Conduct of Business by Company Pending the Closing Company agrees that, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, unless Parent shall otherwise agree in writing, and except as a result of entering into this Agreement (x) the respective businesses of Company and the Company Subsidiaries shall be conducted only in, and Company and the Company Subsidiaries shall not take any action except in, the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (y) Company shall use all reasonable efforts to keep available the services of such of the current officers, significant employees and consultants of Company and the Company Subsidiaries and to preserve the current relationships of Company and the Company Subsidiaries with such of the corporate partners, customers, suppliers and other persons with which Company or any Company Subsidiary has significant business relations in order to preserve substantially intact its business organization. By way of amplification and not limitation, neither Company nor any Company Subsidiary shall, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, directly or indirectly, do, or agree to do, any of the following without the prior written consent of Parent and except as a result of entering into this Agreement:
(a) amend or otherwise change its certificate of incorporation or bylaws or equivalent organizational documents;
(b) issue, sell, pledge, dispose of, grant, transfer, lease, license, guarantee or encumber, or authorize the issuance, sale, pledge, disposition, grant, transfer, lease, license or encumbrance of, (i) any shares of capital stock of Company or any Company Subsidiary of any class, or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any shares of such capital stock, or any options, warrants or other rights of any kind to acquire any shares of such capital stock, or any other ownership interest (including, without limitation, any phantom interest), of Company or any Company Subsidiary, other than (A) the issuance of shares of Company Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of stock options theretofore outstanding as of the date of this Agreement or (B) the issuance of options to purchase up to 250,000 shares of Company Common Stock under the Company's 1999 Stock Incentive Plan, 200,000 shares of which may be issued to newly hired management employees and 50,000 shares of which may be issued to existing non-executive employees, or (ii) any property or assets of Company or any Company Subsidiary except entering into alliance agreements or providing products and services in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(i) acquire (including, without limitation, by merger, consolidation, or acquisition of stock or assets) any interest in any corporation, partnership, other business organization or person or any division thereof; (ii) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any debt securities or assume, guarantee or endorse, or otherwise as an accommodation become responsible for, the obligations of any person (other than Company and Company Subsidiaries) for borrowed money or make any loans or advances, other than routine employee loans to employees other than Company officers (not to exceed $1,000 to any individual), material to the business, assets, liabilities, financial condition or results of operations of Company and the Company Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (iii) terminate, cancel or request any material change in, or agree to any material change in, any Company Material Contract or other License Agreement; (iv) make or authorize any capital expenditure, other than capital expenditures in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice that have been budgeted for fiscal year 1999 and disclosed in writing to Parent and that are not, in the aggregate, in excess of $3,000,000 for Company and the Company Subsidiaries taken as a whole; or (v) enter into or amend any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement that, if fully performed, would not be permitted under this Section 6.01(c);
(d) declare, set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution, payable in cash, stock, property or otherwise, with respect to any of its capital stock, except that any Company Subsidiary may pay dividends or make other distributions to Company or any other Company Subsidiary;
(e) reclassify, combine, split, subdivide or redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any of its capital stock;
(f) amend or change the period (or permit any acceleration, amendment or change unless required pursuant to the terms of existing agreements of Company previously provided to Parent) of exercisability of options granted under the Company Stock Plans or authorize cash payments in exchange for any Company Stock Options granted under any of such plans;
(g) amend the terms of, repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, or permit any Company Subsidiary to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire, any of its securities or any securities of any Company Subsidiary or propose to do any of the foregoing;
(h) other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices or pursuant to existing agreements of Company previously provided to Parent increase the compensation payable or to become payable to its directors, officers, consultants or employees, grant any rights to severance or termination pay to, or enter into any employment or severance agreement which provides benefits upon a change in control of Company that would be triggered by the Merger with, any director, officer, consultant or other employee of Company or any Company Subsidiary who is not currently entitled to such benefits from the Merger, establish, adopt, enter into or amend any collective bargaining, bonus, profit sharing, thrift, compensation, stock option, restricted stock, pension, retirement, deferred compensation, employment, termination, severance or other plan, agreement, trust, fund, policy or arrangement for the benefit of any director, officer, consultant or employee of Company or any Company Subsidiary, except to the extent required by applicable Law or the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, or enter into or amend any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement between Company or any Company Subsidiary and any of Company's directors, officers, consultants or employees;
