A Look at Fractional Interests

Xiliary Twil of Art Asset Management Group, Inc. sent me this interesting post about a Houston, TX collector and fractional interest. It is an interesting read and I highly recommend all apprasiers take a few minutes to read the whole post and not just what I have pasted.

The Taishoff Law Offices report

The late James dies, with a fractional interest. Who would buy it and at what price?

The lease has all kinds of restrictions, and the kids have a co-tenancy agreement in what was left of the GRIT art that might (or might not) constitute a valid waiver of partition. I’ve litigated those, but not in the estate tax context, and they’re not laydown winners. But don’t get me started.

So it all comes down to our friends, the willing buyer and willing seller (see my blogpost “The Man Who Never Was”, 1/25/13), and whether an appropriate discount has been made for the late James’ fractional interest.

First off, Section 2703(a)(2) says that in valuing property for estate or gift tax purposes, restrictions on sale or use don’t count. So the famous lease and the co-tenancy agreement among the kids don’t impact the worth of the late James’ property right in the paintings.

Now for the experts and their role. Judge Halpern: “In deciding valuation cases, courts often look to the opinions of expert witnesses. Nonetheless, we are not bound by the opinion of any expert witness, and we may accept or reject expert testimony in the exercise of our sound judgment. Although we may largely accept the opinion of one party’s expert over that of the other party’s expert, we may be selective in determining what portions of each expert’s opinion, if any, to accept. Finally, because valuation necessarily involves an approximation, the figure at which we arrive need not be directly traceable to specific testimony if it is within the range of values that may be properly derived from consideration of all the evidence.” 140 T.C. 5, at p. 38.

So out come the experts, including IRS’ artistic whiz, the poetically-named Ms. Karen Hanus-McManus. The experts on both sides agree that sales of fractional interests in artwork don’t happen, either by collectors (who are in it only partly for the money but also for psychic satisfaction) and speculators (who are in it for the cash).

IRS wants to leave out of consideration the late James’ kids objections to any sale and litigation over partition, but Judge Halpern says that’s not a restriction on the late James’ right to sell; that’s a factor any buyer would have to consider. So after much parsing of cases, Judge Halpern decides that he can award a discount to the late James’ share of the pretties.IRS wants no discount, the late James’ crew from V&E want a big markdown.

Judge Halpern: “The overriding flaw in [the estate’s experts] analyses is their failure to consider not only the Elkins children’s opposition to selling any of the art but also their ownership position vis-a-vis that of the hypothetical willing buyer and the impact that the 73.055-26.945 or 50-50 ownership split would have on the negotiations between seller and buyer. Both experts should have considered the fact that the Elkins children, cumulatively, were entitled to possession of 61 works of cotenant art for a little over three months each year, and to possession of the three works of GRIT art for six months of each year. The relatively brief period of annual possession and the expense and inconvenience of annually moving the art from the hypothetical buyer’s premises back to Houston most likely would have caused the Elkins children to reassess their professed desire to cling, at all costs, to the ownership status quo existing after decedent’s death. Thus, the hypothetical buyer would be in an excellent position to persuade the Elkins children, who, together, had the financial wherewithal to do so, to buy the buyer’s interest in any or all of the works, thereby enabling them to continue to maintain absolute ownership and possession of the art.” 140 T. C. 5, at pp. 68-69 (Footnotes omitted).

Source: Taishoff Law Firm