Protecting Yourself after the Capital One Data Breach
It seems like almost every month there is news of yet another massive online data breach. Capital One is just the latest company to make headlines for failing to safeguard customers’ personal info. About 100 million credit card customers and applicants across the...
4th Circuit Upholds Brundle ESOP Valuation and Damages Findings
Brundle v. Wilmington Trust N.A. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals just affirmed the district court’s ruling against the trustee in the intensely contested Brundle v. Wilmington Trust ESOP case, including the district court’s valuation and damages findings. The...
Tax Implications of Refinancing Your Home
With the recent reduction in interest rates — and reports that further cuts could be on the horizon — you may be considering refinancing your home. If you are, there are some tax implications involved that you should know about. Here’s a quick overview. Deductions for...
ESOP Court Denies Discovery of DOL Expert’s Prior Work for Government
Acosta v. Wilmington Trust In an ongoing ESOP litigation, the defendant trustee’s effort to obtain information on the DOL expert’s prior valuation work for the government was thwarted. In denying the trustee’s motion to compel, the court found the information was...
Tax Strategies for Seniors
With a median age of 44.6 years, Maine is the oldest state in the country. Our population of people age 65 or older has also grown by over 55,000 in the past seven years. If you’re part of Maine’s large senior population, you should be aware of some age-based tax...
Unequivocal ‘No’ to Unaffected Market Price—Delaware Supreme Court Strikes Down Aruba Networks
Verition Partners Master Fund Ltd. v. Aruba Networks, Inc. In a sharp rebuke, the Delaware Supreme Court overturned the Court of Chancery’s controversial decision in the Aruba Networks statutory appraisal case to use the unaffected market price as the sole indicator...
Year-End Strategies to Reduce AGI
Like every summer in Maine, it went by much too fast. But now that fall is here and the end of the year is in sight, it’s a great time to think about crossing off a few of your financial to-do’s. One important project you can tackle is reducing your current-year...
In Misappropriation Case, Expert’s ‘Head Start’ Damages Calculation Survives Appeal
Sabre GLBL, Inc. v. Shan This damages case, which centered on an employee’s breach of fiduciary duties and other misconduct toward her former employer, and which went to arbitration, includes an informative discussion of the difference between head start damages and...
How to Reduce the Tax Hit on Soon-to-Be-Developed Land
Here in the greater Portland area, real estate prices are increasing and development is booming — which is good news for owners of underdeveloped or underutilized land. But if you’re among those who are looking to sell, develop or subdivide a highly appreciated...
Analysis Holds Up in Divorce Litigation
Hultz v. Kuhn A Maryland divorce case illustrates the difficulties an appraiser charged with valuing a small company in the divorce context may face and how he or she may prevail in court. The wife was the sole shareholder in a tree services business. The issue at...