Voigt v. Hardesty

1985 OK CIV APP 32, 708 P.2d 596, 57 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1512, 1985 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 71
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 24, 1985
DocketNo. 62964
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 1985 OK CIV APP 32 (Voigt v. Hardesty) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Voigt v. Hardesty, 1985 OK CIV APP 32, 708 P.2d 596, 57 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1512, 1985 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 71 (Okla. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

ROBINSON, Presiding Judge:

William C. Hardesty died testate on November 2, 1982, being survived by six daughters of a prior marriage, Nita Faye Voigt, Anna Jenell Campbell, Georgia Lee Arterberry, Mary Ann Osborn, May Belle Barrett and Billie June Long (Appellants) as well as his spouse Thelma L. Hardesty, now Davis, (Appellee). Decedent’s will was admitted to probate in the District Court of Grady County, Oklahoma and Nita Fay Voight and Anna Jennell Campbell were appointed co-personal representatives. In 1980 and 1982 the decedent conveyed by gift remainder interests in certain real estate in Grady County to Appellants reserving a life estate. Federal gift tax returns were not filed nor taxes paid on said gifts by decedent prior to his death. On January 11, 1983 Appellee filed her Election To Take Against the Will pursuant to 84 O.S. 1981 § 43, and on March 21, 1983 Appellee filed her petition for declaratory judgment in the estate proceedings requesting that her “forced heir interest” in the estate properties be absolved from Federal and Oklahoma estate tax liability. Subsequently the co-executrixes filed state and federal estate tax returns and paid all the transfer tax liabilities from the assets of the estate totalling approximately $1,673,434.00 (federal gift taxes = $507,380.00; estate taxes Oklahoma = $257,776.00; estate taxes federal = $908,278.00). The estate property appraised at $2,356,353.57; the life estate property appraised at $2,235,349.79; and the joint tenancy property with Appellee appraised at $1,119,195.63.

Appellants filed their answer to Appel-lees’ declaratory judgment suit and thereafter the matter was submitted on Motion for Summary Judgment and briefs. The issue of who should bear the burden and pay the federal gift taxes was also presented and ruled upon by the trial court. The trial court sustained Appellee’s Motion for Summary Judgment and found:

1. That there is no substantial controversy as to any fact between the parties and that the only issue to be determined by the Court are questions of law.
2. That the questions of law to be decided are who should bear the burden of paying the Federal and Oklahoma Estate and Gift Taxes.
3. That the widow’s (Thelma L. Hardesty) property passed to her free of Estate Taxes and therefore generated no Estate Tax liability to the Estate.
4. That all Estate Taxes were generated by properties passing to the Decedent’s (William C. Hardesty) children, the Defendants herein, and the Estate is liable therefore.
5. That in light of Bovaird v. Bovaird, 645 P.2d 500 (Okl.1982), and cases cited therein, equitable apportionment dictates that the burden of paying the Estate Taxes falls on those receiving the property generating the tax liability.
6. That all Gift Taxes were generated by properties passing to the Decedent’s Children, and they are liable therefore.
7. That the Gift Taxes paid by the Co-Executrixes were not a debt of the Dece[598]*598dent at the time of his death or a debt of the Estate.
8. That the Defendants should be responsible for reimbursing the Estate and Gift Taxes expended from the Estate.

The Appellants appealed the trial court’s decision concerning the obligation of payment of the federal estate and gift taxes and the Oklahoma estate tax. Appellee filed a Counter-Petition In Error concerning whether the trial court erred in failing to direct payment of all sums into the estate or in the alternative set a supersedeas bond and also erred in failing to award interest on the sums owed by the Appellants. Appellee however has not briefed her propositions of error and therefore we will not review said errors as we deem them abandoned and waived. Sooner Drainboard Co. v. Deaton, 512 P.2d 1185 (Okl.1973).

We will first address the question of whether the surviving spouse’s distributive share is burdened with estate tax liability. 26 U.S.C. § 2056(a) (IRC 1976) provides:

(a) Allowance of marital deduction —For purposes of the tax imposed by section 2001, the value of the taxable estate shall, except as limited by subsection (b), be determined by deducting from the value of the gross estate an amount equal to the value of any interest in property which passes or has passed from the decedent to his surviving spouse, but only to the extent that such interest is included in determining the value of the gross estate.

The Supreme Court in Bovaird v. Bovaird, 645 P.2d 500, 503 (Okl.1982) states:

For reasons cited herein, we prefer to come down on the side of the widow and hold that her forced share shall be treated preferentially and not be considered as part of the residue, and thus shall not be liable for payment of estate taxes.
Kansas found itself in a similar quan-dry: it had neither an apportionment statute nor case law to settle the question. In resolving the question, it relied heavily on Pitts v. Hamrick, 228 F.2d 486, 490 (4th Cir.1955), and cited the following as authority:
“... Where the estate is to receive the benefit of the deduction of the widow’s share from the gross estate in order that share may be relieved of the burden of the estate tax, as Congress intended, it would be unfair and unjust to require her share to bear any portion of that tax; and we find nothing in the law of South Carolina which requires such a result or which would prevent the court from applying equitable principles of apportionment to relieve the share of the widow of this unfair and unjust burden.” See, First National Bank of Topeka, Kansas v. United States, 233 F.Supp. 19 (U.S. D.C., Kansas, 1964).

The Bovaird Court went on to say that “logic, justice and equity” required that beneficiaries pay the tax assessed upon and attributable to the property each received and the spouse’s share which qualifies as a marital deduction would not be required to contribute to the federal estate tax. The Court further stated:

The time has come to join the modern trend of thought on this issue. We apply principles of equitable apportionment, and overrule those portions of [In Re Estate of] Rettenmeyer [345 P.2d 872 (Okl.1959) ] that conflict herewith.

Bovaird at 505.

The case of In Re: Leland Davidson Trust, First National Bank in Bartlesville v. Faulkner et al., 641 P.2d 1110 (Okl.1982) also addressed the issue of equitable apportionment. In Leland two charities were beneficiaries of an inter vi-vos trust and the executrix sought to have said charities bear their proportionate share of the federal estate taxes. A Missouri case of In Re: Estate of Wahlin,

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Bluebook (online)
1985 OK CIV APP 32, 708 P.2d 596, 57 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1512, 1985 Okla. Civ. App. LEXIS 71, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/voigt-v-hardesty-oklacivapp-1985.