Richard and Judith Haeder - Page 27




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          Haeder had worked on for petitioner.9  Petitioners, however,                
          presented none of those documents at trial.  In fact, petitioner            
          did not offer into evidence any documentation of the work Mrs.              
          Haeder purportedly performed or of the time she purportedly spent           
          performing services for his law practice during the years in                
          issue.  The record is devoid of credible evidence establishing              
          that Mrs. Haeder performed any services other than those                    
          reasonably expected of a family member.  We are not required to             
          accept petitioner’s self-serving, uncorroborated testimony that             
          Mrs. Haeder performed substantial and continuing clerical and               
          secretarial services for him during the years in issue.  See Bose           
          Corp. v. Consumers Union of U.S., Inc., 466 U.S. at 512; Day v.             
          Commissioner, 975 F.2d at 538; Geiger v. Commissioner, 440                  
          F.2d 688, 689-690 (9th Cir. 1971), affg. per curiam T.C. Memo.              
          1969-159; Niedringhaus v. Commissioner, 99 T.C. 202, 212 (1992).            
               Other evidence in the record supports respondent’s position            
          that Mrs. Haeder did not serve as petitioner’s employee during              
          the years in issue.  For example, except for 1993, petitioner did           
          not issue Mrs. Haeder a Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement.                   
          Furthermore, petitioner did not pay Mrs. Haeder “wages” on a                

               9This Court does not consider statements in briefs as proof.           
          See Rule 143(b); Niedringhaus v. Commissioner, 99 T.C. 202, 214             
          n.7 (1992); Viehweg v. Commissioner, 90 T.C. 1248, 1255 (1988);             
          Evans v. Commissioner, 48 T.C. 704, 709 (1967), affd. 413 F.2d              
          1047 (9th Cir. 1969).                                                       







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