Conduct Prior to the Effective Time 5.1 Conduct of Business by Company, Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary -------------------------------------------------------------------- Parent, First Intermediary Parent and Parent. During the period from the date -------------------------------------------- of this Agreement and continuing until the earlier of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to its terms or the Effective Time, Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary Parent, First Intermediary Parent and Parent shall cause the Company to and the Company shall, except to the extent that Purchaser shall otherwise consent in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), carry on its business, in the usual, regular and ordinary course, in substantially the same manner as heretofore conducted and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, pay its debts and taxes when due subject to good faith disputes over such debts or taxes, pay or perform other material obligations when due, and use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with past practices and policies to (i) preserve intact its present business organization, (ii) keep available the services of its present officers and employees and (iii) preserve its relationships with customers, suppliers, distributors, licensors, licensees, and others with which it has significant business dealings. In addition, except as permitted by the terms of this Agreement, and the transactions contemplated hereby, without the prior written consent of Purchaser, during the period from the date of this Agreement and continuing until the earlier of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to its terms or the Effective Time, neither Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary Parent, First Intermediary Parent nor Parent shall permit the Company to, and Company shall not do any of the following:
(a) With respect to Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary Parent, First Intermediary Parent or Parent, waive any stock repurchase rights, accelerate, amend or change the period of exercisability of options or restricted stock, or reprice options granted under any employee, consultant, director or other stock plans or authorize cash payments in exchange for any options granted under any of such plans to any employee, consultant or director of the Company, except as provided for under this Agreement or the attached exhibits;
(b) Grant any severance or termination pay to any officer or employee except pursuant to written agreements outstanding, or policies existing, on the date hereof and as previously disclosed in writing or made available to Purchaser, or adopt any new severance plan, or amend or modify or alter in any manner any severance plan, agreement or arrangement existing on the date hereof or hire any new employees or consultants;
(c) Transfer or license to any person or entity or otherwise extend, amend or modify any rights to the Company Intellectual Property, or enter into grants to transfer or license to any person future patent rights;
(d) Declare, set aside or pay any dividends on or make any other distributions (whether in cash, stock, equity securities or property) in respect of any capital stock or split, combine or reclassify any capital stock or issue or authorize the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for any capital stock;
(e) Purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any shares of capital stock of Company;
(f) Issue, deliver, sell, authorize, pledge or otherwise encumber or propose any of the foregoing with respect to any shares of capital stock, or enter into other agreements or commitments of any character obligating it to issue any such shares;
(g) Cause, permit or propose any amendments to the Company Charter Documents;
(h) Acquire or agree to acquire by merging or consolidating with, or by purchasing any equity interest in or a portion of the assets of, or by any other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership, association or other business organization or division thereof, or otherwise acquire or agree to enter into any joint ventures, strategic partnerships or alliances;
(i) Sell, lease, license, encumber or otherwise dispose of any properties or assets except sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(j) Incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any such indebtedness of another person, issue or sell any debt securities or options, warrants, calls or other rights to acquire any debt securities of Company, enter into any "keep well" or other agreement to maintain any financial statement condition or enter into any arrangement having the economic effect of any of the foregoing other than in connection with the financing of ordinary course trade payables by Indirect Parent, Second Intermediary Parent, First Intermediary Parent or Parent;
(k) Adopt or amend any material employee policy or arrangement, or enter into any employment contract or collective bargaining agreement (other than offer letters and letter agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice with employees who are terminable "at will"), pay any special bonus or special remuneration to any director or employee, or, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, increase the salaries or wage rates or fringe benefits (including rights to severance or indemnification) of its directors, officers, employees or consultants;
(i) pay, discharge, settle or satisfy any claims, liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), or litigation (whether or not commenced prior to the date of this Agreement) other than the payment, discharge, settlement or satisfaction, in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice or in accordance with their terms, or liabilities recognized or disclosed in the most recent consolidated financial statements (or the notes thereto) of Company as provided to the Purchasers or incurred since the date of such financial statements, or (ii) waive the benefits of, agree to modify in any manner, terminate, release any person from or knowingly fail to enforce any confidentiality or similar agreement to which Company is a party or of which Company is a beneficiary;
(m) Make any individual or series of related payments outside of the ordinary course of business in excess of $10,000;
(n) Except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, modify, amend or terminate any Material Contract or agreement to which Company is a party or waive, delay the exercise of, release or assign any material rights or claims thereunder;
(o) Enter into, renew or materially modify any contracts, agreements, or obligations relating to the distribution, sale, license or marketing by third parties of Company's products or products licensed by Company other than renewals of existing nonexclusive contracts, agreements or obligations;
(p) Except as required by GAAP, revalue any of its assets or make any change in accounting methods, principles or practices;
(q) Incur or enter into any agreement, contract or commitment requiring Company to pay in excess of $10,000, excluding routine purchase orders consistent with past practices;
(r) Settle any material litigation;
(s) Make or change any election in respect of Taxes, adopt or change any accounting method in respect of Taxes, file any Tax Returns or any amendment to any Tax Return other than in a manner consistent with prior practices, enter into any closing agreement, settle any claim or assessment in respects of Taxes, or consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any claim or assessment in respect of Taxes;
(t) Agree in writing or otherwise to take any of the actions described in Section 5.1(a) through (s) above.
