State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. & Subsidiaries v. Commissioner

135 T.C. No. 26, 135 T.C. 543, 2010 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 42
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedNovember 8, 2010
DocketDocket 5426-05
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 135 T.C. No. 26 (State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. & Subsidiaries 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
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. & Subsidiaries v. Commissioner, 135 T.C. No. 26, 135 T.C. 543, 2010 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 42 (tax 2010).

Opinion

OPINION

Goeke, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioner’s income tax for the taxable years 1996 through 1999. Petitioner raised seven issues in its petition, six of which have been resolved. This Opinion addresses solely whether punitive damages and related costs of $202 million are includable in losses incurred under section 832(b)(5) 1 for taxable years 2001 and 2002. For the reasons stated herein, we find that the $202 million is not properly included in losses incurred for Federal income tax purposes.

Background

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found. The stipulation of facts and the accompanying exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference. Petitioner is an Illinois mutual property and casualty insurance company taxed as a corporation. Its principal office is in Bloomington, Illinois.

A. The Accident Case, Campbell I, and Campbell II 2

Petitioner issued an automobile insurance contract to Curtis B. Campbell (Campbell) effective August 8, 1980 (the Campbell contract). Campbell was a resident of Utah. Under the Campbell contract, petitioner provided Campbell with automobile insurance coverage. The bodily injury coverage under the Campbell contract was limited to $25,000 for each person and $50,000 for each accident.

The Campbell contract was in force on May 22, 1981. On that date an automobile accident (the accident) occurred in Utah involving Todd Ospital and Robert Slusher (Slusher) which resulted in the death of Todd Ospital and serious injury to Slusher. The manner in which Campbell was driving was alleged to have caused the accident. Litigation ensued (the accident case).

In 1983 a Utah State court determined that Campbell was responsible for the accident and entered a judgment of $185,849 against him. That amount exceeded the per-accident limit of $50,000 under Campbell’s insurance policy. Petitioner appealed the judgment on behalf of Campbell to the Utah Supreme Court. Campbell obtained his own counsel for the appeal.

In 1984 during the pendency of the appeal in the accident case, Ospital’s estate (Ospital), Slusher, and Campbell reached an agreement whereby Ospital and Slusher would not seek satisfaction of their claims against Campbell, and in exchange Campbell would (a) pursue an action asserting bad faith against petitioner, (b) be represented by Slusher’s and Ospital’s attorneys in that action, and (c) pay Ospital and Slusher 90 percent of any damage award resulting from that action.

Campbell filed a complaint against petitioner in Utah State court (Campbell I) in an action separate from but related to the accident case. Ospital and Slusher joined in Campbell’s complaint. The complaint in Campbell I alleged bad faith on the part of petitioner in its conduct with respect to the accident case. Petitioner successfully moved to have the complaint dismissed, offering to pay the entire judgment against Campbell if the accident case was upheld on appeal.

In June 1989 the Utah Supreme Court affirmed the lower State court’s judgment in the accident case in favor of Ospital and Slusher. Petitioner paid $314,768 to Ospital and Slusher. These payments satisfied the judgment, including interest and costs.

In August 1989 Campbell filed a second complaint against petitioner in Utah State court (Campbell II). The complaint alleged five causes of action: (a) Breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing; (b) tort of bad faith; (c) breach of fiduciary duty; (d) misrepresentation; and (e) intentional infliction of emotional distress. In February 1991 the State court in Campbell II granted petitioner’s motion for summary judgment, finding that petitioner had promptly satisfied the entire judgment in the accident case when it became final.

In August 1992 the Utah Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s grant of summary judgment to petitioner in Campbell II and remanded the case for trial. In August 1996 the jury in Campbell II awarded Campbell $2.6 million in compensatory damages and $145 million in punitive damages against petitioner, plus attorney’s fees and costs. Petitioner challenged the award, and in August 1998 the trial court reduced Campbell’s award to $1 million in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages. Both parties appealed.

In October 2001 the Utah Supreme Court reinstated the $145 million punitive damages award and affirmed the $1 million compensatory damage award against petitioner. On December 4, 2001, the Utah Supreme Court denied petitioner’s request for rehearing.

In March 2002 petitioner filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari seeking review of the 2001 Campbell II decision. In June 2002 the Supreme Court granted certiorari. On April 7, 2003, the Supreme Court reversed the 2001 Campbell II decision and remanded the case to the Utah Supreme Court for a redetermination of the punitive damages.

In April 2004 the Utah Supreme Court held that petitioner was liable to Campbell in the amount of $9,018,781 in punitive damages. From May 2003 to August 2005, petitioner paid a total of $16,927,635 to or for the behalf of Campbell, as follows:

May 8, 2003 . $2,642,348
Oct. 15, 2004 . 14,195,287
Aug. 26, 2005 . 90,000

These payments fully satisfied the Campbell II judgment, including interest and costs.

B. Statutory Accounting for Illinois Insurance Companies

Petitioner is required to file an annual financial statement (annual statement) with the State of Illinois, petitioner’s State of domicile. The annual statement is a form by which insurance companies report to the State their financial condition and historical information about their results.

Petitioner filed Annual Statements for 2001 and 2002 with both the State of Illinois and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The NAIC is an organization of State insurance regulators for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. Other jurisdictions in which petitioner does business have access to and review the filings it makes with the NAIC.

NAIC statutory accounting practices and procedures are set forth in the NAIC Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual. In 1998 the NAIC adopted a new Accounting Practices and Procedures Manual (the new AP&P Manual). The NAIC recommended that States adopt the new AP&P Manual effective January 1, 2001. In December 2000 the Illinois Department of Insurance decided that, effective January 1, 2001, the new AP&P Manual was to be used as the reporting standard for statutory financial statements filed in Illinois. Beginning with the March 31, 2001, quarterly financial statements, all insurance companies domiciled in the State of Illinois were required to follow the accounting practices and procedures set forth in the new AP&P Manual.

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Related

Acuity, A Mut. Ins. Co., & Subsidiaries v. Comm'r
2013 T.C. Memo. 209 (U.S. Tax Court, 2013)
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Commissioner
698 F.3d 357 (Seventh Circuit, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
135 T.C. No. 26, 135 T.C. 543, 2010 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 42, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-farm-mutual-automobile-insurance-co-subsidiaries-v-commissioner-tax-2010.