Estate of Sarah H. Newman, Mark M. Newman, Co-Executor and Minna N. Nathanson, Co-Executor v. Commissioner ( 1998 )

111 T.C. No. 3UNITED STATES TAX COURT
ESTATE OF SARAH H. NEWMAN, DECEASED, MARK M. NEWMAN,
CO-EXECUTOR AND MINNA N. NATHANSON, CO-EXECUTOR, Petitioner v.
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Docket No. 17516-96. Filed July 28, 1998.
Decedent (D) executed a power of attorney
appointing her son (S) attorney-in-fact. Prior to D's
death, S drew six checks against D's checking account
payable to himself, his wife, his brother, his nieces,
and two other individuals. These checks were neither
accepted, nor paid, by the drawee bank until after D's
death. Petitioner argues that these checks represent
completed gifts of funds in D's checking account that
are not includable in D's gross estate.
Held: D maintained dominion and control over the
amounts in her checking account against which the
checks were written until her death. Accordingly, the
checks were not completed gifts during her lifetime.
Held, further: These noncharitable gifts are not
deemed to be complete under the theory that the payment
of the checks after D's death relates back to the date
of delivery prior to D's death. Estate of Metzger v.
Commissioner, 100 T.C. 204 (1993), affd. 38 F.3d 118- 2 -
(4th Cir. 1994), distinguished. Thus, the funds
represented by the checks written on D's bank account
and not paid until after her death are includable in
her gross estate. Secs. 2031, 2033, I.R.C.; Estate of
Gagliardi v. Commissioner, 89 T.C. 1207 (1987).
Mark M. Newman (a co-executor), for petitioner.
Charles M. Ruchelman and William J. Gregg, for respondent.
RUWE, Judge: Respondent determined a deficiency in
petitioner's Federal estate tax of $46,724. After concessions,
the sole issue for decision is whether funds in decedent's bank
account, upon which checks were written before but paid after
decedent's death for purported noncharitable gifts, are
includable in the gross estate.
FINDINGS OF FACT
Some of the facts have been stipulated. The stipulation of
facts, the supplemental stipulation of facts, the second
supplemental stipulation of facts, and the stipulation of agreed
adjustments are incorporated herein by this reference.
Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to
the Internal Revenue Code in effect as of the date of decedent's
death, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of
Practice and Procedure.
Sarah H. Newman, hereinafter referred to as decedent, died
testate on September 28, 1992. She was domiciled in Washington,
D.C., at the time of her death. Her son Mark M. Newman (Mark)
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and daughter Minna N. Nathanson (Minna) were appointed personal
representatives by the Register of Wills, Superior Court of the
District of Columbia. Mark resided in Washington, D.C., at the
time of filing the petition for redetermination. At the time of
her death, decedent had another surviving child, Paul H. Newman
(Paul).
On May 14, 1985, decedent and her husband, Simon M. Newman,1
granted Mark a written power of attorney. This power of attorney
provided that Mark, as attorney-in-fact, could:
1) collect, recover and receive any and all
moneys, sums, profits, dividends, interests, claims,
debts, things, and assets regardless of what form and
including real and personal property whatsoever now due
or in the future to become due to anyone or group of
us; and to execute and deliver receipts, releases and
other discharges of debt to anyone or group of us;
2) pay, settle, compromise, arbitrate and adjust
all monies, sums, claims, and debts whatsoever now or
in the future owed by anyone or group of us;
3) receive, endorse and collect any checks payable
to the order of anyone or group of us now or in the
future in existence;
4) make, negotiate, sell, deliver any lease,
mortgage or deed pertaining to or including any real
property, real estate, lands, minerals or other rights
now or in the future, anyone or group of us owns or has
any ownership or controlling (full or partially)
interest in;
5) to take possession of and/or enter upon any
real property, real estate, lands, tenements or
hereditaments which may now or in the future belong to
anyone or group of us, the possession of which anyone
1
Simon M. Newman died on June 6, 1985.
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or group of us now or in the future will be entitled;
and
6) to employ, hire, retain and contract for
attorneys, architects, contractors, clerks, laborers
and others, to remove them and/or appoint others in
their place and to pay such persons fees, wages,
salaries, expenses and other remuneration as he/she
shall deem proper.
