Ann Lurie, of the Estate of Robert H. Lurie, Deceased v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue

WILLIAMS, Circuit Judge.

This case is an example of how the best laid plans of mice and men can often go awry. Prior to his passing, the decedent, Robert H. Lurie, planned for the bulk of his wealth to be excluded from federal estate taxes and passed through various trust instruments set up for the benefit of his wife and children. The Commissioner of Internal Revenue, however, determined that the trusts formed for the benefit of the children, valued at approximately $40,471,059, should be included in Lurie’s gross estate for tax purposes. This determination left the funds remaining in the…