- 22 - another distributor or from taking over a business that his daughters could sell at his death. In short, we are persuaded that the likelihood (and certainly the ability) of Mr. Langdon's reentering the business should not be discounted. Mr. Chouravong also applied an additional 24.2-percent discount on the basis of various cumulative "risk" factors. We cannot discern a risk factor in a covenant not to compete, other than that the covenant will be violated. However, the covenant provided for remedies in the case of breach, including injunctive relief and money damages. The entire value of the covenant was paid "up front". A covenant is not like an investment on which a return is earned over time. The only return bargained for is the grantor's forbearance. If Mr. Langdon died before the 5 years expired, he would still be unable to compete. A discount for risk thus also seems inappropriate. It may be that Mr. Chouravong was attempting to derive the present value of BDC's operating profits for the life of the covenant as an outer limit to the value of the covenant. See Buckley v. Commissioner, supra. If so, however, he has failed to persuade us of an appropriate discount rate, and we decline to invent one out of whole cloth. On the other hand, we agree with respondent that (1) the allocation of $1 million by the purchase agreement to the covenant was not the result of arm's-length bargaining, and (2)Page: Previous 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011