Indiana Department of State Revenue v. Keenan

42 N.E.3d 1056, 2015 Ind. Tax LEXIS 60, 2015 WL 5771135
CourtIndiana Tax Court
DecidedSeptember 30, 2015
DocketNo. 71T10-1211-TA-00074
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 42 N.E.3d 1056 (Indiana Department of State Revenue v. Keenan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Indiana Department of State Revenue v. Keenan, 42 N.E.3d 1056, 2015 Ind. Tax LEXIS 60, 2015 WL 5771135 (Ind. Super. Ct. 2015).

Opinion

FISHER, Senior Judge.

The Indiana Department of State Revenue, Inheritance Tax Division appeals the St. Joseph Probate Court’s order that determined that the Estate of Judd Leighton timely filed with the Department its claim for refund of inheritance tax paid. The sole issue before the Court is whether the Probate Court erred in making that determination. The Court finds that the Probate Court did indeed err.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Mary Leighton died on March 16, 2001. Prior to her death, Mary created a revocable trust that in turn created a marital deduction trust for the benefit of her husband, Judd, who survived (“the Marital Trust”).

After Mary’s death, a. dispute concerning the management and disposition of certain assets within her estate arose between several of her heirs and Judd. Litigation ensued in the Probate Court. (See, e.g., Appellant’s App. at 273-74.) On December 19, 2005, while that litigation was still pending, Judd died.

On September 11, 2006, Judd’s Estate filed a petition for extension of time to file its Indiana inheritance tax return.1 The Probate Court granted the petition, ex[1058]*1058tending the time for Judd’s Estate .to file its return to'March 19, 2007. Nonetheless, Judd’s Estate remitted an estimated inheritance tax payment, in' the amount of $1,375 million, tó the St. Joseph County Treasurer on September 15, 2006.2 (Appellant’s App. at 249-50.)

On March 15, 2007, Judd’s Estate filed its Indiana inheritance tax return with the Probate Court. The return reported an Indiana inheritance tax liability of $1,317,801 and claimed a refund of $57,199,3 (Appellant’s App. at 248.) The return also indicated that a final adjudication in the pending litigation' between Mary’s heirs and Judd’s Estate could possibly impact the amount' of inheritance tax Judd’s Estate actually owed. (See Appellant’s App.. at 273-74.)

On March 19, 2007, the Probate Court issued an “Order Determining Inheritance Tax Due” (Order), accepting the return of Judd’s Estate as filed, (See Appellant’s App. at 276-80.) The Probate Court then forwarded the inheritance tax return to the Department. The Department did not challenge the Probate Court’s Order; it did, however, file an appearance as an intervening party in the pending Probate Court litigation between Mary’s heirs and Judd’s Estate because it was “interested in [its] outcome .. ■. and its implications on the Indiana inheritance tax due by [Judd’s E]state.” (Appellant’s Br. at 5; Appellant’s App. at 17-18; Appellees’ App. at 3-4, 15.) In January of 2009, Mary’s heirs and Judd’s Estate settled their litigation with the approval of the Probate Court. (See Appellees’ App. at 19-21.)

On February 18, 2010, the Internal Revenue Service sent a Notice of Deficiency to Judd’s Estate assessing it- with an additional federal estate tax liability. (See Ap-pellees’ App. 23 ¶ 3.) The Notice of Deficiency was based on the IRS’s belief that Judd’s Estate used an improper methodology to calculate the fair market value of Judd’s interest in the Marital Trust. (See Appellees’ App. 23 ¶ 3.) Judd’s Estate filed a petition in the United States Tax Court on May 18, 2010, challenging the additional federal estate tax assessment. (See Appel-lees’ App. 24 ¶ 4.)

While the federal litigation was pending, Judd’s Estate discovered that when Mary’s estate filed its Indiana inheritance tax return, it did not elect QTIP status for the Marital Trust transfer even though it elected such status for federal estate tax purposes.4 (See, e.g., Appellant’s App. at 28-29 ¶¶ 7-9, 282.) Consequently, Indiana inheritance tax had ultimately been paid twice on the transfer of the Marital Trust property: once by Mary’s estate and then again by Judd’s Estate. (See, e.g., Appellant’s App. at 29 ¶ 10,174, 282,) < ■

In April of 2011, Judd’s Estate and the IRS resolved their issue regarding the proper valuation of Judd’s interest in the Marital Trust and filed a stipulation of settlement with the United States -Tax Court. (See Appellant’s App. at 288-90; Appellees’ App. at 24 ¶ 6.) Their stipulation agreement recognized that in calculating its federal estate tax liability, Judd’s Es[1059]*1059tate was entitled to take a deduction equal to the amount it paid in Indiana inheritance taxes. (See Appellant’s App. at 289 ¶ 5.) Accordingly, to the extent Judd’s Estate indicated that it was attempting to recover its payment of Indiana inheritance tax related to the QTIP issue, the IRS agreed to keep the federal matter open until the refund issue had been resolved with the Department. (See Appellant’s App. at 289-90 ¶¶ 5-6.)

On August 9, 2011, Judd’s Estate filed a claim with the Department seeking a refund of $644,998, which incorporated the refund of $57,199 as initially claimed on its inheritance tax return as well as the $587,799 of Indiana inheritance tax it paid relating to the QTIP issue. (Appellant’s App. at 281-96.) The Department denied the refund claim on the basis that it had not been timely filed. (Appellant’s App. at 297.)

On November 22, 2011, Judd’s Estate filed a “Complaint For Refund of Overpayment of Tax” with the Probate Court. (Appellant’s App. at 27-35.) The Department subsequently moved to dismiss the Complaint, arguing that because the refund claim had not been timely filed, the Probate Court lacked subject matter jurisdiction. (See Appellant’s App. at 41-51.) Judd’s Estate responded with a motion for summary judgment, claiming that it was entitled to judgment as a matter of law because it did timely file its refund claim with the Department. (See Appellant’s App. at 214-29.)

On October 15, 2012, the Probate Court conducted a hearing on the parties’ motions. The Probate Court, ruling from the bench, denied the Department’s motion to dismiss and granted summary judgment in favor of the Estate. (See Probate Court Hr’g Tr. at 45.)

The Department appealed to this Court on November 20, 2012. The Court heard oral argument on April 12, 2013. Additional facts will be supplied as necessary.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

The Indiana Tax Court acts as a true appellate tribunal when it reviews an appeal of a probate court’s determination concerning a claim for refund of inheritance tax. Ind.Code § 6-4.1-10-5 (2015); In re Estate of Young, 851 N.E.2d 393, 395 (Ind. Tax Ct.2006). Accordingly, while the Court will afford the Probate-Court great deference in its role as the finder of fact, it will review its legal conclusions de novo. In re Estate of Young, 851 N.E.2d at 395.

LAW

Indiana Code § 6-4.1-Í0-1 governs claims for'refund'of Indiana inheritance taxes paid. When Judd’s Estate filed its claim for refund of inhéritance tax with the Department, the statute read as follows:

A person may file with the department of state revenue a claim for the refund of inheritance or Indiana estate tax which has been erroneously or illegally collected. Except as provided in section 2 of this chapter,

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42 N.E.3d 1056, 2015 Ind. Tax LEXIS 60, 2015 WL 5771135, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/indiana-department-of-state-revenue-v-keenan-indtc-2015.