DocketNumber: Docket Nos. 17592-94, 17594-94, 17595-94.
Judges: DAWSON,PANUTHOS
Filed Date: 5/23/1995
Status: Non-Precedential
Modified Date: 11/20/2020
*227 Orders granting respondent's motions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction will be entered in each docket.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
DAWSON,
J & A Enterprises, *228 Inc., Insulators, Inc., and Comfort Home Builders, Inc., were corporations organized under the laws of the State of Nevada. On February 27, 1992, the shareholders of J & A Enterprises, Inc., Insulators, Inc., and Comfort Home Builders, Inc., adopted separate resolutions to dissolve the corporations. On March 6, 1992, J & A Enterprises, Inc., and Insulators, Inc., filed certificates of dissolution
On July 14, 1994, respondent issued separate statutory notices of deficiency to petitioners determining deficiencies in and additions to their Federal income taxes as follows:
J & A Enterprises, Inc. | |||
Additions to Tax | |||
Year | Deficiency | Sec. 6651(a)(1) | Sec. 6655 |
1990 | $ 34,709 | $ 8,677.25 | $ 2,045.22 |
1991 | 9,581 | 2,395.25 | 502.54 |
1992 | 2,502 | 625.50 | 102.41 |
Insulators, Inc. | |||
Additions to Tax | |||
Year | Deficiency | Sec. 6651(a)(1) | Sec. 6655 |
1991 | $ 82,740 | $ 20,685 | $ 4,339.68 |
Comfort Home Builders, Inc. | |||
Additions to Tax | |||
Year | Deficiency | Sec. 6651(a)(1) | Sec. 6655 |
1991 | $ 297,624 | $ 74,406 | $ 361.22 |
1992 | 29,564 | 7,391 | 1,209.79 |
Separate imperfect petitions were filed with the Court on September 22, 1994. An amended petition on behalf of each petitioner was filed with the Court on November 21, 1994. *230 As indicated, respondent moved to dismiss the petitions for lack of jurisdiction on the ground that, because petitioners were dissolved more than 2 years prior to the filing of the petitions herein, under Nevada State law they now lack capacity to invoke this Court's jurisdiction. Petitioners filed oppositions to respondent's motions to dismiss requesting that respondent withdraw the deficiency notices.
Respondent's motions were calendared for hearing in Washington, D.C. Counsel for respondent appeared at the hearing and presented argument on the pending motions. Although petitioners were not represented at the hearing, they did file statements with the Court pursuant to Rule 50(c).
Petitioners' capacity to engage in litigation is prescribed by The dissolution of a corporation does not impair any remedy or cause of action available to or against it or its directors, officers or shareholders arising before its dissolution and commenced within 2 years after the date of the dissolution. It continues as a body corporate for the purpose of prosecuting and defending suits, actions, proceedings and claims of any kind or character by or against it and of enabling it gradually to settle and close its business, to collect and discharge its obligations, to dispose of and convey its property, and to distribute its assets, but not for the purpose of continuing the business for which it was established.
In applying
In
Under the circumstances presented in that case, we held that we lacked jurisdiction over the taxpayer because no suit or proceeding has been commenced within 2 years of the taxpayers' dissolution, and, therefore, no person had the capacity under Wisconsin law to file the petition on the taxpayers' behalf. See
The facts of
As we see it, the instant case shares much in common with the factual situation presented in
Petitioners (through their former officers) have not articulated a sound argument in opposition to respondent's motions to dismiss. Rather, petitioners maintain that respondent should be precluded from issuing a deficiency notice to a dissolved corporation. As we observed in At first blush, it does seem anomalous that respondent would issue a statutory notice of deficiency to a taxpayer and then turn around and say that there is no taxpayer who can petition this Court for a redetermination of the determined deficiency -- as * * * [respondent] has done here. Yet,
Consistent with the preceding discussion, we shall grant respondent's Motions to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction on the ground that petitioners and their respective former officers lack capacity under
1. Since the three related dockets present a common jurisdictional issue, we resolve the separate motions in a combined opinion for the following petitioners: Insulators, Inc., docket No. 17594-94; J & A Enterprises, Inc., docket No. 17595-94.↩
2. Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the years in issue, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩
3. The certificate of dissolution of J & A Enterprises, Inc., was executed by John A. Meisner as president and Annette M. Meisner as secretary. The certificate of dissolution of Insulators, Inc., was signed by John A. Meisner as president and secretary. ↩
4.
5. The certificate of dissolution of Comfort Home Builders, Inc., was executed by John A. Meisner as president and Annette M. Meisner as secretary.↩
6. The amended petitions in docket Nos. 17592-94 and 17595-94 were executed by Annette M. Meisner as a former officer of the respective petitioners. The amended petition in docket No. 17594-94 was executed by John A. Meisner as a former officer of petitioner. At the time the amended petitions were filed, each petitioner maintained a mailing address in Las Vegas, Nevada.↩
7. The statements were signed by Annette Meisner for docket Nos. 17592-94 and 17595-94 and by John A. Meisner for docket No. 17594-94.↩
8. The parties have not cited any cases involving the question of what constitutes the commencement of a remedy or cause of action within the meaning of
9. The language of
10. We note that the merits of petitioners' tax liabilities, if any, as determined by respondent in the notices of deficiency issued herein, may still be litigated in this Court in the event respondent later issues notices of transferee liability to the appropriate persons. Sec. 6901;