In re the Estate of Roth

6 N.J. Tax 455
CourtNew Jersey Tax Court
DecidedMay 25, 1984
StatusPublished

This text of 6 N.J. Tax 455 (In re the Estate of Roth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Estate of Roth, 6 N.J. Tax 455 (N.J. Super. Ct. 1984).

Opinion

LASSER, P.J.T.C.

Taxpayer Rose Marie Meyer contests a determination by the Director of the Division of Taxation that deferral of repayment of the principal of three mortgage loans by decedent Mary E. Roth shortly before her death constitutes a transfer to taxpayer in contemplation of death, and that the value of the transfer is taxable under the Transfer Inheritance Tax Act, N.J.S.A. 54:33-1 et seq. The Director valued the transfer at $34,193 and imposed a transfer tax of $5,129 on taxpayer.

Mary E. Roth died on September 3, 1981. Her last will was dated February 12, 1981. Her beneficiaries were her brother, G. Fred Roth, and her niece, Eleanor R. Zweifel. An agreement between decedent and taxpayer dated March 16, 1981 deferred taxpayer’s repayment of the principal of the three mortgage loans until taxpayer’s death, or until taxpayer no longer occupied premises known as 256 Skylands Road, Ring-wood, New Jersey.

The Skylands Road property had been purchased by taxpayer and her husband, William Meyer, on December 28, 1962. On January 26, 1963 they gave a $13,300 mortgage on the property [457]*457to William’s parents to secure loans by his parents to purchase the house.

Thereafter taxpayer became friendly with decedent, a retired school teacher who was her neighbor. Taxpayer assisted decedent in caring for Florence Cummings, an invalid, retired school teacher who lived with decedent. When decedent and taxpayer could no longer care for Cummings, she was placed in a nursing home, leaving decedent alone in her house. Taxpayer offered to take decedent into taxpayer’s home. Decedent accepted this offer, moved in with taxpayer and put her house on the market. Decedent’s house was sold on November 26, 1973 for $45,500. To provide for her comfort in taxpayer’s home, decedent arranged and paid $16,000 for the construction of an approximately 25' by 25' addition to taxpayer’s house.

Taxpayer alleges that she and decedent had an oral understanding that decedent could live rent free with her. Taxpayer explained that it was their understanding over the years that decedent could continue to live in the house if taxpayer died first, that taxpayer could live in the house for the rest of her life if decedent died first, and that upon the death of the survivor, the house would go to decedent’s heirs. Taxpayer testified that she so provided in her will and she believed that decedent’s will contained reciprocal provisions until decedent changed her will in February 1981.

Taxpayer soon became aware that marital problems with her husband could jeopardize decedent’s investment in the addition to taxpayer’s house in the event of a divorce, because decedent had no documentary evidence of her interest in taxpayer’s house. On September 18, 1974 taxpayer gave decedent a note and mortgage in the amount of $16,000 to evidence decedent’s investment in taxpayer’s house. On April 10, 1975, in order to avoid a threat of foreclosure, decedent purchased the mortgage on the house held by William Meyer’s parents for $15,627. Decedent advanced additional sums for house repairs, and taxpayer executed a note and mortgage on May 28, 1975 in the [458]*458sum of $12,500 as evidence of these advances. The mortgage loans secured by the house and owed to decedent amounted to:

1. September 18, 1974 — house addition mortgage $16,000
2. April 10, 1975 — assignment of original $13,300 mortgage, plus an amount which presumably was accrued interest to date of assignment 15,627
3. May 28, 1975 — mortgage for additional funds advanced 12,500
Total $44,127

William Meyer conveyed his interest in the house to taxpayer on July 12, 1976. Taxpayer and William Meyer were divorced on July 22, 1976. On August 18, 1976, decedent and taxpayer entered into an agreement under which any and all interest on the three mortgage loans was forgiven. Taxpayer and decedent lived together in harmony until a fire destroyed taxpayer’s house on Friday, July 13, 1979. Decedent went to live with her niece, Eleanor. Taxpayer offered decedent the fire insurance procéeds, but decedent refused, saying the proceeds should be used to rebuild the house. Taxpayer testified that decedent intended to return to live with her when the house was rebuilt.

Apparently the house was not sufficiently rebuilt by 1981 to enable decedent to return. On February 12, 1981 decedent made a new will, leaving her entire estate to her brother and niece. Decedent executed an agreement with taxpayer on March 16,1981, modifying the August 18, 1976 interest-forgiveness agreement by providing that no demand for payment of the principal of the three mortgage loans would be made during taxpayer’s lifetime or for as long as she occupied the premises. Later in 1981 decedent became ill, underwent surgery, left the hospital and went to her brother’s home. She died shortly thereafter on September 3, 1981. At her death she was 82 and taxpayer was 48. The three mortgages on taxpayer’s house were the principal assets of the estate.

[459]*459The Director regarded the March 16, 1981 agreement as the creation of a life estate in taxpayer and a transfer in contemplation of death. He valued this life estate at $34,193, using the life expectancy table specified in N.J.S.A. 54:36-2, and taxed this interest at the 15%, non-relative, beneficiary rate, for a tax of $5,129.

Taxpayer contends that:

1. The March 16, 1981 agreement was not a transfer in contemplation of death made within three years of death, but a memorialization of a prior agreement that both taxpayer and decedent could live in the house for their lives and that the survivor would bequeath the house to decedent’s heirs.

2. In the alternative, if the transfer were taxable as a transfer in contemplation of death, its value would be $1,100, not $34,193.

The three mortgages originally were given to or acquired by decedent to protect her legal right to monies she invested in taxpayer’s house. It is alleged that there was an understanding of mutual help that existed between the two women over the years. However, between 1974 and 1981 their practice was to reduce their understandings to writing with the assistance of an attorney. These took the form of two mortgages given by taxpayer to decedent, an agreement of August 18, 1976 forgiving all interest on the mortgages, as well as reciprocal wills and an agreement of March 16, 1981 deferring mortgage loan principal repayment. The reciprocal wills were not submitted in evidence but, if there were reciprocal wills, such an arrangement would be a transfer taking effect upon death. Care was taken to provide documentary evidence of the transactions between taxpayer and decedent. The advances were acknowledged to be loans and were evidenced by notes and mortgages. The August 18, 1976 agreement went no further than to forgive all interest. There is no evidence of the intent at that time to create a life estate or waive repayment of principal for life, although such provisions could have been made a part of that agreement. Later, the rejection of the [460]*460proffer of the fire insurance proceeds raised the issue again, but resulted not in the creation of a life estate but merely a suggestion that the proceeds not be repaid at that time but rather be used to rebuild taxpayer’s house.1

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Related

In Re Estate of Lichtenstein
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Bluebook (online)
6 N.J. Tax 455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-roth-njtaxct-1984.