By the Company for Cause The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Cause. The following shall constitute “Cause” for termination:
(i) Repeated or willful refusal, failure or neglect by the Executive to perform the material duties of his employment or to follow the directions of the Board (other than by reason of the Executive’s physical or mental illness or impairment);
(ii) The Executive’s committing any act of fraud, embezzlement, or theft;
(iii) The Executive’s material violation of the Company’s policies;
(iv) The Executive’s behavior or engagement in any acts that may interfere with the ability of the Company or any of its affiliates to maintain a license to harvest, cultivate, process, or sell cannabis or otherwise continue to operate its business;
(v) The Executive’s breach of any non-disclosure, non-disparagement, non-competition, non-solicitation, assignment of inventions agreement or other restrictive covenants set forth herein, other than the Executive’s inadvertent and immaterial breach of any non-competition or non-disclosure obligation that is not otherwise detrimental to the Company or any of its affiliates, as determined by the Board (excluding the Executive);
(vi) The Executive’s conviction of a felony (including pleading guilty or nolo contendere to a felony) or commitment of other acts causing a material detriment to the reputation, the business or a business relationship of the Company or any of its affiliates; provided, however, that for the avoidance of doubt, no conviction or plea of nolo contendere of a felony or crime that occurs solely as a result of a violation of U.S. federal law concerning cannabis or the cannabis industry shall be deemed to constitute “Cause”, so long as (A) the acts, omissions, conduct or activity related to cannabis or the cannabis industry giving rise to any such conviction or plea of nolo contendere of a felony or crime could be reasonably believed to be in compliance with applicable state and local laws and (B) such conviction or plea of nolo contendere is not likely to interfere with the ability of the Company or any of its affiliates to maintain a license to harvest, cultivate, process, or sell cannabis or otherwise continue to operate its business;
(vii) The Executive’s willful engagement in dishonesty, illegal conduct (other than solely as a result of a violation of U.S. federal law concerning cannabis or the cannabis industry, so long as (A) the acts, omissions, conduct or activity related to cannabis or the cannabis industry giving rise to such illegal conduct could be reasonably believed to be in compliance with applicable state and local laws and (B) such illegal conduct is not likely to interfere with the ability of the Company or any of its affiliates to maintain a license to harvest, cultivate, process, or sell cannabis or otherwise continue to operate its business), or gross misconduct, which in each case is materially injurious (monetarily or otherwise) to the Company or its affiliates; or
(viii) The Executive’s material breach of the terms of this Agreement. For purposes of this provision, no act or failure to act on the part of the Executive shall be considered "willful" unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in bad faith or without reasonable belief that the Executive's action or omission was in the best interests of the Company. Any act, or failure to act, based on authority given pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by the Board or on the advice of counsel for the Company shall be conclusively presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in good faith and in the best interests of the Company. Termination of the Executive’s employment shall not be deemed to be for Cause unless and until (I) the Company has given notice thereof to the Executive specifying in reasonable detail the conduct constituting “Cause,” (II) solely with respect to the conduct described in clauses (i), (iii), (iv), (v) and (viii) above, the Executive fails to cure and correct his conduct (if capable of cure and correction) within thirty (30) days after such notice, and (III) the Company delivers to the Executive a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the Board (excluding the Executive) (after the Executive is given an opportunity, together with counsel, to be heard before the Board), finding in good faith that the Executive has engaged in the conduct described in any of (i)-(viii) above. Upon the giving of notice of termination of the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause, the Company shall have no further obligation hereunder to the Executive, other than for Final Compensation.
Termination by the Company for Cause Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein contained, the Company may terminate immediately the employment of Executive without notice and without pay in lieu of notice:
(i) if Executive commits an act of theft, fraud or material dishonesty or misconduct involving the property or affairs of the Company or the carrying out of Executive’s duties; or
(ii) if Executive commits a material breach or material non-observance of any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement provided that Executive is given written notice of any such breach or non-observance and fails to remedy the same within 15 days of receipt of such notice; or
(iii) if Executive is convicted of a felony; or
(iv) if Executive refuses or fails to implement any reasonable directive issued by the Company’s Board of Directors and Executive fails to remedy the refusal or failure within 15 days of receipt of written notice thereof; or
(v) if Executive or any member of his family makes any personal profit arising out of or in connection with a transaction to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or with which it is associated without making disclosure to and obtaining prior written consent of the Company. Upon the termination of Executive’s employment pursuant to this Subsection (a), this Agreement and the employment of Executive hereunder shall be wholly terminated. Upon any such termination, Executive shall have no claim against the Company in respect of his employment for damages or otherwise except in respect of payment of base salary earned, due and owing and unused vacation time to the date of termination.
