As purchaser, you may come across a target seller that is owned in whole or in part by an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP. An ESOP is a type of retirement plan pursuant to which the employees of a company indirectly own the shares of stock in the company. The shares of stock are held in trust by the trustees of the ESOP. When negotiating with an ESOP owned company, caution must be exercised and additional steps that do not exist with a conventional purchase must be taken. The law grants companies that have ESOPs certain tax benefits. As a quid pro quo to those tax benefits, the laws are designed to provide protection to the employees. One of the major protections provided is that the shares of stock owned by the ESOP cannot be sold for less than adequate consideration. To satisfy this rule, an independent trustee should be appointed and an independent appraiser should be engaged to opine as to whether the purposed purchase price is adequate consideration. A failure to follow these steps which results in less than adequate consideration being paid can have repercussions on not only the seller but also the purchaser. This is often the reason why a purchaser’s lender, if financing the purchase price, will insist that these steps be followed.
ABOUT GLENN D. SOLOMON
Glenn D. Solomon Esq., is a principal at the law firm of Offit Kurman and has provided counsel to businesses and business owners for more than twenty-five years, with extensive experience in the purchase and sale of businesses, structuring ownership agreements, and advising companies in financial distress
ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN
Offit Kurman is one of the fastest-growing, full-service law firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. With 120 attorneys offering a comprehensive range of services in virtually every legal category, the firm is well positioned to meet the needs of dynamic businesses and the people who own and operate them. Our eight offices serve individual and corporate clients in the Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Northern Virginia markets, as well as the Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City metropolitan areas. At Offit Kurman, we are our clients’ most trusted legal advisors, professionals who help maximize and protect business value and personal wealth. In every interaction, we consistently maintain our clients’ confidence by remaining focused on furthering their objectives and achieving their goals in an efficient manner. Trust, knowledge, confidence—in a partner, that’s perfect.
You can connect with Offit Kurman via our Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages. You can also sign up to receive Law Matters, Offit Kurman’s monthly newsletter covering a diverse selection of legal and corporate thought leadership content.
MARYLAND | PENNSYLVANIA | VIRGINIA| NEW JERSEY | NEW YORK | DELAWARE | WASHINGTON, DC
