Hagaman v. Commissioner

100 T.C. No. 12, 100 T.C. 180, 1993 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 12
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 15, 1993
DocketDocket No. 3239-90
StatusPublished
Cited by53 cases

This text of 100 T.C. No. 12 (Hagaman 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
Hagaman v. Commissioner, 100 T.C. No. 12, 100 T.C. 180, 1993 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 12 (tax 1993).

Opinion

Halpern, Judge:

By order of dismissal and decision entered February 18, 1993, in docket No. 747-85, this Court ordered and decided that there are deficiencies in and additions to William S. Hagaman’s (Hagaman or the taxpayer) Federal income taxes as follows:

Year Deficiency Addition to tax sec. 6653(b)
$184,453 $92,226.50 1975
177,449 88.724.50 1976
64,800 31,063.00 1977
140,937 70.468.50 1978

Those amounts remain unpaid. The sole issue for decision is whether petitioner is liable as a transferee of Hagaman for $263,000 (the amount transferred) plus interest thereon.1

Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the taxable years at issue, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found. The stipulation of facts filed by the parties and attached exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference. Petitioner resided in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the time the petition was filed. Petitioner and Hagaman were not married during the taxable years here at issue.

In 1976 or 1977, Hagaman began a relationship with petitioner. At that time Hagaman was married to his first wife, Bonnie Hagaman (Bonnie). Approximately a year and a half later, petitioner and Hagaman moved in together; they were married on August 1, 1987. During Hagaman’s and petitioner’s relationship, Hagaman gratuitously conveyed several items to petitioner. In 1979, Hagaman gave petitioner a 2.09-carat diamond engagement ring having a fair market value of $3,000 at that time. In approximately 1982, Hagaman gave petitioner two fur coats having a fair market value of $5,000 at that time, as Christmas presents. In the early 1980s, Hagaman also gave petitioner stock in several automobile companies, having a value of $22,000 at that time. Hagaman also gave petitioner cash totaling $80,000 on several occasions during the period beginning June 1984 and ending March 1986. In September 1984, Hagaman purchased a house in Broward County, Florida. The property had a fair market value at the time of $150,000. On November 23, 1984, Hagaman gave that house to petitioner. In May 1985, Hagaman purchased furniture having a value of $3,000 for petitioner’s Florida house. Hagaman received no consideration for any of the above transfers.

On October 10, 1984, respondent issued a statutory notice of deficiency to Hagaman and Bonnie for the years 1975-78, determining deficiencies and additions to tax for fraud pursuant to section 6653(b). Hagaman and Bonnie contested those deficiencies and additions to tax before this Court. On October 27, 1987, this Court filed its opinion, captioned Hagaman v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1987-549, affd. in part and remanded in part 958 F.2d 684 (6th Cir. 1992), largely sustaining respondent’s determinations and finding Hagaman liable for additions to tax for fraud pursuant to section 6653(b) for all the years at issue.2 Hagaman and Bonnie were divorced in June or July 1987. Hagaman married petitioner on August 1, 1987. On September 1, 1987, Hagaman and petitioner entered into a “Postnuptial Agreement”, listing the estimated values of their respective assets and setting forth their agreement that their respective assets would be held separate and apart from those of the other, except to the extent that any assets might be placed in their joint names.

On May 20, 1989, petitioner and Hagaman entered into an “Exchange Agreement” wherein petitioner conveyed to Hagaman an interest as tenant by the entirety in the Florida residence, in exchange for the conveyance by Hagaman to petitioner of an interest as tenant by the entirety in a parcel of real property in Tennessee (the Tennessee property). The exchange agreement describes the two properties as having approximately equal value. On October 12, 1989, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made jeopardy assessments against Hagaman and petitioner. Thereafter, the transferee jeopardy assessment against petitioner was abated.

A few weeks after petitioner and Hagaman signed the above-mentioned exchange agreement, the two began having marital difficulties. Petitioner and Hagaman entered into a “Marital Separation and Property Settlement Agreement” (property settlement agreement), dated September 22, 1989, and approved by the Circuit Court of Hamilton County, Tennessee, on January 18, 1990. Among other things, the property settlement agreement provides that Hagaman will reconvey to petitioner his interest in the Florida residence and that petitioner will reconvey to Hagaman her interest in the Tennessee property.

OPINION

I. Background

Section 6901(a) provides that the liability of a transferee of property “shall * * * be assessed, paid, and collected in the same manner and subject to the same provisions and limitations as in the case of the taxes with respect to which the liabilities were incurred”. The burden of proof as to such transferee liability is on respondent. Sec. 6902(a); Rule 142(d). We emphasize, however, that section 6901(a) imposes no transferee liability, but merely provides a procedure through which respondent may collect from a transferee of assets unpaid taxes owed by the transferor of the assets if a basis exists under applicable State law or equity for holding the transferee liable. Commissioner v. Stern, 357 U.S. 39, 42-47 (1958); Gumm v. Commissioner, 93 T.C. 475, 479 (1989), affd. without published opinion 933 F.2d 1014 (9th Cir. 1991).

II. Elements of Transferee Liability

We have held that, in order to prevail under section 6901(a), respondent must show:

(1) That the alleged transferee received property of the transferor; (2) that the transfer was made without consideration or for less than adequate consideration; (3) that the transfer was made during or after the period for which the tax liability of the transferor accrued; (4) that the transferor was insolvent prior to or because of the transfer of property or that the transfer of property was one of a series of distributions of property that resulted in the insolvency of the transferor; (5) that all reasonable efforts to collect from the transferor were made and that further collection efforts would be futile; and (6) the value of the transferred property (which determines the limit of the transferee’s liability). [Gumm v. Commissioner, supra at 480; citations omitted.]

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Bluebook (online)
100 T.C. No. 12, 100 T.C. 180, 1993 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 12, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hagaman-v-commissioner-tax-1993.