Lota Womack - Page 15

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               The taxpayer has the burden of proving that he or she meets            
          each of these requirements.  Feldman v. Commissioner, 20 F.3d               
          1128, 1134-1135 (11th Cir. 1994), affg. T.C. Memo. 1993-17;                 
          Stevens v. Commissioner, 872 F.2d 1499, 1504 (11th Cir. 1989),              
          affg. T.C. Memo. 1988-63.  A failure to prove any one of these              
          requirements will prevent the taxpayer from qualifying for                  
          relief.  Feldman v. Commissioner, supra; Stevens v. Commissioner;           
          supra; Bokum v. Commissioner, 94 T.C. 126, 138 (1990), affd. 992            
          F.2d 1132 (11th Cir. 1993).                                                 
               The parties now agree that petitioner filed joint returns              
          with Mr. Womack for 1989 and 1990.6  We now consider the other              
          requirements for innocent spouse relief.                                    
          Substantial Understatement Attributable to Grossly Erroneous                
          Items of the Other Spouse                                                   
               Items Attributable to Mr. Womack                                       
               The deficiencies in this case stem from unreported income              
          and disallowed Schedule C expenses.  The remaining items in the             
          notice of deficiency either decrease income or, being                       
          computational in nature, derive from the above adjustments.  The            

          6 At the calendar call, petitioner filed a motion to dismiss                
          as to taxable year 1990 for lack of jurisdiction or, in the                 
          alternative, for leave to file amended petition.  In support of             
          this motion, petitioner alleged that petitioner's signature on              
          the 1990 return was forged and that, therefore, the 1990 return             
          was not a joint return.  The Court denied the motion for                    
          dismissal and granted the motion for leave to file an amended               
          petition to include this alternative.  Petitioner has now                   
          abandoned this alternative position, acknowledging in her opening           
          brief that the parties agree that joint returns were filed in               
          1989 and 1990.                                                              



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