![[firm] blog logo](/wp-content/themes/haynesboone2012/images/firm_header.jpg "Blogs of Haynes and Boone, LLP")
Eleventh Circuit Holds No Fiduciary Breach in ESOP Stock Drop Case
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed dismissal of the claim by plan participants that The Home Depot had violated its fiduciary duties with respect to the ESOP by continuing to offer employer stock as an investment option after certain accounting adjustments caused earnings to be restated and the stock price to fall. Although ultimately the Eleventh Circuit upheld the district court’s decision, it overruled the district court on several points. First, the district court had determined that the plaintiffs’ prudence claim was really a diversification claim in disguise (ESOPs are exempt from the diversification requirement). Alternately, the district court had held that even if the claim were properly a prudence claim, the claim would fail because the participants did not allege that The Home Depot was on “the brink of financial collapse.” The Eleventh Circuit determined that this was a prudence claim, not a diversification claim.… Continue Reading
Seventh Circuit Holds 10% Tax Applies to IRA Withdrawal Following Rollover
At age 56, a partner left his law firm and elected to roll his balance in the firm 401(k) over into an IRA. Subsequently, he took a pre-age 59½ distribution from the 401(k) and was assessed with the additional 10% tax. The U.S. Tax Court upheld the additional 10% tax. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the Tax Court. The court held that the taxpayer would not have been subject to the 10% tax if he had taken the distribution directly from the 401(k) plan upon termination because of the exception in section 72(t)(2)(A)(v) of the Internal Revenue Code for post-separation distributions to an employee who has attained age 55, but because he chose to roll over his balance, the exception no longer applied to a distribution from an IRA. Kim v. Comm’r of Internal Revenue, No. 113390 -10 (7th Cir. May 9, 2012).
RSS