(i) pay, discharge or satisfy any claims, liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), other than the payment, discharge or satisfaction in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice of liabilities reflected or reserved against on the consolidated balance sheet of Company and the consolidated the Company Subsidiaries dated as of March 31, 1999 included in Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period then ended (the "Company Balance Sheet") and only to the extent reflected or to the extent of such reserves or incurred in the ordinary course of business since March 31, 1999;
(j) make any change with respect to Company's accounting policies, principles, methods or procedures, including, without limitation, revenue recognition policies, other than as required by U.S. GAAP;
(k) make any material Tax election or settle or compromise any material Tax liability; or
(l) authorize or enter into any formal or informal agreement or otherwise make any commitment to do any of the foregoing or to take any action which would make any of the representations or warranties of Company contained in this Agreement untrue or incorrect in any material respect or result in any of the conditions to the Merger set forth herein not being satisfied.
Ownership by Company If, during Executive’s employment by Company, Executive creates any work of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression that is the subject matter of copyright (such as videotapes, written presentations, or acquisitions, computer programs, E-mail, voice mail, electronic databases, drawings, maps, architectural renditions, models, manuals, brochures, or the like) relating to Company’s business, products, or services, whether such work is created solely by Executive or jointly with others (whether during business hours or otherwise and whether on Company’s premises or otherwise), including any Work Product, Company shall be deemed the author of such work if the work is prepared by Executive in the scope of Executive’s employment; or, if the work is not prepared by Executive within the scope of Executive’s employment but is specially ordered by Company as a contribution to a collective work, as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, as a translation, as a supplementary work, as a compilation, or as an instructional text, then the work shall be considered to be work made for hire and Company shall be the author of the work. If such work is neither prepared by Executive within the scope of Executive’s employment nor a work specially ordered that is deemed to be a work made for hire, then Executive hereby agrees to assign, and by these presents does assign, to Company all of Executive’s worldwide right, title, and interest in and to such work and all rights of copyright therein.
Representations by Company Except with the prior written consent of the Trust, the Company shall not give any information or make any representations or statements about the Trust or the Funds nor shall it authorize or allow any other person to do so except information or representations contained in the Trust's Registration Statement or the Trust's Prospectuses or in reports or proxy statements for the Trust, or in sales literature or other promotional material approved in writing by the Trust or its designee in accordance with this Article V, or in published reports or statements of the Trust in the public domain.
Indemnity by Company Without limitation of any other indemnity provided to SCG, to the extent permitted by law, the Company will indemnify and hold harmless SCG and its officers, directors and each Person, if any, who controls SCG (within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act), against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (joint or several) to which they may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state law, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any of the following statements, omissions or violations (collectively a "Violation"): (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any registration statement (including any preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained therein or any amendments or supplements thereto), (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state therein 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, or (iii) any violation or alleged violation by the Company of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, any state securities law or any rule or regulation promulgated under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any state securities law, and the Company will reimburse SCG and its officers, directors and any controlling person thereof for any reasonable legal or other expenses incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case for any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action to the extent that it arises out of or is based upon a Violation that occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished expressly for use in connection with such registration by SCG or any officer, director or controlling person thereof.
