Covenants of Executive The Company and the Executive recognize that the Executive's services are special and unique and that the provisions herein for compensation under Section 4 and Section 5 are partly in consideration of and conditioned upon the Executive's compliance with the covenants contained in this Section 9. Accordingly, during the Term of the Agreement and until the end of the Compensation Period (as defined in Section 4(a)(ii) herein), the Executive shall be subject to the covenants contained in Sections 9(b), 9(c) and 9(d) herein.
Post Termination Covenants During the term of Employee’s employment hereunder and for 12 months (“the Designated Period”) after termination of Employee’s employment hereunder, Employee will not (a) anywhere within any county in which any of the Companies conducts business, engage, directly or indirectly, alone or as a shareholder (other than as a holder of less than 1% of the common stock of any publicly traded corporation), partner, officer, director, employee, consultant or advisor, or otherwise in any way participate in or become associated with, any other business organization that is engaged or becomes engaged in any business that provides the same or any substantially similar services or products offered by any of the Companies during the term of Employee’s employment or at the time of Employee’s termination or that any of the Companies has notified Employee at any time prior to the time of such termination that it proposes to conduct and for which any of the Companies have, prior to the time of such termination, expended substantial resources (the “Designated Industry”), (b) solicit any employee of any of the Companies to leave its employ for alternative employment, or hire or offer employment to any person to whom Employee actually knows any of the Companies has offered employment, (c) solicit, or attempt to divert or otherwise interfere with the relationship with, any customers or suppliers of the Companies, and (d) disparage the Companies or any of their officers, directors or employees. Employee acknowledges that the provisions of this Section 9 are essential to protect the business and goodwill of the Companies. Employee will continue to be bound by the provisions of this Section §9 until their expiration and shall not be entitled to any compensation from CURO with respect thereto except as provided above. If at any time the provisions of this Section 9 shall be determined to be invalid or unenforceable by reason of being vague or unreasonable as to area, duration or scope of activity, this Section 9 shall be considered divisible and shall become and be immediately amended to only such area, duration and scope of activity as shall be determined to be reasonable and enforceable by the court or other body having jurisdiction over the matter; and Employee agrees that this Section 9 as so amended shall be valid and binding as though any invalid or unenforceable provision had not been included herein. Employee hereby acknowledges that he has agreed to be bound by the provisions of this Section 9 in consideration for the compensation, severance and other benefits to be provided by CURO to Employee pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
Covenants of Employee (A) During the term of Employee's employment with the Corporation and for all time thereafter Employee covenants and agrees that Employee will not in any manner directly or indirectly, except as required in Employee's duties to the Corporation, disclose or divulge to any person, entity, firm or company whatsoever, or use for Employee's own benefit or the benefit of any other person, entity, firm or company, directly or indirectly, any knowledge, devices, information, techniques, customer lists, business plans or other data belonging to the Corporation or developed by Employee on behalf of the Corporation during his employment with the Corporation, without regard to whether all of the foregoing matters will be deemed confidential, material or important, the parties hereto stipulating, as between them, that the same are important, material, confidential and the property of the Corporation, that disclosure of the same to or use of the same by third parties would greatly affect the effective and successful conduct of the business of the Corporation and the goodwill of the Corporation, and that any breach of the terms of this subparagraph (A) shall be a material breach of this Agreement.
(B) During the term of Employee's employment with the Corporation and for a period of two (2) years (the "Covenant Term") after cessation for whatever reason of such employment (except as hereinafter provided in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph 7), Employee covenants and agrees that Employee will not in any manner directly or indirectly:
(i) solicit, divert, take away or interfere with any of the customers (or their respective affiliates or successors) of the Corporation;
(ii) engage directly or indirectly, either personally or as an employee, partner, associate partner, officer, manager, agent, advisor, consultant or otherwise, or by means of any corporate or other entity or device, in any business which is competitive with the business of the Corporation. For purposes of this covenant a business will be deemed competitive if it is conducted in whole or in part within any geographic area wherein the Corporation is engaged in marketing its products, and if it involves the manufacture of component parts for the aerospace industry or any other business which is in any manner competitive, as of the date of cessation of Employee's employment, with any business then being conducted by the Corporation or as to which the Corporation has then formulated definitive plans to enter;
(iii) induce any salesman, distributor, supplier, manufacturer, representative, agent, jobber or other person transacting business with the Corporation to terminate their relationship with the Corporation, or to represent, distribute or sell products in competition with products of the Corporation; or
(iv) induce or cause any employee of the Corporation to leave the employ of the Corporation.
