Mittleman v. Commissioner

56 T.C. 171, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 144
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedApril 26, 1971
DocketDocket No. 858-68
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 56 T.C. 171 (Mittleman 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
Mittleman v. Commissioner, 56 T.C. 171, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 144 (tax 1971).

Opinion

Simpson, Judge:

The respondent determined a deficiency of $11,-907.56 in the petitioner’s 1963 Federal income tax. The issue for decision is whether the petitioner realized a gain, which is taxable as ordinary income, as a result of the termination of a contract by which he was to sell certain stock.

FINDINGS OP PACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated, and those facts are so found.

The petitioners, Meyer Mittleman and Paula Mittleman, are husband and wife, who maintained their residence in Teaneek, N.J., at the time of filing their petition in this case. They filed their joint 1963 Federal income tax return with the district director of internal revenue, Newark, N. J. Mr. Mittleman will be referred to as the petitioner.

Prior to 1948, the petitioner, Abe Gottlieb, and others engaged in the business of manufacturing optical frames. To conduct such business, certain corporations (the corporations) were formed, of which the petitioner, Mr. Gottlieb, and two others were the sole shareholders.

In 1948, the petitioner, Mr. Gottlieb, and the two other shareholders entered into a shareholders’ agreement to restrict the sale of stock of the corporations. Under the terms of such agreement, in the event that one of the shareholders wished to sell his stock, it was necessary that he first offer such stock to the corporation, then to the remaining shareholders. Under the agreement, the purchase price of any stock sold was to be the book value of such stock computed in accordance with certain adjustments delineated therein.

Prior to 1962, the other shareholders sold their interests in the corporations, and on January 1 of such year, the petitioner and Mr. Gottlieb each, owned 50 percent of the stock of each of the corporations. On May 7,1962, the petitioner entered into an agreement (May agreement) with Mr. Gottlieb whereby the petitioner was to purchase Mr. Gottlieb’s stock in the corporations. Such agreement called for a purchase price of $210,000 to be paid $60,000 at the time of the execution of the agreement, and the balance to be paid by the execution of 11 promissory notes which became due seriatim, the final one in November 1963. As collateral, the entire stock of the corporations was to be placed in the hands of an escrow agent. Such stock was to be delivered to the petitioner upon payment of the entire amount of the purchase price. Pending such payment, the entire stock of the corporations was subject to be sold by Mr. Gottlieb in the event of default by the petitioner. Allan Glassman and Lester Mittleman, the petitioner’s son, who were not parties to the shareholders’ agreement, were made parties to the May agreement solely for the purpose of guaranteeing the petitioner’s performance. Paragraph 6 of such agreement provided:

A1 Glassman and Lester Mittleman do hereby acknowledge that Gottlieb enters into this contract in reliance upon their joint and several guarantees, as evidenced on the notes executed simultaneously herewith. To further induce Gottlieb to sell to Meyer and accept the notes in part payment thereof, they have acknowledged that benefits will flow to them under employment contracts between them and the Corporations herein involved, and that they have executed, or are about to execute, an option to purchase some or all of the stock herewith sold by Gottlieb .to Meyer.

The agreement was signed by the petitioner and Mr. Gottlieb on the right side of the page as parties thereto; it was also signed by Mr. Glassman and Lester Mittleman, but their signatures appeared on the ] eft side of the page below those of the parties.

Also, on May 1,1962, a Memorandum of Agreement (memorandum) was signed by the petitioner, Mr. Glassman, and Lester Mittleman. The memorandum recited that Mr. Gottlieb was selling his stock in the corporations and that Mr. Glassman and Lester Mittleman were purchasing such stock with the assistance of the petitioner. Mr. Gott-lieb was not a party to the memorandum. The purchase price of one 25-percent interest was $105,000. By the terms of the memorandum, each of the parties was to pay one-third of the downpayment due to Mr. Gottlieb under the May agreement and one-third of the amount due under each of the notes. Upon completion of the payments to Mr. Gottlieb, Mr. Glassman and Lester Mittleman were each to pay back to the petitioner any amounts paid by him toward the purchase of the stock; and upon completion of such payments to the petitioner, each was to have an option to purchase 8y3 percent of the petitioner’s half interest in the corporations. The payments on the notes by Mr. Glassman and Lester Mittleman were to come from their earnings from the corporations. Neither Mr. Glassman or Lester Mittleman were to become stockholders in the corporations until the entire purchase price had been paid to Mr. Gottlieb.

The memorandum also stated that Mr. Glassman would put up $15,000 in cash at the time of the initial payment to Mr. Gottlieb, an additional $10,000 within 90 days after such initial payment, and an additional $5,000 within 30 days after the termination of the 90-day period. Upon default of such payments, the petitioner was to keep as liquidated damages the initial $15,000 cash payment, and in such event, all agreements between Mr. Glassman and either the petitioner or the corporations concerning either the subject matter of the memorandum or Mr. Glassman’s employment by the corporations were terminated. The petitioner was to hold Mr. Glassman harmless from any liability to Mr. Gottlieb. The memorandum further stated that under certain employment contracts with the corporations, Mr. Glass-man was to have a salary of $15,000 per annum with additional amounts credited to his account for payment to Mr. Gottlieb. In the event Mr. Glassman left the employment of the corporations after his initial $30,000 cash payment was made but before he had completed payment for 25 percent of the stock, paragraph 3 of the memorandum provided:

If Allan leaves employment voluntarily he is to receive his cash bach plus % of any additional funds set aside as additional earnings to his credit. * * *

Within 4 months after the execution of the memorandum, Mr. Glass-man paid $30,000 as his share of the initial payment to Mr. Gottlieb, and by August 29, 1963, Mr. Glassman paid $30,600 as his share of the payments on the promissory notes to Mr. Gottlieb.

Sometime prior to August 27, 1963, Mr. Glassman decided to leave the employ of the corporations, and on that date, the petitioner and Mr. Glassman entered into an agreement (August agreement), which provided in part:

Whereas, pursuant to the terms of said [memorandum of] agreement Allan has been purchasing from Meyer a portion of Meyer’s stock interest in the various corporations, * * *
Whereas, Paragraph 3 of said [memorandum of] agreement grants to Allan the privilege of voluntarily leaving the employ of the various corporations upon condition that he sell to Meyer his full and complete interest in the shares of the various corporations which he had theretofore purchased, at a purchase price set forth in said agreement * * *
Whereas, Allan hereby formally gives notice of his voluntary withdrawal from the employ of the various corporations * * *

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Mittleman v. Commissioner
56 T.C. 171 (U.S. Tax Court, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
56 T.C. 171, 1971 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 144, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mittleman-v-commissioner-tax-1971.