Reports by Company (1) The Company, in accordance with Section 314(a) of the Trust Indenture Act, will:
(a) file with the Trustee, within 15 days after the Company files the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) that the Company may be required to file with the Commission in accordance with Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; or, if the Company is not required to file information, documents or reports in accordance with either of said Sections, then it will file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such of the supplementary and periodic information, documents and reports that may be required in accordance with Section 13 of the Exchange Act in respect of a security listed and registered on a national securities exchange as may be prescribed from time to time in such rules and regulations;
(b) file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such additional certificates, information, documents and reports with respect to compliance by the Company, with the conditions and covenants of this Indenture as may be required from time to time by such rules and regulations; and
(c) transmit to the Holders within 30 days after the filing thereof with the Trustee, in the manner and to the extent provided in Section 313(c) of the Trust Indenture Act, such summaries of any information, documents and reports required to be filed by the Company in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Section as may be required by rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission. Delivery of such reports, information and documents to the Trustee is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of such will not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officers’ Certificates).
(2) The Company intends to file the reports referred to in Section 6.04(1) with the Commission in electronic form in accordance with Regulation S-T of the Commission using the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system. Compliance with the foregoing, or any successor electronic system approved by the Commission, will constitute delivery by the Company of such reports to the Trustee and Holders in compliance with the provision of Section 6.04(1) and Trust Indenture Act Section 314(a). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Trustee will have no duty to search for or obtain any electronic or other filings that the Company makes with the Commission, regardless of whether such filings are periodic, supplemental or otherwise. Delivery of the reports, information and documents to the Trustee in accordance with this Section 6.04(2) will be solely for the purposes of compliance with Section 6.04(1) and with Trust Indenture Act Section 314(a). The Trustee’s receipt of such reports, information and documents (whether or not filed in electronic form) is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of such will not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officers’ Certificates). The Trustee shall have no liability or responsibility for the filing, content or timelines of any report hereunder aside from any report transmitted under Section 6.03 hereof.
Conduct of the Company The Company covenants and agrees that, except for matters (i) expressly permitted or expressly contemplated by this Agreement, (ii) set forth on Part 6.01 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, (iii) reasonably undertaken in connection with any COVID-19 Measures, (iv) undertaken with the prior written consent of Parent (which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), (v) required by Applicable Law or the rules and regulations of Nasdaq, from the date hereof until the earlier of the Effective Time and the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 8 hereof, the Company (A) shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to use commercially reasonable efforts to (1) conduct its business in the ordinary course in all material respects, substantially consistent with past practice, (2) to the extent consistent with the foregoing clause (1), maintain its business as a going concern and (3) keep available the services of its current officers and key employees and to preserve the goodwill of and maintain satisfactory relationships with those Persons having material business relationships with the Company and its Subsidiaries, and (B) shall not, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries not to:
(a) amend the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or amend any certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or other comparable charter or organizational documents, of the Company’s Subsidiaries;
(b) other than with respect to a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company, (i) establish a record date for, declare, set aside or pay any dividends on, or make any other distributions (whether in cash, stock, property or otherwise) in respect of, or enter into any agreement with respect to the voting of, any capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or securities convertible or exchangeable therefor), (ii) split, reverse split, combine, subdivide or reclassify or otherwise amend the terms of any capital stock (or securities convertible or exchangeable therefor) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (iii) except as expressly provided in Section 6.01(c), issue or authorize the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for, shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or securities convertible or exchangeable therefor), or (iv) purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire or offer to purchase, redeem or acquire any Company Securities, except for the net settlement of Company Equity Awards or acquisitions of shares of Company Common Stock by the Company, in each case, in satisfaction by holders of Company Equity Awards of the applicable withholding taxes or in accordance with the terms of the ESPP;
