Hug Co. v. War Contracts Price Adjustment Board

14 T.C. 621, 1950 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 224
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedApril 18, 1950
DocketDocket No. 754-R
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 14 T.C. 621 (Hug Co. v. War Contracts Price Adjustment Board) 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
Hug Co. v. War Contracts Price Adjustment Board, 14 T.C. 621, 1950 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 224 (tax 1950).

Opinion

OPINION.

TURNER, Judge:

The respondent contends that the petitioner was in common control with C. J. Hug during 1945 within the meaning of section 403 (c) (6) of the Renegotiation Act1 and paragraphs 348.2 and 348.4 of the Renegotiation Regulations2 issued pursuant thereto and that therefore the petitioner is subject to renegotiation under the act for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1945, since the total amount of its and C. J. Hug’s renegotiate sales for 1945 was in excess of $2,000,000. The petitioner contends that it was not under common control with Hug and that, since its'renegotiate sales were less than $500,000, it is not subject to renegotiation for its fiscal year 1945.

The respondent’s position is that the control shown to have been exercised by C. J. Hug in all phases of the petitioner’s operations establishes that he was in actual control of the petitioner during 1945 for the purposes of the above quoted provisions of the Renegotiation Act and the regulations. The petitioner denies that Hug had actual control of the petitioner prior to July 14,1945, .which was subsequent to the receipt of the renegotiable receipts involved herein.

The petitioner takes the position that the question of control in the instant case is to be determined on the basis of Hug’s stock ownership in the petitioner rather than on other grounds. The act contains no definition of, nor any limitations or restrictions as to the basis of, the “control” referred to in the provisions of section 403 (c) (6). In view of that, a determination made on the limited basis suggested by the petitioner would write into the section an unwarranted limitation.

Hug, who had had long experience as a contractor, became president and director of the petitioner at the time of its organization in 1922 and continued as such through 1945. While it is not disclosed whether he was also its general manager prior to November 19, 1942, he was its general manager from that date through 1945. In addition, he is shown to have been the owner of the largest amount of the petitioner’s stock at various times after November, 1942, down to May, 1945, when he acquired ownership of more than one-half of the petitioner’s total outstanding shares, and to July 14, 1945, when he acquired ownership of more than one-half of the stock in Hug Acceptance Corporation, which in turn owned more than one-half of the petitioner’s new stock.

At the stockholders’ meetings held on February 18, 1943, February 17, 1944, and February 22, 1945, Hug, through his ownership of voting units in the petitioner and the proxies held by him for other voting units, had control of more than one-half of the voting units represented at such meetings. Such control was aside from and independent of the 13,403 shares of the petitioner’s new stock which were owned by Hug Acceptance Corporation and represented at such meetings, and which we have found were voted by Hug, as president of that corporation.

Some argument is made by the petitioner that, since it continued in default from late in 1941 through 1945, the holders of the new stock and the note holders, until the notes were paid in August, 1944, had the right to elect four of the petitioner’s seven directors and that, since Hug did not own a majority of such stock and notes and did not, until July 14,1945, acquire a majority of the stock in Hug Acceptance Corporation, which owned a majority of such stock, he could not be said to have been in stock control of the petitioner prior to July 14, 1945. While the holders of the new stock and the notes had the right to elect four directors in the case of the petitioner’s default in certain respects the evidence clearly establishes that no action was taken by them toward that end. Apparently they did not consider that their right was worth exercising, or,- if exercised, would result in any greater benefit to them than if not exercised. Directors of the petitioner continued to be elected in the same manner as if no default had occurred and as if the holders of new stock and notes had no greater right in the election of directors than the holders of the old stock. The former directors of the petitioner continued to be reelected as before. Since the holders of the right to elect four directors appar-' ently attached no importance to the right when they could have exercised it, we are unable to see why any importance should be attached to it here. In this connection it is observed that the plan pursuant to which the new stock was issued provided that the new stock in the petitioner issued to Hug Acceptance Corporation should be represented and voted by a proxy or proxies of that corporation designated and elected by the stockholders of that corporation. Despite the fact that no such designation of proxy or proxies was ever made, Hug, as president of that corporation and without a proxy, voted its new stock in the petitioner, which was a majority of such stock. So far as is shown, his action in so doing was never called in question by any one.

The resolution adopted at the annual meeting of the petitioner’s stockholders held on February 22, 1945, to take steps toward a dissolution of the petitioner discloses that such action was taken in compliance with “the desire and wish of C. J. Hug, President and General Manager of the Company, that all of the companies with which he is connected be dissolved as soon as possible after all their obligations are paid.” The resolution also authorized the transfer and assignment of all of the petitioner’s contracts to Hug as of December 31,1944, and, so far as shown, without any consideration to be paid by him therefor. While the foregoing resolution to dissolve conforms in some respects to a resolution adopted by the petitioner’s board of directors on August 17, 1944, the adoption of the latter resolution, hereinafter discussed, was a result of Hug’s action.

From the situation presented, we think the conclusion that Hug controlled the annual meetings of the petitioner’s stockholders is inescapable.

Hug’s actual control of the petitioner’s directors is well illustrated by the action taken by them at their meeting on August 17,1944, after being informed that Hug was going to bid on a renewal of the Granite City contract for himself. Without the services of Hug and with no one to put in his place, it was apparent to the directors that the petitioner was in no position to attempt to bid against him for a renewal of the contract or, if successful in that respect, it was in no position to perform the contract. Hug had a strangle hold on the petitioner, and that he was planning to tighten it was apparent to the directors. Their action at that meeting in authorizing the assignment to Hug of the unexpired portion of the petitioner’s Gránite City contract, and in directing that the petitioner take on no new work or contracts except as necessary in connection with certain leases, and if at all possible the petitioner dispose of all its then outstanding contracts, claims, and accounts by December 31, 1944, was the beginning of the end of the petitioner’s war contract work. The end came on January 1, 1945, when the petitioner subcontracted to Hug the unexpired portion of its second Highland contract.

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Related

Zarkin v. United States
29 T.C. 642 (U.S. Tax Court, 1958)
Hug Co. v. War Contracts Price Adjustment Board
14 T.C. 621 (U.S. Tax Court, 1950)

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Bluebook (online)
14 T.C. 621, 1950 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 224, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hug-co-v-war-contracts-price-adjustment-board-tax-1950.