Forfeiture of Award Section 4.1 If, at any time during the Award Recipient’s tenure as a director of the Company or within 18 months after termination of such tenure, the Award Recipient engages in any activity in competition with any activity of CenturyTel or its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), or inimical, contrary or harmful to the interests of the Company, including but not limited to: (a) conduct relating to the Award Recipient’s service on the Board for which either criminal or civil penalties against the Award Recipient may be sought, (b) conduct or activity that results in removal of the Award Recipient from the Board for cause, (c) violation of the Company’s policies, including, without limitation, the Company’s xxxxxxx xxxxxxx policy or corporate compliance program, (d) accepting employment after the date hereof with, acquiring a 5% or more equity or participation interest in, serving as a consultant, advisor, director or agent of, directly or indirectly soliciting or recruiting any officer of the Company who was employed at any time during the Award Recipient’s service on the Board, or otherwise assisting in any other capacity or manner any company or enterprise that is directly or indirectly in competition with or acting against the interests of the Company or any of its lines of business (a “competitor”), except for (A) any employment, investment, service, assistance or other activity that is undertaken at the request or with the written permission of the CenturyTel Board of Directors or (B) any assistance of a competitor that is provided in the ordinary course of the Award Recipient engaging in his or her principal occupation in the good faith and reasonable belief that such assistance will neither harm the Company’s interests in any substantial manner or violate any of the Award Recipient’s duties or responsibilities under the Company’s policies or applicable law, (e) disclosing or misusing any confidential information or material concerning the Company, (f) engaging in, promoting, assisting or otherwise participating in a hostile takeover attempt of the Company or any other transaction or proxy contest that could reasonably be expected to result in a Change of Control (as defined in the Plan) not approved by the CenturyTel Board of Directors or (g) making any statement or disclosing any information to any customers, suppliers, lessors, lessees, licensors, licensees, regulators, employees or others with whom the Company engages in business that is defamatory or derogatory with respect to the business, operations, technology, management, or other employees of the Company, or taking any other action that could reasonably be expected to injure the Company in its business relationships with any of the foregoing parties or result in any other detrimental effect on the Company, then (i) all unvested shares of Restricted Stock granted hereunder shall automatically terminate and be forfeited effective on the date on which the Award Recipient first engages in such activity and (ii) all shares of Common Stock acquired by the Award Recipient upon vesting of the Restricted Stock hereunder after the date that precedes by one year the date on which the Award Recipient’s tenure as a director of the Company terminated or the date the Award Recipient first engaged in such activity if no such termination occurs (or other securities into which such shares have been converted or exchanged) shall be returned to the Company or, if no longer held by the Award Recipient, the Award Recipient shall return to the Company, without interest, all cash, securities or other assets received by the Award Recipient upon the sale or transfer of such stock or securities.
Section 4.2 If the Award Recipient owes any amount to the Company under Section 4.1 above, the Award Recipient acknowledges that the Company may, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, deduct such amount from any amounts the Company owes the Award Recipient from time to time for any reason (including without limitation amounts owed to the Award Recipient as directors fees, reimbursements, retirement payments, or other compensation or benefits). Whether or not the Company elects to make any such set-off in whole or in part, if the Company does not recover by means of set-off the full amount the Award Recipient owes it, the Award Recipient hereby agrees to pay immediately the unpaid balance to the Company.
Section 4.3 The Award Recipient may be released from the Award Recipient’s obligations under Sections 4.1 and 4.2 above only if the CenturyTel Board of Directors determines in its sole discretion that such action is in the best interests of the Company.
Forfeiture of Awards The Restricted Stock Units granted hereunder (and gains earned or accrued in connection therewith) shall be subject to such generally applicable policies as to forfeiture and recoupment (including, without limitation, upon the occurrence of material financial or accounting errors, financial or other misconduct or Competitive Activity) as may be adopted by the Administrator or the Board from time to time and communicated to the Employee or as required by applicable law, and are otherwise subject to forfeiture or disgorgement of profits as provided by the Plan.