(c) issue, deliver, sell, grant, announce, pledge, transfer, subject to any Lien, otherwise encumber or dispose of any equity interests of the Company or incur any obligation to make any payments to any Person based on the price or value of any Company Securities, other than (i) the issuance of shares of Company Common Stock pursuant to (A) the terms of Company Equity Awards that are outstanding on the date hereof, in accordance with the applicable terms of such Company Equity Awards as in effect on the date of this Agreement or (B) grants or awards of Company Securities or Company Equity Awards required to be made pursuant to the terms of existing employment or other compensation agreements or arrangements in effect as of the date hereof; provided that such grants or awards are pursuant to a form of award agreement that has been made available to Parent or (ii) the issuance of shares of Company Common Stock under the ESPP and pursuant to the terms thereof and Section 2.06 of this Agreement or (iii) the issuance of equity interests of a wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company to the Company or another wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company;
(d) merge, consolidate or, other than in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice, enter into strategic alliance or similar legal partnership with any Person, file a voluntary petition for bankruptcy or liquidation, dissolve, liquidate, restructure or recapitalize or adopt a plan or agreement of, or resolutions providing for or authorizing, complete or partial bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;
(e) (i) increase the salary, wages, benefits, bonuses or other cash compensation payable or to become payable to the Company’s employees, officers, directors or Independent Contractors, except for increases (A) required to be made pursuant to the terms of existing employment or other compensation agreements or arrangements in effect as of the date hereof, (B) required under any Company Employee Plan pursuant to the terms in effect as of the date hereof or Collective Bargaining Agreement or under Applicable Law, (C) made in the ordinary course of business and substantially consistent with past practice, or (D) in connection with changes to benefits as part of annual enrollment; provided that such changes made as part of annual enrollment are made in the ordinary course of business, and (ii) other than as required by the terms of the applicable Company Employee Plan or under Applicable Law, enter into, adopt, amend (including by accelerating the vesting, payment or funding of any benefits under), modify or terminate any Company Employee Plan or plan, agreement, arrangement, or policy that would be a Company Employee Plan if in effect on the date hereof;
(f) hire, engage or terminate the employment or engagement of (other than for cause, as determined by the Company) any employee, officer, director, or Independent Contractor whose annual base cash compensation exceeds $250,000;
(g) negotiate, enter into, amend or extend any Collective Bargaining Agreement;
(h) acquire or commit to acquire any business, assets, real property or capital stock of, or make any loans, advances or capital contribution to any Person or division thereof, whether in whole or in part (and whether by purchase of stock, purchase of assets, merger, consolidation, entrance into a joint venture or otherwise) that, individually involve a purchase price or principal amount of not more than $500,000 individually or $2,000,000 in the aggregate, other than one or more acquisitions of inventory, supplies, intellectual property assets, raw materials, equipment or similar assets in the ordinary course of business and in amounts substantially consistent with past practice;
(i) sell, assign, lease, license, pledge, transfer, abandon, subject to any Lien, permit to lapse or otherwise dispose of any assets, properties, or Company Intellectual Property, in each case having a value in excess of $500,000 individually or $5,000,000 in the aggregate, except in the ordinary course of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ business substantially consistent with past practice;
(j) agree to any exclusivity, non-competition or similar provision or covenant limiting the ability of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to compete or engage in any line of business, with any Person or in any geographic area, or pursuant to which any benefit or right would be required to be given or lost as a result of so competing or engaging, or which would have any such effect on Parent or any of its Affiliates after the Effective Time, except, in each case, in connection with Contracts entered into with customers, contractors, distributors, resellers, partners or suppliers of the Company and its Subsidiaries or similar arrangements, that (x) are made in the ordinary course of business substantially consistent with past practice, (y) are on terms substantially similar to any such restrictions existing on the date of this Agreement and (z) would not have any such effect (or otherwise restrict or bind) on Parent or any of its Affiliates (other than the Company and its Subsidiaries) after the Effective Time;
(k) adopt or change any of the accounting methods used by the Company materially affecting its assets, liabilities or business, except for such changes that are required by (i) GAAP (or any interpretation thereof), (ii) by any Applicable Law, including Regulation S-X under the Securities Act, or (iii) by any Governmental Authority or quasi-governmental authority (including the Financial Accounting Standards Board or any similar organization);