By the Company Other than for Cause The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder other than for Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive. In the event of such termination, the Company shall pay the Executive: (i) promptly following termination and in all events within thirty (30) days thereof, Base Salary earned but unpaid through the date of termination, plus (ii) severance payments for a period to end twelve (12) months after the termination date (“Severance Term”), of which (a) the first severance payment shall be made on the date that is six (6) months from the date of termination and in an amount equal six (6) times the Executives monthly base compensation in effect at the time of such termination and (b) the balance of the severance shall be paid in six (6) monthly payments beginning on the date that is seven (7) months from the date of termination and continuing through the date that is twelve (12) months from the date of termination, each such monthly payment in an amount equal to the Executive’s monthly base compensation in effect at the time of such termination (i.e., 1/12th of the Base Salary), plus (iii) promptly following termination and in all events within thirty (30) days thereof, any unpaid portion of any Bonus for the fiscal year preceding the year in which such termination occurs that was earned but has not been paid, plus (iv) at the times the Company pays its executives bonuses generally, but no later than two and one half (2 1/2) months after the end of the fiscal year in which the Bonus is earned, an amount equal to that portion of any Bonus earned but unpaid during the fiscal year of such termination (prorated in accordance with Section 4.2).”
9. Effectively immediately, the third sentence of Section 5.5 is hereby amended by deleting said sentence in its entirety and substituting the following: “In the event of termination in accordance with this Section 5.5, then the Company shall pay the Executive: (x) promptly following termination and in all events within thirty (30) days thereof, Base Salary earned but unpaid through the date of termination, plus (y) six months after the termination date, an amount equal to six times the Executive’s monthly base compensation in effect at the time of such termination (i.e., 1/12th of the Base Salary) and thereafter, monthly severance payments, each equal to the Executive’s monthly base compensation for a period of six months , plus (z) at the times the Company pays its executives bonuses generally, but no later than two and one half (2 1/2) months after the end of the fiscal year in which the bonus is earned, an amount equal to that portion of any Bonus earned but unpaid during the fiscal year of such termination (prorated in accordance with Section 4.2).”
10. Effective immediately, Section 5.6 of the Employment Agreement is hereby amended by inserting the following sentence at the end of said Section: “The payments made under subsections (i) and (iii) hereof shall be made promptly following termination and in all events within thirty (30) days thereof.”
11. Effective immediately, a new Section 5.8 of the Employment Agreement is inserted into the Employment Agreement as follows:
Termination by the Company for Good Cause The Company shall have the right to terminate the employment of the Executive for Good Cause (as such term is defined herein) by written notice to the Executive specifying the particulars of the circumstances forming the basis for such Good Cause.