Conduct of Business Prior to the Effective Time Except as expressly permitted herein, set forth in Section 6.1 of the Company Schedule of Exceptions, or required by Law, from the Execution Date through the Effective Time or the termination of this Agreement pursuant to its terms, the Company shall, and cause its Subsidiaries to, conduct its business in all material respects in the ordinary course of its business consistent with past practice and, to the extent consistent therewith, use its reasonable best efforts to maintain and preserve substantially intact its business organization and the goodwill of those having business relationships with it. Without limiting the foregoing, and except as otherwise expressly contemplated by this Agreement or as set forth in Section 6.1 of the Company Schedule of Exceptions, or required by Law, from the Execution Date through the Effective Time or the termination of this Agreement pursuant to its terms, the Company shall not, nor shall it permit any of its Subsidiaries to, without the prior written consent of Parent (not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed):
(a) Declare, set aside or pay any dividends on or make any other distributions (whether in cash, stock, equity securities or property) in respect of any capital stock or split, combine or reclassify any capital stock or issue or authorize the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for any capital stock, other than any such transaction by a wholly-owned Subsidiary of it that remains a wholly-owned Subsidiary of it after consummation of such transaction in the ordinary course of business; provided, however, that nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the Company from granting any Ordinary Course Grants (as defined below);
(b) Purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any shares of its capital stock or the capital stock of its Subsidiaries, other than net issuances of Company RSUs upon the vesting thereof, repurchases of unvested shares at cost or for de minimis consideration in connection with either the termination of the employment relationship with any employee or upon the resignation of any director or consultant, in each case, pursuant to stock option, RSU or purchase agreements in effect on the date hereof;
(c) Issue, deliver, sell, authorize, pledge or otherwise encumber any shares of capital stock, or subscriptions, rights, warrants or options to acquire any shares of capital stock or any securities convertible into shares of capital stock, or enter into other agreements or commitments obligating it to issue any such securities or rights, other than: (A) issuances of Company Common Stock upon the exercise of Company Options, the vesting of Company RSUs, the exercise of Company Warrants or other rights of the Company existing on the date hereof in accordance with their present terms or granted pursuant to clauses (B), (C) or (D) hereof, (B) grants of Company Options with Ordinary Course Pricing (as defined below) or Company RSUs made in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and with Ordinary Course Vesting (as defined below) to new Company employees under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2009 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2009 Plan”), (C) grants of Company Options with Ordinary Course Pricing (as defined below) or Company RSUs to existing Company employees (other than to (i) directors, (ii) executive officers and (iii) disqualified individuals within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code if the issuance to such persons
Conduct of Businesses Prior to the Effective Time (a) During the period from the date of this Agreement to the Effective Time or earlier termination of this Agreement, except as expressly contemplated or permitted by this Agreement or as otherwise required by Law or regulatory directive, each of FNB and HBI shall, and shall cause each of their respective Subsidiaries to (i) conduct its business in the ordinary course in all material respects, (ii) use reasonable best efforts to maintain and preserve intact its business organization, employees and advantageous business relationships and retain the services of its key officers and key employees and (iii) take no action that would reasonably be likely to prevent or materially impede or delay the obtaining of, or materially adversely affect the ability of the parties expeditiously to obtain, any necessary approvals of any Regulatory Agency, Governmental Entity or any other person or entity required for the transactions this Agreement contemplates or to perform its respective covenants and agreements under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) Subject to applicable Law, including Laws with respect to the exchange of information, the disclosure of confidential supervisory information, the protection of personally identifiable information and the exercise of a controlling influence over the management or policies of another Person, HBI agrees that between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time:
