Article IV, Section 10
Section 10. Nonassignability.
- To make it impossible for Participants or Pensioners or
Beneficiaries to impair, directly or indirectly, the benefits provided by
this Plan, none of the benefits, payments, proceeds or claims of any Participant,
Pensioner or Beneficiary shall be subject to any claim of any creditor and,
in particular, the same shall not be subject to attachment or garnishment
or other legal process by any creditors, or to the jurisdiction of any bankruptcy
court or any insolvency proceeding, by operation of law or otherwise, nor
shall any such Participant, Pensioner or Beneficiary have any right to alienate,
anticipate, commute, pledge, encumber or assign any of the benefits or payments
or proceeds which he may expect to receive, contingently or otherwise, under
this Plan. If by operation of law, or otherwise, any benefit, payment, proceed
or claim of any Participant, Pensioner or Beneficiary would devolve to anyone
else, then the Directors in their discretion may terminate such interest and
apply it to or for the benefit of such person, his spouse, children, or other
dependent, or any of them in such manner as the Directors may select.
- The provisions of this section shall also apply to the creation,
assignment, or recognition of a right to any benefit payable with respect
to a Participant pursuant to a domestic relations order, unless (1) such order
is determined to be a qualified domestic relations order, as defined in Section
414(p) of the Code, or (2) the Directors in their discretion determine to
treat any domestic relations order entered before January 1, 1985 as a qualified
domestic relations order. The Directors shall establish reasonable procedures
to determine the qualified status of domestic relations orders and to administer
distributions under such qualified orders. In the event a qualified domestic
relations order exists with respect to a benefit payable under the Plan, the
benefits otherwise payable to a Participant or Beneficiary shall be payable
to the alternate payee specified in the qualified domestic relations order.
- Benefits which become payable in accordance with a qualified
domestic relations order (“QDRO”), as set forth in subsection (b) above, are
subject to the following rule. If the date as of which payments to the Alternate
Payee are to commence (“Commencement Date”) is before the Participant’s Annuity
Starting Date and after July 1, 1999, the early retirement factors shall be
a reduction of ˝ of 1% for each month by which the Participant or Alternate
Payee, as specified in the QDRO, is younger than age 63 on the Commencement
Date.
- Notwithstanding subsection (a) above, the Plan may offset
against the benefits of a Participant any amount that the Participant is ordered
or required to pay under a judgment, order, decree or settlement agreement
described in ERISA Section 206(d)(4), subject to the joint and survivor requirements
of ERISA Section 206(d)(4)(C) and ERISA Section 206(d)(5), if applicable.
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