-35- Zerbini to represent Zeve in the criminal case. This is contrary to petitioner’s representations as to the facts, as made in petitioner’s amended trial memorandum. Petitioner did not make any of the determinations that its articles of incorporation require, in considerable procedural and substantive detail (see supra in the Findings of Fact), before petitioner may indemnify or agree to indemnify Zeve for the criminal case expenses. Petitioner represented in the amended trial memorandum that Zerbini would testify that petitioner’s $3,000 payment “represented legal fees for his representation of Petitioner only.” Petitioner did not call Zerbini as a witness. In light of the fact that petitioner created the uncertainty in the record herein as to whether it had paid Zerbini in part to represent Zeve in the criminal proceeding, it should have been obvious that it was important to clarify the matter. Petitioner seemed to recognize this by listing Zerbini in the amended trial memorandum and describing Zerbini’s expected testimony on this point. In the final analysis, petitioner chose not to call Zerbini, and he did not testify. We are entitled to, and we do, infer that if Zerbini had testified, then his testimony would have been unfavorable to petitioner on this issue. O’Dwyer v. Commissioner, 266 F.2d 575, 584 (4th Cir. 1959), affg. 28 T.C. 698, 703 (1957); Stoumen v. Commissioner, 208 F.2d 903, 907 (3d Cir. 1953), affg. a Memorandum Opinion of this Court dated MarchPage: Previous 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011