(1) the materials to be presented at the meetings of any HBI Bank loan committee shall be provided to a designated representative of FNB at the same time such materials are provided to such loan committee; (2) HBI shall provide the minutes of each such meeting to the designated FNB representative promptly after such meeting; (3) HBI shall prepare and furnish to FNB at least quarterly an update of the reserves and other allowances for loan losses reflected in HBI’s financial statements included in the HBI Reports as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020 and for the three months ended March 31, 2021; (4) HBI shall promptly notify FNB if HBI or any HBI Subsidiary has been notified by any state or federal bank Regulatory Agency that its reserves are inadequate or that its practices for establishing its reserves or in accounting for delinquent and classified assets generally fail to comply with applicable accounting or regulatory requirements, or that any Regulatory Agency having jurisdiction over HBI or any HBI Subsidiary or HBI’s independent auditor believes such reserves to be inadequate or inconsistent with the historical loss experience of HBI; and (5) HBI shall prepare and furnish to FNB at least quarterly an updated list of all extensions of credit and OREO that have been classified by HBI or any HBI Subsidiary as other loans specifically mentioned, special mention, substandard, doubtful, loss, classified or criticized, credit risk assets, concerned loans or words of similar import;
(ii) upon request of FNB, HBI shall furnish to FNB such information to which HBI has access or prepares in the ordinary course of business as FNB may reasonably request regarding any loans, loan relationships and commitments of HBI Bank entered into between June 10, 2021, and the date hereof; and
(iii) upon request of FNB, HBI shall furnish to FNB such information to which HBI has access or prepares in the ordinary course of business as FNB may reasonably request regarding any loans, loan relationships and commitments of HBI Bank entered into after the date hereof in which the amount involved is equal to or greater than (i) $10,000,000 on a secured basis and (ii) $2,500,000 on an unsecured or undersecured basis.
Termination Prior to Closing Notwithstanding the foregoing, the parties will be relieved of the obligation to consummate the Closing and purchase or sell the Assets:
(a) By the mutual written consent of the Buyer and the Seller;
(b) By the Seller in writing, without liability, if the Buyer (i) fails to perform in any material respect its agreements contained herein required to be performed by it on or prior to the Closing Date, or (ii) materially breaches any of its representations, warranties or covenants contained herein, which in either case is not cured within ten (10) days after the Seller has notified the Buyer of its intent to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this subparagraph;
(c) By the Buyer in writing, without liability, if the Seller (i) fails to perform in any material respect its agreements contained herein required to be performed by them on or prior to the Closing Date, or (ii) materially breaches any of its representations, warranties or covenants contained herein, which in either case is not cured within ten (10) days after the Buyer has notified the Seller of its intent to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this subparagraph;
(d) Subject to Section 5.5 hereof, by either the Seller or the Buyer in writing, without liability, if there is issued any order, writ, injunction or decree of any court or governmental or regulatory agency binding on the Buyer or the Seller which prohibits or materially restrains the Buyer or the Seller from consummating the transactions contemplated hereby; provided that the Buyer and the Seller have used their reasonable, good faith efforts to have any such order, writ, injunction or decree lifted and the same has not been lifted within sixty (60) days after entry, by any such court or governmental or regulatory agency;
(e) By the Buyer in writing, without liability, if Buyer elects to terminate pursuant to Section 6.1 or Section 6.2 hereof;
(f) By either the Seller or the Buyer in writing, without liability, if for any reason the Closing has not occurred by March 31, 1999 other than as a result of the breach of this Agreement by the party attempting to terminate this Agreement;
(g) By Seller in writing, without liability, upon a "Change of Control" of Buyer (for purposes of this Agreement, a "Change of Control" means (i) the acquisition by any individual, corporation, company, association, joint venture or other entity, of beneficial ownership of 25% or more of the voting securities of the Buyer; or (ii) individuals who, as of the date of this Agreement, constitute the Board of Directors of the Buyer cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board of Directors of the Buyer; or (iii) the consummation by the Buyer of a reorganization, merger or consolidation, or exchange of shares or sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Buyer, if immediately after giving effect to such transaction the individuals or entities who beneficially own voting securities immediately prior to such transaction beneficially own
Operations Prior to the Closing Date (a) From the date of this Agreement until the Closing, Sellers shall, except as otherwise expressly contemplated by this Agreement or as consented to in writing by Buyer, operate the Business in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Sellers shall: (i) use commercially reasonable efforts to keep and maintain the Purchased Assets in good operating condition and repair; (ii) maintain the business organization of the Business intact; (iii) use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the goodwill of the regulators, customers, suppliers, contractors, licensors, employees and others having business relations with the Business; (iv) not take or fail to take any action that could result in the occurrence of an “Additional Default Event” (as defined in that certain Letter Agreement, dated as of October 3, 2023, by and between Seller 1 and Vertical Investors, LLC (the “Letter Agreement”)); and (v) use best efforts to comply with the terms and conditions of the Letter Agreement.
