Governance Matters (a) The Company shall cause the Investor Designated Director to be elected or appointed on the Closing Date to the Board of Directors as well as the board of directors of the Bank (the “Bank Board”), subject to satisfaction of all legal and governance requirements regarding service as a member of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board. The Company shall recommend to its shareholders the election of the Investor Designated Director to the Board of Directors at the Company’s annual meeting, subject to satisfaction of all legal and governance requirements regarding service as a director of the Company. If the Investor no longer has the Qualifying Ownership Interest, it shall have no further rights under Sections 3.4(a), 3.4(b), 3.4(c) and 3.4(d) and, in each case, at the written request of the Board of Directors, the Investor shall use all reasonable best efforts to cause the Investor Designated Director to resign from the Board of Directors and the Bank Board as promptly as possible thereafter. The Board of Directors and the Bank Board shall cause the Investor Designated Director to be appointed to the committees of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board, as applicable, identified by the Investor, so long as the Investor Designated Director qualifies to serve on such committees subject to satisfaction of all legal and governance requirements regarding service as a committee member.
(b) For so long as the Investor owns, in the aggregate with its Affiliates, ten percent (10%) or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (as adjusted from time to time for any reorganization, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, or other like changes in the Company’s capitalization) (the “Qualifying Ownership Interest”), the Investor Designated Director shall, subject to applicable Law, be the nominee of the Company and the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Nominating Committee”) to serve on the Board of Directors and on the Bank Board. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to have the Investor Designated Director elected as director of the Company by the shareholders of the Company and the Company shall solicit proxies for the Investor Designated Director to the same extent as it does for any of its other nominees to the Board of Directors.
(c) For so long as the Investor owns, in the aggregate with its Affiliates, the Qualifying Ownership Interest, the Investor Designated Director shall, subject to applicable Law (including the applicable rules of the NYSE), be appointed to the committees of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board (or any other committees performing similar functions of the foregoing committees) identified by the Investor.
(d) Subject to Section 3.4(a), upon the death, disability, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal from office of a Designated Investor Director, the Investor shall have the right to designate the replacement for the Investor Designated Director, which replacement shall be reasonably acceptable to the Company and shall satisfy all legal and governance requirements regarding service as a member of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board, as applicable. The Board of Directors shall use its reasonable best efforts to take all action required to fill the vacancy resulting therefrom with such person (including such person, subject to applicable Law, being the Company’s and the Nominating Committee’s nominee to serve on the Board of Directors, calling a special meeting of shareholders to vote on such person, using all reasonable best efforts to have such person elected as director of the Company by the shareholders of the Company and the Company soliciting proxies for such person to the same extent as it does for any of its other nominees to the Board of Directors).
(e) For so long the Investor with its Affiliates owns, in the aggregate with its Affiliates, five percent (5%) or more of the aggregate number of outstanding shares of Common Stock (as adjusted from time to time for any reorganization, recapitalization, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, or other like changes in the Company’s capitalization), the Company shall, subject to applicable Law, invite a person designated by the Investor and reasonably acceptable to the Board of Directors (the “Observer”) to attend all meetings of the Board of Directors and the Bank Board (including any meetings of committees thereof which the Investor Designated Director is a member) in a nonvoting observer capacity. If the Investor no longer beneficially owns the minimum number of Common Shares as specified in the first sentence of this Section 3.4(e), the Investor shall have no further rights under this Section 3.4(e). The Investor shall cause the Observer to agree to hold in confidence and trust and to act in a fiduciary manner with respect to all information provided to such Observer and the Company, the Board of Directors, the Bank Board and any committees thereof shall have the right to withhold any information and to exclude the Observer from any meeting or portion thereof (i) if doing so is, in the opinion of counsel to the Company, necessary to protect the attorney-client privilege between the Company and counsel or (ii) if the Board of Directors, the Bank Board or any committee thereof determines in good faith, after consultation with counsel, that fiduciary requirements under applicable Law would make attendance by the Observer inappropriate. The Observer shall have no right to vote on any matters presented to the Board of Directors, the Bank Board or any committee thereof.
