Conduct Pending Closing Except as specifically identified otherwise on Schedule 5.2 of the Contributor Disclosure Schedules or as otherwise expressly provided by this Agreement or with the prior written consent of the Partnership, from June 1, 2015 until the Closing or termination of this Agreement as provided in Article VIII, Contributor shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to:
(a) operate the Assets in all material respects in the Ordinary Course of Business and use their commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the present business operations and organization relating to the Assets;
(b) with respect to the Assets, maintain books, accounts and records in the usual, regular and ordinary manner, on a basis consistent with prior years;
(c) use its commercially reasonable efforts to preserve intact its current material relationships and all material contractual and other obligations with third parties (including material customers and suppliers) having business dealings with the Partnership or any of its Subsidiaries;
(d) comply in all material respects with all Law to which the Assets are subject;
(e) not sell, transfer, assign, convey or otherwise dispose of the Membership Interests or any of the Assets other than the sale of inventory in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(f) not create or permit the creation of any Lien on the Membership Interests or any of the Assets other than Permitted Liens;
(g) not take any action that would materially adversely affect, or impede or impair, the ability of the Parties to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby;
(h) except as required by Law, not take any action that would reasonably be expected to result in any of the conditions to the Closing set forth in Article VI not being satisfied;
(i) not agree to take any action prohibited by this Section 5.2;
(j) not permit Kemmerer to increase its indebtedness, or incur any obligation or liability, direct or indirect, other than the incurrence of liabilities pursuant to existing agreements in the Ordinary Course of Business; or
(k) not permit Kemmerer to issue or sell any membership interests or other equity interests.
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.
Operations Pending Closing Between the date hereof and the Closing, except as (a) set forth in this Agreement or the Option Exercise Agreement, (b) contemplated by the applicable subsection of Schedule 5.01, or (c) required by applicable Law or the regulations or requirements of any regulatory organization applicable to WTGS TV, the Seller or the LIN Companies, as the case may be, unless Buyer otherwise consents in writing which request for consent shall be directed to and promptly considered in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Section 5.01 by Buyer and which consent shall (i) not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed in the case of clauses (c), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (l), (n), (r), (s), (t), (u) or (w), and (ii) which may otherwise be withheld in Buyer’s sole discretion, the LIN Companies shall, and Seller shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause WTGS TV and, prior to the Merger Closing, the LIN Companies to, and the Seller shall, following the Merger Closing and prior to the Closing:
(a) operate the Station in the ordinary course and in all material respects in accordance with the Communications Laws, the FCC Licenses and with all other applicable Laws;
(b) not cause or permit, or agree or commit to cause or permit, by act or failure to act, any of the FCC Licenses to expire or to be revoked, suspended or adversely modified, or take or fail to take any action that would cause the FCC or any other Governmental Authority to institute proceedings (other than proceedings of general applicability) for the suspension, revocation or adverse modification of any of the FCC Licenses listed on Schedule 3.04(a);
(c) other than in the ordinary course of business or for the purpose of disposing of obsolete or worthless assets, not (i) sell, lease, license or dispose of or agree to sell, lease, license or dispose of any material assets unless replaced with similar items of substantially equal or greater value and utility or (ii) create, assume or permit to exist any Liens upon their assets, except for Permitted Liens;
(d) not dissolve, liquidate, merge or consolidate with any other entity;
(e) maintain, repair and replace the Tangible Personal Property, including any Tangible Personal Property which has been damaged prior to Closing, and maintain, repair and replace the Real Property, including any improvements thereon, which has been damaged prior to Closing, in each case in the ordinary course of business;
(i) upon reasonable written advance notice, give Buyer and its representatives reasonable access at reasonable, mutually agreed-upon times during normal business hours to the Station, and furnish Buyer with information relating to the Business that Buyer may reasonably request, provided, however, that such access rights shall not be exercised in a manner that interferes with the Business and (ii) otherwise provide such reasonable assistance and cooperation as may be requested by Buyer from time to time prior to the Closing Date to reasonably facilitate the transition of the Business, including facilities, operations and applicable data, to Buyer upon and effective as of the Effective Time;
(g) except as otherwise required by Law, not enter into, renew or renegotiate any employment agreement with a Transferred Employee providing for annual compensation in excess of $100,000, any severance agreement or any labor, or union agreement or plan, including any Collective Bargaining Agreement, that will be binding upon Buyer after the Closing;
