DocketNumber: Docket Nos. 275-84, 38880-84, 10578-86
Filed Date: 4/4/1995
Status: Non-Precedential
Modified Date: 11/21/2020
*139 In
On June 1, 1994, the parties filed a Memorandum of Understanding that, by June 20, 1994, they would raise all issues in dispute concerning the
SUPPLEMENTAL MEMORANDUM OPINION
COLVIN,
*142 The issues we must decide are:
(1) Whether timber values calculated according to the Court's opinion in
(2) Whether petitioner's motion to limit valuation adjustments, filed September 26, 1994, as supplemented on October 17, 1994, is untimely because it violates a written agreement made by the parties and provided to the Court to raise all disputed issues by June 20, 1994. We hold that it is.
Respondent prevails if the answer to either of these questions is in the affirmative.
Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the years in issue. Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.
At the trial of the timber valuation issue, three foresters submitted written expert reports and testified for petitioner regarding the value of the Oregon timber. One of the experts was petitioner's chief appraisal forester (Marsh). The other two were independent consulting foresters (Sharrer and Granvall). Respondent's expert was the independent firm Natural Resources Management (NRM), which also prepared a written expert report.
*143 The experts' reports discussed several different aspects of the methodology which they applied to estimate the value of the Oregon timber. For example, the experts considered the effects of discounting, time trending, the export factor, U.S. Forest Service purchaser road credits, Oregon severance taxes, logging costs, and Avery timber sales. The Court considered several specific aspects of the methodology used by each expert, and considered in detail which were to be used to calculate the value of the Oregon timber. For example, we found that Sharrer's report was the best data base of comparable sales. We directed the parties to use Sharrer's data base of comparable sales and to modify it as described in the opinion.
The values used by the experts and those calculated under
Respondent's | |||||
Petitioner's Experts | Expert | ||||
Year | Sharrer | Marsh | Granvall | NRM | Rule 155 |
1978 | $ 66,300,541 | $ 66,856,575 | $ 68,115,959 | $ 65,473,643 | $ 60,995,398 |
1979 | 91,072,736 | 91,970,825 | 99,893,676 | 77,552,162 | 82,778,263 |
1980 | 94,288,717 | 97,385,778 | 96,496,158 | 89,960,333 | 82,561,615 |
In accordance with
1.
Petitioner argues that the Court's opinion is not supported by the record because the section 631(a) values computed under
We are not bound by the opinion of any expert witness, and we may accept or reject expert testimony when, in our best judgment and based on the record, it is appropriate to do so.
The parties rely on two different lines of cases. Respondent points out that a value decided by a trial court which is outside the range of expert opinion will be upheld if the value is supported by other substantial evidence in the record.
Petitioner points out that a trial court may not reject well-qualified expert*146 testimony as to valuation unless: (a) There is a substantial basis in the record for the opinion of the trial court, or (b) the trial court has substantial knowledge and experience related to the subject of the valuation.
Petitioner cites
*148 Petitioner's reliance on these cases is misplaced. In
The analysis of the Court in the instant cases was based entirely on the record. The Court considered the testimony of all of the experts called by the parties, and selected various elements of the methodology used by each of them to use in making the
The opinion in the instant cases was not arbitrary, and all of the Court's findings are clearly supported by the record. We carefully examined the experts' reports and adopted those portions of the testimony of each of the experts that we found proper. The
*150 The experts and the parties in their briefs separately considered each of several steps in the valuation methodology. That is also how the Court decided this issue. Petitioner does not contend that it was unreasonable for our opinion to be based on the valuation methodology rather than on total value.
Petitioner points out that respondent has cited no cases where a court reached a result outside the range of expert opinion without stating its intent and reasons for doing so. Petitioner argues that the fact that the Court did not state that it was reaching a value outside the range of the experts' values suggests that the Court did not intend that to occur. We disagree. The Court properly considered the record and conflicting expert opinions in painstaking detail rather than looking merely at their conclusions. Petitioner asks that we adopt respondent's expert's valuation as the value of Oregon timber for 1978 and 1980. However, our prior opinion, which is based on the record, leads to a different conclusion. If we were to grant petitioner's request, the conclusion would then be inconsistent with the methodology we adopted after carefully considering the record. Sec. 7459(b); *151
2.