(l) except for borrowings of revolving loans under the Existing Credit Agreement and capital leases in the ordinary course of business and except for intercompany loans, guarantees, advance or capital contribution between the Company and any of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries or between any wholly-owned Subsidiaries of the Company, (i) incur, issue, or otherwise become liable for any additional Indebtedness in excess of $5,000,000 in the aggregate, (ii) modify in a manner materially adverse to the Company or its Subsidiaries the terms of any material Indebtedness existing as of the date hereof, (iii) assume, guarantee or endorse the obligations of any Person (other than a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Company), (iv) make any loan, advance or capital contribution to any Person in excess of $500,000 in the aggregate, other than capital contributions and loans to any wholly owned Subsidiary, and extensions of trade credit in the ordinary course of business, (v) amend, modify or waive any provision of the Existing Credit Agreement (other than to waive or otherwise cure any “Default” or “Event of Default” thereunder provided that Parent has been provided prior written notice thereof and consented to such amendment, modification or waiver), or (vi) other than the regularly scheduled and required amortization payments under the Existing Credit Agreement, repurchase, prepay, terminate or refinance any Indebtedness arising under the Existing Credit Agreement;
(m) make, change or revoke any material Tax election, change any annual Tax accounting period, file any material amended Tax Return or file any material Tax Return in a manner inconsistent with past practice, enter into any “closing agreement” within the meaning of Section 7121 of the Code (or similar provision of state, local or non-U.S. law) in respect of any material Tax, settle any material Tax Proceeding, surrender any right to claim a material Tax refund, offset or other reduction in Tax liability, or consent to any extension or waiver of the limitations period applicable to any material Tax claim or assessment outside the ordinary course of business;
(n) make any commitment with respect to capital expenditures in excess of the amounts set forth in Part 6.01(n)(i) of the Company Disclosure Schedule;
(o) institute, settle or agree to settle any Proceedings, other than (i) the settlement of claims, liabilities or obligations (A) reserved against on the most recent balance sheet of the Company included in the Company SEC Documents or (B) involving payments of less than $500,000 individually or $1,000,000 in the aggregate; provided that neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall settle or agree to settle any Proceeding which settlement involves a conduct remedy or injunctive or similar relief or has a restrictive impact on the Company’s business or (ii) Proceedings brought against Parent or Merger Sub arising out of a breach or alleged breach of this Agreement by Parent or Merger Sub;
(p) enter into any material new line of business;
(q) fail to maintain in all material respects any Insurance Policies;
(r) other than in the ordinary course of business or as contemplated by this Agreement (i) amend, modify, renew or terminate, or grant any release or waiver under, any Material Contract (excluding the expiration of any Material Contract in accordance with its terms) or enter into any new Contract that would have been a Material Contract if in existence on the date of this Agreement, or (ii) renew or enter into any Contract with an Affiliate of the Company;
(s) voluntarily terminate, amend or fail to renew or preserve any Company Communications License as set forth on Part 6.01(s) of the Company Disclosure Schedule;
(t) conduct any reduction-in-force of employees or other service providers or otherwise implement any layoffs, in each case that could implicate the WARN Act; or
(u) authorize, commit or agree to take any of the foregoing actions. Notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement or any other documents related to the Merger, prior to the Closing, neither Parent nor Merger Sub shall, directly or indirectly, exercise any form of control over the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or any of the Governmental Permits, within the meaning of the FCC Rules and the FCC’s orders and other published rulings thereunder. In addition, the Company and its Subsidiaries may take such further commercially reasonable actions necessary to (x) respond to emergencies or protect the health and safety of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s employees, suppliers, customers and other individuals having business dealings with the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company (including any COVID-19 Measures) or (y) respond to third-party supply or service disruptions caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; provided that the Company shall, to the extent legally permissible and only if time permits, consult with Parent prior to taking the actions described in this sentence.
Indemnification by Company The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Manager, the directors, officers, employees and agents of the Manager and each person who controls the Manager within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the registration of the Shares as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in the Base Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or result from or relate to any breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by the Company in this Agreement, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Manager specifically for inclusion therein. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have.
