Liability of Escrow Agent a. Escrow Agent shall have no liability or obligation with respect to the Escrow Funds except for Escrow Agent's willful misconduct or gross negligence. Escrow Agent's sole responsibility shall be for the safekeeping, investment, and disbursement of the Escrow Funds in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Escrow Agent shall have no implied duties or obligations and shall not be charged with knowledge or notice or any fact or circumstance not specifically set forth herein. Escrow Agent may rely upon any instrument, not only as to its due execution, validity and effectiveness, but also as to the truth and accuracy of any information contained herein, which Escrow Agent shall in good faith believe to be genuine, to have been signed or presented by the person or parties purporting to sign the same and conform to the provisions of this Agreement. In no event shall Escrow Agent be liable for incidental, indirect, special, and consequential or punitive damages. Escrow Agent shall not be obligated to take any legal action or commence any proceeding in connection with the Escrow Funds, any account in which Escrow Funds are deposited, this Agreement or the Purchase Agreement, or to appear in, prosecute or defend any such legal action or proceeding. Escrow Agent may consult legal counsel selected by it in any event of any dispute or question as to construction of any of the provisions hereof or of any other agreement or its duties hereunder, or relating to any dispute involving any party hereto, and shall incur no liability and shall be fully indemnified from any liability whatsoever in acting in accordance with the opinion or instructions of such counsel. The Company and the Investor(s) jointly and severally shall promptly pay, upon demand, the reasonable fees and expenses of any such counsel.
b. Escrow Agent is hereby authorized, in its sole discretion, to comply with orders issued or process entered by any court with respect to the Escrow Funds, without determination by Escrow Agent of such court's jurisdiction in the matter. If any portion of the Escrow Funds is at any time attached, garnished or levied upon under any court order, or in case the payment, assignment, transfer, conveyance or delivery of any such property shall be stayed or enjoined by any court order, or in any case any order judgment or decree shall be made or entered by any court affecting such property or any part thereof, then and in any such event, Escrow Agent is authorized, in its sole discretion, to rely upon and comply with any such order, writ judgment or decree which it is advised by legal counsel selected by it, binding upon it, without the need for appeal or other action; and if Escrow Agent complies with any such order, writ, judgment or decree, it shall not be liable to any of the parties hereto or to any other person or entity by reason of such compliance even though such order, writ judgment or decree may be subsequently reversed, modified, annulled, set aside or vacated.
Limitation of Liability of Escrow Agent The Escrow Agent will not be liable to any of the Parties hereunder for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it under or in connection with this Agreement, except for losses directly, principally and immediately caused by its bad faith, willful misconduct or gross negligence. Under no circumstances will the Escrow Agent be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, consequential, exemplary, aggravated or punitive losses or damages hereunder, including any loss of profits, whether foreseeable or unforeseeable. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Agreement, in no event will the collective liability of the Escrow Agent under or in connection with this Agreement to any one or more Parties, except for losses directly caused by its bad faith or willful misconduct, exceed the amount of its annual fees under this Agreement or the amount of three thousand dollars ($3,000.00), whichever amount shall be greater.
Duties of Escrow Agent Acceptance by the Escrow Agent of its duties under this Escrow Agreement is subject to the following terms and conditions, which all parties to this Escrow Agreement agree shall govern and control with respect to the rights, duties, liabilities and immunities of the Escrow Agent.
(a) The duties and responsibilities of the Escrow Agent shall be limited to those expressly set forth in this Escrow Agreement and the Escrow Agent shall not be subject to, nor obligated to recognize, any other agreements between the Corporation, Underwriter and any Subscriber.
(b) The duties of the Escrow Agent are only such as are herein specifically provided and such duties are purely ministerial in nature. The Escrow Agent's primary duty shall be to keep custody of and safeguard the Escrow Fund during the period of the escrow, to invest monies held in the Escrow Fund in accordance with Section 2 hereof and to make disbursements from the Escrow Fund in accordance with Section 4 hereof.
