Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN oosrpatwlon thin baris a~rsrag+kta amroxheC~ly mm-third o? th, 1iabIlItyruaerted by the Fad- tml 5omrnmo~t. -In effwtlng thi8 mqmmI8~, thlr De- portment hm not rdmlttcldltblllty, but in- rrtm44ha* wiif0nnly dmlI&d llabllltyana .rofwad t.0pay thQ tax 8u.lw.d. The DQpartmult'8'Rotlve In eirwtlngthlr aompmlaisa la not tear of llablllty,but rcurl.IsatIonthat tha daposltom arm oreUItor8 01 the mweml lcoolvent corpora- tiOfUWOIdd Rlff@r :?Orb fZW thb PrOhUQVa utbhi0n ~MOL~U~J~t0 z~opliyaianxfm llablllt - lrmrpwtive of the outocab of th~.wotiaby ~24~ t.bt iit9sritf0n - tbrrt3 the miBprwIu arbmuntl8 et thle t lzae. "'-ilva Faberal C!=wsraw?nt, on-the other hwx%, br eooopting apptori-ttatdy O~Q-thirdof th8 amowtWhi8h uOU3.4bm due it liability had beon sstbtbllsha4,has olwrlp la8fcntm3 that It doa8 n&ogg~ter the clxlstcmao OS Z.labllItyfrro . awurs *fat this Ra- when an8 If ruah ltibllity Ia s8tabll8w. G~v~ou~~~, ii"in faot ~,f~bfmy aid not air*, WQ hardDO ff&ht b mid5 thi0 L$ Rd haa thO%V beon a final adjedloetlonduryin$ lhblll%y, mrwould hum bean bound to payfhiafrutiwa t.0the ~,-l0pu rraa ~hhoat itwarr 2ebma. %arin(~ oampro~An~4the oontrmway, am% prdmmml any wa~ibilfty of evatr harlnnga flal ad$xdlestlonai llobllltj we GWI now In doubt as to the properdIm*orItion of thlr trust TUd. CorteIdly the ampmulse mumot be cwiwiys6rsdas a atmrdmtfon that liability Enlthttrths Cmmlssioaer nor the ssvarai Dietriot Courts could, through E cc+ praal8~agreamont,make a a0t~~~ti0n of Uabillty \ilndI.ngupon these osvom1 c~@oyr+s@, ao thr,tthslr trust funda could be utlsdi In paying the co~pmniro amount. It 18 lnter- estlog, too, to note that the 11eivfma1 acurtm mad. no attcapt to dlmot paymnt or m&la1 of the ooaprwlse awunts papylpent out bf thseatm3t fi22iaa. l?ioorder eruth.~rIma the Ccrtnasisaloner to eiiect tha ccaproals~,cand papaant of the ccmplm~ae m¶mArltout or the asset 0r the llqula8tIon.* *Xn the 11&t of the*0fasts, I mspaat- f'ullysubmit the followl~.qucrstlonr Wmuld them trust funds be paid to the fedem Oooernmnt a8 a tprt of the can roi33Is~ amwnt, or paid to the ~rmplojlrmm fmm wL** mlaarlasthey were withhold?" Ycur r6f~mMo to our opinfo~%FJo.3048 la a mfe~~rne to cpinion Ho. 0676 (wx~f.rMw opinion 3049). In #ueh b IA- loa, we held that you were not liable for the Soolal SeeuxPtp tcmm ~88~~4 underthe Fedenl Soulal4ieourlty kt on am- ploys06hired by you to asaLt In the lIpul(latlon of defunat banlrS.Xt ioflwo assuming auoh ogleion to be afcreet, tht YOU Maa ~10author 1ty t0 a0tmt OIY p0r centfml~ the 158tarl88 or those uz@oy~oa. aa+inp: ma0 SUO~d0awii0nouti 0f pro- omtlon a~ e ;IrotectIon a&n& poe#lbl.r adjudioatioo of liabllIt]r,rruohfund0 oon8tltutea trust fund in your !mnda Sor the benefit of the employ~eewho aontribut@dto 6uo2rfunds. YOU aaviatithat tbo tam or ordersr:teredby tha vtlriouedlatrldtaout. hnvhg aupsrvl8d,on ot the msveral ba:~keIn liptllatithdlraotsppsnt aP the nemml anomts ngim3*t:ng the total ccinyroz.lsr amuM.* wt of the asset8 of the bedcs I:;llr~uldatiocrSuch balnE true, and the ;~osslble