The power of attorney also provided a clause which ratified
Mark's actions in carrying out the powers granted above:
Each of us further gives and grants to said
Attorney-In-Fact full power and authority to do and
perform every act necessary and proper to be done in
the exercise of any of the foregoing powers as fully as
either of us might or could do if personally present
hereby ratifying and confirming all that said Attorney-
In-Fact shall lawfully do or cause to be done for us.
Finally, the power of attorney granted to Mark was not to be
changed orally. No reference to making gifts is contained in
this document.
From December 15, 1989, until her death, decedent maintained
checking account No. 05-011258-6 with Columbia First Bank (CFB).
Decedent maintained this account solely in her name until
sometime between September 14 and October 14, 1992, when Mark's
name was added to the account. The following checks drawn on
this account are relevant to the issue in this case:
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Date on Date Accepted and
Check No. Amount Payee Check Paid by CFB
1652 $10,000 Mollie Nathanson 9/23/92 10/05/92
1653 5,000 Minna Lev 9/23/92 10/07/92
1654 60,000 Paul & Joyce Newman 9/24/92 10/02/92
1655 5,000 Robert Davidson 9/24/92 10/02/92
1656 10,000 Mark & Diana Newman 9/24/92 10/01/92
1657 5,000 Tina Reiss 9/24/92 10/05/92
All the above checks were signed by Mark and dated prior to
decedent's death. However, none of these checks were accepted or
paid by the drawee bank until after decedent's death.
Petitioner claims that the above checks were gifts made during
decedent's lifetime. Petitioner also contends that it was
decedent's desire that the $60,000 given to Paul be distributed
amongst himself, his children, and his grandchildren and that
each of the distributees received $10,000 or less per person.
On or about June 1, 1993, a United States Estate (and
Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return, Form 706, was filed on
behalf of decedent's estate. This return indicated that decedent
did not make any taxable gifts during her lifetime. Furthermore,
the Schedule C attached to the Form 706 reflects the value of
decedent's checking account No. 05-011258-6 as $5,212 at the date
of her death.
OPINION
The sole issue in this case is whether the funds in
decedent's bank account represented by the six checks, which were
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outstanding at the time of decedent's death are includable in her
gross estate. Petitioner argues that the amount in question
constitutes nontaxable completed gifts and should be excluded
from decedent's gross estate. Respondent, however, argues that
the checks do not represent completed nontaxable gifts and that
the value of the underlying funds should be included in
decedent's gross estate. Respondent bases his argument on the
fact that the checks were not accepted or paid by CFB before
decedent's death and that, therefore, decedent maintained
dominion and control over the underlying funds until her death
with the result that the gifts were incomplete during decedent's
lifetime.2 Furthermore, respondent disagrees with petitioner's
argument that the payment of the checks by CFB after decedent's
death relates back to the date on the checks.
Section 2001(a) imposes a tax on the transfer of the taxable
estate of every decedent who is a citizen or resident of the
United States. The taxable estate is defined in section 2051 as
the gross estate less deductions. Pursuant to sections 2031 and
2033, the value of the gross estate generally includes the value
of all property to the extent of the interest therein of decedent
2
Respondent also argues that Mark, as attorney-in-fact, had
no authority to make gifts on behalf of decedent. Alternatively,
respondent argues that the $60,000 check to Paul and Joyce Newman
exceeds the $10,000 exclusion under sec. 2503(b) and, therefore,
$40,000 of that check is an adjusted taxable gift, which is added
to decedent's reported gross estate. Because we find for
respondent on other grounds, we need not address these arguments.
