Limitations on Liens (a) The Company will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create, assume, incur or guarantee any Indebtedness secured by a mortgage, security interest, pledge, lien, charge or other encumbrance upon any of its or its Restricted Subsidiaries’ properties or assets (a “Lien”), whether owned on the date of issuance of the Notes or thereafter acquired, unless the Notes are at least equally and ratably secured with such secured Indebtedness (together with, if the Company so determines, any other Indebtedness of or guaranty by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary then existing or thereafter created that is not subordinated to the Notes) for so long as such other Indebtedness is so secured (and any Lien created for the benefit of the holders of the Notes and any other debt securities of any series issued pursuant to the Indenture and having the benefit of this Section 2.8 shall provide by its terms that such Lien will be automatically released and discharged upon the release and discharge of the Lien securing such other Indebtedness); provided, however, that the above restrictions shall not apply to the following (the “Permitted Liens”):
(i) Liens on property or other assets of any Person existing at the time such Person becomes a Restricted Subsidiary, provided that such Lien was not incurred in anticipation of such Person becoming a Restricted Subsidiary;
(ii) Liens on property or other assets existing at the time of acquisition by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, provided that such Lien was not incurred in anticipation of such acquisition;
(iii) Liens on property or assets to secure any Indebtedness incurred prior to, at the time of, or within 270 days after, the acquisition of such property or in the case of real property, the completion of construction, the completion of improvements or the beginning of substantial commercial operation of such real property for the purpose of financing all or any part of the purchase price of such real property, the construction thereof or the making of improvements thereto;
(iv) Liens in the Company’s favor or in favor of a Restricted Subsidiary;
(v) Liens existing on the date of issuance of the Notes;
(vi) Liens on property or other assets of a Person existing at the time the Person is merged into or consolidated with the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary or at the time of a sale, lease or other disposition of the properties of a Person as an entirety or substantially as an entirety to either the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary, provided that such Lien was not incurred in anticipation of the merger or consolidation or sale, lease or other disposition;
(vii) Liens arising in connection with the financing of accounts receivable by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that the uncollected amount of account receivables subject at any time to any such financing shall not exceed $150,000,000; and
(viii) extensions, renewals or replacements (or successive extensions, renewals or replacements) in whole or in part of any Lien referred to in this Section 2.8 without increase of the principal of the Indebtedness (plus any premium or fee payable in connection with any such extension, renewal or replacement) secured by the Lien; provided, however, that any Permitted Liens shall not extend to or cover any property of the Company or that of any Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, other than the property specified in this Section 2.8 and improvements to this property.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company and any Restricted Subsidiary may create, assume, incur or guarantee Indebtedness secured by a Lien without equally and ratably securing the Notes; provided, that at the time of such creation, assumption, incurrence or guarantee, after giving effect thereto and to the retirement of any Indebtedness that is concurrently being retired, the sum of (i) the aggregate amount of all outstanding Indebtedness secured by Liens other than Permitted Liens, and (ii) the Attributable Debt of all the Company’s Sale/Leaseback Transactions permitted by Section 2.9(c) does not at such time exceed 5% of Consolidated Total Assets.
Limitation on Liens on Collateral Such Grantor shall not create, incur or permit to exist, will defend the Collateral against, and will take such other action as is necessary to remove, any Lien or claim on or to the Collateral, other than Liens permitted pursuant to the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and will defend the right, title and interest of the Collateral Agent and the other Secured Parties and the other holders of the Secured Obligations in and to any of the Collateral against the claims and demands of all Persons whomsoever.