(h) not hire or terminate the employment of any Station general manager or any other Transferred Employee with annual aggregate non-equity compensation, including target bonuses, in excess of $100,000, excluding any terminations for “cause” as reasonably determined by Sellers;
(i) except in the ordinary course of business, not (i) materially increase the compensation or benefits payable to any Transferred Employee, or (ii) modify any severance policy applicable to any Transferred Employee that would result in any material increase in the amount of severance payable to any such Transferred Employee (or would materially expand the circumstances in which such severance is payable);
(j) not sell, lease, license or otherwise dispose of or encumber any Station Asset except (i) pursuant to or in accordance with existing Assumed Contracts or (ii) immaterial Station Assets in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices;
(k) use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the Station’s MVPD carriage existing as of the date of this Agreement;
(l) except for agreements and contracts which can be terminated by WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, without penalty upon notice of ninety (90) days or less, not (i) enter into any agreement or contract that would have been a Material Contract were WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, a party or subject thereto on the date of this Agreement unless such agreement or contract (x) is entered into in the ordinary course of business and (y) does not involve payments by WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, of greater than $250,000 during any twelve (12) month period, (ii) amend in any material respect any Material Contract unless such amendment (x) is effected in the ordinary course of business, (y) does not increase the amount of payments to be made by WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, during any twelve (12) month period by $250,000 or more or (iii) terminate or waive any material right under any Material Contract other than in the ordinary course of business (excluding the expiration of any Material Contract in accordance with its terms) (it being understood that if any such entry into, or amendment or termination of any such agreement or contract is permitted pursuant to this Section 5.1(k) as a result of the references to acts taken in the ordinary course of business, but such action would otherwise be prohibited by any other provision of this Section 5.1, then this Section 5.1(k) shall not be interpreted to permit such action without the prior written consent of Buyer as contemplated hereby);
(m) not enter into any Contract constituting a Sharing Agreement with respect to the Station;
(n) not change any accounting practices, procedures or methods (except for any change required under GAAP or applicable law) or maintain its books and records, in each case in a manner other than in the ordinary course of business;
(o) not make or agree or commit to make any capital expenditure, except (i) for capital expenditures equal to or less than $200,000 in connection with any particular project or equal to or less than $500,000 in the aggregate, and (ii) for emergency commitments or expenditures;
(p) maintain its qualifications to hold the FCC Licenses with respect to the Station and not take any action that will materially impair such FCC Licenses or such qualifications;
(q) promote the programming of the Station (both on-air and using third party media) in the ordinary course of business, taking into account inventory availability;
(r) not adopt, enter into or become bound by any new Employee Plan or amend, modify or terminate any Employee Plan, except (i) to comply with applicable Law, (ii) in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices without any additional post-Closing material liability to WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, or (iii) as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
(s) keep in full force and effect the material insurance policies set forth on Schedule 3.12 (or other insurance policies comparable in amount and scope);
(t) not make or rescind any election relating to Taxes, settle or compromise any claim, action, suit, litigation, proceeding, arbitration, investigation, audit or controversy relating to Taxes, for any taxable period ending on or after September 30, 2012, or change any of its methods of reporting income or deductions on its Income Tax Returns, or the classifications of its existing property and assets, in each case, to the extent such action would reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect Buyer or its Affiliates after the Closing;
(u) not (i) enter into or agree or commit to enter into any new Tradeout Agreement relating to the Station with a value in excess of $40,000, and $200,000 in the aggregate, prior to Closing that will not be fully performed prior to the Closing or (ii) make any guarantee of commercial ratings other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(i) utilize the Program Rights only in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (ii) not sell or otherwise dispose of any such Program Rights;
(w) not extend credit to advertisers other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(x) timely make retransmission consent elections with all MVPDs located in or serving the Station’s Markets;
(y) not enter into any retransmission consent agreement relating to the Station other than as set forth on Schedule 5.01(y);
(z) not enter into any Contract with any Affiliate or Subsidiary of Seller that survives the Closing; and
(aa) not agree, commit or resolve to take any actions inconsistent with the foregoing.
Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Closing The Company covenants and agrees that, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, except as set forth in Section 6.1 of the Company Disclosure Schedule or as permitted by any other provision of this Agreement, unless Parent will otherwise agree in writing (which agreement will not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), the Company will, and will cause each Company Subsidiary to, conduct its operations in the ordinary course of business and use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve substantially intact its business organization and maintain existing relations and goodwill with customers, suppliers and employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice. Without limiting the foregoing, and as an extension thereof, except as set forth in Section 6.1 of the Company Disclosure Schedule or as permitted by any other provision of this Agreement, the Company will not (unless required by applicable Law), and will not permit any Company Subsidiary to, 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 (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned):
(a) amend or otherwise change its certificate of incorporation or bylaws or equivalent organizational documents;
(b) issue, sell, pledge, dispose of, grant, transfer or encumber, or authorize the issuance, sale, pledge, disposition, grant, transfer, or encumbrance of, any shares of capital stock of, or other Equity Interests in, the Company or any Company Subsidiary of any class, or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, any shares of such capital stock or other Equity Interests, or any options, warrants or other rights of any kind to acquire any shares of such capital stock or other Equity Interests or such convertible or exchangeable securities, or any other ownership interest (including, without limitation, any such interest represented by Contract right), of the Company or any Company Subsidiary, other than the issuance of Shares (i) upon the vesting of Company RSUs or Company Restricted Shares, (ii) the exercise of Company Options outstanding as of the date hereof in accordance with their terms or (iii) in connection with the Top-Up Option;
(c) sell, pledge, dispose of, let lapse, abandon, assign, transfer, lease, license, guarantee or encumber any material property or assets of the Company or any Company Subsidiary (including any Registered Intellectual Property and unregistered Owned Intellectual Property), except (i) to the extent required pursuant to Contracts in effect prior to the date hereof, (ii) pursuant to the sale, purchase or licensing of inventory, raw materials, equipment, goods, or other supplies in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice or (iii) for non-exclusive licenses in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice with a fair market value not in excess of $2,500,000 in the aggregate;
(d) declare, set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution (whether payable in cash, stock, property or a combination thereof) with respect to any of its capital stock (other than dividends paid by a wholly-owned Company Subsidiary to the Company or another wholly-owned Company Subsidiary) or enter into any agreement with respect to the voting or registration of its capital stock;
(e) reclassify, combine, split, subdivide or amend the terms of, or redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any of its capital stock, other Equity Interests or any other securities, or authorize or propose the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for shares of its capital stock or other securities, in each case other than in connection with the Top-Up Option;
(f) merge or consolidate the Company or any Company Subsidiary with any Person or adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation or resolutions providing for a complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Company or any Company Subsidiary, or otherwise enter into any agreements imposing material restrictions on the assets, operations or businesses of the Company or any Company Subsidiary;
(g) enter into a new line of business (other than currently-projected extensions of existing product lines);
(h) acquire (including, without limitation, by merger, consolidation, or acquisition of stock or assets) any interest in any Person or any division thereof or any assets, other than acquisitions of assets (including, without limitation, the purchase of inventory, raw materials, equipment, goods, or other supplies) in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and any other acquisitions for consideration that is individually not in excess of $2,500,000, or in the aggregate not in excess of $5,000,000;
(i) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any debt securities or assume, guarantee or endorse, or otherwise become responsible for the obligations of any Person (other than a wholly-owned Company Subsidiary) for borrowed money;
(j) make any loans, advances, guarantees or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (other than any wholly-owned Company Subsidiary) in excess of $2,500,000 in the aggregate;
(k) terminate, cancel or amend any Company Material Contract, or cancel, modify or waive any rights thereunder, or enter into or amend any Contract that, if existing on the date hereof, would be a Company Material Contract;
(l) make or authorize any capital expenditure in excess of the Company’s capital expenditure budget as disclosed to Parent prior to the date hereof, other than capital expenditures that are not, in the aggregate, in excess of $2,500,000;
