Fielding v. Commissioner

57 T.C. 761, 1972 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 169
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 13, 1972
DocketDocket No. 2557-69
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 57 T.C. 761 (Fielding 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
Fielding v. Commissioner, 57 T.C. 761, 1972 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 169 (tax 1972).

Opinion

Irwin, Judge:

Respondent determined the following deficiencies in the income taxes of petitioners:

Year Deflotency
1963 _ $466.40
1964 _ 1, 693.31
1965 _ 1. 572. 54

The deficiencies stem from respondent’s inclusion in gross income of amounts tliat petitioners excluded as a fellowship under section 117, and from respondent’s disallowance of deductions for tuition expense and his recomputation of petitioners’ medical expense deductions.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and they are found accordingly.

Leonard T. Fielding and Lois C. Fielding are husband and wife, who at the time of filing their petition maintained their legal residence in Minneapolis, Minn. They filed joint Federal income tax returns for the years 1968, 1964, and 1965 with the district director of internal revenue, St. Paul, Minn.

Lois C. Fielding is a party to this action solely by reason of her having filed a joint Federal income tax return with Leonard T. Fielding for each of the taxable years 1963, 1964, and 1965. Leonard T. Fielding will be. hereinafter referred to as the petitioner.

Petitioner received his bachelor of science degree in 1958 from the University of Minnesota and his doctor of medicine degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1962. Following the completion of medical school in 1962, petitioner applied for and was accepted as an intern at the Hennepin County General Hospital, Minneapolis, Minn. Petitioner’s internship terminated in June 1963.

At all times material herein the Department of Public Welfare for the State of Minnesota, hereinafter called Department, had an established professional training program known as the Psychiatric Residency Training Program, which it maintained for the purpose of alleviating the scarcity of applicants for the positions as psychiatrists in State mental hospitals.

On or about May 20,1963, petitioner applied to Department seeking admission to Department’s residency program. On May 23, 1963, petitioner entered into an agreement with Department, part of the terms of which were the following:

Whereas, the Department desires to have LEONARD T. FIELDING, M.D., educated and trained as a psychiatrist to fill a position as a psychiatrist in the State Mental Hospitals when such education and training is completed ;
Now, Therefore, It Is Herebt Agreed by and between the parties as follows:
1. The psychiatric resident hereby applies to the Department for an educational allowance to be used in training as a psychiatrist and agrees to enter an accredited training program with inpatients and outpatients at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, commencing July 1, 1963, pursuing such courses, training and education as is directed by the Department for a period of three (3) years, hereinafter referred to as the first, the second, and the third years. The psychiatric resident further agrees that at some time after the conclusion of such education and training, he will accept a position as a psychiatrist with the State of Minnesota in a State Hospital or in some other professional capacity for which he has been trained, as determined by the Department, for a period of not less than two (2) years.
2. The Department hereby grants to the psychiatric resident the sum of Eight Thousand Dollars ($8,000) for the first year, Eight Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($8,500) for the second year, and Nine Thousand Dollars ($9,000) for the third year, payable in monthly installments.
3. The Department reserves the right to cancel this Agreement at any time if it appears the program and training of the psychiatric resident is not satisfactory.
4 Failure of the psychiatric resident to satisfactorily mate progress in his training as determined by the Department or his failure to complete the five (5) year program as herein provided shall constitute a breach of this Agreement.
5. In the event of any breach of this Agreement, the psychiatric resident agrees to refund to the Department all moneys received by him as an education allowance under this Agreement.

Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, in July 1963 petitioner enrolled at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, as a degree candidate for the academic degree of master of science in psychiatry.

While a resident in Department’s psychiatric residency training program, petitioner was paid an educational allowance for each of the taxable years 1963, 1964, and 1965 by Department in the amounts of $4,000.02, $8,000, and $8,500, respectively. The educational allowances bore no relationship whatsoever to the need or marital status of petitioner at any material time and the allowance was not peculiar to petitioner. At no time did Department deduct or withhold income taxes, social security taxes, or State employees’ retirement funds from the allowances paid to petitioner while enrolled in the psychiatric residency training program, nor did petitioner accrue vacation or sick leave, participate in the employee group health and life insurance plan or any other programs for which employees of Department were eligible during the period of residency.

Throughout his residency petitioner made no reports at all to Department. Petitioner had no visits and no direct or indirect supervision from Department for the same period although under the agreement Department had the right to exercise such supervision.

Petitioner was not an employee of Department prior to the execution of the agreement, nor did he become an employee of Department during his residency training program which ended on June 30,1966. On July 1, 1966, petitioner was employed by Department as a senior staff physician at the Anoka State Hospital and remained there through. December 29,1966. On J anuary 9,1967, Department employed petitioner as the senior staff physician at the Willmar State Hospital. Petitioner remained at Willmar State Hospital through May 5, 1967, when he resigned and moved to the State of Delaware, where he was employed by the State of Delaware as a senior staff physician until June 1,1968, when he returned to the State of Minnesota.

The State of Minnesota has taken no legal action, nor has the State of Minnesota attempted to legally enforce the provisions of the agreement with regard to the reimbursement of any funds received by petitioner in the event of a breach of the agreement. A majority of the students who had participated in the psychiatric residency program fulfilled their obligation of 2 years of work for the State after completion of the residency, and the State had never taken any legal action against any student who breached his agreement.

Upon his return to Minnesota in June 1968, petitioner began to engage in the private practice of psychiatry; however, he did perform work for the State as a consultant for various institutions.

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Related

Wassenaar v. Commissioner
72 T.C. 1195 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
Bailey v. Commissioner
60 T.C. No. 48 (U.S. Tax Court, 1973)
Emory v. Commissioner
1973 T.C. Memo. 55 (U.S. Tax Court, 1973)
Bergeron v. Commissioner
1972 T.C. Memo. 248 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)
Fielding v. Commissioner
57 T.C. 761 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
57 T.C. 761, 1972 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 169, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fielding-v-commissioner-tax-1972.