Restrictions on Liens Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon or with respect to any property or assets (real or personal, tangible or intangible, including, without limitation, the Borrowing Base Properties), whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or sell any such property or assets subject to an understanding or agreement, contingent or otherwise, to repurchase such property or assets (including sales of accounts receivable with recourse) or assign any right to receive income or permit the filing of any financing statement under the UCC or any other similar notice of Lien under any similar recording or notice statute, or grant rights with respect to, or otherwise encumber or create a security interest in, such property or assets (including, without limitation, any item of Collateral) or any portion thereof or any other revenues therefrom or the proceeds payable upon the sale, transfer or other disposition of such property or asset or any portion thereof, or permit or suffer any such action to be taken, except the following (singly and collectively, “Permitted Liens”):
8.2.1 Liens created by the Loan Documents;
8.2.2 Liens to secure Permitted Debt that by the terms of Section 8.4 is permitted to be secured, provided that (x) the Borrower will be in compliance with the Financial Covenants considering the consequences of the granting of any such Lien and (y) no such Lien shall be secured by any Borrowing Base Property, the ownership interest in any Borrowing Base Property Owner, or any other assets of any Borrowing Base Property Owner;
8.2.3 Liens for taxes, assessments or other governmental charges not yet delinquent or which are being diligently contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings, if (x) to the extent such contest concerns a Borrowing Base Property, reasonable reserves in an amount not less than the tax, assessment or governmental charge being so contested shall have been established in a manner reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent or deposited in cash (or cash equivalents) with the Administrative Agent to be held during the pendency of such contest, or such contested amount shall have been duly bonded in accordance with applicable law, (y) no imminent risk of sale, forfeiture or loss of any interest in any Borrowing Base Property or the Collateral or any part thereof arises during the pendency of such contest and (z) such contest does not have and could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
8.2.4 Liens in respect of property or assets imposed by law, which do not secure Debt, such as judgment Liens (provided such judgment Liens do not cause the occurrence of an Event of Default under Section 10.1), carriers’, warehousemen’s, material men’s and mechanics’ liens and other similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of business, (x) which, except for such judgment Liens, do not in the aggregate materially detract from the value of any property or assets or have, and could not reasonably be expected to have, a Material Adverse Effect, (y) which, except for such judgment Liens, are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, which proceedings have the effect of preventing the forfeiture or sale of the property or assets subject to any such Lien, and (z) which as to any Borrowing Base Property do not have a lien priority prior to the Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Lenders, with respect to the Obligations, including, without limitation, any future Loan Advances;
8.2.5 Personal property financing leases entered into in the ordinary course of business with respect to equipment, fixtures, furniture, furnishings and similar assets.
Restrictions on Liens, Etc The Credit Parties will not (a) create or incur or suffer to be created or incurred or to exist any lien, security title, encumbrance, mortgage, pledge, Negative Pledge, charge, or other security interest of any kind upon the Unencumbered Properties, the Equity Interests in any Unencumbered Property Subsidiary, or any of the Unencumbered Property Subsidiary’s material respective property or assets of any character whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or upon the income or profits therefrom; (b) transfer any of the Borrower or the Subsidiary Guarantor’s material property or assets or the income or profits therefrom for the purpose of subjecting the same to the payment of Indebtedness or performance of any other obligation in priority to payment of its general creditors; (c) acquire, or agree or have an option to acquire, any property or assets upon conditional sale or other title retention or purchase money security agreement, device or arrangement; (d) suffer to exist for a period of more than thirty (30) days after the same shall have been incurred any Indebtedness or claim or demand against any of them that if unpaid could by law or upon bankruptcy or insolvency, or otherwise, be given any priority whatsoever as to the Unencumbered Properties over any of their general creditors; (e) sell, assign, pledge or otherwise transfer any accounts, contract rights, general intangibles, chattel paper or instruments, with or without recourse; or (f) incur or maintain any obligation to any holder of Indebtedness of any of such Persons which prohibits the creation or maintenance of any lien securing the Obligations (collectively, “Liens”); provided that notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Borrower and the Subsidiary Guarantors may create or incur or suffer to be created or incurred or to exist:
Actions to Perfect Liens The Administrative Agent shall have received evidence in form and substance satisfactory to it that all filings, recordings, registrations and other actions, including, without limitation, the filing of duly executed financing statements on form UCC-1, necessary or, in the opinion of the Administrative Agent, desirable to perfect the Liens created by the Security Documents shall have been completed.