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at the time of her death. Estate of Gagliardi v. Commissioner,
89 T.C. 1207, 1210 (1987). Section 20.2031-5, Estate Tax Regs.,
provides that "The amount of cash belonging to the decedent at
the date of his death, whether in his possession or in the
possession of another, or deposited with a bank, is included in
the decedent's gross estate." If the checks in question
constitute completed gifts during decedent's lifetime, the funds
represented by those checks would not be includable in decedent's
gross estate.3
A gift is not consummated until put beyond the donor's
recall. Burnet v. Guggenheim, 288 U.S. 280, 286 (1933). Section
25.2511-2(b), Gift Tax Regs., provides in relevant part:
(b) As to any property, or part thereof or
interest therein, of which the donor has so parted with
dominion and control as to leave in him no power to
change its disposition, whether for his own benefit or
for the benefit of another, the gift is complete. But
if upon a transfer of property (whether in trust or
otherwise) the donor reserves any power over its
disposition, the gift may be wholly incomplete, or may
be partially complete and partially incomplete,
depending upon all the facts in the particular case.
Accordingly, in every case of a transfer of property
subject to a reserved power, the terms of the power
must be examined and its scope determined. * * *
3
Although sec. 2501 imposes a tax on the transfer of
property by gift, sec. 2503(b) provides that the first $10,000 of
gifts made to any person during a year is excluded in computing
the total amount of gifts made during that year. Estate of
Cristofani v. Commissioner, 97 T.C. 74, 78 (1991). Consequently,
a gift of $10,000 or less completed prior to decedent's death is
neither included in her gross estate nor taxed as a gift.
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Therefore, a gift is not considered complete until the donor has
parted with dominion and control so as to leave her with no power
to change its disposition. Estate of Metzger v. Commissioner,
100 T.C. 204, 208 (1993), affd. 38 F.3d 118 (4th Cir. 1994).
We turn to local law to determine whether decedent parted
with dominion and control over the funds in her checking account
such that she had no power to change their disposition. Estate
of Dillingham v. Commissioner, 88 T.C. 1569, 1575 (1987), affd.
903 F.2d 760 (10th Cir. 1990). In the District of Columbia, a
check is generally considered conditional payment. Daine v.
Price, 63 A.2d 767, 768 (D.C. 1949). Under the law of the
District of Columbia, in effect in 1992, "A check or other draft
does not of itself operate as an assignment of any funds in the
hands of the drawee available for its payment, and the drawee is
not liable on the instrument until he accepts it." D.C. Code
Ann. sec. 28:3-409(1) (1981).
In Estate of Metzger v. Commissioner, supra, we interpreted
an identical provision adopted in the State of Maryland.4
4
In Estate of Metzger v. Commissioner, 100 T.C. 204, 209
(1993), affd. 38 F.3d 118 (4th Cir. 1994), we stated:
Md. Com. Law I Code Ann. section 3-409(1) (1992)
provides:
(1) A check or other draft does not of
itself operate as an assignment of any funds
in the hands of the drawee available for its
payment, and the drawee is not liable on the
(continued...)
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Because the donor could revoke the gift by stopping payment on
the check or withdrawing the funds prior to the drawee's5
acceptance of the check, we stated that in the State of Maryland,
if a check is intended as a gift and is delivered to the donee,
the gift remains incomplete until the donee presents the check
for payment and the check is accepted by the drawee. Id. at 209.
Petitioner does not argue that D.C. Code Ann. sec. 28:3-
409(1) (1981) is distinguishable from the aforementioned Maryland
statute. Rather, petitioner argues that because of decedent's
condition, she was essentially unable to stop payment on the
checks. Petitioner claims that decedent's condition was such
that she was unable to go to the bank or to get to a telephone in
order to request a stop order from CFB. Thus, petitioner
asserts, the checks were not revocable and were complete when
delivered to the donees. We do not find petitioner's argument
persuasive.
Prior to the time that a drawee bank accepts a check, a
customer may order the bank to stop payment by telephone, which
would be effective for a period of 24 hours. D.C. Code Ann. sec.
28:4-303(1) and (2) (1981). After that time, a written stop
4
(...continued)
instrument until he accepts it.
5
In commercial law, the term "drawee" means the bank in
which the donor has funds on deposit and against which the check
is drawn. D.C. Code Ann. sec. 28:3-103(a)(2) (Supp. 1995) (the
term drawee "means a person ordered in a draft to make
payment.").
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payment order made by the customer would be effective for 6
months. D.C. Code Ann. sec. 28:4-403(2) (1981). Although
testimony was presented which portrays decedent as "bedridden"
prior to her death, there is no evidence that she had absolutely
no access to a telephone. Further, because Mark was also a
customer6 on the account in question, he could have ordered CFB
to stop payment at decedent's request.