We also consider whether petitioner's motion was untimely. The parties filed a Memorandum of Understanding, dated June 1, 1994, in which the parties agreed that, by June 20, 1994, they were to identify "all areas of dispute with respect to those [
On June 24, 1994, the parties filed a Stipulation as to Calculation of Oregon and Southern Timber Values. It states: "This stipulation resolves all areas of dispute or issues to this date with respect to the timber fair market value calculations. *152 The resolution of these areas of dispute constitutes a settlement of the issues with respect to the
Petitioner filed the instant motion to limit valuation adjustments on September 26, 1994. Petitioner asserts that it should be excused from meeting the June 20 deadline because: (1) The motion would have been "premature" before the parties filed the stipulation of values, and (2) filing the motion earlier would have curtailed negotiations between the parties. Petitioner points out that respondent attempted to withdraw the signed stipulation after learning of petitioner's motion to limit valuation adjustments, but ultimately filed the stipulation as signed.
Respondent contends that, on February 11, 1994, respondent sent computations to petitioner that showed that the values computed pursuant to the Court's opinion would be lower than NRM's values for 1978 and 1980. Petitioner does not deny that respondent sent the information as respondent contends, but contends only that the exact computation was not made until September 1994.
Courts have the inherent authority to enforce agreements between the parties as they deem necessary and prudent to achieve the orderly*153 and expeditious disposition of cases in their jurisdiction.
Petitioner has not shown that manifest injustice will result if we enforce the stipulated deadline. We find unpersuasive petitioner's claim that meeting the deadline agreed by the parties to raise issues would have been "premature" or curtailed negotiations.
Petitioner's motion, in substance, asks the Court to reconsider its valuation opinion. A motion to reconsider shall be filed within 30 days of the date of the opinion unless the Court permits otherwise.
To reflect the foregoing,
*. This is a supplement to our opinion in
1. Trial in the underlying case was conducted by former Special Trial Judge Vandervort. The opinion was written by Special Trial Judge Powell and adopted by Judge Drennen. Judge Drennen is now retired. On May 23, 1994, docket Nos. 275-84, 38880-84, and 10578-86, previously assigned to Special Trial Judge Powell, and docket Nos. 31808-88 and 22543-90 were reassigned to Judge Colvin, to whom petitioner's other pending case (docket No. 24673-92) had been previously assigned, so that all of petitioner's pending cases could be managed by one judicial officer.↩
2. Another opinion relating to these docket numbers was filed on May 23, 1989. See
3.
4. See also
5.
De Ford v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue ( 1928 )
Estate of J. A. Kreis, Deceased, Herbert Clark, Executors v.... ( 1955 )
Bonwit Teller & Co. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue ( 1931 )
Boggs & Buhl v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue ( 1929 )
cloide-c-branning-dba-pleasant-point-plantation-a-partnership ( 1986 )
Roadway Express, Inc. v. Piper ( 1980 )
Frances M. Cullers v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, C. ... ( 1956 )
Bail Bonds by Marvin Nelson, Inc., a Corporation v. ... ( 1987 )
United States v. 9.20 Acres of Land, More or Less, Situate ... ( 1981 )
Wallace M. Handeland and Lee Handeland v. Commissioner of ... ( 1975 )
Mickey M. Jeffries v. United States ( 1973 )
Richard D. Bokum, Ii, Margaret B. Bokum v. Commissioner of ... ( 1993 )
united-states-of-america-appellee-cross-v-116265-acres-of-land-more-or ( 1974 )
Helvering v. National Grocery Co. ( 1938 )
United States v. 38.60 Acres of Land, More or Less, Situate ... ( 1980 )
James E. Sochin v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Dennis ... ( 1988 )