Without Cause by the Company The Employment Term and this Agreement may be terminated by the Company without Cause (other than by reason of Employee’s death or Disability) following the delivery by the Company of a Notice of Termination to Employee at least 30 days prior to such termination. If Employee’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause, Employee shall be entitled to receive:
1. the Accrued Obligations; and
2. subject to Employee’s continued compliance with Sections X, XI, XII, XIII and XIV of this Agreement, and execution and delivery within 60 days after termination of Employee’s employment of a release and waiver of all claims Employee may have against the Company, Aveon, their subsidiaries and affiliates, predecessors and successors, and their respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees and agents, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “Release”), which release must be effective when delivered after giving effect to any post-execution revocation period described therein, (a) a lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to the full annual Base Salary then in effect, paid on the date the Release becomes irrevocable and effective in accordance with its terms, (b) the Annual Bonus for the year during which Employee’s employment is terminated paid on the date that Annual Bonuses are paid to the majority of other Company employees entitled to an Annual Bonus, however, if in the year of termination, the Hurdle is not attained, Employee will not be eligible for any future Annual Bonus notwithstanding any contrary provision in Section IV.A of this Agreement and (c) any unpaid Annual Bonus for any previously completed fiscal year, and shall have no claim to any Annual Bonus amount except as described in this Section VIII.C.2. Employee shall have no further rights to any compensation or benefits under this Agreement. All other benefits, if any, due Employee following a termination pursuant to this Section VIII.C shall be determined in accordance with the plans, policies and practices of the Company and any applicable statute or regulation; provided, however, that Employee shall not participate in any severance plan, policy or program of the Company or any affiliate of the Company. The expiration of the Employment Term on the last date of the Initial Employment Term or any Renewal Term thereof following proper advance notice as contemplated by Section I.B shall not be considered a termination without Cause by the Company and Employee shall be entitled to receive (i) the Accrued Obligations, (ii) the Pro Rata Bonus, if any, with respect to the year the Employment Term expired, (iii) any unpaid Annual Bonus for any previously completed fiscal year, and (iv) all other benefits, if any, as determined in accordance with the plans, policies and practices of the Company and any applicable statute or regulation; provided, however, that Employee shall not participate in any severance plan, policy or program of the Company or any affiliate of the Company
For Cause by the Company The Company may terminate the Employee's employment hereunder for cause immediately and with prompt notice to the Employee, which cause shall be determined in good faith solely by the Board of Directors. "Cause" for termination shall include, but is not limited to, the following conduct of the Employee:
Termination by the Corporation If the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Corporation upon the giving of written notice of such termination to the Executive at any time within the 6 month period following a Change of Control (other than for Just Cause, Disability or Death), then the Executive shall be entitled to the following:
i. such payments on account of severance as provided for under Section 12(b) of this Agreement; and
ii. notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 12 hereof or in this Agreement, all options granted by the Corporation to the Executive shall, following the giving of any notice by the Corporation under this Section 14(a), be deemed to vest immediately and shall be exercisable by the Executive for a period of 90 days following the giving of such notice by the Corporation hereunder.
By the Company Without Cause During the Term, the Company may terminate Executive’s employment without Cause at any time. If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause following the initial Public Offering then, in addition to paying Executive the Final Compensation and subject to Executive’s compliance with Article 7 in all material respects, the Company shall: (a) continue to pay Executive the Base Salary at the rate in effect on the Termination Date during the Restricted Period, with the first payment being on the Company’s next regular payroll period which is at least eight (8) business days following the effective date of the Release (defined below) (provided that if the 60-day time period for the Release begins in one taxable year and ends in a subsequent taxable year, the first payment shall be paid in the subsequent taxable year (for example, if Executive terminates on December 1, then the first payment shall not be paid until on or after January 1 of the next year, regardless of when the Release is returned)); (b) continue Executive’s health insurance benefits for the Restricted Period (at a cost no less favorable than that paid by Executive immediately prior to the Termination Date) or the economic equivalent thereto if such continuation is not permissible under the terms of the Company’s health insurance plan or would otherwise expose the Company to tax or other penalties; and (c) pay Executive an amount equal to the pro rata amount of the Bonus Executive would have earned for the year in which the termination occurred, based on the Company’s performance for the entire fiscal year in which the termination occurred relative to the performance measurements that were pending at the time of termination and to be used to determine Executive’s bonus for such year. Any such prorated Bonus shall be payable at such time or times as bonuses are payable to the other executives of the Company (the benefits, which the parties acknowledge are not required by law, outlined in Section(s) 5.4(a), (b) and (c) are collectively referenced as the “Severance”). Any obligation of the Company to provide Executive the Severance is conditioned on Executive signing, delivering to the Company and not revoking a release, in a form acceptable to the Company (the “Release”), within sixty (60) days of his Termination Date, which Release in any event will require Executive to reaffirm his obligations and commitments to the Company under Section 7 of this Agreement.
