On May 29, 2009, Kansas City Southern (KCS) (NYSE:KSU) was notified by
its outside legal counsel of the final decision of the Mancera Ernst &
Young, S.C. ("Mancera") lawsuit described in its previously filed
financial statements, as well as in the previously filed financial
statements of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Kansas City Southern de
México, S.A. de C.V. ("KCSM"), which is the defendant in the case.
The lawsuit involved a dispute between KCSM and Mancera concerning the
fees payable by KCSM for Mancera's work on KCSM's value added tax
("VAT") dispute with the Mexican government, which was settled on
September 12, 2005. Although KCSM believes it had strong arguments for
its position, KCSM was notified on May 29, 2009, that in a session held
on May 28, 2009, the magistrates of the Twelfth Civil Federal Court of
Appeals in Mexico decided by majority vote to deny KCSM's most recent
appeal. The court has not issued its written opinion.
Though KCSM's specific payment obligations resulting from the decision
have not been determined, KCS estimates that under the decision, KCSM's
obligation to Mancera on the principal claim will be approximately $8
million. KCSM previously made a good faith payment to the Mexico courts
of approximately $3 million in December 2007. As a result of this
decision, KCSM will be obligated to pay Mancera an additional $5 million
on the principal claim in approximately four to six months. KCSM has
exhausted its remedies with respect to the principal claim. Any
applicable interest will be determined in a separate proceeding, which
is anticipated to be decided in approximately twelve to sixteen months.
Including a reserve for estimated interest potentially accruing from the
settlement, KCS (and KCSM in its stand-alone financial statements) will
recognize pre-tax expense of approximately $7 million, including
approximately $4 million of principal and approximately $3 million of
interest, in the second quarter of 2009 related to this court decision.
Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, Kansas City Southern is a
transportation holding company that has railroad investments in the
U.S., Mexico and Panama. Its primary U.S. holding is The Kansas City
Southern Railway Company, serving the central and south central U.S. Its
international holdings include Kansas City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de
C.V., serving northeastern and central Mexico and the port cities of
Lázaro Cárdenas, Tampico and Veracruz, and a 50 percent interest in
Panama Canal Railway Company, providing ocean-to-ocean freight and
passenger service along the Panama Canal. Kansas City Southern's North
American rail holdings and strategic alliances are primary components of
a NAFTA Railway system, linking the commercial and industrial centers of
the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
This press release may include statements concerning potential future
events involving KCS and its subsidiaries, which could materially differ
from the events that actually occur. The differences could be caused by
a number of factors including those factors identified in the "Risk
Factors" and the "Cautionary Information" sections of KCS' Form 10-K for
the most recently ended fiscal year, filed by KCS with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC) (Commission file no. 1-04717). KCS will
not update any forward-looking statements in this press release to
reflect future events or developments.