(b) Except as expressly contemplated by this Agreement or with the express written approval of Buyer, no Seller shall, directly or indirectly:
(i) sell, lease, license, assign, transfer or otherwise dispose of, or agree to sell, lease, license, assign, transfer or otherwise dispose of, (A) any assets that are material to the Business (other than the Excluded Assets) or (B) any assets to an equity holder of a Seller or any of their respective Affiliates;
(ii) declare or make any dividend or payment of cash to, or pay, loan or advance any amount to, any equity holder of a Seller or any of their respective Affiliates;
(iii) make any material change in the Business or its operations, acquire (including by merger or consolidation) any business or entity, or otherwise acquire any material asset;
(iv) adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger or consolidation;
(v) amend any of its Organizational Documents;
(vi) increase or decrease the level of inventory of the Business or make any change in the inventory purchasing patterns, stocking levels or production practices of the Business;
(vii) take actions that may result, or would result, in payments to, or accounts receivable being created for the benefit of, a Seller sooner than is usual in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(viii) grant to any Employee of a Seller any increase in compensation (other than increases in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice to employees that are not in senior management or executive positions) or pay or agree to pay to any Employee of a Seller any bonus, severance or termination payment not previously agreed upon and provided in any Benefit Plan or other written agreements made available to Buyer (or otherwise required by applicable law);
(ix) make any material change in the manner in which a Seller extends discounts, credits or warranties;
(x) make any capital expenditures or payment in excess of $10,000 (individually or in the aggregate), or enter into any Contract therefor;
(xi) enter into, modify, amend, terminate or grant any consent or waiver under any Transferred Contract, or any other Contract involving more than $15,000, except for the renewal of any such Contract upon its expiration in accordance with its terms;
(a) make any change in any method of accounting or accounting practice or policy;
(xii) fail to preserve intact the Business’s and Sellers’ relationships with their employees, agents, customers, suppliers and other Persons having contacts with a Seller or the Business;
(xiii) terminate or fail to renew any Permit or have any Permit revoked or suspended;
(xiv) abandon, sell, assign, transfer, covenant not to sue, enter into a coexistence Contract, or grant any exclusive license or with respect to, or otherwise create an Encumbrance with respect to any Company IP; or
(xv) enter into any Contract to do any of the things described in subsections (i) through (xv) above or authorize any of, or commit or agree to take any of, such actions.
Prior to Closing As used herein, “Compensation” shall mean the direct salaries and wages and other aggregate compensation paid to or accrued for the benefit of any employee together with all fringe benefits payable to or accrued for the benefit of such employee as to which the employer is responsible, including, without limitation, employer contributions under F.I.C.A., fringe benefits, annual bonuses, unemployment compensation or other employment taxes, pension fund contributions, vacation pay, sick leave, worker’s compensation, group life and accidental and health premiums, and pension or profit sharing, retirement, disability and other similar benefits. Purchaser shall be responsible for and shall pay (i) all Compensation with respect to the operations of the Property on and after the date of Closing and (ii) all Compensation which is accrued but not payable as of the Closing and for which Purchaser is credited at Closing. For these purposes, vacation benefits, sick leave, annual bonuses and related payroll expenses of Hotel Employees (the “Supplemental Employee Expenses”) as of the Closing shall be treated as accrued and subject to proration solely (A) if vested and not subject to expiration if not used or termination in the event of the employee’s departure or (B) to the extent of 70% of any such accrued Supplemental Employee Expenses subject to later vesting or expiration if not used or termination in the event of the employee’s departure. With respect to accrued bonuses for 2006, Seller’s pro-rated share at Closing shall be based upon Operator’s reasonable estimate of the bonuses to be paid to such Hotel Employees for 2006. No later than March 31, 2007, or earlier upon the mutual agreement of the parties, the parties shall adjust Seller’s pro-rated share of the bonuses paid to the Hotel Employees for 2006 based upon the actual amounts of such bonuses (as shown by such supporting documentation as may be reasonably required by either party), and Purchaser or Seller, as the case may be, shall make such additional payment or refund as shall be required by such adjustment. Purchaser acknowledges that the New HMA shall initially afford the Hotel Employees continuation of all rights under Operator’s existing Section 401(k) plans and health care plans, as previously afforded under the Current HMA.
