection with any of the foregoing; to foreclose mortages or to continue mortgage investments; to consent to the modification or extension of any note, bond, mortgage, open account indebtedness or other obligation, whether or not secured or evidenced by any writing; to exercise or dispose of any options, privileges or rights of any nature; to vote by discretionary proxy or otherwise; to become a party to any voting trust agreement whether or not extending beyond the term of any trust created by this Agreement; to assent to, participate in or oppose any type of reorganization, readjustment, recapitalization, consolidation, merger, sale of assets,dissolution or other action of, by or with respect to any corporation and to take any action in connection therewith; to adjust, compromise and settle or refer to arbitration any claim in favor of or against any trust created by this Agreement; to borrow money for any purposes; to employ and pay the compensation of legal counsel and other agents; to hold property in the name of the Trustee without designation of any fiduciary capacity or in the name of a nominee or unregistered; to make any division or distribution of property in kind or otherwise and to allot any property or an undivided interest therein to any trust, part, fund or share under this Agreement, except that any such division, distribution or allocation shall comply with the requirements of Article I of this Agreement; to pay any expenses in connection with any of the foregoing and to charge the same to income or principal or in part to each; and generally to exercise all such rights and powers and to do all such acts as the Grantor might do with respect to such property if he were living and the absolute owner thereof.
B.

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Bluebook (online)
68 T.C. 919, 1977 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 46, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-rolin-v-commissioner-tax-1977.