Petitioner does not direct us to, nor have we found, any
State that recognizes delivery of a check to be a completed gift
of the underlying funds. See 38A C.J.S., Gifts, sec. 56 (1996)
("The gift of the donor's own check is but the promise of a gift
and does not amount to a completed gift until payment or
acceptance by the drawee."). Furthermore, mere possession of a
power to revoke, not the ability to exercise it, is controlling.
Estate of Alperstein v. Commissioner, 71 T.C. 351, 353-354
(1978), affd. 613 F.2d 1213 (2d Cir. 1979). Accordingly, we find
that decedent possessed the power to revoke the checks until
accepted or paid by CFB. Because CFB did not accept or pay the
checks until after decedent's death, they were not completed
gifts under the law of the District of Columbia.
Nevertheless, petitioner argues that under the relation-back
doctrine, the payment of checks by the drawee relates back to the
6
D.C. Code Ann. sec. 28:4-104(1)(e) (1981), defines
"customer" to mean "any person having an account with a bank or
for whom a bank has agreed to collect items and includes a bank
carrying an account with another bank". (Emphasis added.)
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date the checks were issued which was prior to decedent's death.7
We have applied the relation-back doctrine under certain
circumstances in prior cases. Estate of Metzger v. Commissioner,
supra at 215; Estate of Belcher v. Commissioner, 83 T.C. 227, 232
(1984) (held that checks mailed to charitable donees prior to the
donor's death but not paid until after death related back to the
date of delivery, thus reducing the donor's gross estate); Estate
of Spiegel v. Commissioner, 12 T.C. 524 (1949) (held that
charitable contributions made by check delivered in 1942 but
deposited in 1943 related back to 1942 for deduction). However,
we have specifically declined to extend the relation-back
doctrine where noncharitable gifts were made by check and the
donor died while the checks were still outstanding. Estate of
Gagliardi v. Commissioner, 89 T.C. at 1212.
In Estate of Gagliardi v. Commissioner, supra, the donor,
through his son acting as attorney-in-fact, issued checks,
representing gifts, to his children. Some of these checks were
paid by the drawee prior to the donor's death. We held that the
funds represented by those checks should not be included in the
donor's gross estate. Id. at 1211. However, some of the checks
were not paid until after the donor died. In regard to the
outstanding noncharitable gift checks paid by the drawee after
the donor's death, we declined to extend the relation-back
7
Petitioner relies on the dates written on the checks in
question.
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doctrine, distinguishing those checks from the charitable
contributions made in Estate of Belcher v. Commissioner, supra,
and Estate of Spiegel v. Commissioner, supra, stating:
Our decision in Estate of Belcher was based on the
special characteristics of charitable contributions,
including the possibility that the estate would receive
an offsetting deduction under section 2055 if the funds
represented by the checks were included in the gross
estate (83 T.C. at 236-238) and, more importantly, our
prior decision in Estate of Spiegel v. Commissioner, 12
T.C. 524 (1949), involving the deductibility of
charitable contributions for income tax purposes. In
Estate of Spiegel we held that charitable contributions
made by check were deductible in the year the check was
issued rather than the year paid. Not following this
case in Estate of Belcher would have led to the result
that payments that had been deducted for income tax
purposes were still includable in the gross estate.
These bases of decision are not present in the
noncharitable gift situation--gifts are not deductible
for income tax purposes and, if made after death, do
not reduce the gross estate for estate tax purposes.
Thus, the reasoning of Estate of Belcher does not
warrant extension of the relation-back doctrine to
noncharitable gifts. * * * [Estate of Gagliardi v.
Commissioner, supra at 1212.]
The Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit also declined
to extend the relation-back doctrine under similar circumstances.
McCarthy v. United States, 806 F.2d 129 (7th Cir. 1986). In
McCarthy v. United States, supra, prior to the donor's death, she
maintained a joint checking account with her son. The donor's
son wrote several checks which were intended as gifts to various
relatives. Although these checks were delivered or mailed prior
to the donor's death, they were not cashed until after that time.