Actions Prior to Closing From the date hereof until the Closing Date, Contributor shall not take any action or fail to take any action the result of which could (1) have a material adverse effect on the Contributed Interests or the Operating Partnership’s ownership thereof, or any Material Adverse Effect on any Contributed Entity or Property after the Closing Date or (2) cause any of the representations and warranties contained in this Section 2.2 to be untrue as of the Closing Date.
Conduct Prior to Closing 7.1 Conduct of Business by HL, the Company, Parent, and Merger Sub. During the period from the date of this Agreement and continuing until the earlier of the termination of this Agreement pursuant to its terms and the Closing (the “Interim Period”), each of HL, the Company, the Company’s Subsidiaries, Parent and Merger Sub shall, except to the extent that HL (in the case of a request by the Company) or the Company (in the case of a request by HL) shall otherwise consent in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) or as set forth in Schedule 7.1 hereto or as contemplated by this Agreement, carry on its business in the usual, regular and ordinary course consistent with past practices, in substantially the same manner as heretofore conducted and in compliance with all applicable Legal Requirements (except as expressly contemplated by Schedule 7.1 hereto) and use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with past practices and policies to (i) preserve substantially intact its present business organization, (ii) keep available the services of its present key officers and employees, (iii) preserve its relationships with key customers, suppliers, distributors, licensors, licensees, and others with which it has significant business dealings. During the Interim Period, HL shall file all Certifications, registration statements, reports, schedules, forms, statements, and other documents required to be filed or furnished to the SEC (“Additional HL SEC Reports”), which Additional SEC Reports shall be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, and the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act, as the case may be, and the rules and regulations thereunder, and which will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. In addition, except as required or permitted by the terms of this Agreement, the PIPE Subscription Agreements, or as set forth in Schedule 7.1 hereto, without the prior written consent of HL (in the case of a request by the Company) or the Company (in the case of a request by HL), which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, during the Interim Period, HL, the Company, the Company’s Subsidiaries, Parent, and Merger Sub shall not do any of the following:
(a) Waive any share repurchase rights, accelerate, amend or (except as specifically provided for herein) change the period of exercisability of options or restricted stock, or reprice options granted under any employee, consultant, director or other stock plans or authorize cash payments in exchange for any options granted under any of such plans;
(b) Grant any material severance or termination pay to (i) any officer or (ii) any employee, except pursuant to applicable Legal Requirements, written agreements outstanding, or Plans or policies existing on the date hereof and as previously or concurrently disclosed or made available to the other Party, or in the case of the Company and its Subsidiaries except in connection with the promotion, hiring or firing of any employee in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(c) Abandon, allow to lapse, transfer, sell, assign, or license to any Person or otherwise extend, amend or modify any material rights to any Intellectual Property or enter into grants to transfer or license to any Person future patent rights, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices;
(d) Declare, set aside or pay any dividends on or make any other distributions (whether in cash, stock, equity securities or property) in respect of any capital stock (other than any such dividend or distribution by a Subsidiary of the Company to the Company or another such Subsidiary), or split, combine or reclassify any capital stock or issue or authorize the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for any capital stock;
(e) Purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any shares of capital stock or other equity securities or ownership interests, except with respect to Converting Shareholders;
(f) Issue, deliver, sell, authorize, pledge or otherwise encumber, or agree to any of the foregoing with respect to, any shares of capital stock or other equity securities or ownership interests or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock or other equity securities or ownership interests, or subscriptions, rights, warrants or options to acquire any shares of capital stock or other equity securities or ownership interests or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock or other equity securities or other ownership interests, or enter into other agreements or commitments of any character obligating it to issue any such shares, equity securities or other ownership interests or convertible or exchangeable securities, except as contemplated by Section 8.2 hereunder;
(g) Amend its Charter Documents in any material respect, except as contemplated by Section 8.2 hereunder;
(h) Acquire or agree to acquire by merging or consolidating with, or by purchasing any equity interest in or a material portion of the assets of, or by any other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership, association, or other business organization or division thereof, or otherwise acquire or agree to acquire outside the ordinary course of business any assets which are material, individually or in the aggregate, to the business of such Party or enter into any joint ventures, strategic partnerships or alliances, or other arrangements that provide for exclusivity of territory or otherwise restrict such Party’s ability to compete or to offer or sell any products or services to other Persons. For purposes of this paragraph, “material” includes the requirement that, as a result of such transaction, financial statements of the acquired, merged, or consolidated entity be included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus;