(f) The Investor Designated Director shall be entitled to the same compensation, including fees, and the same indemnification and insurance coverage in connection with his or her role as a director as the other members of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board, as applicable, and the Investor Designated Director shall be entitled to reimbursement for documented, reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board, or any committee thereof, to the same extent as the other members of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board, as applicable. The Company shall notify the Investor Designated Director of all regular meetings and special meetings of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board and of all regular and special meetings of any committee of the Board of Directors or the Bank Board of which the Investor Designated Director is a member in accordance with the applicable bylaws. The Company and the Bank shall provide the Investor Designated Director with copies of all notices, minutes, consents and other material that they provide to all other members of their respective boards of directors concurrently as such materials are provided to the other members.
(g) Each of the Company and the Bank acknowledges that the Designated Investor Director may have certain rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by the Investor and/or certain of its Affiliates (collectively, the “Investor Indemnitors”). Each of the Company and the Bank hereby agrees (1) that it is the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., its obligations to the Designated Investor Director are primary and any obligation of the Investor Indemnitors to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by the Designated Investor Director are secondary), and (2) that it shall be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by the Designated Investor Director and shall be liable for the full amount of all expenses and liabilities incurred by the Designated Investor Director, in each case to the extent legally permitted and as required by the terms of this Agreement and the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the Company and the Bank (and any other agreement regarding indemnification between the Company and/or the Bank, on the one hand, and the Designated Investor Director, on the other hand), without regard to any rights the Designated Investor Director may have against any Investor Indemnitor. The Company further agrees that no advancement or payment by any Investor Indemnitor on behalf of the Designated Investor Director with respect to any claim for which the Designated Investor Director has sought indemnification from the Company shall affect the foregoing and the Investor Indemnitors shall have a right of contribution and/or be subrogated to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of the Designated Investor Director against the Company. The Company agrees that the Investor Indemnitors are express third party beneficiaries of the terms of this Section 3.4(g).
(h) For the purposes of the definition of “Change in Control” under the Benefit Plans, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Investor Designated Director shall be deemed to be an “Incumbent Director” as defined in the applicable Benefit Plans.
Corporate Governance Matters (a) Holdco and Sorin shall take all actions within their power as may be necessary to cause (i) for a period beginning as of the Cyberonics Merger Effective Time and ending on the date of the first annual meeting of the members of Holdco following the completion of the second full fiscal year of Holdco (such period, the “Initial Period”) the number of directors constituting the Holdco board of directors as of the Effective Times to be nine (9) and (ii) the Holdco board of directors during the Initial Period to be composed as follows: (A) four (4) individuals designated by Cyberonics prior to the Closing Date (each, a “Cyberonics Designee”), (B) four individuals designated by Sorin prior to the Closing Date (each, a “Sorin Designee”) and (C) one (1) director mutually agreed to by Sorin and Cyberonics, who shall meet the independence standards of the NASDAQ applicable to non-controlled domestic U.S. issuers.
(b) Sorin and Holdco shall take all corporate actions as may be necessary to cause, effective as of the Sorin Merger Effective Time and Cyberonics Merger Effective Time, as the case may be: (i) the Chief Executive Officer of Sorin as of immediately prior to the Sorin Merger Effective Time to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Sorin Merger Surviving Company immediately following the Sorin Merger Effective Time until the end of the Initial Period, (ii) the Chief Executive Officer of Cyberonics as of immediately prior to the Cyberonics Merger Effective Time to serve as the Chairman of the Holdco board of directors for the Initial Period, (iii) a Cyberonics Designee to serve as the Chairman of the audit and compensation committees of the Holdco board of directors for the Initial Period, (iv) each committee of the Holdco board of directors to have at least three (3) members and (v) a Sorin Designee to serve as a member of each committee of the Holdco board of directors during the Initial Period.
