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Poor Little Rich Girl
"Extreme wealth is a menace to happiness."
– Huguette Clark
Reclusive heiress Huguette Clark died May 24, 2011 at the age of 104. Her estate is estimated at $500 million. She has lived in a New York hospital for the last 22 years. No visitors or family have seen her. Her affairs are controlled by an attorney and an accountant.
Huguette had been living at a New York hospital under pseudonyms - the latest was Harriet Chase. She had a guarded room with full-time private nurses. Her hospital room number didn't even exist - outside her room on the 3rd floor, a card with the fake room number "1B" and the name "Chase" was taped over the actual room number.
The Elder Abuse Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office has been investigating Huguette’s lawyer Wallace Bock and accountant Irving Kamsler. The investigation began in 2010 when three relatives of Huguette sought to have an independent guardian appointed for her alleging mismanagement of her funds by Bock and Kamsler. Huguette hadn’t been seen since she left her 42-room Fifth Avenue apartment in an ambulance 22 years ago. The action for appointment of an independent guardian was unsuccessful. The court allowed Huguette’s finances to remain in the hands of Bock and Kamsler. Bill Dedman writes for MSNBC: "The case presented something of a Catch-22: The judge said the relatives were not able to provide first-hand information about Clark to prove their allegations against the attorney and accountant, but the relatives said they had been prevented for many years by the attorney and accountant from visiting Clark." But the DA’s office launched an investigation that is ongoing.
Is this another case like Brooke Astor? Her son and her attorney were convicted in 2009 of taking $10 million f rom her. Astor’s estate was valued at $131 million. Huguette’s estate is estimated at $500 million and includes three opulent homes: an estate on the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara, CA, worth an estimated $100 million (she had not visited this home since the 1950s); a country house in New Canaan, CT, now on the market for $23 million (which she built but never spent a night in); and the largest apartment on New York City's Fifth Avenue, actually 42 rooms on the 8th and 12th floors, valued at about $100 million. All three homes have been carefully maintained and staffed.
Huguette Clark was born in 1906 in Paris. She was the daughter of then 67-year-old U.S. Senator William A. Clark of Montana and his second wife, 28-year-old Anna Eugenia La Chapelle. William and Anna had another daughter, Louise, who died at the age of 17 from meningitis. Clark had 5 children with his first wife. The issue of these children are now parties of interest in Huguette’s estate, being her closest kin.
New York Post columnist Veren Dobnik writes of Huguette: "At 22, she married a poor bank clerk, but they parted ways after only nine months. Huguette Clark cited desertion by her husband. He claimed she failed to consummate the marriage, according to ‘The Clarks: An American Phenomenon.’"
In 2002 another mutual client of Bock and Kamsler died – Donald L. Wallace, Bock’s former law partner and Huguette’s former attorney. Wallace’s will (drafted by Bock) gave Bock and Kamsler $100,000 each, his Mercedes, and his New York apartment, not to mention the $368,000 in fees for settling Wallace’s $4 million estate. In New York, when a lawyer who drafted a will receives a bequest from that will, that fact automatically raises a suspicion of undue influence. The surrogate must determine if the bequest to the attorney was made voluntarily - a so-called Putnam inquiry. In Wallace’s estate, the surrogate determined that the bequests should be paid.
In September 2010 a spokesman for attorney Wallace Bock revealed that Huguette Clark did have a will which had been in existence for some time. Now we await the production of the will. Who will be the beneficiaries? And of course, we await the results of the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation.
The take away: it can happen to anyone. Who protects the elderly, not only from physical abuse but from financial abuse. Who protects an old person who has no children and whose distant relatives have been prevented from visiting him or her? Does our current legal structure suffice?
According to the American Psychological Association, over 2 million older Americans are victims of physical, psychological, or other forms of abuse and neglect every year. Further, for every case of elder abuse and neglect that is reported to authorities, experts believe there may be as many as five cases that have not been reported.
Making an Offer in Compromise to the IRS
An offer in compromise (OIC) is an agreement between a taxpayer and the Internal Revenue Service that settles the taxpayer’s tax liabilities for less than the full amount owed. Don’t get too excited - it is not that easy. Unless there are special circumstances, an offer in compromise will not be accepted if the IRS believes that the taxpayer can pay the liability in full either as a lump sum or through a payment agreement.
In most cases, the IRS will not accept an OIC unless the amount offered by the taxpayer is equal to or greater than the reasonable collection potential (RCP). The RCP is how the IRS measures the taxpayer’s ability to pay and includes the value that can be realized from the taxpayer’s assets, such as real property, automobiles, bank accounts, and other property. The RCP also includes anticipated future income, less certain amounts allowed for basic living expenses.
There are three grounds for acceptance of an OIC: 1) doubt as to collectibility, 2) doubt as to liability, and 3) effective tax administration.
Doubt as to collectibility applies when it appears unlikely that the taxpayer can pay all that is due within the statutory period for collection. Doubt as to liability exists when there is legitimate doubt about the correctness of the assessment. The examining agent may have made a mistake, or there could be an argument over interpretation, or perhaps the taxpayer has come up with new evidence. Effective tax administration exists when the taxpayer can demonstrate that the collection of the tax would create an economic hardship or would be unfair or inequitable.
Don’t think that an OIC is a way to make a deal with the IRS to split the difference. It’s not that kind of compromise. It is based on a formula to determine what the taxpayer can pay from what they owe and what they earn (the reasonable collection potential). Offers less than that amount are typically not accepted. The rules for application of the formula are very complicated. The taxpayer must present a complete financial picture to the IRS, detailing assets and liabilities, income and expenses.
An OIC is not for everyone. It actually prevents taxpayers from disputing the underlying liability at appeals or in tax court. Negotiating an installment plan that is a realistic payment plan may be a better alternative for the taxpayer. An installment plan works much like any installment loan. Those who are struggling financially catch up on their tax debt by making smaller payments over a period of time. While this may translate to paying more in total (because of interest rates and penalty charges), it's often a workable alternative.
An OIC is a lengthy and time-consuming process. Only about 15% of applicants actually reduce their debt through the OIC program. Because the filing and process are complex, it is highly recommended that you get professional advice in preparing and negotiating the offer. You need a tax attorney, a CPA, or an Enrolled Agent. Make sure you find someone with experience in IRS collection matters. A professional can help maximize the possibility that the OIC is accepted and the tax debt is minimized.
Beware of scams where promoters claim that tax debts can be settled for "pennies on the dollar." You’ve probably seen them on late-night TV. These scammers collect high fees and then don’t deliver on the promise - because they can’t in most cases. Some preparers collect fees but then fill out and file a form but provide no backup documentation and do not negotiate with the IRS. This is a waste of time and money. If the advertising refers to a "tax settlement specialist", run the other way.
An OIC is made on Form 656. There is a $150 application fee that must accompany the form. You cannot file an OIC if you are in bankruptcy. A taxpayer filing a lump-sum offer must pay 20 percent of the offer amount with the application. A lump-sum offer means any offer of payments made in five or fewer installments. A taxpayer filing a periodic-payment offer must pay the first proposed installment payment with the application and pay additional installments while the IRS is evaluating the offer. A periodic-payment offer means any offer of payments made in six or more installments.
