By the Company Other than for Cause The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder other than for Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive. In the event of such termination, the Company shall pay the Executive: (i) promptly following termination and in all events within thirty (30) days thereof, Base Salary earned but unpaid through the date of termination, plus (ii) severance payments for a period to end twelve (12) months after the termination date (“Severance Term”), of which (a) the first severance payment shall be made on the date that is six (6) months from the date of termination and in an amount equal six (6) times the Executives monthly base compensation in effect at the time of such termination and (b) the balance of the severance shall be paid in six (6) monthly payments beginning on the date that is seven (7) months from the date of termination and continuing through the date that is twelve (12) months from the date of termination, each such monthly payment in an amount equal to the Executive’s monthly base compensation in effect at the time of such termination (i.e., 1/12th of the Base Salary), plus (iii) promptly following termination and in all events within thirty (30) days thereof, any unpaid portion of any Bonus for the fiscal year preceding the year in which such termination occurs that was earned but has not been paid, plus (iv) at the times the Company pays its executives bonuses generally, but no later than two and one half (2 1/2) months after the end of the fiscal year in which the Bonus is earned, an amount equal to that portion of any Bonus earned but unpaid during the fiscal year of such termination (prorated in accordance with Section 4.2).”
9. Effectively immediately, the third sentence of Section 5.5 is hereby amended by deleting said sentence in its entirety and substituting the following: “In the event of termination in accordance with this Section 5.5, then the Company shall pay the Executive: (x) promptly following termination and in all events within thirty (30) days thereof, Base Salary earned but unpaid through the date of termination, plus (y) six months after the termination date, an amount equal to six times the Executive’s monthly base compensation in effect at the time of such termination (i.e., 1/12th of the Base Salary) and thereafter, monthly severance payments, each equal to the Executive’s monthly base compensation for a period of six months , plus (z) at the times the Company pays its executives bonuses generally, but no later than two and one half (2 1/2) months after the end of the fiscal year in which the bonus is earned, an amount equal to that portion of any Bonus earned but unpaid during the fiscal year of such termination (prorated in accordance with Section 4.2).”
10. Effective immediately, Section 5.6 of the Employment Agreement is hereby amended by inserting the following sentence at the end of said Section: “The payments made under subsections (i) and (iii) hereof shall be made promptly following termination and in all events within thirty (30) days thereof.”
11. Effective immediately, a new Section 5.8 of the Employment Agreement is inserted into the Employment Agreement as follows:
Termination by the Company Other than for Cause The Company shall have the right to terminate your employment hereunder at any time other than for Cause. In the event of a termination by Company pursuant to this paragraph, you shall be entitled to receive payment of the Accrued Obligations and the following severance pay and related benefits:
(i) the Company will pay you severance pay in the amount of (A) your then-current annual Base Salary plus (B) the higher of (i) your Bonus for the year in which the termination occurs or (ii) the average percentage of your Base Salary paid to you as Bonus in the two fiscal years prior to the termination date, in each case pro-rated by the number of days you were employed in the calendar year of the termination, provided however, that if the termination date occurs during the first year of employment, the pro-rated amount of the Bonus, if any, shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Board or the Compensation Committee (A and B, collectively are the “Severance Pay”). Your Severance Pay shall be paid in equal installments over a period of twelve (12) months commencing with the first payroll period following the effective date of the Release required by Section 5(e), minus required withholdings, which severance payments will be made to you on the Company’s normal payroll cycle;
(ii) should you elect to continue your group health and dental insurance benefits in accordance with the provisions of COBRA following the date of your termination, the Company shall pay the full premium for such health and dental insurance continuation benefits for a period of twelve (12) months after the termination date; provided, however, that any such payments will cease if you voluntarily enroll in a health insurance plan offered by another employer or entity during the period in which the Company is paying such premiums. You agree to immediately notify the Company in writing of any such enrollment.
