...one of those stories.

So, to get us all up to speed: prominent Yahoo shareholder Carl Icahn proposed a proxy board, probably to oust Jerry Yang and take a Microsoft deal. He says Yahoos employee severance plan (which would be triggered by a takeover or merger) is a poison pill. Yahoo says their severance plan is to protect and reassure employees and that Icahn has no credible plan for Yahoo. Simple enough, right?

In the latest round of fighting, we continue with the he-said, they-said over the employee severance plan. In letters to Yahoo, Carl Icahn has not only called the plan a poison pill but his actions have also gotten the shareholders who were already suing Yahoo to believe and file suit against the plan. Also, Icahn indicated that it was designed to prevent a merger with Microsoft with its $2.4 billion price tag"and that Yahoos own consultants called the plan nuts.

Yahoo fires back in an SEC filing (hopefully seeing the futility of further correspondence with Icahn) of a Q&A on the employee severance plan (emphasis added, via):

Mr. Icahn says this Plan costs $2.4 billion. Is that what it actually costs?
No. . . . Mr. Icahn quotes the $2.4 billion estimate, taken out of context, from a complaint filed in litigation against the company. This number is necessarily based on a number of assumptions, including the assumption that all of Yahoo!s employees are terminated without Cause or leave for Good Reason following a Change in Control. . . .

Did Yahoo!s compensation consultant say that the Plan is nuts?

No. . . . Timothy J. Sparks, the president of Compensia, Yahoo!s compensation consultant firm, explained in a sworn deposition that he used the word nuts to describe his opinion of using the assumption that 100 percent of Yahoo!s employees would actually receive the severance benefits under the Plan to determine cost estimates. Mr. Sparks made clear in his deposition that his remark did not relate to the design or cost of the Plan.

So although Icahn said that the compensation consultant called the plan nuts, what the man really said was that Carl Icahns interpretation of the plan was nuts. Thats turning your opponents argument against him.

Icahn insists that the plan be rescinded, but according to Yahoo, the plan cannot be changed within 30 days of any action toward a Change in Control, which is clearly what Icahn is angling for.

Best of all, though, is Henry Blodgets insightful point: Icahn hates the employee severance plan because it would be triggered if his proxy bid succeeds. A Change in Control triggers the employee severance plan whether its Microsoft or Icahn taking over.

I also agree with his assessment of the situation:

• Carl Icahn has no real plan for Yahoo other than selling to Microsoft
• This weak negotiating position would likely lead to a takeout in the high-$20s, if that.

So much for that $34.375/share price tag. It does seem painfully obvious that this kind of fighting and obvious display of weakness can only harm Yahoos bargaining position, no matter who ultimately gains control of the board.

The bottom line? Yahoos once again stuck in an untenable position. Do you see a way out for them?

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