(c) The Escrow Agent shall be under no obligations in respect of the Escrow Fund other than to faithfully follow the instructions herein contained or delivered to the Escrow Agent in accordance with this Escrow Agreement. The Escrow Agent may rely and act upon any written notice, instruction, direction, request, waiver, consent, receipt or other paper or document which it in good faith believes to be genuine and what it purports to be and the Escrow Agent shall be subject to no liability with respect to the form, execution or validity thereof. If, in the opinion of the Escrow Agent, the instructions it receives are ambiguous, uncertain or in conflict with any previous instructions or this Escrow Agreement, then the Escrow Agent is authorized to hold and preserve intact the Escrow Fund pending the settlement of any such controversy by final adjudication of a court or courts of proper jurisdiction.
(d) The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any act done or step taken or omitted by it, in good faith, or for any mistake of fact or law, or for anything which it may in good faith do or refrain from doing in connection herewith, unless caused by its willful misconduct or gross negligence. The Corporation shall indemnify and hold the Escrow Agent harmless from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, liabilities and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, which may be imposed upon the Escrow Agent or incurred by the Escrow Agent in connection with its acceptance of the appointment as Escrow Agent hereunder or the performance of its duties hereunder, unless the Escrow Agent is determined to have committed an intentional wrongful act or to have been grossly negligent with respect to its duties under this Escrow Agreement.
(e) The Escrow Agent shall return to the Corporation any sums delivered to the Escrow Agent pursuant to this Escrow Agreement for which the Escrow Agent has not received release instructions pursuant to Section 4 hereof, and as to which four years have passed since delivery.
(f) The Escrow Agent may consult with, and obtain advice from, legal counsel (which may not be counsel to the Corporation) in the event of any dispute or questions as to the construction of any of the provisions hereof or its duties hereunder, and it shall incur no liability in acting in good faith in accordance with the written opinion and instructions of such counsel. The fees for consultation with such counsel shall be paid by the Corporation.
(g) Reference in this Escrow Agreement to the Registration Statement is for identification purposes only, and its terms and conditions are not thereby incorporated herein.
Indemnification of Escrow Agent From and at all times after the date of this Agreement, the parties jointly and severally, shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law and to the extent provided herein, indemnify and hold harmless Escrow Agent and each director, officer, employee, attorney, agent and affiliate of Escrow Agent (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties") against any and all actions, claims (whether or not valid), losses, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses of any kind or nature whatsoever (including without limitation reasonable attorney's fees, costs and expenses) incurred by or asserted against any of the Indemnified Parties from and after the date hereof, whether direct, indirect or consequential, as a result of or arising from or in any way relating to any claim, demand, suit, action, or proceeding (including any inquiry or investigation) by any person, including without limitation the parties to this Agreement, whether threatened or initiated, asserting a claim for any legal or equitable remedy against any person under any statute or regulation, including, but not limited to, any federal or state securities laws, or under any common law or equitable cause or otherwise, arising from or in connection with the negotiation, preparation, execution, performance or failure of performance of this Agreement or any transaction contemplated herein, whether or not any such Indemnified Party is a party to any such action or proceeding, suit or the target of any such inquiry or investigation; provided, however, that no Indemnified Party shall have the right to be indemnified hereunder for liability finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, subject to no further appeal, to have resulted solely from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnified Party. If any such action or claim shall be brought or asserted against any Indemnified Party, such Indemnified Party shall promptly notify the Company and the Investor hereunder in writing, and the and the Company shall assume the defense thereof, including the employment of counsel and the payment of all expenses. Such Indemnified Party shall, in its sole discretion, have the right to employ separate counsel (who may be selected by such Indemnified Party in its sole discretion) in any such action and to participate and to participate in the defense thereof, and the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be paid by such Indemnified Party, except that the Investor and/or the Company shall be required to pay such fees and expense if (a) the Investor or the Company agree to pay such fees and expenses, or (b) the Investor and/or the Company shall fail to assume the defense of such action or proceeding or shall fail, in the sole discretion of such Indemnified Party, to employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party in any such action or proceeding, (c) the Investor and the Company are the plaintiff in any such action or proceeding or (d) the named or potential parties to any such action or proceeding (including any potentially impleaded parties) include both Indemnified Party the Company and/or the Investor and Indemnified Party shall have been advised by counsel that there may be one or more legal defenses available to it which are different from or additional to those available to the Company or the Investor. The Investor and the Company shall be jointly and severally liable to pay fees and expenses of counsel pursuant to the preceding sentence, except that any obligation to pay under clause (a) shall apply only to the party so agreeing. All such fees and expenses payable by the Company and/or the Investor pursuant to the foregoing sentence shall be paid from time to time as incurred, both in advance of and after the final disposition of such action or claim. The obligations of the parties under this section shall survive any termination of this Agreement, and resignation or removal of the Escrow Agent shall be independent of any obligation of Escrow Agent.