(iii) notwithstanding the terms of any stock option grants and/or restricted stock awards, the vesting of such equity awards will automatically accelerate such that, in addition to any vesting acceleration earned by you pursuant to Section 3(e) or 3(f) of this Agreement prior to the effective date of such termination, effective on the date of such termination you will be deemed vested as if you had remained employed by the Company for an additional period of twenty four (24) months as of the date of termination and all restricted stock held by you that would otherwise vest as if you had been employed by the Company for an additional twenty four (24) months as of the date of termination shall automatically and immediately vest and no longer be subject to forfeiture or a right to repurchase by the Company as of the date of termination.
Termination by the Company for Cause Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein contained, the Company may terminate immediately the employment of Executive without notice and without pay in lieu of notice:
(i) if Executive commits an act of theft, fraud or material dishonesty or misconduct involving the property or affairs of the Company or the carrying out of Executive’s duties; or
(ii) if Executive commits a material breach or material non-observance of any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement provided that Executive is given written notice of any such breach or non-observance and fails to remedy the same within 15 days of receipt of such notice; or
(iii) if Executive is convicted of a felony; or
(iv) if Executive refuses or fails to implement any reasonable directive issued by the Company’s Board of Directors and Executive fails to remedy the refusal or failure within 15 days of receipt of written notice thereof; or
(v) if Executive or any member of his family makes any personal profit arising out of or in connection with a transaction to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or with which it is associated without making disclosure to and obtaining prior written consent of the Company. Upon the termination of Executive’s employment pursuant to this Subsection (a), this Agreement and the employment of Executive hereunder shall be wholly terminated. Upon any such termination, Executive shall have no claim against the Company in respect of his employment for damages or otherwise except in respect of payment of base salary earned, due and owing and unused vacation time to the date of termination.
By the Company for Cause The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause at any time upon notice to the Executive setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Cause. The following shall constitute “Cause” for termination:
(i) Repeated or willful refusal, failure or neglect by the Executive to perform the material duties of his employment or to follow the directions of the Board (other than by reason of the Executive’s physical or mental illness or impairment);
(ii) The Executive’s committing any act of fraud, embezzlement, or theft;
(iii) The Executive’s material violation of the Company’s policies;
(iv) The Executive’s behavior or engagement in any acts that may interfere with the ability of the Company or any of its affiliates to maintain a license to harvest, cultivate, process, or sell cannabis or otherwise continue to operate its business;
(v) The Executive’s breach of any non-disclosure, non-disparagement, non-competition, non-solicitation, assignment of inventions agreement or other restrictive covenants set forth herein, other than the Executive’s inadvertent and immaterial breach of any non-competition or non-disclosure obligation that is not otherwise detrimental to the Company or any of its affiliates, as determined by the Board (excluding the Executive);
(vi) The Executive’s conviction of a felony (including pleading guilty or nolo contendere to a felony) or commitment of other acts causing a material detriment to the reputation, the business or a business relationship of the Company or any of its affiliates; provided, however, that for the avoidance of doubt, no conviction or plea of nolo contendere of a felony or crime that occurs solely as a result of a violation of U.S. federal law concerning cannabis or the cannabis industry shall be deemed to constitute “Cause”, so long as (A) the acts, omissions, conduct or activity related to cannabis or the cannabis industry giving rise to any such conviction or plea of nolo contendere of a felony or crime could be reasonably believed to be in compliance with applicable state and local laws and (B) such conviction or plea of nolo contendere is not likely to interfere with the ability of the Company or any of its affiliates to maintain a license to harvest, cultivate, process, or sell cannabis or otherwise continue to operate its business;