Release by Company In consideration for the general release by Executive, the Company, on behalf of the Company Parties, hereby fully, forever, unconditionally and irrevocably releases and discharges Executive and each of Executive’s affiliates, spouse, successors, executors, administrators, agents, heirs and assigns (together with Executive, the “Executive Parties”) from all claims, demands, causes of action, liabilities, charges, complaints, , actions, suits, rights, debts, sums of money, costs, accounts, reckonings, covenants, contracts, agreements, promises, doings, omissions, damages, executions, obligations, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and costs), of every kind and nature, in law, equity or otherwise, known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, that any of the Company Parties ever had or now have against any or all of the Executive Parties, however originating or existing, from the beginning of time through the Effective Date, including, but not limited to, any and all claims arising out of or relating to the relationship between Executive and the Company, the services performed by Executive for the Company, Executive’s cessation of services to the Company, or otherwise. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the claims released in this Section 9 (the “Company Released Claims”) do not include, and nothing contained herein shall operate to release any of Executive’s promises and obligations under this Agreement (including the Exhibits hereto) or with respect to any fraud or gross negligence of Executive in the performance of his duties. The Company hereby covenants, promises and agrees not to, and agrees to cause each of the other Company Parties not to, bring any action or claim, legal, equitable or otherwise, asserting or relating to any Company Released Claims (i) in any court of any jurisdiction or in any agency or other unit of any governmental authority, local, state, national or foreign, (ii) with any arbitral body, forum or arbitration tribunal, or (iii) in any mediation proceeding, against any of the Executive Parties; provided, however, that the foregoing covenant not to xxx shall not apply to or prohibit enforcement of the terms of this Agreement.
Conduct of the Business (a) From the date hereof until the Closing Date, or the earlier termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article IX, except to the extent described in Schedule 5.01 or otherwise required or specifically permitted by this Agreement, the Company shall: (i) conduct the Business in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in all material respects (including with respect to capital expenditures, the timely making of any budgeted or emergency capital expenditures or capital expenditures that are required to maintain the Business in compliance with any applicable Laws), unless the Parent shall have otherwise consented in writing (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed); (ii) maintain in effect the insurance coverage described on Schedule 7.16 (or reasonably equivalent replacement coverage); (iii) use its commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the present relationships of the Business with suppliers, vendors, licensees and other Persons with which the Business has business relations; (iv) maintain in effect the Business Licenses (if any) in accordance with the terms thereof and renew any Business License that would otherwise expire pursuant to the terms thereof between the date of this Agreement and the Closing; (v) use its commercially reasonable efforts to keep, or to cause Spoonful to keep, available the services of the Business Employees subject to the normal hiring and firing of Business Employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (vi) use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve intact its business organization, value as a going concern and relationships with third parties (including lessors, licensors, suppliers, distributors and customers) and employees.
