Huszagh v. D'AMICO

846 F. Supp. 1352, 73 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1520, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2518, 1994 WL 91231
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedMarch 3, 1994
Docket90 C 6787, 90 C 6788
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 846 F. Supp. 1352 (Huszagh v. D'AMICO) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Huszagh v. D'AMICO, 846 F. Supp. 1352, 73 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1520, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2518, 1994 WL 91231 (N.D. Ill. 1994).

Opinion

*1354 MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

MORAN, Chief Judge.

This case originated in two actions filed in Illinois state court, In the Matter of the Estate of Dorothea W. Huszagh, 89 P 208 (Circuit Court, Lake County), and R.L. Huszagh v. D’Amico et al., 89 MR 396 (Circuit Court, DuPage County). The government intervened in the above two actions and *1355 the cases were removed to this court and consolidated. The government filed its complaints in intervention to reduce to judgment the unpaid individual income tax liabilities of Dorothea W. Huszagh for the 1984 tax year and to foreclose on certain tax liens against Mrs. Huszagh’s property, including property transferred to R.L. Huszagh after the liens attached. Before this court now is the government’s motion for summary judgment. For the reasons stated below, the motion is granted, except with respect to certain penalties.

FACTS

Dorothea Huszagh was 88 years old in 1985, when her 1984 tax return was due. Because of her advanced age she did not maintain adequate records of her investments and income. She occasionally became confused and was very forgetful. On April 15, 1985, Mrs. Huszagh filed a Form 4868 requesting an extension of time to file her 1984 tax return. In July 1985, Mrs. Huszagh fell and broke several ribs, causing her great pain and making breathing difficult. Her son, Ralph Huszagh, tried to secure the documents necessary to prepare her return but was hindered by Mrs. Huszagh’s age and physical condition. On August 15, 1985, she filed a Form 2688 requesting additional time to file. On September 16, 1985, Ralph Huszagh filed a second Form 2688 requesting additional time to file because of his mother’s health problems and his difficulty in locating the records necessary to prepare a full return. On September 23, 1985, Ralph Huszagh filed a third Form 2688, stating that he had prepared a draft return but that his mother indicated that there were additional reports of interest and dividends that were not listed on the return. He also stated that his mother was ill and unable to properly assist in the preparation of the return. On September 30, 1985, Ralph Huszagh filed a return on behalf of his mother. On this return was a note which stated that the return was incomplete and that it would be amended once verification of additional income was received. Ralph Huszagh never followed up on amending the return and it was selected for audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Dorothea Huszagh’s return omitted substantial royalty and dividend income. On June 12, 1987, the IRS informed Mrs. Huszagh that its audit revealed that certain adjustments to her 1984 return were necessary and that her case would be processed, based on these findings, if she failed to respond within 30 days. Mrs. Huszagh did not respond to this letter. On February 16, 1988, the IRS issued a notice of deficiency letter which stated that Mrs. Huszagh owed an additional $104,052.00 in tax, plus substantial penalties. Mrs. Huszagh was given 90 days to file a petition with the Tax. Court for a redetermination of the deficiency. She did not do so. On July 4,1988, the IRS assessed an audit deficiency in the amount of $104,-052.00 against Mrs. Huszagh. In addition, penalties were assessed as follows: $25,-320.28 for negligence, $4,546.25 for delinquency, $26,013.00 for substantial understatement of taxes, and $8,164.38 in interest on the substantial understatement.

At the time of the determination of the deficiency and the issuance of the letters by the IRS, Dorothea Huszagh’s health had begun to deteriorate to the point where she could no longer attend to her personal affairs. Soon thereafter, on April 13, 1989, a petition was brought in the Lake County Circuit Court for a determination that Dorothea Huszagh was a disabled person. The court found that Mrs. Huszagh was unable to care for her personal and financial affairs and appointed her daughter, Diane D’Amico, as her guardian. On July 12, 1991, D’Amico filed a request for abatement of penalties on behalf of Dorothea Huszagh with the Justice Department’s Tax Division. The Tax Division has submitted the matter to this court for a determination.

From July 1988 to March 1989, Dorothea Huszagh transferred a number of oil and gas properties as gifts to three of her children: R.L. Huszagh, Richard Huszagh and Diane D’Amico. After she was appointed guardian, D’Amico returned to her mother’s estate the properties transferred to her and brought an action in the Circuit Court of Lake County to, among other things, recover the properties transferred by her mother to R.L. *1356 Huszagh and Richard Huszagh in'-the nine months prior to Dorothea Huszagh’s adjudicated, disability. On'September 8,1989, R.L. Huszagh filed a “Petition for Termination of Guardianship, Dismissal of Petition for Citation to Recover Property and to Quash Citation as to Property and Other Relief’ .(petition to terminate) in the Lake County proceedings, which have now been transferred to this court.

The government has moved for summary judgment on the grounds that (1) Dorothea Huszagh is indebted to the United States for her unpaid tax liabilities, including penalties and interest to date; 1 (2) it has priority in regard to the federal tax liens as against R.L. Huszagh, who was'given certain oil and gas properties by Dorothea Huszagh after the date of the assessment; and (8) that it is entitled to foreclose its liens upon the oil and gas- interests transferred to R.L. Huszagh, have those properties sold in a judicial sale, and receive the proceeds therefrom.

DISCUSSION

In deciding a motion for summary judgment the court must read, all facts in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); Richardson v. Penfold, 839 F.2d 392, 394 (7th Cir.1988). The facts recited above reflect this standard. Summary judgment is appropriate where the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is.entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Renovitch v. Kaufman, 905 F.2d 1040, 1044 (7th Cir.1990).

I. Dorothea Huszagh’s Tax Liabilities

A. Validity of Taxes Assessed

The IRS made an assessment against Dorothea Huszagh on July 4, 1988, finding that there was a deficiency in her 1984. return and imposing penalties and interest thereon. To demonstrate that valid assessments were made against Huszagh, the government has submitted a certificate of assessments and payments, which identifies the taxpayer, her social security number, the assessment date, the amount of the deficiency, additions- to tax and interest, and the tax period (1984).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Dracopoulos
N.D. California, 2023
Petersen v. Commissioner
1995 T.C. Memo. 212 (U.S. Tax Court, 1995)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
846 F. Supp. 1352, 73 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1520, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2518, 1994 WL 91231, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/huszagh-v-damico-ilnd-1994.