(vii) The Executive’s willful engagement in dishonesty, illegal conduct (other than solely as a result of a violation of U.S. federal law concerning cannabis or the cannabis industry, so long as (A) the acts, omissions, conduct or activity related to cannabis or the cannabis industry giving rise to such illegal conduct could be reasonably believed to be in compliance with applicable state and local laws and (B) such illegal conduct is not likely to interfere with the ability of the Company or any of its affiliates to maintain a license to harvest, cultivate, process, or sell cannabis or otherwise continue to operate its business), or gross misconduct, which in each case is materially injurious (monetarily or otherwise) to the Company or its affiliates; or
(viii) The Executive’s material breach of the terms of this Agreement. For purposes of this provision, no act or failure to act on the part of the Executive shall be considered "willful" unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in bad faith or without reasonable belief that the Executive's action or omission was in the best interests of the Company. Any act, or failure to act, based on authority given pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by the Board or on the advice of counsel for the Company shall be conclusively presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by the Executive in good faith and in the best interests of the Company. Termination of the Executive’s employment shall not be deemed to be for Cause unless and until (I) the Company has given notice thereof to the Executive specifying in reasonable detail the conduct constituting “Cause,” (II) solely with respect to the conduct described in clauses (i), (iii), (iv), (v) and (viii) above, the Executive fails to cure and correct his conduct (if capable of cure and correction) within thirty (30) days after such notice, and (III) the Company delivers to the Executive a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the Board (excluding the Executive) (after the Executive is given an opportunity, together with counsel, to be heard before the Board), finding in good faith that the Executive has engaged in the conduct described in any of (i)-(viii) above. Upon the giving of notice of termination of the Executive’s employment hereunder for Cause, the Company shall have no further obligation hereunder to the Executive, other than for Final Compensation.
Termination by the Company for Cause or by the Executive without Good Reason The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment pursuant to the terms of this Agreement at any time for Cause (as defined below) by giving the Executive written notice of termination. Such termination shall become effective upon the giving of such notice. Upon any such termination for Cause, or in the event the Executive terminates his employment with the Company without Good Reason (as defined in Section 6(c)), then the Executive shall have no right to compensation, or reimbursement under Section 4, or to participate in any Executive benefit programs under Section 5, except as may otherwise be provided for by law, for any period subsequent to the effective date of termination. For purposes of this Agreement, “Cause” shall mean: (i) the Executive is convicted of, or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony related to the business of the Company; (ii) the Executive, in carrying out his duties hereunder, has acted with gross negligence or intentional misconduct resulting, in any case, in material harm to the Company; (iii) the Executive misappropriates Company funds or otherwise defrauds the Company including a material amount of money or property; (iv) the Executive breaches his fiduciary duty to the Company resulting in material profit to him, directly or indirectly; (v) the Executive materially breaches any agreement with the Company and fails to cure such breach within 10 days of receipt of notice, unless the act is incapable of being cured; (vi) the Executive breaches any provision of Section 8 or Section 9; (vii) the Executive becomes subject to a preliminary or permanent injunction issued by a United States District Court enjoining the Executive from violating any securities law administered or regulated by the SEC; (viii) the Executive becomes subject to a cease and desist order or other order issued by the SEC after an opportunity for a hearing; (ix) the Executive refuses to carry out a resolution adopted by the Company’s Board at a meeting in which the Executive was offered a reasonable opportunity to argue that the resolution should not be adopted; or (x) the Executive abuses alcohol or drugs in a manner that interferes with the successful performance of his duties.
Termination by the Company Without Cause The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder at any time without Cause. Any termination by the Company of the Executive’s employment under this Agreement which does not constitute a termination for Cause under Section 3(c) and does not result from the death or disability of the Executive under Section 3(a) or (b) shall be deemed a termination without Cause.
