Court Taxes Litigation Support Payments Received by Attorney

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Jason B. Freeman

Jason B. Freeman

Managing Member

214.984.3410
Jason@FreemanLaw.com

Mr. Freeman is the founding member of Freeman Law, PLLC. He is a dual-credentialed attorney-CPA, author, law professor, and trial attorney.

Mr. Freeman has been named by Chambers & Partners as among the leading tax and litigation attorneys in the United States and to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Lawyers in America list. He is a former recipient of the American Bar Association’s “On the Rise – Top 40 Young Lawyers” in America award. Mr. Freeman was named the “Leading Tax Controversy Litigation Attorney of the Year” for the State of Texas for 2019 and 2020 by AI.

Mr. Freeman has been recognized multiple times by D Magazine, a D Magazine Partner service, as one of the Best Lawyers in Dallas, and as a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters service. He has previously been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Top 100 Up-And-Coming Attorney in Texas.

Mr. Freeman currently serves as the chairman of the Texas Society of CPAs (TXCPA). He is a former chairman of the Dallas Society of CPAs (TXCPA-Dallas). Mr. Freeman also served multiple terms as the President of the North Texas chapter of the American Academy of Attorney-CPAs. He has been previously recognized as the Young CPA of the Year in the State of Texas (an award given to only one CPA in the state of Texas under 40).

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Novoselsky v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2020-68 | May 28, 2020 | Lauber, J. | Dkt. No. 22400-13

Short Summary: During 2009 through 2011, Mr. Novoselsky, an attorney, practiced law with a focus on class action litigation.  In those years, he executed “litigation support agreements” with various individuals and entities.  Under those agreements, the individuals and entities made upfront payments to support the costs of litigation.  If the litigation was successful, Mr. Novoselsky was obligated to pay the counter-party, from his award of attorney’s fees and costs, the initial payment advanced to Mr. Novoselsky plus a premium.  However, if the litigation was not successful, Mr. Novoselsky had no obligation to return any funds to the counter-party.

Mr. Novoselsky and his wife filed joint returns with a Schedule C, Profit or Loss From Business, to report the business activities of Mr. Novoselsky’s law firm.  On the Schedule C, Mr. Novoselsky did not report any of the funds advanced to him pursuant to the litigation support agreements in which he had no obligation to repay the counter-party.  The IRS examined the returns and issued a notice of deficiency to Mr. and Mrs. Novoselsky.  In the notice of deficiency, the IRS determined that the advanced funds for which there was no repayment obligation should be reported as gross income to Mr. Novoselsky.  In addition, the IRS asserted accuracy-related penalties with respect to these items.

Key Issue:  Whether the funds advanced to Mr. Novoselsky constitute a loan or gross income and whether Mr. and Mrs. Novoselsky are liable for accuracy-related penalties.

Primary Holdings:

Key Points of Law:

Insight:  The Novoselsky decision shows the breadth of I.R.C. § 61 and its statutory language that gross income includes all income from whatever source derived.  Because the taxpayer received advances from third parties in which there was no obligation to repay, the Tax Court determined the payments represented gross income.  Notably, if Mr. Novoselsky used the payments for deductible business expenses, he would be entitled to a deduction to offset the gross income, but the decision does not address this issue.

 

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