Ernest F. Modzelewski v. Resolution Trust Corporation, as Receiver for Merabank, a Federal Savings Bank, Gene E. Rice v. Resolution Trust Corporation, as Receiver for Merabank, a Federal Savings Bank

14 F.3d 1374 62 USLW 2471 , 17 Employee Benefits Cas. 2298 Ernest F. MODZELEWSKI, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. RESOLUTION TRUST CORPORATION, as Receiver for MeraBank, a Federal Savings Bank, Defendant-Appellee. Gene E. RICE, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. RESOLUTION TRUST CORPORATION, as Receiver for MeraBank, a Federal Savings Bank, Defendant-Appellee. Nos. 92-15670, 92-15865. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted Aug. 11, 1993. Decided Jan. 20, 1994. Raymond M. Hunter, Hunter & Lehman, Phoenix, AZ, for plaintiff-appellant Modzelewski. Peter K. Rosen and Dennis A. Winston, Rosen & Winston, Los Angeles, CA, for plaintiff-appellant Rice. Bruce C. Taylor, RTC, Washington, DC, John H. Bernstein, Diana C. Fields, Kutak Rock, Denver, CO, and E. Scott Dosek, Kutak Rock, Phoenix, AZ, for the defendant-appellee. Appeals from the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. Before: KOZINSKI, THOMPSON and T.G. NELSON, Circuit Judges. KOZINSKI, Circuit Judge: 1 Starting in the 1970s, MeraBank Savings and Loan offered high level employees "salary continuation agreements," presumably to secure the most talented managers. Nonetheless, it went the way of…