- 30 - found that the management of the assets contributed to SFLP was not the purpose of SFLP. In this case, the facts clearly demonstrate that the paper arrangement, the written partnership agreement, had no relationship to the reality of decedent's ownership and control of the assets contributed to the partnership. Although under the partnership agreement a limited partner could not demand a distribution of partnership capital or income, the partnership (1) paid for Stone's surgery when she injured her back while caring for decedent, (2) distributed $3,187,800 to decedent's estate for State and Federal estate and inheritance taxes, (3) distributed $563,000 in 1995 and 1996 and $102,500 in 1998 to each of the Strangi children, (4) divided its primary Merrill Lynch account into four separate accounts in each of the Strangi children's names, (5) extended lines of credit to John Strangi, Albert T. Strangi, and Mrs. Gulig, and (6) advanced to decedent's estate $3.32 million to post bonds with the Internal Revenue Service. It is clear that, contrary to the written partnership agreement, decedent and his successor in interest to his partnership interest (decedent's estate) had the ability to withdraw funds at will. If a hypothetical third party had offered to purchase the assets held by the partnership for the full fair market value of those assets, there is little doubtPage: Previous 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011