(m) except to the extent required by (i) applicable Law, (ii) the existing terms of any Company Benefit Plan, (iii) contractual commitments or corporate policies with respect to severance or termination pay as in existence on the date hereof and listed on Section 6.1(m) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or (iv) as otherwise provided on Section 6.1(m) of the Company Disclosure Schedule: (A) increase in any manner the compensation, bonus or benefits payable or to become payable to its Service Providers (except for increases in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in base salaries or base wages of employees of the Company or any Company Subsidiary); (B) grant any additional rights to severance or termination pay to, or enter into any severance agreement with, any Service Provider, or establish, adopt, enter into or amend any Company Benefit Plan; (C) grant any new awards under any Company Benefit Plan, (D) amend or modify any outstanding award under any Company Benefit Plan, (E) take any action to amend, waive or accelerate the vesting criteria or vesting requirements of payment of any compensation or benefit under any Company Benefit Plan or remove any existing restrictions in any Company Benefit Plans or awards made thereunder, (F) take any action to accelerate the payment, or to fund or in any other way secure the payment, of compensation or benefits under any Company Benefit Plan, to the extent not already provided in any such Company Benefit Plan or (G) change any actuarial or other assumptions used to calculate funding obligations with respect to any Company Benefit Plan or to change the manner in which contributions to such plans are made or the basis on which such contributions are determined, except as may be required by GAAP or applicable laws;
(n) forgive any loans to Service Providers or any of their respective affiliates;
(o) make any material change in accounting policies, practices, principles, methods or procedures, other than as required by GAAP or by a Governmental Entity;
(p) encourage customers to make payments earlier than would otherwise reasonably be expected (based on past practice) to be made to the Company or the Company Subsidiaries, or agree to payment terms or conditions with suppliers that are not consistent in all material respects with past practice;
(q) compromise, settle or agree to settle any Proceeding (including any Proceeding relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby) other than compromises, settlements or agreements in the ordinary course of business that involve only the payment of monetary damages not in excess of $2,500,000 individually or $5,000,000 in the aggregate, in any case without the imposition of equitable relief on, or the admission of wrongdoing by, the Company or any Company Subsidiary;
(r) (i) make, change, or rescind any material Tax election, (ii) file any material amended Tax Return of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries, (iii) or adopt or change any material method or period of Tax accounting, (iv) settle or compromise any material claim relating to Taxes; (v) surrender any material claim for a refund of Taxes; (vi) enter into any “closing agreement” as described in Section 7121 of the Code with respect to material Taxes; or (vii) consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any material Tax claim or assessment (other than pursuant to extensions of time to file Tax Returns obtained in the ordinary course of business);
(s) write up, write down or write off the book value of any assets, except for depreciation and amortization and normal valuation adjustments to accounts receivable and inventory in accordance with GAAP consistently applied;
(t) pre-pay any long-term debt; or
(u) authorize or enter into any Contract or otherwise make any commitment, in each case to do any of the foregoing in clauses (a) through (t).
Conduct of the Business Pending the Closing (a) Except as otherwise expressly provided by this Agreement or with the prior written consent of Newco, between the date hereof and the Closing, the Company shall:
(i) conduct the Business only in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(ii) use its commercially reasonable efforts to (A) preserve the present business operations, organization (including officers and Employees) and goodwill of the Company and (B) preserve the present relationships with Persons having business dealings with the Company (including customers and suppliers);
(iii) maintain (A) all of the assets and properties of, or used by, the Company consistent with past practice, and (B) insurance upon all of the assets and properties of the Company in such amounts and of such kinds comparable to that in effect on the date of this Agreement;
(iv) (A) maintain the books, accounts and records of the Company in the Ordinary Course of Business, (B) continue to collect accounts receivable and pay accounts payable and other Liabilities set forth on the Balance Sheet in the Ordinary Course of Business utilizing normal procedures and without discounting or accelerating payment of such accounts or Liabilities utilizing all available cash and any available line of credit, and (C) comply with all contractual and other obligations of the Company;
(v) comply with the capital expenditure plan of the Company for 2009 set forth on Company Disclosure Schedule 6.2(a)(v), including making such capital expenditures in the amounts and at the times set forth in such plan;
(vi) comply in all material respects with all applicable Laws;
(vii) take steps to renew all Permits in a timely manner prior to their lapse; and
(viii) pay all maintenance and similar fees and take all other appropriate actions as necessary to prevent the abandonment, loss or impairment of all Intellectual Property of the Company.