(c) For as long as the Holdco Shares are listed on the NASDAQ, Holdco shall comply with all NASDAQ corporate governance standards set forth in Rule 5600 of the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules applicable to non-controlled domestic U.S. issuers, regardless of whether Holdco is a foreign private issuer. For as long as the Holdco Shares are listed on the LSE, Holdco shall comply with all Listing Rules and any other Laws applicable to it.
(d) Prior to the Closing Date, Sorin and Holdco shall procure the passing of resolutions of the shareholders of Holdco providing for the reregistration of Holdco as a public limited company.
(e) Subject to applicable Law, Sorin and Cyberonics shall take all requisite action to cause the organizational documents of those entities that will be Subsidiaries of Holdco to be substantially in such form as agreed by Cyberonics and Sorin, effective as of the Cyberonics Merger Effective Time.
(f) As promptly as practicable after the Effective Times, the Sorin Merger Surviving Company shall take all requisite action to cause the composition of the board of directors or other governing body of each of the Subsidiaries of the Sorin Merger Surviving Company to reflect representation by directors designated by Cyberonics immediately prior to the Effective Times, on the one hand, and directors designated by Sorin immediately prior to the Effective Times, on the other hand, that is proportionate to the relative representation of directors designated by such party on the Holdco board of directors as of the Effective Times as provided in Section 5.18(a), unless otherwise mutually agreed by Sorin and Cyberonics.
(g) The Cyberonics Designees, the Sorin Designees and each of their respective successors on the Holdco board of directors during the first three (3) years following the Effective Times are express third-party beneficiaries of Sections 5.18(a) and 5.18(b).
Post-Closing Matters Execute and deliver the documents and complete the tasks set forth on Schedule 6.14, in each case within the time limits specified on such schedule, as such time limits may be extended from time to time by Agent in its reasonable discretion.
Closing Matters (a) Within one business day of the date of this Agreement, Buyer shall deliver the notice attached as Annex I hereto to Continental.
(b) Prior to the Closing, Seller shall deliver or cause to be delivered to Buyer appropriate instructions for book entry transfers of ownership of the Shares from Seller to Buyer.
(c) The closing of the purchase and sale of the Shares (“Closing”) will occur not later than the first to occur of (i) the first date any funds are disbursed from the Trust Account, except if the Extension is approved, for disbursements to Buyer’s shareholders who exercise their Conversion Rights on or prior to February 12, 2010, (ii) February 18, 2010 if the Extension is not approved, (iii) the fifth business day after the Merger is abandoned, (iv) the third business day after the Merger is not approved by Buyer’s shareholders and (v) February 22, 2010 as such date may be adjourned pursuant to the Escrow Agreement described in Section 6(n) (the “Closing Date”). At the Closing, Buyer and Migami shall pay Seller the Aggregate Purchase Price and the cash portion of the Fees by wire transfer. Payments from the Buyer to the Seller shall be made from the Trust Account in immediately available funds in accordance with the Irrevocable Instructions attached as Annex I hereto to an account specified by Seller and Seller shall deliver the Shares immediately thereafter to Buyer electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian) System to an account specified by Buyer. Notwithstanding anything herein or in the Irrevocable Instructions to the contrary, if the Merger is not consummated, Buyer shall not be obligated to pay the Seller for each Share more than the pro rata amount held in the Trust Account at the time of Buyer’s liquidation for each such Share.
(d) In the event that Seller has not received the Aggregate Purchase Price on a timely basis on the Closing Date, then Migami shall pay to Seller in immediately available funds an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 1.0% total amount of, or (ii) the highest lawful rate of, the total Purchase Price Per Share paid by Seller for all of the Shares calculated from the date such payment was required to be made through the date such payment is actually made.
(e) Upon the execution of this Agreement, Buyer will deliver to the Investor a legal opinion from Buyer’s counsel in the form annexed hereto as Annex II.
