He may be dead but his troubles are not over. In a unique Qui Tam case under the New York False Claims Act, the failure to file a New York estate tax return and pay estate tax was claimed to be fraudulent because the decedent, as of the date of his death, had not actually changed his domicile to Florida from New York.¹ The case was commenced by a former employee of the decedent physician’s medical practice. The employee alleged that although the physician had sold his home in New York and taken steps to change his domicile from New York to Florida, all of these acts were fraudulent and intended to evade the New York estate tax. For individuals who have or are contemplating changing their state tax residence from New York, this development emphasizes the importance of understanding the ways that New York can challenge such a tax planning technique. It also highlights how easy it might be for a third party to tip-off the New York Department of Taxation if the guidelines to change the state of tax residence have not been followed.

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