When Ace detailed the severance it had promised each of its senior executives in its last proxy statement, it made no mention of any obligation to Mr. Duperreault, who, at 60, was serving only as chairman of Ace's board.
It has not paid them, and, to avoid paying a severance, it has not fired them.
"If he decides to do something," said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the continuing investigations and the condition of the tabloid's severance package, "it is well thought through and calculated".
The WorldCom board also discussed yesterday whether it could alter the severance package it approved for Mr. Ebbers before his ouster in April, but took no action on the matter.
If it in fact was a severance payment, it could represent an illegal campaign contribution by Mr. Ensign's parents because Cynthia Hampton had served as the treasurer of his political campaign.
The board could have avoided paying the severance had it fired Mr. Watson for cause, but it appears not to have done that.
In response to a request from Mr. Taubman's lawyers, John J. Greene of the Justice Department's antitrust division said in court papers filed yesterday that prosecutors would ask for information that Christie's gathered in a four-year-old internal investigation and for evidence of nearly $7 million in severance payments it has made to Christopher Davidge, its former chief executive.
"The severance, if it does exist, would be confidential," she said, adding that "it would be shareholder-paid, not customer-paid".
The council was told last month it had to save £6.5m, but taking into account factors such as severance pay, it now needs to find £7.2m in cuts.
The distinction was critical because if the money was considered severance pay, it would have amounted to an undisclosed campaign contribution by Mr. Ensign's parents.
Separately, Representative Scott McInnis, Republican of Colorado, strongly criticized United yesterday for the severance package it is giving to the departing chief executive, Mr. Goodwin.