Forfeiture of RSUs If you (a) breach any restrictive covenant (which, for the avoidance of doubt, includes any non-compete, non-solicit, non-disparagement or confidentiality provisions) contained in any arrangements with the Company (including your Employment Agreement and the confidentiality covenant contained in Section 10(c) hereof) to which you are subject or (b) engage in fraud or willful misconduct that contributes materially to any financial restatement or material loss to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, your rights with respect to the RSUs shall immediately terminate, and you shall be entitled to no further payments or benefits with respect thereto and, if the RSUs are vested and/or settled, the Company may require you to forfeit or remit to the Company any amount payable, or the after-tax net amount paid or received by you, in respect of any RSUs; provided, however, that (i) the Company shall make such demand that you forfeit or remit any such amount no later than six months after learning of the conduct described in this Section 4 and (ii) in cases where cure is possible, you shall first be provided a 15-day cure period to cease, and to cure, such conduct.
Nature of Grant In accepting the grant of the RSUs, the Participant acknowledges, understands and agrees that:
(a) the Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature and it may be modified, suspended or terminated by the Committee at any time, as provided in the Plan and this Agreement;
(b) the grant of RSUs are voluntary and occasional and do not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of RSUs, or benefits in lieu of RSUs, even if RSUs have been granted in the past;
(c) all decisions with respect to future grants of RSUs or other grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company or the Committee, as applicable, including, but not limited to, the form and timing of awards, the number of Ordinary Shares subject to awards, and the vesting provisions applicable to the awards;
(d) the Participant shall not be entitled and shall be deemed to have waived any possible entitlement, to any compensation for any loss he may suffer as a result of the exercise by the Company or the Committee of, or its failure to exercise, any of the discretions given to it by the Plan;
(e) the grant of RSUs and the Participant’s participation in the Plan shall not create a right to employment or be interpreted as forming an employment or service contract with the Company, the Employer or any Affiliate and shall not interfere with the ability of the Employer to terminate the Participant’s employment or service relationship;
(f) the Participant is voluntarily participating in the Plan;
(g) the RSUs and the Ordinary Shares subject to the RSUs are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation;
(h) the RSUs, the Ordinary Shares subject to the RSUs and the value of the same are an extraordinary item of compensation outside the scope of the Participant’s employment (and employment contract, if any) and are not part of normal or expected compensation for any purpose, including calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments;
(i) the future value of the Ordinary Shares underlying the RSUs is unknown, indeterminable and cannot be predicted with certainty;
(j) no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from forfeiture of the RSUs resulting from the Participant ceasing to have rights under or to be entitled to RSUs, whether or not as a result of the Participant’s termination of employment (for any reason whatsoever, whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where the Participant is employed or the terms of the Participant’s employment agreement, if any), and in consideration of the grant of the RSUs to which the Participant is otherwise not entitled, the Participant irrevocably agrees to (x) never to institute a claim against the Company, the Employer or any Affiliate and (y) waive his or her ability, if any, to bring any such claim, and releases the Company, the Employer and all Affiliates from any such claim; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is allowed by a court of competent jurisdiction; by participating in the Plan, the Participant shall be deemed irrevocably to have agreed not to pursue such claim and agrees to execute any and all documents necessary to request dismissal or withdrawal of such claim; and
(k) if the Participant resides or is employed outside the United States, the Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company and any Affiliate shall not be liable for any exchange rate fluctuation between the Participant’s local currency and the U.S. Dollar that may affect the value of the RSUs or of any amounts due pursuant to the settlement of the RSUs or the subsequent sale of any Ordinary Shares acquired upon settlement.
Forfeiture of Units (a) Except as otherwise agreed to in writing between the General Partner and the applicable Person and reflected in the books and records of the Partnership, if a Person that is a Service Provider ceases to be a Service Provider for any reason, all Unvested Units held by such Person (or any Personal Planning Vehicle of such Person), and/or in which such Person (or any Personal Planning Vehicle of such Person) has an indirect interest, as set forth in the books and records of the Partnership, shall be immediately forfeited without any consideration, and any such Person (or any such Personal Planning Vehicle) shall cease to own or have any rights, directly or indirectly, with respect to such forfeited Unvested Units.
(b) Except as otherwise agreed to in writing between the General Partner and the applicable Person and reflected in the books and records of the Partnership, if the General Partner determines in good faith that Cause exists with respect to any Person that is or was at any time a Service Provider, the Units (whether or not vested) held by such Person (or any Personal Planning Vehicle of such Person), and/or in which such Person (or any Personal Planning Vehicle of such Person) has an indirect interest, as set forth in the books and records of the Partnership, shall be immediately forfeited without any consideration, and any such Person (or any such Personal Planning Vehicle) shall cease to own or have any rights, directly or indirectly, with respect to such forfeited Units. Such determinations need not be uniform and may be made selectively among such Persons, whether or not such Persons are similarly situated, and shall not constitute the breach by the General Partner or any of its directors, managers, officers or members of any duty (including any fiduciary duty) hereunder or otherwise existing at law, in equity or otherwise.
