Philip T. and Mary Ellen Chaplin - Page 17

                                       - 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 with                 






Page:  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