Ochsner v. Comm'r

2010 T.C. Memo. 122, 99 T.C.M. 1514, 2010 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 158
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 3, 2010
DocketDocket No. 20560-07.
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2010 T.C. Memo. 122 (Ochsner v. Comm'r) 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
Ochsner v. Comm'r, 2010 T.C. Memo. 122, 99 T.C.M. 1514, 2010 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 158 (tax 2010).

Opinion

UNITED STATES TAX COURT GLENN A. OCHSNER, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Ochsner v. Comm'r
Docket No. 20560-07.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 2010-122; 2010 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 158; 99 T.C.M. (CCH) 1514;
June 3, 2010, Filed
*158

Decision will be entered for respondent.

Anthony V. Diosdi, for petitioner.
Brooke S. Laurie, for respondent.
MARVEL, Judge.

MARVEL

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

MARVEL, Judge: In affected items notices of deficiency dated August 1, 2007, respondent determined that petitioner is liable for section 6662(a)1 accuracy-related penalties of $ 1,489, 2 $ 3,172, $ 1,792, and $ 2,694 for 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995, respectively. The initial issue is whether we have jurisdiction to redetermine the section 6662(a) penalties in this partner-level affected items proceeding. If we conclude that we do have jurisdiction, then we must decide whether respondent issued the affected items notices of deficiency within the applicable limitations period and, if so, whether petitioner is liable for the section 6662(a) accuracy-related penalties.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated. The stipulation of facts is incorporated herein by this reference. Petitioner *159 resided in California when he filed his petition.

During the years at issue petitioner was the chief financial officer for Merryvale Vineyards in St. Helena, California. Petitioner holds a bachelor's degree in math and a master's degree in business. Petitioner's education included courses in accounting.

Sometime in the early 1990s petitioner learned from a coworker about a family cattle and sheep ranching business operated by Walter J. Hoyt III (Hoyt Farms). In 1992 or 1993 petitioner attended a presentation in Burns, Oregon, where representatives of Hoyt Farms promoted investment in Hoyt cattle and sheep ranching partnerships. On the basis of his experience in Burns, Oregon, and his conversations with Hoyt partnership promoters and other Hoyt partnership investors, petitioner decided to invest in certain partnerships formed by Walter J. Hoyt III (Mr. Hoyt). Petitioner did not seek advice from an independent adviser who was not associated with Hoyt Farms before deciding to invest.

Petitioner invested as a partner in Shorthorn Genetic Engineering 1985-4 J.V. (Shorthorn Genetic), and made cash contributions to Shorthorn Genetic in each of the years 1993, 1994, and 1995. Petitioner also *160 became a partner in Durham Shorthorn Breed Syndicate 1987-E J.V. (Durham Shorthorn), for 1992, although he did not make any cash contribution to the partnership in 1992. Durham Shorthorn and Shorthorn Genetic were formed, operated, and promoted by Mr. Hoyt 3*161 and were subject to the unified partnership audit and litigation provisions enacted as part of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA), Pub. L. 97-248, sec. 402(a), 96 Stat. 648.

On January 3, 1994, Durham Shorthorn filed its Form 1065, U.S. Partnership Return of Income, for the taxable year ending on September 30, 1992. On July 21, 1994, July 20, 1995, and July 18, 1996, Shorthorn Genetic filed its Forms 1065 for the taxable years ending on September 30, 1993, 1994, and 1995, respectively.

On February 19, 1993, February 11, 1994, and January 10, 1996, respondent mailed prefiling notification letters to petitioner. Each of the letters contained the following paragraph:

You have been identified as a partner in a tax shelter partnership promoted by Walter J. Hoyt III. We believe that tax shelter deductions and/or credits from such tax shelter partnerships will not be allowable *162 and an examination will be conducted when the returns are filed.

Each letter also warned petitioner that the Internal Revenue Code provides for the application of accuracy-related penalties under section 6662 in appropriate cases.

Despite the warnings contained in the prefiling notification letters, petitioner filed tax returns for each of the years 1992-95 that claimed his distributive share of losses from the Hoyt partnerships in which he was a partner. Hoyt Farms had recommended that petitioner use its in-house tax service (Hoyt tax service) to prepare his Federal income tax returns, and petitioner followed that advice. On his 1992 Federal income tax return, which was prepared by the Hoyt tax service and filed on August 19, 1993, petitioner deducted a $ 34,768 partnership loss attributable to his partnership interest in Durham Shorthorn. On his Federal income tax returns for 1993, 1994, and 1995, which were prepared by the Hoyt tax service and filed on August 11, 1994, August 4, 1995, 4 and September 13, 1996, respectively, petitioner deducted partnership losses of $ 68,150, $ 71,919, and $ 88,231, respectively, attributable to his investment in Shorthorn Genetic. Petitioner did not

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Bluebook (online)
2010 T.C. Memo. 122, 99 T.C.M. 1514, 2010 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 158, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ochsner-v-commr-tax-2010.