Mann Construction Co., Inc. - Page 15




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          Or, as the Court of Appeal of California has written, in                    
          Sunniland Fruit, Inc. v. Verni, 284 Cal. Rptr. 824, 828 (Ct.                
          App. 1991) (grower's obligation to repay broker's advances not              
          conditional, notwithstanding provision that the advances would be           
          deducted from funds due the grower after sale of grower's fruit):           
               When the money claimed is an identifiable debt and                     
               there is no evidence establishing that the party                       
               advancing the monies assumed the risk inherent in the                  
               venture, identification of a particular pool of money                  
               as a source of payment does not limit or preclude                      
               recovery from other sources when the pool fails to                     
               materialize unless the agreement expressly so states.                  
               * * *                                                                  
               Considering the note in its entirety, we find that the                 
          clause referring to Mark Mann's earnings is too ambiguous to be             
          treated as an express limitation on his clearly stated and                  
          unconditional promise to repay the advances in full.  We                    
          therefore disagree with respondent's assertion that Mark was only           
          required to repay from his future earnings from petitioner.  On             
          the basis of the entire record, we find that petitioner and Mark            
          Mann expected Mark's earnings from petitioner would be both the             
          likely and a convenient source of repayment, but they did not               
          intend or agree that Mark was obligated to make repayments only             
          from that source.  See Andrew v. Commissioner, 54 T.C. at 245;              
          Bowman v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1995-259.  We therefore                  
          conclude that Mark Mann and petitioner intended Mark to be                  
          unconditionally obligated--and that Mark was in fact so                     






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