Jerry and Patricia A. Dixon, et al - Page 65




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          the various groups of petitioners during these proceedings have             
          not been consistent in all respects and in some respects the                
          positions of counsel--primarily Messrs. Izen and Sticht--have               
          become adversarial.6                                                        
               Following pretrial conferences on the record in Los Angeles            
          on July 17, 1995, and January 16, 1996, the evidentiary hearing             
          was held at special trial sessions of the Court conducted in Los            
          Angeles on May 13 to 30 and June 10 to 26, 1996, and August 18,             
          1997.                                                                       
               In the interest of chronology and as an aid to understanding           
          this opinion, the procedural history of the evidentiary hearing             
          comes after the Court's detailed findings of fact and before the            
          ultimate findings of fact.                                                  
                                  FINDINGS OF FACT                                    
          I.   Kersting Tax Shelter Programs and Related Matters                      
          A.   The Pike Case                                                          
          Mr. Kersting began promoting tax shelter programs in Hawaii                 
          in the early 1970's.  Mr. Kersting's early tax shelter programs             
          included an "Auto-Leasing Plan" and an "Acceptance Corporation              
          Plan."  Those plans generally required participants to purchase             


          5(...continued)                                                             
          need to participate in the evidentiary hearing.  In Gridley v.              
          Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1997-210, the Court rejected the                   
          argument, raised in the Booths' Motion for Summary Judgment,                
          that Kersting petitioners who signed stipulations to be bound               
          to Dixon II were entitled to entry of decisions in their cases              
          consistent with the decision entered by the Court in the Thompson           
          case at docket No. 19321-83.                                                
          6  See infra pp. 168-169, 171-172, and 187-188.                             

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