Compliance Matters (a) The Sub-Adviser understands and agrees that it is a “service provider” to the Trust as contemplated by Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act. As such, the Sub-Adviser agrees to cooperate fully with the Adviser and the Trust and its Trustees and officers, including the Fund’s CCO, with respect to (i) any and all compliance-related matters, and (ii) the Trust’s efforts to assure that each of its service providers adopts and maintains policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prevent violation of the “federal securities laws” (as that term is defined by Rule 38a-1) by the Trust, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser. In this regard, the Sub-Adviser shall:
(1) submit to the Board for its consideration and approval, prior to the effective date of this Agreement, the Sub-Adviser’s compliance program, it being understood that the Sub-Adviser’s obligation under Section 2(e) of this Agreement to vote all proxies solicited by or with respect to the issuers of securities in which the assets of the Portfolio may be invested shall be subject to the fulfillment of the condition that the Board approve the Sub-Adviser’s proxy voting policies and procedures;
(2) submit annually (and at such other times as the Trust may reasonably request) to the Fund’s CCO and the Adviser for consideration by the Board, a report discussing the adequacy and effectiveness of the Sub-Adviser’s compliance program, and fully describing any material amendments to such compliance program since the most recent such report;
(3) provide periodic reports, certifications and information concerning the Sub-Adviser’s compliance program including, but not limited to, the following;
(i) Quarterly Compliance Certifications, including any required attachments, no later than the tenth (10th) business day after each calendar quarter; and
(ii) Annual Report on Code of Ethics Matters, including any required attachments, no later than the fifteenth (15th) business day of October each year.
(4) provide the Adviser and the Trust and its Trustees and officers with reasonable access to information regarding the Sub-Adviser’s compliance program, which access shall include on-site visits with the Sub-Adviser as may be reasonably requested from time to time;
(5) permit the Adviser and the Trust and its Trustees and officers to maintain an active working relationship with the Sub-Adviser’s compliance personnel by, among other things, providing the Adviser and the Fund’s CCO and other officers with a specified individual within the Sub-Adviser’s organization to discuss and address compliance-related matters;
(6) provide the Adviser and its chief compliance officer and the Trust and its Trustees and officers, including the Fund’s CCO, with such certifications as may be reasonably requested; and
(7) reasonably cooperate with any independent registered public accounting firm engaged by the Trust, ensure that all reasonably necessary information and the appropriate personnel are made available to such independent registered public accounting firm, to support the expression of the independent registered public accounting firm’s opinion, and each year provide the Adviser and such independent registered public accounting firm with a copy of the most recent SSAE 16 Report prepared by the Sub-Adviser’s independent auditors regarding the Sub-Adviser’s internal controls.
(b) The Sub-Adviser represents, warrants and covenants that it has implemented and shall maintain a compliance program in accordance with the requirements of Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act.
Post-Closing Tax Matters As a result of the Closing, the Transferor Partnership shall terminate for federal income tax purposes pursuant to Section 708(b)(1)(B) of the Code and its tax year shall close on the Closing Date. The Transferor Agent shall prepare and timely file any federal, state, local and foreign tax or information returns due after Closing that are required to be filed by or on behalf of the Transferor Partnership with respect to all tax years or periods ending on or prior to the Closing Date. The Transferor Agent shall prepare and timely file the terminating tax returns for the Transferor Partnership resulting from the consummation of the transactions contemplated under this Agreement, provided, however, that such tax returns shall be prepared in accordance with the terms and provisions of this Agreement and provided further, that prior to the filing thereof the Transferor Agent shall submit the terminating tax returns to the BRI Partnership for its review and approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The BRI Partnership shall assist the Transferor Agent in obtaining such data and information regarding the Transferor Agent to permit the Transferor Partnership to prepare such returns or to respond to any audits or assessments for the periods covered by such returns.
Company Counsel Matters i. On the Closing Date, the Placement Agent shall have received the favorable opinion of Hxxxxx and Bxxxx, LLP, outside counsel for the Company counsel to the Company, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Placement Agent, substantially in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent.