Rights, Duties and Responsibilities of Escrow Agent It is understood and agreed that the duties of the Escrow Agent are purely ministerial in nature, and that:
5.1 The Escrow Agent shall notify the Issuer, on a daily basis, of the Escrow Amounts which have been deposited in the Bank Account and of the amounts, constituting the Fund, which have cleared the banking system and have been collected by the Escrow Agent.
5.2 The Escrow Agent shall not be responsible for or be required to enforce any of the terms or conditions of any agreement between the Issuer and third parties nor shall the Escrow Agent be responsible for the performance by the Issuer of its respective obligations under this Agreement.
5.3 The Escrow Agent shall not be required to accept from the Issuer any Subscription Information pertaining to prospective purchasers unless such Subscription Information is accompanied by checks, cash, or wire transfers meeting the requirements of Section 3.1, nor shall the Escrow Agent be required to keep records of any information with respect to payments deposited except as to the names, addresses and amounts of such payments; however, the Escrow Agent shall notify the Issuer promptly of any discrepancy between the amount set forth in any Subscription Information and the amount delivered to the Escrow Agent therewith. Such amount need not be accepted for deposit in the Escrow Account until such discrepancy has been resolved.
5.4 The Escrow Agent shall be under no duty or responsibility to enforce collection of any check delivered to it hereunder. The Escrow Agent, within a reasonable time, shall return to the Issuer any check received which is dishonored, together with Subscription Information, if any, which accompanied such check.
5.5 The Escrow Agent shall be entitled to rely upon the accuracy, act in reliance upon the contents, and assume the genuineness of any notice, instruction, certificate, signature, instrument or other document which is given to the Escrow Agent pursuant to this Agreement without the necessity of the Escrow Agent verifying the truth or accuracy thereof. The Escrow Agent shall not be obligated to make any inquiry as to the authority, capacity, existence or identity of any person purporting to give any such notice or instructions or to execute any such certificate, instrument or other document.
5.6 If the Escrow Agent is uncertain as to its duties or rights hereunder or shall receive instructions with respect to the Bank Account, the Escrow Amounts or the Fund which, in its sole determination, are in conflict either with other instructions received by it or with any provision of this Agreement, it shall be entitled to hold the Escrow Amounts, the Fund, or a portion thereof, in the Bank Account pending the resolution of such uncertainty to the Escrow Agent’s sole satisfaction, by final judgment of a court or courts of competent jurisdiction or otherwise; or the Escrow Agent, at its sole option, may deposit the Fund (and any other Escrow Amounts that thereafter become part of the Fund) with the Clerk of a court of competent jurisdiction in a proceeding to which all parties in interest are joined. Upon the deposit by the Escrow Agent of the Fund with the Clerk of any such court, the Escrow Agent shall be relieved of all further obligations and released from all liability hereunder.