(i) Sell, lease, license, encumber or otherwise dispose of any properties or assets, except (A) sales in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, and (B) the sale, lease or disposition of property or assets that are not material, individually or in the aggregate, to the business of such Party (measured with all of its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole);
(j) Except incurrences of indebtedness under the Company’s existing credit facilities (and, in the case of the Company and its Subsidiaries, extensions of credit in the ordinary course with employees and among the Company and its Subsidiaries), incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any such indebtedness of another Person or Persons (other than Affiliates), issue or sell any debt securities or options, warrants, calls or other rights to acquire any debt securities, enter into any “keep well” or other agreement to maintain any financial statement condition or enter into any arrangement having the economic effect of any of the foregoing;
(k) Except as contemplated by Section 8.15 hereunder, or as otherwise required by applicable Legal Requirements or pursuant to an existing Plan, policy or Company Contract, (i) adopt or materially amend any Plan (including any Plan that provides for severance), or enter into any employment contract or collective bargaining agreement (other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice), (ii) pay any special bonus or special remuneration to any director or employee, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, or (iii) materially increase the salaries or wage rates or fringe benefits (including rights to severance or indemnification) of its directors, officers, employees or consultants, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices;
(l) (i) Pay, discharge, settle or satisfy any material claims, liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), or litigation (whether or not commenced prior to the date of this Agreement) other than the payment, discharge, settlement or satisfaction of any claims, liabilities or obligations in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices or in accordance with their terms, or recognized or disclosed in the most recent Company Financial Statements or in the HL SEC Reports, as applicable, or incurred since the date of such financial statements, (ii) settle any material litigation where the consideration given by the Party is other than monetary or to which an officer, director or employee of such Person is a party in his or her capacity as such, or (iii) waive the benefits of, agree to modify in any material manner, terminate, release any Person from or knowingly fail to enforce any material confidentiality or similar agreement to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or of which the Company any of its Subsidiaries is a beneficiary (other than with customers and other counterparties in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices) or to which HL is a party or of which HL is a beneficiary, as applicable;
(m) Except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, modify in any material respect or terminate (other than in accordance with its terms) any Company Material Contract or HL Contract, as applicable, or waive, delay the exercise of, release or assign any material rights or claims thereunder;
(n) Except as required by law, U.S. GAAP, or IFRS, revalue any of its assets in any material manner or make any material change in accounting methods, principles or practices;
(o) Except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices, incur or enter into any agreement, contract or commitment requiring such Party to pay in excess of $1,000,000 in any 12-month period;
(p) Make or rescind any Tax elections that, individually or in the aggregate, would be reasonably likely to adversely affect the Tax liability or Tax attributes of such Party, settle or compromise any income Tax liability outside the ordinary course of business or, except as required by applicable Legal Requirements, change any method of accounting for Tax purposes or prepare or file any Return in a manner inconsistent with past practice;
(q) Form or establish any subsidiary except in the ordinary course of business consistent with prior practice or as contemplated by this Agreement;
(r) Permit any Person to exercise any of its discretionary rights under any Plan to provide for the automatic acceleration of any outstanding options, the termination of any outstanding repurchase rights or the termination of any cancellation rights issued pursuant to such Plans;
(s) Make capital expenditures in excess of $500,000;
(t) Enter into any material transaction with or distribute or advance any assets or property to any of its officers, directors, partners, shareholders, managers, members or other Affiliates other than (i) the payment of salary and benefits and the advancement of expenses in the ordinary course of business consistent with prior practice or (ii) such distributions or advancements by a Subsidiary of the Company to the Company or another such Subsidiary; or
(u) Agree in writing or otherwise agree or commit to take any of the actions described in Section 7.1(a) through (t) above. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of Sections 7.1(d), (f), and (g) as set forth above, HL hereby consents to the Company’s adoption of its Amended and Restated Articles of Association, the creation of the Company Class A Shares thereunder, and the issuance of an aggregate of 100 Company Class A Shares to certain Company Shareholders, and waives any noncompliance with such Sections. Nothing in this Section 7.1 shall prohibit a Party from taking any action or omitting to take any action as required by this Agreement.
