Hudson v. Jones

22 F. Supp. 938, 21 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 196, 1938 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2320
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 31, 1938
Docket5997, 5998
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 22 F. Supp. 938 (Hudson v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hudson v. Jones, 22 F. Supp. 938, 21 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 196, 1938 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2320 (W.D. Okla. 1938).

Opinion

VAUGHT, District Judge.

These suits seek the recovery of alleged overpayments of individual federal income taxes for the calendar year 1932. The suits were consolidated for trial for the reason they involved the same questions of law. The substantial facts are stipulated and oral testimony was introduced, supplementary thereto.

In cause No. 5997 the plaintiff seeks to recover the sum of $3,848.86 with lawful interest, which represents the amount of assessment of additional taxes for the year 1932 paid by the plaintiff on July 12, 1935.

In Cause No. 5998 the plaintiff seeks to recover $1,937.87 with interest, which represents the amount of assessment of additional taxes for the year 1932 paid by the plaintiff on July 12, 1935.

On May 30, 1932, Dorothy H. Hudson (Mrs. H. R. Hudson), wife of the plaintiff in cause No. 5997, executed three certain instruments in writing, each entitled “Irrevocable Trust Agreement.” Each of said trust agreements designated one of the children of H. R. Hudson and Dorothy II. Hudson as beneficiary. The trustor set aside certain described property to be held in trust for the benefit of said children. The trusts designated as trustees of said trusts, H. R. Hudson, Frank Walker, and Dorothy H. Hudson, and provided that, in the event of a vacancy caused by the death or resignation of any of the trustees, said vacancy should, be filled by H. R. Hudson and, furthermore, provided that Dorothy H. Hudson and Frank Walker could resign at any time and, in said event, II. R. Hudson should then become the sole trustee.

The trusts provided that the sole management of said trust estates should be in the hands of said trustee or trustees; that the trustee or trustees should have the full power to sell, exchange, reinvest and otherwise handle said property, but that the corpus of the estates, together with the income therefrom, should remain the property of said beneficiaries; that, after deducting the actual expenses of said trust estates, the income therefrom should accumulate from year to year; that 5 per cent, of said principal and accumulated income should be distributed to each of said children upon attaining the age of 21 years, respectively; 15 per cent, thereof should be distributed upon beneficiaries attaining the age of 25 years; 25 per cent. *940 upon attaining the age. of 30 years;,, and upon attaining the age of 35 years, each of the beneficiaries should receive the remaining amount.

The trust further provided as follows: “It is further provided, however, that notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein contained, the Trustee may, at any time during the continuance of this trust, pay to' or expend for the use and benefit of the said (beneficiary) such sums from the income and/or principal thereof as said Trustees shall deem necessary and advisable to provide for the maintenance, education and support of the said (beneficiary), or to defray his expenses arising from sickness, accident or unusual circumstances.”

The trust agreements were duly signed by the trustor and the trustees on the 30th of May, 1932, but were not acknowledged until the 16th of March, 1933, and have never been filed of record with the county clerk of Oklahoma county. Upon the execution of said trusts, they were delivered to the trustee.

On May 30, 1932, H. R. Hudson executed three instruments of gift of certain property described therein which became a part of the corpus of said trust estates.

The income involved in this action is income arising from properties which were the subject of the statement of gifts on the part of H. R. Hudson and of the properties contained in the statement of gifts executed by Mrs. H. R. Hudson at or about the same time. 1

The following provisions of the Revenue Act of 1932 govern the income taxation of trusts during that year, and are applicable in this case:

“§ 161(a) Application of tax. The taxes imposed by this chapter upon individuals shall apply to the income of estates or of any kind of property held in trust including: * * *
“(2) Income which is to be distributed currently by the fiduciary to the beneficiaries, and income collected by a guardian of an infant which is to be held or distributed as the court may direct; * * *
“(4) Income which, in the discretion of the fiduciary, may be either distributed to the beneficiaries or accumulated.
' “(b) Computation and payment. The tax shall be computed upon the net income of the estate or trust, and shall be paid by the fiduciary, except as provided in section 166 (relating to revocable trusts) and section 167 (relating to income for benefit of the grantor).”
“§ 162. The net income of the estate or trust shall be computed in the same manner and on the same basis as in the case of an individual, except” [certain authorized deductions not involved here],
“§ 166. Where at any time the power to revest in the grantor title to any part of the corpus of the trust is vested—
“(1) .in the grantor, either alone or in conjunction with any person not having a substantial adverse interest in the disposition of such part of the corpus or the income therefrom, or
“(2) in any person not having a substantial adverse interest in the disposition of such part of the corpus or the income therefrom, then the income of such part of the trust shall be included in computing the net income of the grantor.”
“§ 167. (a) Where any part of the income of a trust—
“(1) is, or in the discretion of the grantor or of any person not having a substantial adverse interest in the disposition of such part of the income may be, held or. accumulated for future distribution to the grantor; or
“(2) may, in the discretion of the grantor or of any person not having a substantial adverse interest in the disposition of such part of the income, be distributed to the grantor; * * *
“then such part of the income of the trust shall be included in computing the net income of the grantor.” 26 U.S.C.A. §§ 161(a) (2, 4), (b), 162, 166, 167(a).

Notwithstanding the transfer of these properties from H. R. Hudson and Mrs. H. R. Hudson to the trust estates, the income therefrom for the year 1932 was taxed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue as income to H. R. Hudson and Mrs. H. R. Hudson. The taxes so assessed were paid under protest by the respective plaintiffs, as hereinbefore set out, and these suits are filed to recover the sums so paid as taxes assessed against the plaintiffs, on the ground that said income was not the income of the plaintiffs but was the income of the beneficiaries in the respective trusts.

The government resists the claims of the plaintiffs principally upon two grounds. First, that under the laws of Oklahoma, the trusts created by the. taxpayers were *941 invalid in 1932 because they were not acknowledged in that year and because they have never been recorded. Second, particularly with reference to H. R.

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Related

Borroughs v. McColgan
133 P.2d 385 (California Supreme Court, 1943)
Jones v. Norris
122 F.2d 6 (Tenth Circuit, 1941)
Whiteley v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
120 F.2d 782 (Third Circuit, 1941)
Norris v. Jones
31 F. Supp. 463 (W.D. Oklahoma, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
22 F. Supp. 938, 21 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 196, 1938 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hudson-v-jones-okwd-1938.