Grant v. Commissioner

84 T.C. No. 54, 84 T.C. 809, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 84
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMay 6, 1985
DocketDocket No. 13985-79
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 84 T.C. No. 54 (Grant 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
Grant v. Commissioner, 84 T.C. No. 54, 84 T.C. 809, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 84 (tax 1985).

Opinion

Chabot, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in Federal individual income taxes and additions to tax under section 6653(a)1 as follows:

Year Deficiency2 Additions to tax sec. 6653(a)
1972 $3,660.22 $183.01
1973 3,085.21 154.26
1974 3,378.87 168.94

After concessions by both parties, the issues for decision3 are as follows:

(1) Whether the value of uncompensated legal services performed by petitioner for charitable, governmental, religious, and educational organizations is deductible under section 170;

(2) Whether the value of services performed by petitioner in a divorce proceeding, in excess of the compensation received by petitioner, is deductible as a business expense under section 162;

(3) Whether payments made by petitioner to his wife during 1972 and 1973 are deductible under section 215;

(4) Whether expenses incurred by petitioner in connection with his former residence are deductible under section 212; and

(5) Whether petitioner is liable for an addition to tax under section 6653(a) for each of the years in issue.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated; the stipulations and the stipulated exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference.

When the petition was filed in the instant case, petitioner resided in Oakland, Maryland. For 1972 through 1974, petitioner was a cash basis taxpayer.

Legal Services

Petitioner is a Maryland attorney and during the years involved was engaged in private practice in Oakland.

Petitioner served as attorney to the mayor and town council of Oakland (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the Oakland government), and received $5,342.01, $1,571.10, and $4,670.00 as compensation for legal services performed in 1972, 1973, and 1974, respectively. These amounts were reported as income on the appropriate years’ tax returns. During these 3 years, petitioner also performed legal services for the Oakland government for which he was not compensated. Petitioner did not report the value of these uncompensated legal services as income for 1972, 1973, or 1974. On the Schedule C’s of his tax returns for 1972, 1973, and 1974, petitioner deducted $3,042, $1,440, and $1,800, respectively, for "Municipal Work”; these amounts represent the value of the time he spent performing uncompensated legal services for the Oakland government. These uncompensated legal services were performed exclusively for public purposes. Respondent disallowed the deductions on account of the uncompensated legal services.

By appointment of the Governor of Maryland, during 1972 and 1973, petitioner served on the Board of Visitors of Frostburg State College. Furthermore, during 1973, by designation of the Secretary of Natural Resources of Maryland, petitioner served on the Advisory Committee of the Ohio River Basin Commission. During 1972 and 1973, petitioner performed services for various governmental, charitable, educational, and religious organizations for which he was not compensated. Petitioner did not include the value of these services as income for these years. On his tax returns for 1972 and 1973, petitioner deducted $1,126 and $3,478, respectively, as charitable contribution deductions; these amounts represent the value of the time he spent performing uncompensated legal services for these organizations. All of the organizations for which petitioner performed these uncompensated legal services were eligible to receive deductible charitable contributions under section 170. These uncompensated legal services that were performed for governmental bodies were performed exclusively for public purposes. Respondent disallowed the deductions on account of the uncompensated legal services.

In March 1971, petitioner agreed to serve as court-appointed counsel for a client of the Mental Health Section of the Garrett County Department of Health4 in connection with a divorce proceeding instituted against the client under the then-new no-fault divorce law of Maryland. Petitioner’s legal services in that divorce case involved more than 440 hours over about 3 years and included three trials in Prince George’s County and several appeals. On his tax return for 1974, petitioner claimed a business bad debt deduction for $12,054.36 — the amount by which (a) the sum of (1) the fair market value of his legal services ($13,332) and (2) his out-of-pocket expenses ($704.67) exceeded (b) the $1,982.31 he received for that divorce case. Respondent disallowed this bad debt deduction.

Alimony Payments

On April 4, 1972, petitioner and his wife, Lucille, separated. After their separation, petitioner’s divorce counsel advised Lucille’s divorce counsel in a letter dated May 30, 1972, that petitioner would provide Lucille with direct support payments.5 In a letter to petitioner dated June 8,1972, petitioner’s divorce counsel states that he would like to establish with the judge in the divorce action the amount of cash support that petitioner would provide to Lucille.6

By a letter dated August 18, 1972, Lucille’s counsel advised petitioner’s counsel that Lucille was receiving $125 per week7 and objected to the inadequacy of this amount. During 1972, petitioner made 27 weekly $125 support payments to Lucille, totaling $3,375. Petitioner paid Lucille another $125 on January 23, 1973. No support payments were made between January 23, 1973, and May 29, 1973, because Lucille went to California. She returned sometime in April 1973. The court then awarded her alimony pendente lite in the amount of $200 per month.

During the period May 29, 1973, through July 28, 1973, petitioner made payments to Lucille totaling $700.8

On July 16, 1973, petitioner and Lucille were divorced a mensa et thoro by order of the Circuit Court for Garrett County, Maryland.

In July 1974, there was a hearing on the divorce a vinculo matrimonii. The final divorce decree was enrolled in 1975.

No written separation agreement was entered into between petitioner and Lucille. The $3,375 that petitioner paid in 1972 and the $125 that petitioner paid on January 23, 1973, were not paid under a written separation instrument.

Maintenance Expenses

On April 4, 1972, petitioner vacated a house in Oakland, which was owned jointly by petitioner and Lucille. This house had been theretofore used as a residence by both petitioner and Lucille. Lucille remained on the premises and in September 1972 she rented the lower part of the house to a tenant.

The tenant paid the rent directly to Lucille, who kept the rent. The expenses incurred to maintain the premises were paid by Lucille or the tenant. Petitioner did not include in income any rental income from the house for any of the years in question.

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Bluebook (online)
84 T.C. No. 54, 84 T.C. 809, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 84, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grant-v-commissioner-tax-1985.