Conduct Prior to the Closing On or after the date hereof and prior to the Closing, except (i) as set forth on the Company Disclosure Schedules, (ii) as otherwise consented to or approved in writing by an authorized officer of Holdings (not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) or (iii) as contemplated by this Agreement:
(a) The Company shall not act or omit to act, and shall cause the Acquired Subsidiaries not to act or omit to act, otherwise than in accordance with the following:
(i) None of the Acquired Entities shall amend its respective Constituent Documents;
(ii) No change shall be made in the number or amount of authorized or issued capital stock of any of the Acquired Entities; nor shall any other equity security of any kind be granted or issued by any of the Acquired Entities; nor shall the Company enter into or permit any of the Acquired Subsidiaries to enter into any other agreement with respect to any equity security of the Acquired Entities;
(iii) the Acquired Entities shall not declare or pay dividends or make any other distributions in respect of the Company Shares or Acquired Subsidiary Shares, except as may be necessary to effect the Tax Distribution Amount (as such term is defined in Section 8.8(a)) in respect of the Company Shares;
(iv) The Company will not make or enter into any commitment to make any capital expenditure at the Hospitals or otherwise on behalf of any Acquired Entity in an aggregate amount greater than $100,000 per month;
(v) The Company will not change or permit any change to be made in any accounting policy, practice or method of the Acquired Entities except any such changes as are required to conform to modifications in generally accepted accounting principles;
(vi) The Acquired Entities will not (A) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money, other than intercompany indebtedness which will be paid in full and terminated at Closing in accordance with Section 6.7 hereof and Indebtedness that will be paid off by Holdings or Sub at Closing in accordance with the Debt Financing; (B) assume, guaranty, endorse or otherwise become liable or responsible for the obligations of any Person other than another Acquired Entity; (C) make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any Person other than another Acquired Entity, other than intercompany loans which will be forgiven at Closing in accordance with Section 6.7 hereof; or (D) make any commitments to do any of the foregoing;
(vii) The insurance maintained with respect to the Hospitals and the Business, or comparable insurance, shall be maintained in full force and effect until the Effective Time;
(viii) No Acquired Entity shall terminate or amend any material Contract, Lease or other agreement to which any Acquired Entity is a party, other than in the ordinary course of business;
(ix) No Acquired Entity shall agree, whether in writing or otherwise, to take any of the actions set forth above or described in Section 4.7(b) and not otherwise permitted by this Agreement; and
(x) No Acquired Entity shall take any action that would, or is reasonably likely to, prevent or impede the Merger from qualifying as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code.
(b) The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts not to act or omit to act, and shall cause the Acquired Subsidiaries to use commercially reasonable efforts not to act or omit to act, otherwise than in accordance with the following:
(i) The operations, activities and practices of the Business shall be conducted consistent with the ordinary course of business and in conformity with past practice in all material respects;
(ii) The respective business organizations of the Acquired Entities will be preserved intact, and the services of the present employees, agents and representatives of the Business will be kept available for Holdings (except with respect to those employees or relationships terminated for cause or other termination in the ordinary course of business) in all material respects; and
(iii) The relationships with, and the goodwill of, the customers of the Business and others having business relations with the Business will be preserved in all material respects.
(c) The Acquired Entities shall not, directly or indirectly, take, or agree to or commit to take, any action that would or is reasonably likely to result in any of the conditions to the Closing set forth in Article IX not being satisfied.