Limitation on Certain Restrictions on Subsidiaries Holdings will not, and will not permit any of the Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create or otherwise cause or suffer to exist or become effective any consensual encumbrance or restriction on the ability of any such Restricted Subsidiary to (a) pay dividends or make any other distributions on its capital stock or any other interest or participation in its profits owned by the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, or pay any Indebtedness owed to the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, (b) make loans or advances to the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or (c) transfer any of its properties or assets to the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, except for such encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by reason of:
(i) applicable law;
(ii) this Agreement and the other Credit Documents and the other definitive documentation entered into in connection with any of the foregoing;
(iii) any Refinancing Note Documents;
(iv) customary provisions restricting subletting or assignment of any lease governing any leasehold interest of Holdings or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries;
(v) customary provisions restricting assignment of any licensing agreement (in which Holdings or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries is the licensee) or other contract entered into by Holdings or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;
(vi) restrictions on the transfer of any asset pending the close of the sale of such asset;
(vii) any agreement or instrument governing Indebtedness assumed in connection with a Permitted Acquisition, to the extent the relevant encumbrance or restriction was not agreed to or adopted in connection with, or in anticipation of, the respective Permitted Acquisition and does not apply to Holdings or any Restricted Subsidiary of Holdings, or the properties of any such Person, other than the Persons or the properties acquired in such Permitted Acquisition;
(viii) encumbrances or restrictions on cash or other deposits or net worth imposed by customers under agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business;
(ix) any agreement or instrument relating to Indebtedness of a Foreign Subsidiary incurred pursuant to Section 10.04 to the extent such encumbrance or restriction only applies to such Foreign Subsidiary;
(x) an agreement effecting a refinancing, replacement or substitution of Indebtedness issued, assumed or incurred pursuant to an agreement or instrument referred to in clause (vii) above; provided that the provisions relating to such encumbrance or restriction contained in any such refinancing, replacement or substitution agreement are no less favorable to Holdings or the Lenders in any material respect than the provisions relating to such encumbrance or restriction contained in the agreements or instruments referred to in such clause (vii);
(xi) restrictions on the transfer of any asset subject to a Lien permitted by Section 10.01;
(xii) restrictions and conditions imposed by the terms of the documentation governing any Indebtedness of a Restricted Subsidiary of the Borrower that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor, which Indebtedness is permitted by Section 10.04;
(xiii) customary provisions in joint venture agreements and other similar agreements applicable to joint ventures permitted under Section 10.05 and applicable solely to such joint venture;
(xiv) on or after the execution and delivery thereof, (x) the Permitted Junior Debt Documents and (y) the Permitted Pari Passu Notes Documents;
(xv) negative pledges and restrictions on Liens in favor of any holder of Indebtedness for borrowed money permitted under Section 10.04 but only if such negative pledge or restriction expressly permits Liens for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and/or the Collateral Agent and the Secured Creditors with respect to the credit facilities established hereunder and the Obligations under the Credit Documents on a senior basis and without a requirement that such holders of such Indebtedness be secured by such Liens securing the Obligations under the Credit Documents equally and ratably or on a junior basis; and
(xvi) restrictions and conditions under the terms of the documentation governing any Qualified Securitization Transaction or a Receivables Facility that, in each case, permitted by Section 10.04, are necessary or advisable, in the good faith determination of the Borrower or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary, to effect such Qualified Securitization Transaction or such Receivables Facility.
Presumptions and Effects of Certain Proceedings 10.1 In making a determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification hereunder, the person or persons or entity making such determination shall presume that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement if Indemnitee has submitted a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 9.1 of this Agreement, and the Company shall have the burden of proof to overcome that presumption by clear and convincing evidence in connection with the making by any person, persons or entity of any determination contrary to that presumption.
10.2 If the person, persons or entity empowered or selected under Section 9 of this Agreement to determine whether Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification shall not have made a determination within sixty (60) days after receipt by the Company of the request therefor, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) prohibition of such indemnification under applicable law; provided, however, that such 60-day period may be extended for a reasonable time, not to exceed an additional thirty (30) days, if the person, persons or entity making the determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification in good faith require(s) such additional time for the obtaining or evaluating of documentation and/or information relating thereto; and provided, further, however, that the foregoing provisions of this Section 10.2 shall not apply (i) if the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by the shareholders pursuant to Section 9.2 of this Agreement and if (A) within 15 days after receipt by the Company of the request for such determination the Board has resolved to submit such determination to the shareholders for their consideration at an annual meeting thereof to be held within 75 days after such receipt and such determination is made thereat, or (B) a special meeting of shareholders is called within 15 days after such receipt for the purpose of making such determination, such meeting is held for such purpose within 60 days after having been so called and such determination is made thereat, or (ii) if the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 9.2 of this Agreement. In connection with each meeting at which a shareholder determination will be made, the Company shall solicit proxies that expressly include a proposal to indemnify or reimburse the Indemnitee. The Company shall afford the Indemnitee ample opportunity to present evidence of the facts upon which the Indemnitee relies for indemnification in any Company proxy statement relating to such shareholder determination. Subject to the fiduciary duties of its members under applicable law, the Board will not recommend against indemnification or reimbursement in any proxy statement relating to the proposal to indemnify or reimburse the Indemnitee.