5.7 The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted hereunder, or for the misconduct of any employee, agent or attorney appointed by it, except in the case of willful misconduct or gross negligence. The Escrow Agent shall be entitled to consult with counsel of its own choosing and shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in accordance with the advice of such counsel.
5.8 The Escrow Agent shall have no responsibility at any time to ascertain whether or not any security interest exists in the Escrow Amounts, the Fund or any part thereof or to file any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code with respect to the Fund or any part thereof.
Limitation of Escrow Agent’s Liability (a) Neither the Escrow Agent nor any of its directors, officers or employees shall incur liability with respect to any action taken or suffered by it in reliance upon any notice, direction, instruction, consent, statement or other documents believed by it to be genuine and duly authorized, nor for other action or inaction except its own willful misconduct or gross negligence; provided, that with respect to the custody of the Cash Collateral and Escrow Fund, the Escrow Agent shall use the standard care of customarily used by custodians of funds. The Escrow Agent shall not be responsible for the validity or sufficiency of this Agreement and shall not be responsible for any of the agreements referred to herein, including the Merger Agreement and the Partnership Merger Agreement, but shall be obligated only for the performance of such duties as are specifically set forth in this Escrow Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, the Escrow Agent (i) shall not be obligated to inquire as to the accuracy of any calculations used in preparing the Disbursement Certificate and (ii) shall have no obligation to inquire whether the Partnership has the right to liquidated damages pursuant to the Merger Agreement. In all questions arising under this Agreement, the Escrow Agent may rely on the advice of counsel, including in-house counsel, and for anything done, omitted or suffered in good faith by the Escrow Agent based on such advice the Escrow Agent shall not be liable to anyone. The Escrow Agent shall not be required to take any action hereunder involving any expense unless the payment of such expense is made or provided for in a manner reasonably satisfactory to it. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any losses resulting from the investments made in accordance with this Agreement. In no event shall the Escrow Agent be liable for indirect, punitive, special or consequential damages.
(b) BRI and the Partnership shall jointly and severally indemnify the Escrow Agent for, and hold it harmless against, any loss, liability or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses) incurred without gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Escrow Agent, arising out of or in connection with its carrying out of its duties hereunder, including without limitation drawing on the Letter of Credit.
(c) BRI and the Partnership jointly and severally hereby agree to assume any and all obligations imposed now or hereafter by any applicable tax law with respect to the payment of Escrow Funds under this Agreement, and to indemnify and hold the Escrow Agent harmless from and against any taxes, additions for late payment, interest, penalties and other expenses, that may be assessed against the Escrow Agent in any such payment or other activities under this Agreement (other than taxes on the net income of the Escrow Agent attributable to the payment of fees hereunder). BRI and the Partnership undertake to instruct the Escrow Agent in writing with respect to the Escrow Agent's responsibility for withholding and other taxes, assessments or other governmental charges, certifications and governmental reporting in connection with its acting as Escrow Agent under this Agreement. BRI and the Partnership jointly and severally hereby agree to indemnify and hold the Escrow Agent harmless from any liability on account of taxes, assessments or other governmental charges, including without limitation the withholding or deduction or the failure to withhold or deduct the same, and any liability for failure to obtain proper certifications or to properly report to governmental authorities, to which the Escrow Agent may be or become subject in connection with or which arises out of this Agreement, including costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), interest and penalties.
