The Plan This Plan is the Fund's written distribution and service plan for Class N shares of the Fund (the "Shares"), contemplated by Rule 12b-1 as it may be amended from time to time (the "Rule") under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"), pursuant to which the Fund will compensate the Distributor for its services in connection with the distribution of Shares, and the personal service and maintenance of shareholder accounts that hold Shares ("Accounts"). The Fund may act as distributor of securities of which it is the issuer, pursuant to the Rule, according to the terms of this Plan. The terms and provisions of this Plan shall be interpreted and defined in a manner consistent with the provisions and definitions contained in (i) the 1940 Act, (ii) the Rule, (iii) Rule 2830 of the Conduct Rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or any applicable amendment or successor to such rule (the "NASD Conduct Rules") and (iv) any conditions pertaining either to distribution-related expenses or to a plan of distribution to which the Fund is subject under any order on which the Fund relies, issued at any time by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").
Termination of Executives Employment Termination of Executive's Employment means that (i) the Company has terminated Executive's employment with the Company (including any subsidiary of the Company) other than for Cause (as defined in Section 5.2), death or Disability (as defined in Section 5.3), or (ii) Executive, by written notice to the Company, has terminated his employment with the Company (including any subsidiary of the Company) for Good Reason (as defined below). For purposes of this Agreement, "Good Reason" means:
Employee Status For purposes of determining the applicability of Section 422 of the Code (relating to Incentive Stock Options), or in the event that the terms of any Grant provide that it may be exercised only during employment or within a specified period of time after termination of employment, the Committee may decide to what extent leaves of absence for governmental or military service, illness, temporary Disability, or other reasons shall not be deemed interruptions of continuous employment.
Restriction of Employee Status The status of all employees covered by this Agreement shall be defined under one of the preceding three (3) definitions. If a dispute arises over the proper allocation of employee status, such dispute shall be resolved through Article 9.04
Executive’s Release (a) Executive hereby forever releases and discharges the Company and its parents, affiliates, successors and assigns, as well as each of their respective past, present and future officers, directors, shareholders, members, managers, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Company Released Parties”), from any and all claims, charges, complaints, liens, demands, causes of action, obligations, damages and liabilities, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, that Executive had, now has, or may hereafter claim to have against the Company Released Parties arising out of or relating in any way to Executive’s employment with, or resignation and termination from, the Company, from the beginning of time to the date Executive signs this Release (the “Executive’s Release”).
(b) Executive’s Release specifically extends to, without limitation, any and all claims or causes of action as an officer, employee or shareholder of the Company or for wrongful termination, breach of an express or implied contract, including, without limitation, the Prior Agreement (as defined in the Settlement Agreement), interference with contractual relationships, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, breach of fiduciary duty, employment discrimination, including harassment, fraud, misrepresentation, defamation, slander, infliction of emotional distress, disability, loss of future earnings, and any claims under any applicable state, federal or local statutes and regulations, including, but not limited to, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended, the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (the “ADA”), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, as amended (“ADEA”), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, as amended (the “WARN Act”), the Family and Medical Leave Act, or any other federal or state laws relating to employment or employment discrimination, and any claims for attorneys’ fees and costs; provided, however, that Executive’s Release does not waive, release or otherwise discharge (i) any claim or cause of action that cannot legally be waived by private agreement between Executive and the Company, including, but not limited to, any claim for unpaid wages, workers’ compensation benefits or unemployment benefits; (ii) any claims or rights the Executive has with respect to any of the items described in the second paragraph of Section 3 of the Settlement Agreement; and (iii) any claim or cause of action to enforce any of Executive’s rights under the Settlement Agreement.
(c) Except as specified in Paragraph 1(b), this Release means that Executive will not bring any claim whatsoever against the Company Released Parties arising out of or associated with Executive’s employment or the termination thereof, and this Release will bar any and all claims, causes of action, and obligations of any kind and nature whatsoever, initiated by Executive, or in which Executive is otherwise named as a party, against the Company Released Parties. Pursuant to this Release, unless excepted in Paragraph 1(b), Executive promises that he will never institute any claim or lawsuit whatsoever against the Company Released Parties for any reason arising out of his employment relationship or the termination thereof. The severance benefits provided under Section 2 of the Settlement Agreement are provided in exchange for Executive’s release and promise not to institute any such claim against the Company Released Parties.
DEFINITION OF EMPLOYEE STATUS 8.01 The status of all employees covered by this agreement shall be defined under one of the following three definitions.
