- 17 - the subsequent lawsuit. Nevertheless, we find RHB exercised the requisite control over petitioner. This factor supports a finding that petitioner was an employee of RHB. 2. The Relationship the Parties Believe They Are Creating Petitioners argue the parties intended to create a hybrid relationship where: (1) The fiduciaries were the principal and RHB was the agent because the fiduciaries paid RHB to provide them with office space, equipment, and administrative services; and (2) to the extent the fiduciaries provided administrative (nonfiduciary) services to RHB, the fiduciaries were employees of RHB. Petitioners conclude that, because the lawsuit arose from the first type of relationship, the legal fees were attributable to his trade or business of being an independent professional fiduciary and were not attributable to petitioner’s employment by RHB. Petitioners’ argument is not supported by the record. While petitioner and RHB did not enter into an employment agreement until 1986, the nature of the relationship before 1986 indicates that the parties believed they were creating an employer-employee relationship. Before being hired by MDM, RHB’s predecessor, petitioner had no experience serving as a fiduciary. Petitioner received on-the-job training by MDM and RHB. Petitioner was subject to supervision and annual review by RHB and its shareholders and directors. These factors are more consistent with an employer-employee relationship than withPage: Previous 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011