Transition Matters (a) Prior to the Closing, each party shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to negotiate in good faith the schedules to, and Provider Fees provided for in, the Transition Services Agreement in accordance with the terms thereof. To the extent that the Parties are unable to reach such agreement, the applicable provisions of the Transition Services Agreement shall control from and after the Closing, subject to amendment in accordance with the terms of the Transition Services Agreement. The Parties acknowledge and agree that if there are any disputes with respect to the Transition Services Agreement prior to the Closing, such disputes shall not affect the obligations of the Parties to effect the Closing and shall be resolved in accordance with the terms of the Transition Services Agreement.
(b) Acquiror acknowledges that Seller has the absolute and exclusive proprietary right to the trademark “OPTIMUM”, other “OPTIMUM” inclusive trademarks and designs and logos associated therewith currently used by the Business (collectively, the “Names”) and that none of the rights thereto or goodwill represented thereby or pertaining thereto are being transferred hereby or in connection herewith. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for a period of 360 days following the Closing, the Company and the Subsidiaries may continue to operate the Systems using the Names, including (i) use of the phrase “Optimum is now Charter,” (ii) use of any Name affixed to vehicles, signage or other equipment which are used by any of them in Business as of the Closing Date, (iii) use of any printed purchase orders or sales, maintenance or license agreements that bear a Name (as limited by any existing agreements the Seller or any of its Affiliates may have with third parties) until the supplies thereof existing on the Closing Date have been exhausted, and (iv) use of any printed billing statements that bear a Name (such billing statements and purchase orders and sales, maintenance and license agreements are collectively referred to herein as “Forms”); provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing with respect to any advertising, marketing, packaging, displays, merchandise or other promotional materials (“Promotional Materials”) which are used by the Company or any Subsidiary in the Business as of the Closing Date the Company and the Subsidiaries shall have the right to use such Promotional Materials only: (i) for a period of 60 days following the Closing with respect to mass marketing Promotional Materials (such as television advertising and mass mailings) and 180 days for all other Promotional Materials, (ii) in the exact form as such Promotional Materials exist on the Closing Date, (iii) to the extent that the Company or Subsidiary using such Promotional Materials has not modified the products or services of the Business in any way which would render the use of such Promotional Materials inaccurate or misleading in any respect, and (iv) provided the Company and the Subsidiaries shall xxxx such materials as necessary in order to indicate clearly and prominently to indicate that neither the Acquiror nor any of its Affiliates is affiliated with the Seller or any of its Affiliates. With respect to Forms, within 60 days after the Closing Date the Company and the Subsidiaries shall sticker or otherwise xxxx such documents as necessary in order to indicate clearly that neither the Seller nor any of its Affiliates are a party to such documents or affiliated with the Seller or any of its Affiliates. From and after the expiration of the period for use applicable to Promotional Materials or Forms, the Company and the Subsidiaries shall cease to use any such Promotional Materials or Forms. With respect to the other uses of the Names permitted above, from and after the 360-day period permitted above the Company and the Subsidiaries shall delete or cover (as by stickering) any Name from any item included in inventory that bears Name and take such other actions as may be necessary or advisable clearly and prominently to indicate that neither the Acquiror nor any of its Affiliates is affiliated with the Seller or any of its Affiliates. If Acquiror determines that it wishes the Company and the Subsidiaries to use any Promotional Materials or Forms to which the applicable period provided above applies for a duration longer than such period or to use any other Promotional Materials or Forms or to create new Promotional Materials or Forms incorporating the Names in a manner exceeding the scope of the rights granted herein, Acquiror shall notify Seller and the parties shall negotiate in good faith the terms of a trademark license granting to the Company and the Subsidiaries such rights for an agreed-upon term and otherwise on terms and conditions mutually acceptable to Acquiror and Seller. For the avoidance of doubt, the execution and delivery of any such trademark license shall not be a condition to Closing or otherwise affect the obligations of the parties to consummate the Transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Section 5.11(b) shall require the Acquiror to remove or discontinue using any Name that is affixed as of the Closing Date to converters or other items in or to be used in consumer homes or properties, or as are used in a similar fashion making such removal or discontinuation impracticable.