No Competing Employment The Executive acknowledges that the agreements and covenants contained in this Section 7 are essential to protect the value of the Company’s, or any of its subsidiaries’ or affiliates’, business and assets and by his current employment with the Company and its subsidiaries, the Executive has obtained and will obtain such knowledge, contacts, know-how, training and experience and there is a substantial probability that such knowledge, know-how, contacts, training and experience could be used to the substantial advantage of a competitor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates and to the Company’s, or any of its subsidiaries’ or affiliates’, substantial detriment. Therefore, the Executive agrees that for the period commencing on the date of this Agreement and ending on the first anniversary of the termination of the Executive’s employment hereunder (such period is hereinafter referred to as the “Restricted Period”) with respect to any State in which the Company is engaged in business during the Employment Term, the Executive shall not participate or engage, directly or indirectly, for himself or on behalf of or in conjunction with any person, partnership, corporation or other entity, whether as an employee, agent, officer, director, partner or joint venturer, in any business activities if such activity consists of any activity undertaken or expressly contemplated to be undertaken by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or by the Executive at any time during the last three (3) years of the Employment Term. The foregoing restrictions contained in this Section 7(a) shall not prevent the Executive from accepting employment with a large diversified organization with separate and distinct divisions that do not compete, directly or indirectly, with the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, so long as prior to accepting such employment the Company receives separate written assurances from the prospective employer and from the Executive, satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that the Executive will not render any services, directly or indirectly, to any division or business unit that competes, directly or indirectly, with the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. During the Restricted Period, the Executive will inform any new employer, prior to accepting employment, of the existence of this Agreement and provide such employer with a copy of this Agreement.
Executive’s Compensation The Company agrees to compensate the Executive as follows:
Termination of Employment with Severance Benefits (a) In the event that the Officer’s employment with the Bank shall terminate during the Assurance Period, or prior to the commencement of the Assurance Period but within three (3) months of and in connection with a Change of Control as defined in section 10 of this Agreement on account of:
(i) The Officer’s voluntary resignation from employment with the Bank within ninety (90) days following:
(A) the failure of the Bank’s Board to appoint or re-appoint or elect or re-elect the Officer to serve in the same position in which the Officer was serving, on the day before the Assurance Period commenced or a more senior office;
(B) the failure of the stockholders of the Holding Company to elect or re-elect the Officer as a member of the Board, if he was a member of the Board on the day before the Assurance Period commenced;
(C) the expiration of a thirty (30) day period following the date on which the Officer gives written notice to the Bank of its material failure, whether by amendment of the Bank’s Organization Certificate or By-laws, action of the Board or the Holding Company’s stockholders or otherwise, to vest in the Officer the functions, duties, or responsibilities vested in the Officer on the day before the Assurance Period commenced (or the functions, duties and responsibilities of a more senior office to which the Officer may be appointed), unless during such thirty (30) day period, the Bank fully cures such failure;
(D) the failure of the Bank to cure a material breach of this Agreement by the Bank, within thirty (30) days following written notice from the Officer of such material breach;
(E) a reduction in the compensation provided to the Officer, or a material reduction in the benefits provided to the Officer under the Bank’s program of employee benefits, compared with the compensation and benefits that were provided to the Officer on the day before the Assurance Period commenced;
(F) a change in the Officer’s principal place of employment that would result in a one-way commuting time in excess of the greater of (I) 30 minutes or (II) the Officer’s commuting time immediately prior to such change; or
(ii) the discharge of the Officer by the Bank for any reason other than for “cause” as provided in section 9(a); then, subject to section 21, the Bank shall provide the benefits and pay to the Officer the amounts provided for under section 8(b) of this Agreement; provided, however, that if benefits or payments become due hereunder as a result of the Officer’s termination of employment prior to the commencement of the Assurance Period, the benefits and payments provided for under section 8(b) of this Agreement shall be determined as though the Officer had remained in the service of the Bank (upon the terms and conditions in effect at the time of his actual termination of service) and had not terminated employment with the Bank until the date on which the Officer’s Assurance Period would have commenced.