(c) Notwithstanding anything otherwise to the contrary herein, including without limitation Section 9.06 and Section 10.01, if any Person who is or was at any time a Service Provider shall fail to perform when due any “giveback,” “true-up” or “clawback” obligation owed by such Person to the Partnership or any of its Affiliates or to any fund sponsored by the Partnership or any of its Affiliates, the General Partner may in its sole discretion and without the consent of any other Person, cause to be forfeited a number of Units held by such Person (or any Personal Planning Vehicle of such Person), and/or in which such Person (or any Personal Planning Vehicle of such Person) has an indirect interest, as set forth in the books and records of the Partnership, equivalent in value to the obligation which was not performed, as determined by the General Partner in its sole discretion. Such determinations need not be uniform and may be made selectively among such Persons, whether or not such Persons are similarly situated, and shall not constitute the breach by the General Partner or any of its directors, managers, officers or members of any duty (including any fiduciary duty) hereunder or otherwise existing at law, in equity or otherwise.
(d) Upon the forfeiture of any Units in accordance with this Section 8.02, such Units shall be cancelled and the General Partner shall modify the books and records of the Partnership to reflect such forfeiture and cancellation.
Forfeiture of Shares In the event the Partnership or the General Partner acquires Shares as a result of the forfeiture of such Shares under a restricted or similar share plan, then the General Partner shall cause the Partnership to cancel that number of Partnership Units of the appropriate class equal to the number of Shares so acquired divided by the Conversion Factor, and, if the Partnership acquired such Shares, it shall transfer such Shares to the General Partner for cancellation.
Forfeiture of Restricted Stock Units i. If the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of the Retirement of the Participant before October 1, <Year_of_Grant>, then the Restricted Stock Units shall be forfeited immediately and all rights of the Participant to such Units shall terminate immediately without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company.
ii. If the Participant’s employment is terminated for any reason other than Retirement, Disability, or death, any Restricted Stock Units that are subject to a Restriction Period shall be forfeited immediately without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company, and all rights of the Participant with respect to such Restricted Stock Units shall terminate. If the Participant is granted a leave of absence before the expiration of the Restriction Period, the Participant shall not forfeit any rights with respect to any Restricted Stock Units subject to the Restriction Period, except for Dividend Equivalent Payments as provided in Section 4 of this Agreement, unless the Participant’s employment with the Corporation or a Subsidiary Company terminates at any time during or at the end of the leave of absence and before the expiration of the Restriction Period, at which time all rights of the Participant with respect to such Restricted Stock Units shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company.
iii. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of the Retirement or Disability of the Participant, and the Participant Engages in Competing Employment within a period of two years following Retirement or Disability, and before the expiration of the Restriction Period, then any Restricted Stock Units subject to a Restriction Period shall be forfeited immediately and all rights of the Participant to such Units shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Corporation or any Subsidiary Company. A Participant “Engages in Competing Employment” if the Participant works for or provides services for any Competitor, on the Participant’s own behalf or on behalf of others, including, but not limited to, as a consultant, independent contractor, director, owner, officer, partner, joint venturer, or employee. For this purpose, a “Competitor” is any entity in the same line of business as the Corporation in North American markets in which the Corporation competes, including, but not limited to, any North American Class I rail carrier, any other rail carrier competing with the Corporation (including without limitation a holding or other company that controls or operates or is otherwise affiliated with any rail carrier competing with the Corporation), and any other provider of transportation services competing with Corporation, including motor and water carriers. Moreover, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Restricted Stock Units shall be forfeited immediately and all rights of the Participant to such Units shall terminate if:
A. the Participant’s employment is terminated by reason of the Retirement or Disability of the Participant before the expiration of the Restriction Period, and
B. it is determined that the Participant engaged in any of the following:
1. the Participant engaged in an act of fraud, embezzlement, or theft in connection with the Participant’s duties or in the course of the Participant’s employment with the Corporation or Subsidiary Company; or
2. the Participant disclosed confidential information in violation of a confidentiality agreement with the Corporation or a Subsidiary Company, or otherwise in violation of the law. A determination under this paragraph shall be made by the Committee with respect to a participant who was, at any time, employed at the level of Vice President or above, and this determination shall be made by the Vice President Human Resources with respect to all other participants, and in either situation upon consultation with the Corporation’s chief legal officer. Participant understands that nothing in this Agreement (1) prohibits or impedes Participant from reporting possible violations of federal law or regulation to any governmental agency or entity (including but not limited to the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Congress, and any agency Inspector General), from making other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of federal law or regulation, or from receiving a monetary award from the SEC related to participation in an SEC investigation or proceeding, or (2) requires Participant to obtain prior authorization of the Corporation to make any such reports or disclosures or to notify the Corporation of such reports or disclosures.
