Pulvers v. Commissioner
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
407 F.2d 838 (1969)
Relevant factsFree
A landslide near Pulvers's (plaintiff) mountain property damaged three neighboring homes and reduced Pulvers's own property value substantially, but Pulvers's home itself suffered no physical damage and remained fully accessible; Pulvers sought to deduct the pure decline in value as an "other casualty loss" under Internal Revenue Code Section 165(c)(3), and the Commissioner (defendant) disallowed the deduction, with the Tax Court affirming.
IssueFree
Whether a taxpayer may take a casualty-loss deduction where there is no evidence of physical damage or loss of physical property.