Without Cause by the Company The Employment Term and this Agreement may be terminated by the Company without Cause (other than by reason of Employee’s death or Disability) following the delivery by the Company of a Notice of Termination to Employee at least 30 days prior to such termination. If Employee’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause, Employee shall be entitled to receive:
1. the Accrued Obligations; and
2. subject to Employee’s continued compliance with Sections X, XI, XII, XIII and XIV of this Agreement, and execution and delivery within 60 days after termination of Employee’s employment of a release and waiver of all claims Employee may have against the Company, Aveon, their subsidiaries and affiliates, predecessors and successors, and their respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees and agents, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “Release”), which release must be effective when delivered after giving effect to any post-execution revocation period described therein, (a) a lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to the full annual Base Salary then in effect, paid on the date the Release becomes irrevocable and effective in accordance with its terms, (b) the Annual Bonus for the year during which Employee’s employment is terminated paid on the date that Annual Bonuses are paid to the majority of other Company employees entitled to an Annual Bonus, however, if in the year of termination, the Hurdle is not attained, Employee will not be eligible for any future Annual Bonus notwithstanding any contrary provision in Section IV.A of this Agreement and (c) any unpaid Annual Bonus for any previously completed fiscal year, and shall have no claim to any Annual Bonus amount except as described in this Section VIII.C.2. Employee shall have no further rights to any compensation or benefits under this Agreement. All other benefits, if any, due Employee following a termination pursuant to this Section VIII.C shall be determined in accordance with the plans, policies and practices of the Company and any applicable statute or regulation; provided, however, that Employee shall not participate in any severance plan, policy or program of the Company or any affiliate of the Company. The expiration of the Employment Term on the last date of the Initial Employment Term or any Renewal Term thereof following proper advance notice as contemplated by Section I.B shall not be considered a termination without Cause by the Company and Employee shall be entitled to receive (i) the Accrued Obligations, (ii) the Pro Rata Bonus, if any, with respect to the year the Employment Term expired, (iii) any unpaid Annual Bonus for any previously completed fiscal year, and (iv) all other benefits, if any, as determined in accordance with the plans, policies and practices of the Company and any applicable statute or regulation; provided, however, that Employee shall not participate in any severance plan, policy or program of the Company or any affiliate of the Company
Termination by the Company with Cause The Company shall have the right at any time to terminate the Executive's employment hereunder without prior notice upon the occurrence of any of the following (any such termination being referred to as a termination for "Cause"):
(i) the commission by the Executive of any deliberate and premeditated act taken by the Executive in bad faith against the interests of the Company;
(ii) the Executive has been convicted of, or pleads NOLO CONTENDERE with respect to, any felony, or of any lesser crime or offense having as its predicate element fraud, dishonesty or misappropriation of the property of the Company;
(iii) the habitual drug addiction or intoxication of the Executive which negatively impacts his job performance or the Executive's failure of a Company-required drug test;
(iv) the willful failure or refusal of the Executive to perform his duties as set forth herein or the willful failure or refusal to follow the direction of the CEO or the Board, provided such failure or refusal continues after thirty (30) days of the receipt of notice in writing from the CEO or the Board of such failure or refusal, which notice refers to this Section 4(a) and indicates the Company's intention to terminate the Executive's employment hereunder if such failure or refusal is not remedied within such thirty (30) day period; or
(v) the Executive breaches any of the terms of this Agreement or any other agreement between the Executive and the Company which breach is not cured within thirty (30) days subsequent to notice from the Company to the Executive of such breach, which notice refers to this Section 4(a) and indicates the Company's intention to terminate the Executive's employment hereunder if such breach is not cured within such thirty (30) day period. If the definition of termination for "Cause" set forth above conflicts with such definition in the Executive's time-based or performance- based stock option agreements (collectively, the "Stock Option Agreements") or any agreements referred to therein, the definition set forth herein shall control.