(b) From the date hereof until the Closing Date, or the earlier termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article IX, except to the extent described in Schedule 5.01 or otherwise required or specifically permitted by this Agreement or consented to in writing by the Parent (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), the Company shall refrain from: (i) issuing, selling or delivering any of its Company LLC Interests or other Equity Interests or issuing or selling any securities convertible into, or options with respect to, or warrants to purchase or rights to subscribe for, any of its Company LLC Interests or other Equity Interests (or amending any term of any of the foregoing); (ii) effecting any recapitalization, reclassification, dividend, split or like change in its capitalization other than dividends in the in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and the terms and conditions of the Company’s Organizational Documents; (iii) amending its Organizational Documents; (iv) making any redemption or purchase of any of its of its Company LLC Interests or other Equity Interests; (v) (A) merging, consolidating or combining with any Person or (B) acquiring any material assets, except for acquisitions of inventory, equipment and supplies in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (vi) permitting any of the assets of the Company to become subject to a Lien (other than a Permitted Lien) or selling, leasing, licensing or otherwise disposing of any assets or securities, including by merger, consolidation, asset sale or other business combination, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (vii) making any loans or advances to, or any investments in, any other Person (in the case of loans or advances to employees, in excess of $100,000 in the aggregate for all such loans and advances); (viii) pledging or otherwise encumbering of its Company LLC Interests or other Equity Interests; (ix) excepting as required or specifically permitted by this Agreement, entering into or amending any Contract with the Manager or any officer of the Company; (x) increasing any benefits under any Employee Benefit Plan or increasing the compensation payable or paid, whether conditionally or otherwise, to any employee, officer, manager or consultant of Company (other than (A) any increase adopted in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in respect of the compensation of any employee whose annual base compensation does not exceed $125,000 after giving effect to such increase or (B) any increase in benefits or compensation required by Law or required pursuant to the terms of an existing Employee Benefit Plan); (xi) becoming liable in respect of any guarantee (other than a guarantee by the Company of a Liability of the Company that is made in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice) or incur, assume or otherwise become liable in respect of any Indebtedness; (xii) repaying, prepaying or otherwise discharging or satisfying any Indebtedness or other material Liabilities, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, or waiving, cancelling or assigning any claims or rights of substantial value other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice; (xiii) making any capital expenditures that are in the aggregate in excess of $100,000 (other than capital expenditures contemplated by the capital expenditure budget attached to Schedule 5.01, emergency capital expenditures or capital expenditures that are required to maintain the Business in compliance with any applicable Laws); (xiv) making any change in its methods of accounting or accounting practices (including with respect to reserves) or any Tax election; filing any amended Tax Return; electing or changing any method of accounting for Tax purposes; settling any Action or claim in respect of Taxes; or consenting to any extension or waiver of the limitations period for the assessment of any Tax; (xv) settling, agreeing to settle, waiving or otherwise compromising any pending or threatened Actions or claims (A) involving potential payments by or to the Company of more than $100,000 in aggregate, (B) that admit Liability or consent to non-monetary relief, or (C) that otherwise are or would reasonably be expected to be material to the Company or the Business; (xvi) entering into, adopt, terminate, modify, renew or amend in any material respect (including by accelerating material rights or benefits under) any Contract unless such Contract requires payments by the Company of less than $10,000 per month and that can be terminated by the Company upon 60 days’ or less notice without penalty; (xvii) writing up or writing down any of its material assets of the Company or revalue its inventory or reserves in respect of its accounts receivable; (xviii) taking any action or failing to take any action that would result in any of the representations and warranties set forth in this Agreement becoming false or inaccurate in any material respect; or (xix) authorizing, agreeing or committing or entering into a Contract to do any of the foregoing.
Conduct of Business by Parent (a) From and after the date hereof until the earlier of the Effective Time and the Termination Date, and except (i) as may be required by Law or the regulations or requirements of any stock exchange or regulatory organization applicable to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) as may be consented to in writing by the Partnership (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), (iii) as may be contemplated or required by this Agreement or (iv) as set forth in Section 5.2(a) of the Parent Disclosure Schedule, Parent covenants and agrees that Parent shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, use reasonable best efforts to (x) conduct their businesses in the ordinary course, and (y) preserve substantially intact their present lines of business and preserve their relationships with significant customers and suppliers; provided, however, that no action by Parent or its Subsidiaries with respect to matters specifically addressed by any provision of Section 5.2(b) shall be deemed a breach of this covenant unless such action would constitute a breach of such other provision.
