-21- could operate his Oxyfresh business as a trust. However, it is not clear whether Dunn reviewed the trust documents that Smith prepared. Mr. Fox testified that he did not give Dunn any information regarding the trust. Mr. Fox did not rely on Dunn in good faith because he kept information from him. Dunn attended the trial but did not testify. We may draw an unfavorable inference from his failure to testify for petitioners. Wichita Terminal Elevator Co. v. Commissioner, 6 T.C. 1158, 1165 (1946), affd. 162 F.2d 513 (10th Cir. 1947). Petitioners contend that we may not draw an adverse inference from Dunn's failure to testify because the "uncalled witness rule" does not apply in Federal court. We disagree. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit applied the adverse inference rule of Wichita Terminal Elevator Co. v. Commissioner, supra, in McKay v. Commissioner, 886 F.2d 1237, 1238-1239 (9th Cir. 1989), affg. 89 T.C. 1063 (1987). Mr. Fox testified that he asked an unidentified attorney who specialized in trusts about which form he should use for his Oxyfresh business. Mr. Fox testified that the attorney's conclusion was the same as that of Giboney and Dunn. We do not know the expertise of the people on whom petitioners claim to have relied, and we do not know specifically what their opinion was.Page: Previous 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Next
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