(b) Upon the termination of the Officer’s employment with the Bank under circumstances described in section 8(a) of this Agreement, the Bank shall pay and provide to the Officer (or, in the event of the Officer’s death, to the Officer’s estate) on his termination of employment, subject to section 24 :
(i) the Officer’s earned but unpaid compensation (including, without limitation, all items which constitute wages under section 190.1 of the New York Labor Law and the payment of which is not otherwise provided for under this section 8(b)) as of the date of the termination of the Officer’s employment with the Bank, such payment to be made at the time and in the manner prescribed by law applicable to the payment of wages but in no event later than thirty (30) days after termination of employment;
(ii) the benefits, if any, to which the Officer is entitled as a former employee under the employee benefit plans and programs and compensation plans and programs maintained for the benefit of the Bank’s officers and employees;
(iii) continued group life, health (including hospitalization, medical and major medical), accident and long term disability insurance benefits, in addition to that provided pursuant to section 8(b)(ii) and after taking into account the coverage provided by any subsequent employer, if and to the extent necessary to provide for the Officer, for the remaining unexpired Assurance Period, coverage equivalent to the coverage to which the Officer would have been entitled under such plans (as in effect on the date of his termination of employment, or, if his termination of employment occurs after a Change of Control, on the date of such Change of Control, whichever benefits are greater) if the Officer had continued working for the Bank during the remaining unexpired Assurance Period at the highest annual rate of compensation achieved during the Officer’s period of actual employment with the Bank;
(iv) a lump sum payment, in an amount equal to the present value of the salary that the Officer would have earned if the Officer had continued working for the Bank during the remaining unexpired Assurance Period at the highest annual rate of salary achieved during the Officer’s period of actual employment with the Bank, where such present value is to be determined using a discount rate equal to the applicable short-term federal rate prescribed under section 1274(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (“Code”) (“Applicable Short-Term Rate”), compounded using the compounding periods corresponding to the Bank’s regular payroll periods for its officers, such lump sum to be paid in lieu of all other payments of salary provided for under this Agreement in respect of the period following any such termination;
(v) a lump sum payment in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of:
(A) the present value of the aggregate benefits to which the Officer would be entitled under any and all qualified and non-qualified defined benefit pension plans maintained by, or covering employees of, the Bank if the Officer were 100% vested thereunder and had continued working for the Bank during the remaining unexpired Assurance Period, such benefits to be determined as of the date of termination of employment by adding to the service actually recognized under such plans an additional period equal to the remaining unexpired Assurance Period and by adding to the compensation recognized under such plans for the year in which termination of employment occurs all amounts payable under sections 8(b)(I), (iv) and (vii);
(B) the present value of the benefits to which the Officer is actually entitled under such defined benefit pension plans as of the date of his termination; where such present values are to be determined using the mortality tables prescribed under section 415(b)(2)(E)(v) of the Code and a discount rate, compounded monthly, equal to the applicable long-term federal rate prescribed under section 1274(d) of the Code for the month in which his employment terminates; provided, however, that if payments are made under this section 8(b)(v) as a result of this section deeming otherwise unvested amounts under such defined benefit plans to be vested, the payments, if any, attributable to such deemed vesting shall be paid in the same form, and paid at the same time, and in the same manner, as benefits under the corresponding non-qualified plan;
(vi) a lump sum payment in an amount equal to the present value of the additional employer contributions (or if greater in the case of a leveraged employee stock ownership plan or similar arrangement, the additional assets allocable to him through debt service, based on the fair market value of such assets at termination of employment) to which he would have been entitled under any and all qualified and non-qualified defined contribution plans maintained by, or covering employees of, the Bank, if he were 100% vested thereunder and had continued working for the Bank during the remaining unexpired Assurance Period at the highest annual rate of compensation achieved during the Officer’s period of actual employment with the Bank, and making the maximum amount of employee contributions, if any, required under such plan or plans, such present value to be determined on the basis of the discount rate, compounded using the compounding period that corresponds to the frequency with which employer contributions are made to the relevant plan, equal to the Applicable Short-Term Rate; provided, however, that if payments are made under this section 8(b)(vi) as a result of this section deeming otherwise unvested amounts under such defined contribution plans to be vested, the payments, if any, attributable to such deemed vesting shall be paid in the same form, and paid at the same time, and in the same manner, as benefits under the corresponding non-qualified plan;
(vii) the payments that would have been made to the Officer under any cash bonus or long-term or short-term cash incentive compensation plan maintained by, or covering employees of, the Bank, if he had continued working for the Bank during the remaining unexpired Assurance Period and had earned the maximum bonus or incentive award in each calendar year that ends during the remaining unexpired Assurance Period, such payments to be equal to the product of:
(A) the maximum percentage rate at which an award was ever available to the Officer under such incentive compensation plan; multiplied by
(B) the salary that would have been paid to the Officer during each such calendar year at the highest annual rate of salary achieved during the remaining unexpired Assurance Period, such payments to be made without discounting for early payment .. The Bank and the Officer hereby stipulate that the damages which may be incurred by the Officer following any such termination of employment are not capable of accurate measurement as of the date first above written and that the payments and benefits contemplated by this section 8(b) constitute a reasonable estimate under the circumstances of all damages sustained as a consequence of any such termination of employment, other than damages arising under or out of any stock option, restricted stock or other non-qualified stock acquisition or investment plan or program, it being understood and agreed that this Agreement shall not determine the measurement of damages under any such plan or program in respect of any termination of employment. Such damages shall be payable without any requirement of proof of actual damage and without regard to the Officer’s efforts, if any, to mitigate damages. The Bank and the Officer further agree that the Bank may condition the payments and benefits (if any) due under sections 8(b)(iii), (iv), (v), (vi) and (vii) on the receipt of the Officer’s resignation from any and all positions which he holds as an officer, director or committee member with respect to the Bank, the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate of either of them.
Duration of Employment 5.1 A seafarer shall be engaged for the period specified in Appendix 1 to this Agreement and such period may be extended or reduced by the amount shown in Appendix 1 for operational convenience. The employment shall be automatically terminated upon the terms of this Agreement at the first arrival of the ship in port after expiration of that period, unless the Company operates a permanent employment system.