Forfeiture of Restricted Stock In addition to the circumstance described in Section 9(a) hereof, any and all shares of Restricted Stock which have not become vested in accordance with Section 3, 4 or 5 hereof shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company upon the termination by the Grantee, the Company or its subsidiaries of the Grantee’s employment for any reason other than those set forth in Section 4 or other than without “Cause” prior to the date on which such shares of Restricted Stock would otherwise vest. All or any portion of the Restricted Stock may be forfeited by the Grantee prior to vesting at his or her sole discretion.
Forfeiture of Restricted Shares Subject to Section 4(b), if your Service to the Company or any Affiliate terminates before all of the Restricted Shares have vested, or if you attempt to transfer Restricted Shares in a manner contrary to the transfer restrictions, you will immediately forfeit all unvested Restricted Shares. Any Restricted Shares that are forfeited shall be returned to the Company for cancellation.
Vesting; Forfeiture (a) Subject to the Participant’s continued employment or service through the applicable vesting date and except as otherwise provided in this Section 3, the Award shall vest at the time(s) set forth on the signature page hereto. The Administrator has authority to determine whether and to what degree the Award shall be deemed vested.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 3(a) herein, with respect to Employees and Consultants, in the event that the Participant’s employment or service with the Company is terminated due to a Qualifying Termination, then a pro-rata portion of the unvested Shares subject to the Award as of each applicable vesting date, determined as of the date of the Qualifying Termination in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3(b), shall be deemed vested. The pro-rata portion of the unvested Shares subject to the Award that shall be deemed vested as of each applicable vesting date shall be determined by multiplying the total number of the unvested Shares subject to vesting on the applicable vesting date, by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of calendar days from the Date of Grant through the date of the Qualifying Termination, and the denominator of which is the total number of calendar days in the period commencing on the Date of Grant and ending on the applicable vesting date. The remaining unvested Shares subject to the Award shall be forfeited as of the date of the Qualifying Termination.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 3(a) herein, with respect to Directors, in the event that the Participant’s employment or service with the Company is terminated due to death or Disability, then the Award shall, to the extent not then vested or previously forfeited or cancelled, become fully vested effective as of the Participant’s Termination Date.
(d) Notwithstanding Section 3(a) herein, in the event of a Change of Control, then the Award shall, to the extent not then vested or previously forfeited or cancelled, become vested as follows:
(i) To the extent that the successor or surviving company in the Change of Control event does not assume or substitute for the Award (or in which the Company is the ultimate parent corporation and does not continue the Award) on substantially similar terms or with substantially equivalent economic benefits (as determined by the Administrator) as Awards outstanding under the Plan immediately prior to the Change of Control event, the Award shall become fully vested as of the date of the Change of Control.
(ii) Further, in the event that the Award is substituted, assumed or continued as provided in Section 3(d)(i) herein, the Award will nonetheless become vested if the Participant’s employment or service is terminated by the Company and its Affiliates without Cause or by the Participant with Good Reason within six months before (in which case vesting shall not occur until the effective date of the Change of Control) or one year after the effective date of a Change of Control (in which case vesting shall occur as of the Participant’s Termination Date).
(e) If the Participant’s employment or service with the Company is terminated for any reason other than a Change of Control, a Qualifying Termination with respect to Employees and Consultants, or death or disability with respect to Directors as provided herein (including but not limited to a termination for Cause), the unvested portion of the Award shall immediately terminate and the Participant shall have no rights with respect to the Award or the Shares underlying the unvested portion of the Award.