Transitional Matters (a) Each of the parties acknowledges and agrees that the transition of the Business from the Selling Companies to Buyer will require that certain transactions and relationships will need to be entered into, restructured and reorganized in connection with the transition of the Business from the Selling Companies to Buyer. The parties agree that prior to the Closing Date, the parties shall cooperate with each other to identify all such transactions and relationships and negotiate in good faith to enter into a mutually acceptable Transitional Agreement effective as of the Closing Date, which agreement shall provide for all such transactions and relationships as are reasonably necessary to provide,
(i) for (A) the operation of the Business and use of the Purchased Assets by Buyer, (B) the operation and use of the Excluded Assets by Sellers and the Selling Subsidiaries and (C) the separation of the Business, the Purchased Assets and the Assumed Liabilities from Parent and its Affiliates (including the Selling Companies), in each case during the period commencing on and after the Closing Date and ending no later than the one year anniversary of the Closing Date or such longer period as the parties may agree, including the following:
(1) the transitioning of the financial systems, assets and hedging valuation systems, asset management systems, payroll and employee benefits systems and any other applicable business operating systems;
(2) the provision of rights of access (provided that access to the ALSS Platform shall be governed and limited by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement and the Services Agreement) to the Parent and its Affiliates to Intellectual Property currently owned (or licensed) by the Selling Companies (and included in the Purchased Assets) and used by Parent or the Selling Companies in the ordinary course of their business, or required by the Selling Companies for the operation and use of the Excluded Assets or Excluded Liabilities; provided, that access to the ALSS Platform and other Software shall be governed solely by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement and the Services Agreement and, provided further, anything foregoing to the contrary notwithstanding, Buyer shall not be required to disclose or deliver trade secret or confidential information regarding the ALSS Platform, Software or Acquired Intellectual Property unless required by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement, the Services Agreement or required by law or legal proceedings and under the type of protective provisions in the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement.
(3) the provision of rights of access (to the extent not covered by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement) to Buyer to Intellectual Property currently owned (or licensed) by Parent (or the Selling Companies) and used by the Selling Companies in connection with the Purchased Assets or Assumed Liabilities;
(4) moving corporate records related to the Selling Companies; and
(5) the provision of office space, computer equipment and supplies sufficient to enable the Selling Companies to complete any transition services; and
(ii) for such services and facilities as Sellers and Selling Subsidiaries may require to monitor compliance with, and implementation of the Subservicing Agreement, during its term, including the provision of office space, computer equipment and supplies sufficient to enable Sellers to monitor compliance with the Retained Portfolio Subservicing Agreement throughout its term.
(b) In addition to the matters to be identified pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 5.12, the Transition Agreement shall specifically provide for the transactions and matters outlined in Section 5.12 of Sellers' Disclosure Schedule.
(c) For the purpose of facilitating the transition of the financial system, on or prior to the 15th day prior to the Closing Date, the Selling Companies shall create on their general ledger, a separate general ledger company ("GL Company"), as well as accounts for such GL Company ("Buyer GL Accounts"), which accounts shall be duplicative of the Selling Companies' own accounts ("Seller GL Accounts") and are intended to be used by the Buyer in the operation of the Business, the Purchased Assets and the Assumed Liabilities from and after the Closing Date. From and after the creation of the Buyer GL Accounts, until Closing, the Selling Companies shall maintain such accounts (as duplicate entries on the books of the Selling Companies in the name of the GL Company). From and after Closing until the completion of the transition of the financial system of the Selling Companies, the Buyer shall operate the Business by recording entries using the Buyer GL Accounts, and shall maintain on behalf of the Selling Companies, the Seller GL Accounts on its general ledger.
(d) The party receiving service under the Transitional Agreement shall pay to the party providing service the costs incurred by such providing party. Services provided under the Transitional Agreement shall be performed at the same standard as the providing party performs such service for its own account.
GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS Enforceability of the Agreement