(b) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, except as otherwise expressly provided by this Agreement or with the prior written consent of Newco, the Company shall not:
(i) (A) increase the salary or other compensation of any director or Employee of the Company except for normal year-end increases in the Ordinary Course of Business, (B) grant any bonus, benefit or other direct or indirect compensation to any Employee or director, (C) increase the coverage or benefits available under any (or create any new) severance pay, termination pay, vacation pay, company awards, salary continuation for disability, sick leave, deferred compensation, bonus or other incentive compensation, insurance, pension or other employee benefit plan or arrangement made to, for, or with any of the directors, officers, Employees, agents or representatives of the Company or otherwise modify or amend or terminate any such plan or arrangement (D) enter into any employment, deferred compensation, stay bonus, severance, special pay, consulting, non-competition or similar agreement or arrangement with any directors or officers of the Company (or amend any such agreement) to which the Company is a party; or (E) pay or make any dividend or distribution of cash or other property with respect to the units or other equity interests of the Company;
(ii) (A) create, incur, assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise become liable or responsible with respect to (whether directly, contingently or otherwise) any Indebtedness except (u) the Indebtedness related to the Permitted Exceptions, (x) the Indebtedness reflected in the Balance Sheet, (y) the Indebtedness incurred in the Ordinary Course of Business since the Balance Sheet Date, or (z) the Indebtedness set forth on Company Disclosure Schedule 4.5; (B) except in the Ordinary Course of Business, pay, prepay, accelerate, discharge, purchase, repurchase or satisfy any Indebtedness issued or guaranteed by the Company; (C) materially modify the terms of any Indebtedness or other Liability; or (D) make any loans, advances of capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person;
(iii) subject to any Lien or otherwise encumber or, except for Permitted Exceptions, permit, allow or suffer to be subjected to any Lien or otherwise encumbered, any of the Purchased Assets;
(iv) acquire any material properties or assets or sell, assign, license, transfer, convey, lease or otherwise dispose of any of the Purchased Assets (except for fair consideration in the Ordinary Course of Business) of the Company;
(v) except as provided in Section 6.6 hereof, enter into or agree to enter into any merger or consolidation with any Person, and not engage in any new business or invest in, make a loan, advance or capital contribution to, or otherwise acquire the securities of any Person;
(vi) cancel or compromise any debt or claim, or waive or release any material right of the Company except in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(vii) enter into, modify or terminate any labor or collective bargaining agreement or, through negotiation or otherwise, make any commitment or incur any Liability to any labor organization with respect to any Employee;
(viii) introduce any material change with respect to the operation of the Business, including any material change in the types, nature, composition or quality of products or services, or, other than in the Ordinary Course of Business, make any change in product specifications or prices or terms of distributions of such products;
(ix) enter into any transaction or enter into, modify or renew any Contract which by reason of its size or otherwise is not in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(x) enter into any Contract, understanding or commitment that restrains, restricts, limits or impedes the ability of the Business, or the ability of Newco or Purchaser, to compete with or conduct any business or line of business in any geographic area or solicit the employment of any persons;
(xi) terminate, amend, restate, supplement or waive any rights under any (A) Material Contract, Real Property Lease, Personal Property Lease or Intellectual Property License, other than in the Ordinary Course of Business or (B) Permit;
(xii) settle or compromise any pending or threatened Legal Proceeding or any claim or claims for, or that would result in a loss of revenue of, an amount that could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to be greater than $50,000;
(xiii) change or modify its credit, collection or payment policies, procedures or practices, including acceleration of collections or receivables (whether or not past due) or fail to pay or delay payment of payables or other liabilities;
(xiv) take any action which would adversely affect the ability of the parties to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(xv) amend the operating agreement of the Company;
(xvi) agree to materially increase Liabilities from the amounts set forth on the Balance Sheet except in the Ordinary Course of Business under loan or credit agreements or arrangements up to the maximum amounts and other terms as in effect on the date of this Agreement; or
(xvii) agree to do anything (A) prohibited by this Section 6.2, (B) that would make any of the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement or any of the Company Documents untrue or incorrect in any material respect or could result in any of the conditions to the Closing not being satisfied or (C) that could be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect with respect to the Company.
Seller’s Closing Documents At the Closing, Seller shall deliver to Purchaser the following, in form and substance reasonably acceptable to Purchaser:
(a) A special warranty deed executed by Seller (the “Deed”), in a form customary for the jurisdiction where the Property is located and otherwise satisfactory to Seller, Purchaser and Title Insurer, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests, options and adverse claims of any kind or character except the Permitted Encumbrances and the encumbrance of the Assumed Loan.
(b) A Xxxx of Sale, executed by Seller (the “Xxxx of Sale”) in the form attached hereto as Exhibit O, transferring, conveying and assigning and warranting to Purchaser, the Personal Property, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests, options and adverse claims of any kind or character other than the Permitted Encumbrances and the encumbrance of the Assumed Loan, together with the original certificates of title thereto, if any.
(c) An assignment (the “Contract Assignment”) in the form attached hereto as Exhibit P, executed by Seller, to Purchaser, of (i) those of the Contracts which Purchaser has elected in writing to assume (the “Assigned Contracts”) with the agreement of Seller to indemnify, protect, defend and hold Purchaser harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) arising in connection with the Assigned Contracts and related to the period prior to the Closing and a comparable indemnity from Purchaser relating to the period following the Closing, (ii) any and all guarantees and warranties used or made in connection with the operation, construction, improvement, alteration or repair of the Property, and (iii) all right, title and interest of Seller and its agents in and to the Intangible Personal Property (including the Governmental Approvals to the extent assignable).
