O'Mealia Research & Development, Inc. v. Commissioner

64 T.C. 491, 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 121
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 26, 1975
DocketDocket No. 7003-73
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 64 T.C. 491 (O'Mealia Research & Development, Inc. 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
O'Mealia Research & Development, Inc. v. Commissioner, 64 T.C. 491, 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 121 (tax 1975).

Opinion

Quealy, Judge:

The respondent has determined deficiencies in the income tax of O’Mealia Research & Development, Inc., for the fiscal years ending October 31, 1969, and October 31, 1970, in the amounts of $47,957 and $53,971.

Due to concessions by the parties, the sole question remaining for decision is whether petitioner is barred by section 269(a)(2)2 from utilizing net operating losses incurred during its fiscal years 1964 through 1967 against profits realized in its fiscal years ending 1969 and 1970 where such profits were attributable to assets acquired by petitioner in 1968 through its parent corporation, O’Mealia Outdoor Advertising Corp. (hereinafter referred to as O’Mealia).

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated. Such facts and the exhibits attached thereto are incorporated herein by this reference.

O’Mealia Research & Development, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as petitioner), is a New Jersey corporation whose principal place of business at the time of the filing of the petition herein was Jersey City, N.J. Petitioner timely filed its Federal corporate income tax returns for the fiscal years ending October 31, 1967, through October 31, 1970, with the District Director of Internal Revenue, Newark, N.J.

Petitioner was incorporated in 1963. From its inception until June of 1968, petitioner was engaged in the business of experimenting and developing various outdoor advertising devices that included lighting fixtures adaptable for use in outdoor advertising signs for illumination purposes, development of a photographic process to copy advertising copy that could be applied directly to outdoor advertising signs thus reducing the need for hand-painting, and development of a coordinated direct mail and outdoor advertising promotion scheme.

The issued and outstanding stock of petitioner was initially held and owned in the following proportions:

Percent
Endre Fazekas_ 25
Thomas J. Nokes- 19
Joseph Barrett_ 5
O’Mealia_L_ 51
100

In 1967, as a result of various acquisitions not relevant herein, O’Mealia became the owner of all the outstanding stock of petitioner.

O’Mealia was incorporated on May 1, 1954. At all times pertinent herein, it was engaged in the outdoor advertising business. Its business encompassed the erection and rental of poster panels, painted bulletin boards, and painted outdoor advertising displays, all of which required the periodic painting of advertising copy by the company’s employees.

As of December 31,1967, the following individuals owned and held all the issued and outstanding stock of O’Mealia:

Stockholder Number of shares
Harry O’Mealia_ 4,370.75
Annette Daley_ 2,222.75
Grace Nokes_ 2,222.75
Hugh F. McLaughlin_ 2,211.75
Irene V. Malone_ 1,872.00
Thomas J. Nokes_ 1.00
George Hagemiester- 1.00
Martin J. Loftus_ 1.00
Total issued and outstanding shares_ 12,903.00

Subsequently, in 1968, 2 other shares of stock of O’Mealia were issued, one each to August Barberi and John M. Stanton.

During the years in question, Harry O’Mealia was the president and chief executive officer of O’Mealia. Annette Daley and Grace Nokes were his sisters. Hugh F. McLaughlin was his nephew, Irene V. Malone, his aunt, and Thomas J. Nokes, his brother-in-law. George Hagemiester, John M. Stanton, Martin J. Loftus, and August W. Barberi were noOelated by blood or marriage to any of the other shareholders of O’Mealia.

On August 15, 1968, O’Mealia entered into an agreement with Outdoor Displays, a partnership, for the purchase of all its assets for the sum of $150,000. The agreement was effective as of June 1,1968. Outdoor Displays was engaged in the business of leasing, maintaining, and renting bulletin boards and signs for outdoor advertising. The assets of Outdoor Displays, including 69 bulletin boards, were transferred directly to petitioner who recorded such assets on its books and credited the sum of $150,000 as a liability owing to its parent, O’Mealia.

That same day and simultaneously therewith, O’Mealia also contracted to purchase 40 shares of stock in both Federal Advertising Corp. (hereinafter referred to as Federal) and Industrial Land & Development Co. (hereinafter referred to as Industrial) for the sums of $1,100,000 and $100,000, respectively. The agreement was effective as of June 1, 1968. The acquired stock represented 43 percent and 40 percent, respectively, of the issued and outstanding stock of the above corporations.

The agreement provided for the payment of $150,000 in cash, a promissory note in the sum of $91,500 payable on March 19, 1969, and a promissory note in the sum of $958,500 payable in 83 monthly installments commencing on April 1, 1969. The sellers of the above stock were neither related by blood or by marriage to any of the shareholders of O’Mealia.

Part of the above funds used by O’Mealia to pay for the stock of Federal was obtained by way of a loan from First Jersey National Bank in the amount of $350,000. The loan agreement recites that such money was to be used “to cover the cost of a down payment and related expenses for the purchase of the assets of Federal Advertising Corporation.” Harry O’Mealia personally guaranteed the loan.

Both Federal and Industrial had two separate lines of business, outdoor advertising and real estate. Pursuant to the above purchase agreement, it was provided that as of June 1, 1968, the business and affairs of both corporations would be divided into an “advertising division,” consisting of all the outdoor advertising assets and a “real estate and investment division,” containing all' the other assets exclusive of the outdoor advertising business assets. Separate books of account and records were to be kept for each division as of June 1,1968.

It was provided by the parties to the agreement that in the event of any dispute concerning the application of income and the charging of expenses between the respective advertising divisions and real estate and investment divisions, the resolution thereto was to be made in accordance with the intent that the divisions would, as of June 1, 1968, be considered as separate entities. Pursuant to the above agreement, O’Mealia was entitled to place two directors on the board of directors of each corporation. In addition, effective as of June 1, 1968, Harry O’Mealia was appointed general manager in charge of the advertising divisions of both corporations.

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Bluebook (online)
64 T.C. 491, 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/omealia-research-development-inc-v-commissioner-tax-1975.