Termination by the Company Other than for Cause The Company shall have the right to terminate your employment hereunder at any time other than for Cause. In the event of a termination by Company pursuant to this paragraph, you shall be entitled to receive payment of the Accrued Obligations and the following severance pay and related benefits:
(i) the Company will pay you severance pay in the amount of (A) your then-current annual Base Salary plus (B) the higher of (i) your Bonus for the year in which the termination occurs or (ii) the average percentage of your Base Salary paid to you as Bonus in the two fiscal years prior to the termination date, in each case pro-rated by the number of days you were employed in the calendar year of the termination, provided however, that if the termination date occurs during the first year of employment, the pro-rated amount of the Bonus, if any, shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Board or the Compensation Committee (A and B, collectively are the “Severance Pay”). Your Severance Pay shall be paid in equal installments over a period of twelve (12) months commencing with the first payroll period following the effective date of the Release required by Section 5(e), minus required withholdings, which severance payments will be made to you on the Company’s normal payroll cycle;
(ii) should you elect to continue your group health and dental insurance benefits in accordance with the provisions of COBRA following the date of your termination, the Company shall pay the full premium for such health and dental insurance continuation benefits for a period of twelve (12) months after the termination date; provided, however, that any such payments will cease if you voluntarily enroll in a health insurance plan offered by another employer or entity during the period in which the Company is paying such premiums. You agree to immediately notify the Company in writing of any such enrollment.
(iii) notwithstanding the terms of any stock option grants and/or restricted stock awards, the vesting of such equity awards will automatically accelerate such that, in addition to any vesting acceleration earned by you pursuant to Section 3(e) or 3(f) of this Agreement prior to the effective date of such termination, effective on the date of such termination you will be deemed vested as if you had remained employed by the Company for an additional period of twenty four (24) months as of the date of termination and all restricted stock held by you that would otherwise vest as if you had been employed by the Company for an additional twenty four (24) months as of the date of termination shall automatically and immediately vest and no longer be subject to forfeiture or a right to repurchase by the Company as of the date of termination.
Termination for Cause by the Company The Company may terminate your employment hereunder for “Cause” at any time after providing a written notice of termination for Cause to you. For purposes of this Agreement, you shall be treated as having been terminated for Cause if and only if you are terminated as a result of the occurrence of one or more of the following events:
(i) any willful and wrongful conduct or omission by you that demonstrably and materially injures the Company or its affiliates;
(ii) any act by you of fraud, dishonesty, gross negligence, or intentional misrepresentation or embezzlement, misappropriation or conversion of assets of the Company or any affiliate;
(iii) you being convicted of, confessing to, pleading nolo contendere to, or becoming the subject of proceedings that provide a reasonable basis for the Company to believe that you have engaged in a felony or any crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude;
(iv) your willful and material violation of any written policies or procedures of the Company, including but not limited to the Company’s code of business conduct, code of ethics and xxxxxxx xxxxxxx policy;
(v) your willful and continuous failure to substantially perform your duties or responsibilities hereunder (other than as a result of physical or mental illness), including, but not limited to: (A) significant and/or repeated gross underperformance of the overall area of aggregate responsibilities then under your supervision; or (B) the failure to follow the lawful directions of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, or if you do not report directly to the Chief Executive Officer, of your supervising officer, in a manner consistent with this Agreement; or
(vi) your material, and intentional or willful, violation of any restrictive covenant provided for under this Agreement or any other agreement with the Company to which you are a party. For purposes of this Agreement an act or failure to act shall be considered “willful” only if done or omitted to be done without your good faith reasonable belief that such act or failure to act was in the best interests of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you shall not be treated as having been terminated as a result of an event described in subsection (i), (iv), (v) or (vi) unless the Company notifies you in writing of the event not more than ninety (90) days after the Company knows, or with the exercise of reasonable diligence would have known, of the occurrence of such event, and you fail within thirty (30) days after receipt of such notice to cure such event to the Company’s reasonable satisfaction; provided, however, that in no event shall the Company’s failure to notify you of the occurrence of any event constituting Cause, or to terminate you as a result of such event, be construed as a consent to the occurrence of future events, whether or not similar to the initial occurrence, or a waiver of the Company’s right to terminate you for Cause as a result thereof.