Conduct of Business Prior to the Closing Except as contemplated on Schedule 4.1, or with the written consent of Buyer, which may not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, during the period from the date hereof until the earlier of the Closing and the termination of this Agreement in accordance with its terms, Seller shall (i) conduct the Business in the ordinary course of business, (ii) use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the Business’s business organization and relationships with third parties (including lessors, licensors, suppliers, distributors and customers) and keep available the service of their present employees and service providers, and (iii) continue to obtain all necessary consents and provide required notices in connection with any Acquired Agreement to be acquired by Buyer in this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and except as otherwise permitted in this Agreement or with the prior written consent of Buyer (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), Seller shall not, during the period from the date hereof until the earlier of the Closing and the termination of this Agreement in accordance with its terms, directly or indirectly do, or propose or commit to do, or otherwise cause to occur, any of the following with respect to any member of the Company Group:
(a) make any change in or amendment to its organizational documents;
(b) declare, set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution, other than distributions paid solely in cash;
(i) except in the ordinary course of business, (A) enter into any Contract that, had it been entered into prior to the date of this Agreement, would be a Material Contract or an Affiliate Contract, or (B) materially amend, modify, terminate or cancel (x) any existing Material Contract or (y) any Contract that, had it been entered into or amended prior to the date of this Agreement, would be a Material Contract, (ii) fail to perform any of its material obligations under all Contracts relating to or affecting the Assets or Business, or (iii) amend, terminate or cancel any Acquired Agreement, any Acquired IP or Acquired Lease (other than the termination of any such agreement in accordance with its terms);
(d) enter into any agreement that restricts the ability of any member of the Company Group to engage or compete in any line of business, or enter into any agreement that restricts the ability of any member of the Company Group to enter a new line of business;
(e) except in the ordinary course of business, discontinue any business material to the Business or sell, lease, license, transfer or otherwise dispose or permit the cancellation, abandonment or dedication to the public domain of any of the material property rights (including Intellectual Property) or assets of the Business, other than as required pursuant to existing Contracts or commitments;
(f) acquire (by merger, consolidation, purchase, or other acquisition of equity interests or assets) any Person or any material properties or assets of any Person, except for acquisitions of properties, assets, inventory and equipment in the ordinary course of business;
(g) incur any Indebtedness, issue any debt securities, or assume, guarantee or endorse, or otherwise as an accommodation become responsible for, the obligations of any Person;
(h) make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person, or forgive, cancel or compromise any debt or claim, in each case, other than in the ordinary course of business;
(i) fail to pay its debts, Taxes and other obligations when due;
(j) except as required by applicable Law or the terms of any Company Benefit Plan as in effect on the date of this Agreement, (A) amend, terminate, enter into or adopt any Company Benefit Plan (or any arrangement that would be a Company Benefit Plan if it was in effect on the date hereof) or any collective bargaining agreement; (B) grant or increase the compensation or benefits or other pay (including base salary or hourly rate, bonus, severance, termination, commissions and incentive compensation) of any Business Employee or other individual service provider of the Business; (C) pay, grant, or increase any severance or termination pay to (or otherwise amend any such existing arrangement with) any current or former Business Employee or other individual service provider of the Business; (D) accelerate the vesting or payment of, or fund or in any other way secure the payment, compensation or benefits under, any Company Benefit Plan or otherwise; or (E) grant any new awards, or modify the terms of any outstanding awards under any Company Benefit Plan or otherwise;
(k) hire any employee other than any hourly employee in the ordinary course of business;
(l) modify any employment arrangement with any Business Employee or terminate the employment of any Business Employee, other than (y) terminations for cause;
(m) implement or announce any group employee layoffs, plant closings, reductions in force, furloughs or temporary layoffs that would trigger notice obligations under the WARN Act;
(n) cancel, compromise or settle any material Litigation, or intentionally waive or release any material rights, with respect to the Business;
(o) make any changes to its accounting principles or practices, other than as may be required by Law or GAAP;
(p) other than in the ordinary course of business or consistent with past practices, change in any material respect the policies or practices of the Business with regard to the extension of discounts or credit to customers or collection of receivables from customers;
(q) change or revoke any Tax election or change any method of accounting for Tax purposes; in each case with respect to the Business or Assets to the extent such election or method of accounting would be binding on Buyer following the Closing Date;
(r) violate any applicable Law or Order;
(s) enter into or adopt a plan or agreement of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, restructuring, recapitalization, merger or consolidation or other reorganization; or
(t) agree, authorize, recommend, propose or announce an intention to do any of the foregoing, or enter into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement to do any of the foregoing.
