Tribune Company, As Agent of and Successor By Merger to the Former the Times Mirror Company, Itself and its Consolidated Subsidiaries - Page 16

                                       - 105 -                                        
          IN MB”, “B.  TMD FAILED TO EXCHANGE ITS MB COMMON STOCK FOR STOCK           
          OF MB PARENT WORTH AT LEAST $1.1 BILLION”, and “C.  AFTER THE               
          MERGER, POST-MERGER MB, THE SURVIVING CORPORATION FAILED TO HOLD            
          ‘SUBSTANTIALLY ALL’ OF ITS PROPERTIES AND THE PROPERTIES OF THE             
          ‘MERGED’ CORPORATION”.  Under the last heading, the notice                  
          elaborated:                                                                 
               D.   TMD RECEIVED CONSIDERATION OTHER THAN VOTING                      
                    STOCK.                                                            
                    To qualify as a reorganization under Code section                 
               368(a)(1)(B), only voting stock may be used by the                     
               acquiring corporation.  The merger of Bender Mergersub                 
               into MB could not qualify as a “B” reorganization if                   
               TMD received, in exchange for its MB common stock, any                 
               consideration other than voting stock (“boot”).                        
                    In exchange for its MB common stock, TMD received                 
               MB Parent common stock and constructively received the                 
               rights to manage Eagle I, which it assigned to TM.                     
               Immediately after the merger, Eagle I’s sole asset was                 
               $1.375 billion in cash.  The provisions of the Eagle I                 
               LLC Agreement, coupled with the broad powers granted to                
               the manager, gave TM direct access to and control over                 
               the $1.375 billion.                                                    
                    The rights to manage Eagle I were not voting                      
               stock, had substantial value, and were constructively                  
               received by TMD in exchange for its MB common stock.                   
               Since TMD received boot in exchange for its interest in                
               MB, the merger of Bender Mergersub into MB failed to                   
               qualify as a reorganization under Code section                         
               368(a)(1)(B).                                                          
          The notice also determined that section 269 applies to deny                 
          nonrecognition treatment of the Bender transaction.                         
               During trial of this case, the parties agreed that TMD’s               
          adjusted basis in its Bender common stock was $78,454,130 as of             







Page:  Previous  95  96  97  98  99  100  101  102  103  104  105  106  107  108  109  110  111  112  113  114  Next

Last modified: May 25, 2011