(C) The parties agree that the Covenant Term provided for in the preceding subparagraph (B) shall be:
(i) reduced to six (6) months in the event all of the operating assets or all of the common stock of the Corporation is sold to any entity or individuals unaffiliated with the Corporation, its successors or assigns; or
(ii) eliminated if the business currently operated by the Corporation is terminated and the assets of the Corporation are liquidated.
(D) All the covenants of Employee contained in this paragraph 7 shall be construed as agreements independent of any other provision of this Agreement, and the existence of any claim or cause of action against the Corporation, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by the Corporation of these covenants.
(E) It is the intention of the parties to restrict the activities of Employee under this paragraph 7 only to the extent necessary for the protection of legitimate business interests of the Corporation, and the parties specifically covenant and agree that should any of the provisions set forth therein, under any set of circumstances not now foreseen by the parties, be deemed too broad for such purpose, said provisions will nevertheless be valid and enforceable to the extent necessary for such protection.
Covenants of the Employee In consideration of the acknowledgments by the Employee, and in consideration of the compensation and benefits to be paid or provided to the Employee by the Company, the Employee covenants that he will not, directly or indirectly:
(a) during the Employment Period, except in the course of his employment hereunder, and during the Post-Employment Period, engage or invest in, own, manage, operate, finance, control, or participate in the ownership, management, operation, financing, or control of, be employed by, associated with, or in any manner connected with, lend the Employee's name or any similar name to, lend Employee's credit to or render services or advice to, any Competitive Business within the Territory; provided, however, that the Employee may purchase or otherwise acquire up to (but not more than) one percent of any class of securities of any enterprise (but without otherwise participating in the activities of such enterprise) if such securities are listed on any national or regional securities exchange or have been registered under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934;
(b) whether for the Employee's own account or for the account of any other Person, at any time during the Employment Period and the Post-Employment Period, solicit business of the same or similar type being carried on by the Company, from any Person known by the Employee to be a customer of the Company, whether or not the Employee had personal contact with such Person during and by reason of the Employee's employment with the Company;
(c) whether for the Employee's own account or the account of any other Person at any time during the Employment Period and the Post-Employment Period, solicit, employ, or otherwise engage as an employee, independent contractor, or otherwise, any person who is or was an employee of the Company at any time during the Employment Period or in any manner induce or attempt to induce any employee of the Company to terminate his or her employment with the Company; or at any time during the Employment Period and the Post-Employment Period, interfere with the Company's relationship with any person, including any person who at any time during the Employment Period was an employee, contractor, supplier, or customer of the Company;
(d) at any time during the Employment Period and the Post-Employment Period, disparage the Company or any of its shareholders, directors, officers, employees, or agents.
Covenants of the Executive In consideration of the acknowledgments by the Executive, and in consideration of the compensation and benefits to be paid or provided to the Executive by the Employer, the Executive covenants that he will not, directly or indirectly:
(a) during the Employment Period, except in the course of his employment hereunder, and during the Post-Employment Period, engage or invest in, own, manage, operate, finance, control, or participate in the ownership, management, operation, financing, or control of, be employed by, associated with, or in any manner connected with, lend the Executive's name or any similar name to, lend Executive's credit to or render services or advice to, any business whose products or activities compete in whole or in part with the products or activities of the Employer anywhere within the United States; provided, however, that the Executive may purchase or otherwise acquire up to (but not more than) one percent of any class of securities of any enterprise (but without otherwise participating in the activities of such enterprise) if such securities are listed on any national or regional securities exchange or have been registered under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934;
(b) whether for the Executive's own account or for the account of any other person, at any time during the Employment Period and the Post-Employment Period, solicit business of the same or similar type being carried on by the Employer, from any person known by the Executive to be a customer of the Employer, whether or not the Executive had personal contact with such person during and by reason of the Executive's employment with the Employer;
(c) whether for the Executive's own account or the account of any other person (i) at any time during the Employment Period and the Post-Employment Period, solicit, employ, or otherwise engage as an employee, independent contractor, or otherwise, any person who is or was an employee of the Employer at any time during the Employment Period or in any manner induce or attempt to induce any employee of the Employer to terminate his employment with the Employer; or (ii) at any time during the Employment Period and for three years thereafter, interfere with the Employer's relationship with any person, including any person who at any time during the Employment Period was an employee, contractor, supplier, or customer of the Employer; or
(d) at any time during or after the Employment Period, disparage the Employer or any of its shareholders, directors, officers, employees, or agents.