Indemnification of the Escrow Agent In consideration of the benefits to be derived by Seller from the Split-Off Escrow Agreement, as a third-party beneficiary under the Split-Off Escrow Agreement, Seller shall, from and at all times after the date of the Split-Off Escrow Agreement, indemnify and hold harmless the Escrow Agent and each partner, director, officer, employee, attorney, agent and affiliate of Escrow Agent (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”), to the fullest extent permitted by law and to the extent provided herein, against any and all actions, claims (whether or not valid), losses, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses of any kind or nature whatsoever (including without limitation reasonable attorney’s fees, costs and expenses) incurred by or asserted against any of the Indemnified Parties from and after the date hereof, whether direct, indirect or consequential, as a result of or arising from or in any way relating to any claim, demand, suit, action, or proceeding (including any inquiry or investigation) by any person, including without limitation the parties to the Split-Off Escrow Agreement, whether threatened or initiated, asserting a claim for any legal or equitable remedy against any person under any statute or regulation, including, but not limited to, any federal or state securities laws, or under any common law or equitable cause or otherwise, arising from or in connection with the negotiation, preparation, execution, performance or failure of performance of the Split-Off Escrow Agreement or any transaction contemplated herein, whether or not any such Indemnified Party is a party to any such action or proceeding, suit or the target of any such inquiry or investigation; provided, however, that no Indemnified Party shall have the right to be indemnified hereunder for liability finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, subject to no further appeal, to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnified Party. The obligations of the parties under this section shall survive any termination of this Agreement.
Litigation and Liabilities There are no civil, criminal or administrative actions, suits, claims, hearings, arbitrations, investigations or other proceedings (“Proceedings”) pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except for those that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect. There are no obligations or liabilities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, whether or not accrued, contingent or otherwise other than (i) liabilities or obligations disclosed, reflected, reserved against or otherwise provided for in the consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of June 30, 2017, and the notes thereto set forth in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017 (the “Company Balance Sheet”); (ii) liabilities or obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice since June 30, 2017; (iii) liabilities or obligations arising out of the Transaction Documents (and which do not arise out of a breach by the Company or SpinCo of any representation or warranty in the Transaction Documents); or (iv) liabilities or obligations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or subject to the provisions of any judgment, order, writ, injunction, decree, award, stipulation or settlement of or with any Governmental Entity that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have, a Company Material Adverse Effect (except to the extent expressly consented to by Parent pursuant to Section 5.06).
Exculpation and Indemnification of Escrow Agent 9.1. The Escrow Agent shall have no duties or responsibilities other than those expressly set forth herein. The Escrow Agent shall have no duty to enforce any obligation of any person to make any payment or delivery, or to direct or cause any payment or delivery to be made, or to enforce any obligation of any person to perform any other act. The Escrow Agent shall be under no liability to the other parties hereto or to anyone else by reason of any failure on the part of any party hereto or any maker, guarantor, endorser or other signatory of any document or any other person to perform such person's obligations under such document. Except for amendments to this Agreement referred to below, and except for instructions given to the Escrow Agent by the Company and the subscribers relating to the Escrow Account, the Escrow Agent, as applicable, shall not be obligated to recognize any agreement between any and all of the persons referred to herein, notwithstanding that references thereto may be made herein and whether or not it has knowledge thereof.
9.2. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable to the Company or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the exercise of its own best judgment. The Escrow Agent may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Escrow Agent), statement, instrument, report or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained), which is believed by the Escrow Agent, as applicable, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Escrow Agent shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of this Escrow Agreement or any of the terms thereof, unless evidenced by a writing delivered to the Escrow Agent, as applicable, signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Escrow Agent, as applicable, are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto.
9.3. The Escrow Agent shall not be responsible for the sufficiency or accuracy of the form of, or the execution, validity, value or genuineness of, any document or property received, held or delivered by it hereunder, or of any signature or endorsement thereon, or for any lack of endorsement thereon, or for any description therein, nor shall the Escrow Agent be responsible or liable to the other parties hereto or to anyone else in any respect on account of the identity, authority or rights of the persons executing or delivering or purporting to execute or deliver any document or property pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement. Except as specifically provided for herein, the Escrow Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the use or application of any funds or other property paid or delivered by the Escrow Agent pursuant to the provisions hereof. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable to the Company or to anyone else for any loss which may be incurred by reason of any investment of any monies which it holds hereunder provided the Escrow Agent, as applicable, has complied with the provisions of Section 2 hereunder.