Termination Without Cause by the Company During the term of this Agreement and at times following the Company’s successfully consummating its first equity financing of $10 million or more in gross proceeds following the Effective Date (the “First Financing”), if the Company terminates the Executive’s employment without Cause pursuant to Paragraph 4(d) of this Agreement (a “Termination without Cause”), under circumstances that constitute a Involuntary Separation from Service with the Company (as defined for purposes of §409A of the Internal Revenue Code), the Company shall pay the Executive that ratable amount of Annual Compensation which the Executive would earn in 12 months based on Executive’s then-current salary and target bonus level (the “Severance Period”). Executive shall continue to participate in all other benefit plans during the Severance Period, except to the extent prohibited by law or any applicable employee benefit plan. All Stock Options granted to Executive which have vested prior to the final day of Executive’s employment under this Agreement (the “Termination Date”) shall remain vested and exercisable for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement. The Company will continue to vest Stock Options and stock awards during the Severance Period in accordance with the following vesting schedule:
(1) If a Termination without Cause occurs during the first year of the term of this Agreement, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the calendar quarter within which the Termination without Cause occurs shall vest and become exercisable on the Termination Date for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement and, in addition, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the calendar quarter after the occurrence of the Termination without Cause also shall vest and become exercisable for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement; and
(2) If a Termination without Cause occurs during the second year of the term of this Agreement, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the calendar quarter within which the Termination without Cause occurs shall vest and become exercisable on the Termination Date for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement and, in addition, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the two (2) calendar quarters after the occurrence of the Termination without Cause also shall vest and become exercisable for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement; and
(3) If a Termination without Cause occurs during the third year of the term of this Agreement or thereafter, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the calendar quarter within which the Termination without Cause occurs shall vest and become exercisable on the Termination Date for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement and, in addition, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the three (3) calendar quarters after the occurrence of the Termination without Cause also shall vest and become exercisable for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 5(d), if Executive receives a Termination without Cause prior to the First Financing, Executive shall receive no severance. Payment of the Executive’s separation pay benefit under this Section 5(d), if any, shall be made as follows:
(i) Payment of the separation pay benefit shall commence as of the 30th day after the Executive’s Separation from Service, and shall continue in monthly installments thereafter until all 6 payments are made.
(ii) In the event the value of the separation pay benefit shall exceed two times the lesser of the Executive’s annualized compensation or the maximum amount that may be taken into account for qualified plan purposes (in each case, as determined in accordance with Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii)(A)), the excess shall not be paid as provided in (i), above, but instead shall be paid in 6 equal monthly installments commencing as of the first of the month after the date that is six months after the Executive’s Separation from Service date.
(iii) In no event shall payments be accelerated, nor shall the Executive be eligible to defer payments to a later date.
Termination for Cause by the Company The Company may terminate your employment hereunder for “Cause” at any time after providing a written notice of termination for Cause to you. For purposes of this Agreement, you shall be treated as having been terminated for Cause if and only if you are terminated as a result of the occurrence of one or more of the following events:
(i) any willful and wrongful conduct or omission by you that demonstrably and materially injures the Company or its affiliates;
(ii) any act by you of fraud, dishonesty, gross negligence, or intentional misrepresentation or embezzlement, misappropriation or conversion of assets of the Company or any affiliate;
(iii) you being convicted of, confessing to, pleading nolo contendere to, or becoming the subject of proceedings that provide a reasonable basis for the Company to believe that you have engaged in a felony or any crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude;
(iv) your willful and material violation of any written policies or procedures of the Company, including but not limited to the Company’s code of business conduct, code of ethics and xxxxxxx xxxxxxx policy;
(v) your willful and continuous failure to substantially perform your duties or responsibilities hereunder (other than as a result of physical or mental illness), including, but not limited to: (A) significant and/or repeated gross underperformance of the overall area of aggregate responsibilities then under your supervision; or (B) the failure to follow the lawful directions of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, or if you do not report directly to the Chief Executive Officer, of your supervising officer, in a manner consistent with this Agreement; or
(vi) your material, and intentional or willful, violation of any restrictive covenant provided for under this Agreement or any other agreement with the Company to which you are a party. For purposes of this Agreement an act or failure to act shall be considered “willful” only if done or omitted to be done without your good faith reasonable belief that such act or failure to act was in the best interests of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you shall not be treated as having been terminated as a result of an event described in subsection (i), (iv), (v) or (vi) unless the Company notifies you in writing of the event not more than ninety (90) days after the Company knows, or with the exercise of reasonable diligence would have known, of the occurrence of such event, and you fail within thirty (30) days after receipt of such notice to cure such event to the Company’s reasonable satisfaction; provided, however, that in no event shall the Company’s failure to notify you of the occurrence of any event constituting Cause, or to terminate you as a result of such event, be construed as a consent to the occurrence of future events, whether or not similar to the initial occurrence, or a waiver of the Company’s right to terminate you for Cause as a result thereof.