Non-Competition Covenant Employee acknowledges that the covenants set forth in this Section 4.3 are reasonable in scope and essential to the preservation of the Business of the Company (as defined herein). Employee also acknowledges that the enforcement of the covenant set forth in this Section 4.3 will not preclude Employee from being gainfully employed in such manner and to the extent as to provide a standard of living for himself or herself, the members of his or her family and the others dependent upon Employee of at least the level to which Employee and they have become accustomed and may expect. In addition, Employee acknowledges that the Company has obtained an advantage over its competitors as a result of its name, location and reputation that is characterized by near permanent relationships with vendors, customers, principals and other contacts which it has developed at great expense. Furthermore, Employee acknowledges that competition by him or her following the termination or expiration of his or her employment would impair the operation of the Company beyond that which would arise from the competition of an unrelated third party with similar skills. Employee hereby agrees that he or she shall not, during his or her employment and for a period of one (1) year after the end of his or her employment, directly or indirectly, engage in or become directly or indirectly interested in any proprietorship, partnership, firm, trust, company, limited liability company or other entity, other than the Company (whether as owner, partner, trustee, beneficiary, stockholder, member, officer, director, employee, independent contractor, agent, servant, consultant, lessor, lessee or otherwise) that competes with the Company in the Business of the Company in the Restricted Territory (as defined herein), other than owning an interest in a company listed on a recognized stock exchange in an amount which does not exceed five percent (5%) of the outstanding stock of such corporation. For purposes of this Agreement, (i) the term "Business of the Company" shall include all business activities and ventures related to providing telecommunications services or products in which the Company is engaged, plans to engage in the next twelve (12) months following termination of Employee's employment or has engaged in during the prior twelve (12) months, as determined at any time during the employment of the Employee; and (ii) the term "Restricted Territory" means the geographical area consisting of a seventy mile radius surrounding each city (and including such city) in which the Company maintains either an office or a telecommunications facility.
Non-Competition Covenants a. The provisions of this subparagraph a. shall apply both during normal working hours and at all other times including, but not limited to, nights, weekends and vacation time, while Optionee is employed by the Company or any Subsidiary. Optionee shall not directly or indirectly (i) engage in any employment, business, or activity that is competitive with the business of the Company or any Subsidiary, (ii) assist any other person or organization in competing with, or in preparing to engage in competition with, the business of the Company or any Subsidiary. Direct competition shall include, but not be limited to, the design, development, production, promotion or sale of products, software, or services competitive with those of the Company or any Subsidiary. In addition, Optionee shall not directly or indirectly (i) engage in any employment, business, or activity that is competitive with either (A) the proposed business of the Subsidiary that employs Optionee (“Employing Subsidiary”) or (B) any proposed business of any of the Company’s other Subsidiaries (the “Non-Employing Subsidiaries”) of which Optionee has actual knowledge, or (ii) assist any other person or organization in competing with, or in preparing to engage in competition with, either (A) the proposed business of the Employing Subsidiary or (B) any proposed business of any Non-Employing Subsidiary of which Optionee has actual knowledge.
b. The provisions of this subparagraph b. shall apply during Optionee’s employment with the Company or any Subsidiary and for a period of twelve months after Optionee ceases to be employed by the Company or any Subsidiary. Optionee shall not directly or indirectly solicit to conduct any Competitive Business with, or conduct any Competitive Business with, any (i) then-current customer of the Employing Subsidiary or (ii) any person that has been a customer of the Employing Subsidiary within the six months prior to the time of Optionee’s separation from employment. The phrase “Competitive Business” means the line(s) of business(es) conducted by the Employing Subsidiary.