(b) Parent agrees with the Partnership, on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries, that from the date hereof and prior to the earlier of the Effective Time and the Termination Date, except (w) as may be required by Law or the regulations or requirements of any stock exchange or regulatory organization applicable to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, (x) as may be consented to by the Partnership (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), (y) as may be contemplated or required by this Agreement or (z) as set forth in Section 5.2(b) of the Parent Disclosure Schedule, Parent:
(i) shall not adopt any amendments to the Organizational Documents of Parent or Parent GP and shall not permit any of Parent’s Subsidiaries to adopt any material amendments to its Organizational Documents;
(ii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, issue, sell, pledge, dispose of, encumber, split, combine or reclassify or authorize the issuance, sale, pledge, disposition, encumbrance, split, combination or reclassification of any of its Equity Interests, other than (1) issuances of Parent Common Units in respect of the vesting, exercise or settlement of any Parent equity awards outstanding on the date hereof or as may be granted after the date hereof as permitted under any Parent Equity Plan that is in the ordinary course of business consistent with Parent’s past practices, (2) for transactions among Parent and its wholly owned Subsidiaries or among Parent’s wholly owned Subsidiaries which remain Subsidiaries after the consummation of such transaction or (3) pledges or encumbrances due to Parent Permitted Liens;
(iii) except in the ordinary course of business, shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries that is not wholly owned by Parent or wholly owned Subsidiaries of any such Subsidiaries to, authorize or pay any dividends on or make any distribution with respect to its Equity Interests (whether in cash, assets, partnership units, stock or other securities of Parent or its Subsidiaries), except (1) dividends or distributions by any Subsidiaries only to Parent or any Subsidiary of Parent in the ordinary course of business, (2) dividends or distributions required under the applicable Organizational Documents of such Person, and (3) regular quarterly cash distributions with customary record and payment dates on the Parent Common Units of $0.625 per Parent Common Unit per quarter;
(iv) shall not, and shall not permit any of its material Subsidiaries to, adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization, other than any mergers, consolidations, restructurings or reorganizations solely among Parent and its wholly owned Subsidiaries or among Parent’s wholly owned Subsidiaries or in connection with an acquisition not prohibited by Section 5.2(b)(v);
(v) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, make, directly or indirectly, any acquisition by merging or otherwise purchasing any assets (including Equity Interests) or any business of any Person or make loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (other than any of Parent’s Subsidiaries), in each case in excess of $150.0 million in the aggregate or that would reasonably be expected to prevent, materially impede or materially delay the consummation of the LP Merger;
(vi) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, sell, lease, license, transfer, exchange or swap, or otherwise dispose of any properties or non-cash assets with a value in excess of $150.0 million in the aggregate;
(vii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, materially change financial accounting policies or procedures or any of its methods of reporting income, deductions or other material items for financial accounting purposes, except as required by GAAP, SEC rule or policy or Law;
(viii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, incur, assume, guarantee or otherwise become liable for any indebtedness for borrowed money or any guarantee of such indebtedness for borrowed money, except for (1) any indebtedness for borrowed money so long as the Total Leverage Ratio (as defined in that certain Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of October 16, 2018, by and among Crestwood Midstream Partners LP, as borrower, the lenders party thereto, and Xxxxx Fargo Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent, as in effect on the date hereof), is less than 3.75 to 1.00 and (2) any indebtedness incurred in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(ix) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to (except in the ordinary course of business), (1) change its fiscal year or any material method of Tax accounting, (2) make, change or revoke any material Tax election, (3) enter into any closing agreement with respect to, or otherwise settle or compromise, any material liability for Taxes, (4) file any material amended Tax Return or (5) surrender a claim for a material refund of Taxes;
(x) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, engage in any activity or conduct its business in a manner that would cause less than 90% of the gross income of Parent for any calendar quarter since its formation and prior to the Effective Time to be treated as “qualifying income” within the meaning of Section 7704(d) of the Code; and
(xi) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, agree, in writing or otherwise, to take any of the foregoing actions that are prohibited pursuant to clauses (i) through (x) of this Section 5.2(b).
(xii) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.2, from the date of this Agreement until the earlier of the Effective Time and the Termination Date, Parent and its Subsidiaries may take or refrain from taking any COVID-19 Action so long as (i) prior thereto, Parent consults with, and considers in good faith, the Partnership’s suggestions and/or feedback, or (ii) such COVID-19 Action would not reasonably be expected to materially impact Parent’s ability to operate in the ordinary course of business or materially delay or impede the consummation of the LP Merger.
