John A. and Donna L. Rowe - Page 25




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          affd. 282 F.3d 326 (5th Cir. 2002).  Respondent’s denial of                 
          equitable relief is reviewed under an abuse of discretion                   
          standard.  Cheshire v. Commissioner, supra at 198; Butler v.                
          Commissioner, 114 T.C. at 292.                                              
               In Rowe I, we held that respondent abused his discretion in            
          denying petitioner relief under section 6015(f) for the portions            
          of the capital gains, mortgage interest, and charitable                     
          contributions that were allocable to her.  Additionally, we held            
          that respondent abused his discretion in denying equitable relief           
          for the remaining disputed additions to tax and penalties.                  
                         a.   Items Allocable to Petitioner                           
               In deciding whether petitioner was entitled to relief under            
          section 6015(f) for the portions of the capital gains, mortgage             
          interest, and charitable contributions allocable to her, we                 
          reviewed the factors listed in Rev. Proc. 2000-15, 2000-5 I.R.B.            
          447, the Internal Revenue Service’s published guidelines on when            
          equitable relief should be granted.  We discussed various                   
          factors, including petitioner’s knowledge of the items giving               
          rise to the deficiencies and of respondent’s examination, the               
          circumstances surrounding her role in the tax reporting process,            
          her past and current financial situation, and the extent to which           
          she benefited from the items giving rise to the deficiencies.  We           
          found that compelling reasons existed for respondent to grant               
          petitioner equitable relief.  Consequently, we held that                    






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