c. The provisions of this subparagraph c. shall apply during Optionee’s employment with the Company or any Subsidiary and for a period of 12 months after Optionee’s separation from employment. Optionee shall not directly or indirectly solicit to hire, or cause to be hired, any employee of the Company or any Subsidiary as an employee or agent of, or consultant to, any business enterprise that Optionee is associated with.
d. Each non-competition covenant of Optionee contained in the preceding provisions of this Paragraph 10 (the “non-competition covenant”) shall be construed as an agreement independent of any other provision of this Agreement and the existence of any claim or cause of action of Optionee against the Company or any Subsidiary, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by the Company or any Subsidiary of such non-competition covenant.
e. The Company and Optionee have in good faith used their best efforts to make each non-competition covenant contained in the preceding provisions of this Paragraph 10 reasonable in both scope and in duration. It is not anticipated, nor is it intended, by either party to this Agreement that any court or other tribunal having jurisdiction over the matter will find it necessary to reform any non-competition covenant to make it reasonable in both scope and in duration, or otherwise. If any non-competition covenant is deemed by a tribunal having jurisdiction over the matter to be unlawful or unenforceable, such provision will be deemed severable from this Agreement and such provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall otherwise remain in full force and effect and be enforceable. Furthermore, in lieu of such unlawful or unenforceable provision, there shall be added automatically as part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms as may be possible and be enforceable.
f. Optionee is agreeing to the provisions of this Paragraph 10 in consideration of the grant of this Option. The provisions of this Paragraph 10 shall be valid and enforceable by the Company and its Subsidiaries, regardless of whether or not any of this Option granted hereunder actually becomes exercisable, or whether or not Optionee actually exercises any rights under this Option. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between any provision of this Paragraph 10 and any similar or analogous provision of any other agreement (either currently in effect or that may be entered into in the future) between Optionee, on the one hand, and the Company or any Subsidiary, on the other hand, whichever provision is most favorable to the Company or such Subsidiary shall govern.
Noncompetition Covenant The Executive agrees that, during the Term, including any extension thereof, and for a period of one year following the Executive’s termination of employment, other than a termination pursuant to Section 4, the Executive shall not, without the express written consent of the Company:
(a) Be engaged, directly or indirectly, in any county where the Company has an office at the time of Executive’s termination, as a partner, officer, director, employee, consultant, independent contractor, security holder, or owner of any entity engaged in any business activity competitive with that of the Company or its Affiliates; provided, however, nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Executive from owning or acquiring an interest in any entity engaged in any competitive business activity if such interest does not constitute “control” as defined in 12 C.F.R. Section 303.81(c);
(b) Call upon or solicit, either for the Executive or for any other person or firm that engages in competition with any business operation actively conducted by the Company or any Affiliate during the Term, any customer with whom the Company or any Affiliate directly conducts business during the Term; or interfere with any relationship, contractual or otherwise, between the Company or any Affiliate and any customer with whom the Company or any Affiliate directly conducts business during the Term; or
(c) Induce or solicit any person who is at the date of termination or was during the 12 months preceding termination an employee, officer or agent of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate said relationship. In the event of a breach by the Executive of any covenant set forth in this Section 9, the term of such covenant will be extended by the period of the duration of such breach and such covenant will survive any termination of this Agreement but only for the limited period of such extension. The restrictions on competition provided herein shall be in addition to any restrictions on competition contained in any other agreement between the Company and the Executive and may be enforced by the Company and/or any successor thereto, by an action to recover payments made under this Agreement, an action for injunction, and/or an action for damages. The provisions of this Section 9 constitute an essential element of this Agreement, without which the Company would not have entered into this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other remedy available to the Company at law or at equity, the parties hereto agree that the Company or any successor thereto, will have the right, at any and all times, to seek injunctive relief in order to enforce the terms and conditions of this Section 9. If the scope of any restriction contained in this Section 9 is too broad to permit enforcement of such restriction to its fullest extent, then such restriction will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law, and the Executive hereby consents and agrees that such scope may be judicially modified accordingly in any proceeding brought to enforce such restriction.
Termination of Employment Agreement As of the Effective Date, the Employment Agreement hereby is terminated in its entirety and shall no longer have any force or effect.
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.