9.4. The Escrow Agent shall have the right to assume in the absence of written notice to the contrary from the proper person or persons that a fact or an event by reason of which an action would or might be taken by the Escrow Agent, as applicable, does not exist or has not occurred, without incurring liability to the other parties hereto or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted, or any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the exercise of its own best judgment, in reliance upon such assumption.
9.5. To the extent that the Escrow Agent becomes liable for the payment of taxes, including withholding taxes, in respect of income derived from the investment of funds held hereunder or any payment made hereunder, the Escrow Agent, as applicable, may pay such taxes. The Escrow Agent, as applicable, may withhold from any payment of monies held by it hereunder such amount as the Escrow Agent, as applicable, estimates to be sufficient to provide for the payment of such taxes not yet paid, and may use the sum withheld for that purpose. The Escrow Agent shall be indemnified and held harmless against any liability for taxes and for any penalties or interest in respect of taxes, on such investment income or payments in the manner provided in Section 9.6.
9.6. The Escrow Agent will be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from and against any and all expenses, including reasonable counsel fees and disbursements, or loss suffered by the Escrow Agent, as applicable, in connection with any action, suit or other proceeding involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand, which in any way, directly or indirectly, arises out of or relates to this Escrow Agreement, the services of the Escrow Agent, as applicable, hereunder, the monies or other property held by it hereunder or any income earned from investment of such monies; provided, that such expenses or loss are not as a result of the Escrow Agent, as applicable, acting, or omitting to take action, in bad faith or with willful misconduct or gross negligence promptly after the receipt by the Escrow Agent, as applicable, of notice of any demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, the Escrow Agent, as applicable, shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the Company, notify the Company thereof in writing, but the failure by the Escrow Agent, as applicable, to give such notice shall not relieve the Company from any liability which the Company may have to the Escrow Agent hereunder. For the purposes hereof, the term "expense or loss" shall include all amounts paid or payable to satisfy any claim, demand or liability, or in settlement of any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding settled with the express written consent of the Escrow Agent, and all costs and expenses, including, but not limited to, reasonable counsel fees and disbursements, paid or incurred in investigating or defending against any such claims, demand, action, suit or proceeding.
Liability of the Parties 16.1 Whilst the Parties shall make all reasonable attempts to mitigate loss, each Party (“the indemnifying Party”) shall be liable for and indemnify the others against any expense, liability, loss, claim or proceeding whatsoever arising under any statute or at common law in respect of personal injury to or death of any person whomsoever arising out of or in the course of or caused by any act or omission of that indemnifying Party in respect of its role in the activities of the Joint Committee and/or under this Agreement and /or where acting as Lead Authority .
16.2 Whilst the Parties shall make all reasonable attempts to mitigate loss, each Party (“the indemnifying Party”) shall be liable for and shall indemnify the others against any reasonable expense, liability, loss, claim or proceeding in respect of any injury or damage whatsoever to any property real or personal in so far as such injury or damage arises out of or in the course of or is caused by any act or omission of that indemnifying Party in respect of its role in the activities of the Joint Committee and/or under this Agreement and/or where acting as Lead Authority .
16.3 Whilst the Parties shall make all reasonable attempts to mitigate loss, each Party (“the indemnifying Party”) shall indemnify the others in respect of any reasonable loss caused to each of the other Parties as a direct result of that indemnifying Party’s negligence, wilful default or fraud or that of any of the indemnifying Party’s employees in respect of its role in the activities of the Joint Committee and/or under this Agreement and/or where acting as Lead Authority.
16.4 Where a Party is appointed the Lead Authority under the terms of clause 12 of this Agreement, the other Parties shall each indemnify the Lead Authority on pro rata basis according to the proportions of their respective financial commitments as set out in Clause 10 of this Agreement with the intent that the Lead Authority shall itself be responsible for its own pro-rata share.
