Kenney v. Commissioner

37 T.C. 1161, 1962 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 164
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 29, 1962
DocketDocket No. 87417
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 37 T.C. 1161 (Kenney v. Commissioner) 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
Kenney v. Commissioner, 37 T.C. 1161, 1962 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 164 (tax 1962).

Opinion

Dkennen, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in income tax due from petitioners for the years 1956, 1951, and 1958 in the respective amounts of $2,096.49, $4,984.28, and $1,626.86.

The issues for decision are:

(1) Whether this Court has jurisdiction over the proceeding, and this issue depends in turn upon whether respondent issued a valid statutory notice of deficiency to petitioners; and

(2) Whether amounts received by petitioner Edward A. Kenney (hereafter sometimes called Edward) pursuant to an “Agency Termination and Business Purchase Agreement” which he entered into with Educators Mutual Life Insurance Company 1 (hereafter sometimes called Educators) represent gain from the sale of a capital asset or ordinary income.

FINDINGS OF FACT.

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are found accordingly.

Edward is an individual residing at 750 Hilltop Road, Springfield, Pennsylvania. Helen V. Kenney (hereafter called Helen), now deceased, whose estate is also a petitioner in this proceeding, was until her death on January 6, 1960, the wife of Edward and resided at 750 Hilltop Road, Springfield, Pennsylvania. Edward was appointed administrator c.t.a. of the estate of Helen on May 23, 1960.

Edward and Helen filed joint Federal income tax returns for the years 1956-1958 with the district director of internal revenue at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Edward has been in the insurance business since 1919. He was with a casualty and bonding company until 1948 when he became associated with a general agency in Philadelphia. He assisted in forming a special risk department for that agency, with which he was associated until 1952 when he formed his own general agency.

On January 31, 1952, Edward and Educators entered into a contract by which Edward became a general agent for Educators. This agreement provided that Edward was not an employee of Educators but was an independent contractor; that he was to procure and transmit to Educators applications for health, accident, and hospitalization group insurance for campers’ medical expense, campers’ or camp proprietors’ tuition refund, special trip coverage, students’ medical expense, students’ or school proprietors’ tuition refund, and sports coverage; and that the agreement was terminable upon either party’s giving 30 days’ written notice (in case of notice in April, May, or June, 60 days were required) thereof. In the event of termination the contract provided as follows, this being the only provision in the contract with respect to disposition of property of the agency in such event:

(c) Upon cancellation or termination of this contract nnder the provisions either of this paragraph or of Paragraph 1, Agent shall immediately return to Company all policy forms, blanks, supplies and property which it has furnished for transaction of business hereunder, and which are in his or his sub-agent’s possession or control.

Provisions were set forth covering the commissions that Edward was to receive from the premiums for various types of policies, and the parties agreed that, since each policy which Edward was to write was for, at most, a 1-year term, no policies written by Edward would be considered “renewals” and all commissions would be computed on initial premiums, there being no different commission schedule for renewals. Except for certain descriptive literature for each type of policy, Edward was to pay for all publicity material himself. Edward could not transfer, assign, or dispose of any interest in the general agency contract, except with the written consent of Educators. With certain exceptions, Edward’s agency was to be exclusive as to Edward.

The policies which Edward was to procure for Educators were “special risk” types, that is, they were accident and health policies for campers and students, covering short-term athletic group trips, youth activities, and the period of attendance at camps and schools. Such policies are not available from all companies which provide health and accident insurance.

From 1952 through 1956, Edward, as a general insurance agent, procured insurance policies for companies other than Educators, pertaining to fire, casualty, flood, accident, and health. He also procured special risk policies for companies other than Educators, although for 1956, premiums for Educators’ special risk policies accounted for at least 98.1 percent of the total premiums collected on special risk policies by Edward.

Edward obtained “special risk” business from other agents or brokers whose clients might have need for such coverage, and Edward paid such agents or brokers a portion of his commissions for business which came to him through them. Edward was well acquainted with agents and brokers in Philadelphia and through membership in professional associations and by personal contacts, he publicized the fact that he was engaged in writing special risk accident and health policies with which other agents and brokers were not familiar. Other insurance men came to know that he was specializing in special risk insurance and many brought their business directly to him. Also, Edward contacted camp and school officials, acquainting them with his specialized policies. Even though Edward’s business may have come to him directly from agents or brokers, he came to know the insured clients in almost every instance, since he was often called upon to advise them about their coverage from time to time.

About 50 percent of Edward’s business involved other agents and brokers.

While acting as general agent for Educators, Edward would forward a copy of each policy of insurance he issued on Educators’ behalf to Educators’ home office and would also retain a copy thereof in his own files.

Edward maintained files and records showing the names of agents and brokers, together with the names of their clients, in cases where business had come to him through other agents and brokers. The names of such agents and brokers were not generally given to Educators. Edward also kept memoranda of discussions and correspondence with insureds in his files which were not given to Educators, nor was Educators supplied with information as to the particular persons with whom Edward dealt at any of the insureds.

About two-thirds of Edward’s business as a general agent was in special risk accident and health insurance; about one-third was in fire, theft, and casualty insurance and bond business. For the taxable year 1956, Edward reported net income of $12,339.25 from his insurance business.

In March 1956 an officer of Educators approached Edward with the idea of buying his insurance business. The officer later found that Edward had been approached by others who wanted to buy the special risk accident and health business, and this fact gave Educators some concern. In November 1956 the officer of Educators offered Edward $30,000 for his insurance business and employment with Educators with compensation of $12,000 per year plus a bonus on premiums. The $30,000 figure was based on the premium income flowing from Edward’s business.

Edward rejected this offer and counteroffered with a sales price of $40,000 and a salary of $15,000 plus a bonus.

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

Related

Schelble v. Commissioner
130 F.3d 1388 (Tenth Circuit, 1997)
Schelble v. Commissioner
1996 T.C. Memo. 269 (U.S. Tax Court, 1996)
Patterson v. Commissioner
1985 T.C. Memo. 53 (U.S. Tax Court, 1985)
Estate of Taracido v. Commissioner
72 T.C. 1014 (U.S. Tax Court, 1979)
Bacon v. Commissioner
1977 T.C. Memo. 52 (U.S. Tax Court, 1977)
Camous v. Commissioner
67 T.C. 721 (U.S. Tax Court, 1977)
Baldarelli v. Commissioner
61 T.C. No. 5 (U.S. Tax Court, 1973)
Lucas v. Commissioner
58 T.C. 1022 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)
Kinney v. Commissioner
58 T.C. 1038 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)
Tomlinson v. Commissioner
58 T.C. 570 (U.S. Tax Court, 1972)
Miller v. Commissioner
56 T.C. 636 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)
Estate of Clarke v. Commissioner
54 T.C. 1149 (U.S. Tax Court, 1970)
Johnson v. Commissioner
53 T.C. 414 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
Foxe v. Commissioner
53 T.C. 21 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
S. S. Ballin Agency, Inc. v. Commissioner
1969 T.C. Memo. 203 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
International Life Ins. Co. v. Commissioner
51 T.C. 765 (U.S. Tax Court, 1969)
Thoms v. Commissioner
50 T.C. 247 (U.S. Tax Court, 1968)
Lutz v. Commissioner
45 T.C. 615 (U.S. Tax Court, 1966)
Luna v. Commissioner
42 T.C. 1067 (U.S. Tax Court, 1964)
Thompson v. Commissioner
1964 T.C. Memo. 198 (U.S. Tax Court, 1964)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
37 T.C. 1161, 1962 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 164, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kenney-v-commissioner-tax-1962.