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Id. at 130. The trustees of the donor's estate maintained that
the relation-back doctrine should be extended to noncharitable
gifts made by check. The trustees argued that there were no
policy considerations which would justify treating charitable
donations differently than noncharitable gifts. The Court of
Appeals for the Seventh Circuit disagreed, stating:
there remains sufficient justification compelling the
inclusion of outstanding checks issued to noncharitable
donees. The Internal Revenue Code now exempts only
those gifts made by a decedent up to $10,000 per donee,
per year. I.R.C. § 2035(b)(2) (1985). To the extent
of that exemption, application of the relation back
doctrine fosters estate tax avoidance. By issuing a
check to a noncharitable donee with the understanding
that it not be cashed until after his death, a decedent
may effectively bequest up to $10,000 per donee, thus
avoiding the estate tax consequences normally attending
such transactions. * * * [Id. at 132.]
In Estate of Metzger v. Commissioner, 100 T.C. 204 (1993),
we extended the relation-back doctrine to a situation involving
noncharitable gift checks. In that case, the checks were issued
to noncharitable donees in December 1985. The donees deposited
the checks on December 31, 1985; however, the checks did not
clear the drawee until after the New Year holiday in 1986. Id.
at 214. The question was whether the gifts occurred in the first
year or in the second. A critical difference between the facts
in Estate of Gagliardi v. Commissioner, 89 T.C. 1207 (1987), and
McCarthy v. United States, supra, and the facts in Estate of
Metzger v. Commissioner, supra, was that the donor in Estate of
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Metzger was still alive when the checks were paid by the drawee.
In addition, the checks were deposited before the end of the year
and cleared the drawee bank immediately after the New Year
holiday. Therefore, we found Estate of Gagliardi v.
Commissioner, supra, factually distinguishable and held that the
payment of the checks by the drawee in January related back to
the time the checks were deposited in December. Estate of
Metzger v. Commissioner, supra at 214-215. In extending the
relation-back doctrine to noncharitable gifts, we stated:
We see no reason for refusing to apply the
relation-back doctrine to noncharitable gifts where the
taxpayer is able to establish: (1) The donor's intent
to make a gift, (2) unconditional delivery of the
check, and (3) presentment of the check within the year
for which favorable tax treatment is sought and within
a reasonable time of issuance. * * * [Id. at 215.]
In claiming that the relation-back doctrine is applicable to
noncharitable gift checks paid after the donor's death,
petitioner relies upon our opinion in Estate of Metzger v.
Commissioner, supra. We do not find the quoted portion of our
opinion in Estate of Metzger applicable where the donor dies
prior to the payment of the checks. The Court of Appeals for the
Fourth Circuit, affirming our decision in Estate of Metzger,
recognized the important distinction between the facts of that
case and those in McCarthy v. United States, supra, and Estate of
Gagliardi v. Commissioner, supra, stating:
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We do not dispute the wisdom of declining to extend the
relation-back doctrine in the circumstances presented
in McCarthy and Gagliardi, when the donor died while
the checks were still outstanding. Clearly there is a
very real danger of fostering estate tax avoidance in
cases in which checks are not cashed until after the
donor dies. However, that is not the situation in this
case. [Estate of Metzger v. Commissioner, 38 F.3d at
122.]
Unlike decedent here, the donor in Estate of Metzger v.
Commissioner, supra, was alive at the time the checks were
presented and paid by the drawee. The facts in the case before
us are more analogous to those presented in McCarthy v. United
States, supra, and Estate of Gagliardi v. Commissioner, supra.8
Therefore, we hold that the relation-back doctrine does not apply
to checks representing noncharitable gifts which were accepted
and paid by the drawee after decedent's death.
Accordingly, the checks in issue were not completed gifts
during decedent's lifetime, and the value of the underlying funds
is includable in decedent's gross estate. Because our holding
resolves the sole issue before us, we need not address the merits
of respondent's other arguments.
Decision will be entered
under Rule 155.
8
We note that petitioner neither cites nor attempts to
distinguish the factually similar cases of McCarthy v. United
States, 806 F.2d 129 (7th Cir. 1986), and Estate of Gagliardi v.
Commissioner, 89 T.C. 1207 (1987).