On January 25, 2012, the New Jersey Tax Court decided Estate of Sadie Wishnick By Its Executrix, Doris Schulsinger v. Director, Division of Taxation, Docket No. 000185-2011, wherein Plaintiff requested that the Court charge the Division of Taxation with damages, compensatory and punitive, for taking an unreasonable time to determine that an Estate Tax was owed.  The Court rejected the request. By way of background, the decedent died on October 23, 2007.  The Estate Tax is due

On February 2, 2012, the New Jersey Tax Court decided Estate of Claire Schinestuhl, By Its Executrix, Mary T. Acquardo v. Director, Division of Taxation, Docket No. 007133-2011, wherein the Court determined that shares of a publicly traded company must be valued as of the decedent’s date of death and not two (2) years later when the proceeds were distributed. Here, Claire Schinestuhl was the sole beneficiary of the assets of her brother Prescott Schinestuhl, who died on September 13, 2004.  Claire Schinestuhl died shortly thereafter,