(d) An assignment of lessor’s interest in the Leases (the “Lease Assignment”) in the form attached hereto as Exhibit Q executed by Seller, to Purchaser, together with an agreement by Seller to indemnify, protect, defend and hold Purchaser harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) arising in connection with the Leases relating to the period prior to the Closing and a comparable indemnity from Purchaser relating to the period following the Closing.
(e) To the extent not previously delivered to Purchaser, originals of the Leases, the Contracts which have not been terminated pursuant to Section 9(c), certificate(s) of occupancy and other instruments evidencing the Governmental Approvals in Seller’s possession or, if such originals are not available, copies certified by Seller to be true, correct and complete copies of such originals.
(f) Any keys in the possession of Seller to all locks located in the Property.
(g) Letters executed by Seller and Seller’s management agent, if any, addressed to all Tenants, in form of Exhibit R attached hereto, notifying and directing payment of all rent and other sums due from Tenants from and after the date of the Closing to be made at Purchaser’s direction.
(h) Reasonable proof of the due authorization, execution and delivery by Seller of this Agreement and the documents delivered by Seller pursuant hereto.
(i) A Rent Roll, prepared not more than one (1) business day prior to Closing, certified by Seller to be true and correct.
(j) An affidavit from Seller in the form attached hereto as Exhibit L certifying that such Seller is not a “foreign person” within the meaning of Section 1445(f)(3) of the Code.
Buyer’s Closing Documents On the Closing Date, Buyer will execute and deliver to Seller the following (collectively, “Buyer’s Closing Documents”):
Conduct of Business Pending Closing Between the date of this Agreement and the Funding and Consummation Date, the Company will, except as set forth on Schedule 7.2:
(i) carry on its business in substantially the same manner as it has heretofore and not introduce any material new method of management, operation or accounting;
(ii) use its reasonable efforts to maintain its properties and facilities, including those held under leases, in as good working order and condition as at present, ordinary wear and tear excepted;
(iii) perform in all material respects all of its obligations under agreements relating to or affecting its respective assets, properties or rights;
(iv) use its reasonable efforts to keep in full force and effect present insurance policies or other comparable insurance coverage;
(v) use its reasonable efforts to maintain and preserve its business organization intact, retain its respective present key employees and maintain its relationships with suppliers, customers and others having business relations with the Company;
(vi) use its reasonable efforts to maintain compliance with all Licenses, laws, rules and regulations, consent orders, and all other orders of applicable courts, regulatory agencies and similar governmental authorities applicable to it;
(vii) maintain present debt and lease instruments and not enter into new or amended debt or lease instruments without the knowledge and consent of TCI (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), provided that debt and/or lease instruments may be replaced without the consent of TCI if such replacement instruments are on terms at least as favorable to the Company as the instruments being replaced; and
(viii) maintain or reduce present salaries and commission levels for all officers, directors, employees and agents except for ordinary and customary bonus and salary increases for employees in accordance with past practices.
Conduct Prior to the Closing Antisense and Biophan covenant and agree that, after the date hereof and prior to the Closing (unless ITI shall otherwise approve in writing, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld):
(a) Antisense will not declare, set aside or pay any dividends or distributions payable in cash, stock or property, in respect of its capital stock;
(b) Antisense will not amend, nor will Biophan cause the amendment of the Antisense Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws;
(c) Antisense and Biophan will comply with all requirements which federal or state law may impose on it with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, and will promptly cooperate with and furnish written information to ITI in connection with any such requirements imposed upon the parties hereto in connection therewith;
(d) Except within the regular course of business, Antisense will not incur any indebtedness for money borrowed, issue or sell any debt securities, incur or suffer to be incurred any liability or obligation of any nature whatsoever, cause or permit any lien, encumbrance or security interest to be created or arise on or in any of its properties or assets, acquire or dispose of fixed assets, change employment terms, enter into any material or long-term contract, guarantee obligations of any third party, settle or discharge any balance sheet receivable for less than its stated amount or enter into any other transaction, except to comply with the terms of this Agreement; and
(e) Antisense and Biophan shall grant to ITI and its counsel, accountants and other representatives, full access during normal business hours during the period prior to the Closing to all Antisense's respective properties, books, contracts, commitments and records and, during such period, furnish promptly to ITI and such representatives all information relating to Antisense as ITI may reasonably request, and shall extend to ITI the opportunity to meet with Antisense's accountants and attorneys to discuss the financial condition of Antisense.
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.