10.3 The termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue or matter therein, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not (except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement) of itself adversely affect the right of Indemnitee to indemnification or create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company or, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
Liens and Related Matters A. PROHIBITION ON LIENS. Holdings shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Lien on or with respect to any property or asset of any kind (including any document or instrument in respect of goods or accounts receivable) of Holdings or any of its Subsidiaries, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or any income or profits therefrom, or file or permit the filing of, or permit to remain in effect, any financing statement or other similar notice of any Lien with respect to any such property, asset, income or profits under the Uniform Commercial Code of any State or under any similar recording or notice statute, except:
(i) Permitted Encumbrances;
(ii) Liens granted pursuant to the Collateral Documents;
(iii) Liens described in Schedule 7.2 annexed hereto; ------------
(iv) Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under subsection 7.1(vii), which Liens are existing prior to the time the entity which incurred such Indebtedness became a Subsidiary of Company; provided that such Liens were -------- not incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, the acquisition of such Subsidiary and such Liens extend to or 133 cover only the property and assets of such entity which were covered by such Liens and which were owned by such entity, in each case at the time such entity became a Subsidiary of Company; and
(v) Other Liens securing Indebtedness in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1,000,000 at any time outstanding.
Releases of Guarantees and Liens (a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or in any other Credit Document, the Collateral Agent is hereby irrevocably authorized by each Secured Party (without requirement of notice to or consent of any Secured Party except as expressly required by Section 13.01) to take, and shall take, any action requested by the Borrower having the effect of releasing any Collateral or Guarantee Obligations (i) to the extent necessary to permit consummation of any transaction not prohibited by any Credit Document or that has been consented to in accordance with Section 13.01 or (ii) under the circumstances described in paragraph (b) below.
(b) At such time as (A) (i) the Loans and the other Obligations (other than Unasserted Contingent Obligations) shall have been paid in full and (ii) the Commitments have been terminated or (B) any item of Collateral (including, without limitation, as a result of a Disposition of a Subsidiary that owns Collateral) is subject to a Disposition permitted under this Agreement, such Collateral shall automatically be released from the Liens and security interests created by the Security Documents, and the Security Documents and, with respect to the happening of the event described in clauses (A)(i) and (ii), all obligations (other than those expressly stated to survive such termination) of the Collateral Agent and each Credit Party under the Security Documents shall terminate, all without delivery of any instrument or performance of any act by any Person.
(c) Upon request by the Collateral Agent at any time, the Required Lenders will confirm in writing the Collateral Agent’s authority to release its interest in particular types or items of property, or to release any Guarantee Obligations pursuant to this Section 13.19. In each case as specified in this Section 13.19, the Collateral Agent will (and each Lender irrevocably authorizes the Collateral Agent to), at the Borrower’s expense, execute and deliver to the applicable Credit Party such documents as such Credit Party may reasonably request to evidence the release of such item of Collateral or Guarantee Obligation from the assignment and security interest granted under the Security Documents, in each case in accordance with the terms of the Credit Documents and this Section 13.19.
Reaffirmation of Loan Documents and Liens Except as amended and modified hereby, any and all of the terms and provisions of the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall remain in full force and effect and are hereby in all respects ratified and confirmed by each Credit Party. Each Credit Party hereby agrees that the amendments and modifications herein contained shall in no manner affect or impair the liabilities, duties and obligations of any Credit Party under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents or the Liens securing the payment and performance thereof.
