Change in Control Severance Except as otherwise set forth herein, if a Change in Control occurs, and on, or at any time during the 24 months following, the Change in Control, (i) the Company terminates Executive’s employment for any reason other than Cause or Disability, or (ii) Executive terminates Executive’s employment for Good Reason, Executive shall be entitled to the following benefits:
(i) The Company shall pay Executive, in a lump sum within 60 days following termination of Executive’s employment, severance equal to two times the sum of Executive’s Base Salary and Bonus (the full, non- prorated Bonus for the year of termination assuming attainment of the targeted performance goals at the 100% payout level).
(ii) Executive also shall be entitled to receive any and all vested benefits accrued under any other incentive plans to the date of termination of employment, the amount, entitlement to, form, and time of payment of such benefits to be determined by the terms of such incentive plans. For purposes of calculating Executive’s benefits under the incentive plans, Executive’s employment shall be deemed to have terminated under circumstances that have the most favorable result for Executive under the applicable incentive plan.
(iii) If, upon the date of termination of Executive’s employment, Executive holds any awards with respect to securities of the Company, (i) all such awards that are options shall immediately become vested and exercisable upon such date and shall be exercisable thereafter until the earlier of the third (3rd) year anniversary of Executive’s termination of employment or the expiration of the term of the options; (ii) all restrictions on any such awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units or other awards shall terminate or lapse, and all such awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units or other awards shall be vested and payable; and (iii) all performance goals applicable to any such performance-based awards that are “in cycle” (i.e., the performance period is not yet complete) shall be deemed satisfied at the “target” level (assuming 100% payout), and (iv) all such awards shall be paid in accordance with the terms of the applicable award agreement. The provisions of this subsection shall be subject (and defer) to the provisions of any incentive plan, award agreement or other agreement as it relates to an individual award to the extent such provisions provide treatment that is more favorable to Executive than the treatment described in this subsection and such more favorable provisions in such incentive plan, award agreement or other agreement shall supersede any inconsistent or contrary provision of this subsection. All of Executive’s awards with respect to securities of the Company that are outstanding upon the date of termination of Executive’s employment shall continue to be subject to, and enjoy the benefits and protections under, the terms of the incentive plan, the award agreement and any other plan, agreement, policy or other arrangement to which such awards are subject as of the effective date of Executive’s participation, including any employment security agreement or other written compensation arrangement (even if the remaining terms thereof are waived), without application of this subsection.
(iv) Executive and Executive’s spouse and other qualified beneficiaries shall be eligible for continued coverage as follows:
(A) If the Executive, Executive’s spouse and/or Executive’s other qualified beneficiaries are enrolled under a group health plan as defined by COBRA, on the date of termination of Executive’s employment, Executive, Executive’s spouse and/or Executive’s qualified beneficiaries may elect to continue such coverage under COBRA, except that the maximum coverage period shall be extended to no less than the Severance Period (but no more than 2 years) for that Executive, unless, after electing COBRA, the individual attains age 65 and becomes eligible for Medicare, in which case COBRA shall end for that individual. If Executive, Executive’s spouse and/or Executive’s other qualified beneficiaries elect COBRA coverage, the Company shall pay a portion of the COBRA costs for the Severance Period for that Executive (subject to any earlier termination of COBRA). The portion to be paid by the Company shall equal the amount necessary so that the total of the COBRA costs paid by Executive is equal to the costs that would have been paid by Executive for such coverage as an active employee immediately prior to termination of Executive’s employment or, if less, prior to the Change in Control. The cost of COBRA coverage paid by the Company may be taxable income to the Executive and reported on Executive’s Internal Revenue Service Form W-2. Executive, Executive’s spouse and/or Executive’s qualified beneficiaries may continue coverage under COBRA after the Severance Period for that Executive, provided they pay the full COBRA costs and COBRA otherwise remains available.
(B) The benefits and/or extended coverage provided under this subsection shall cease prior to the date such benefits and/or extended coverage would otherwise end under subsection if and when Executive (A) obtains employment with another employer during the Severance Period and becomes eligible for coverage under any substantially similar plan provided by his/her new employer or (B) fails to pay the required active employee portion of the cost of coverage provided under this subsection in the time and manner specified by the Company or its designee.
(v) Executive shall be entitled to payment for any accrued but unused vacation in accordance with the Company’s policy in effect at the time of termination of Executive’s employment, in a lump sum within 60 days following such termination. Executive shall not be entitled to receive any payments or other compensation attributable to vacation that would have been earned had Executive’s employment continued during the Severance Period, and Executive waives any right to receive any such compensation.
(vi) The Company shall, at the Company’s expense, provide Executive with 12 months of executive outplacement services with a professional outplacement firm selected by the Company; provided that Executive must use the outplacement services by no later than the end of the second calendar year following the calendar year in which the termination of Executive’s employment occurred and the total cost of such outplacement services must not exceed any per individual cap on such amounts in the Company’s agreement with the professional outplacement firm selected by the Company.
(vii) Executive shall not be entitled to reimbursement for any other fringe benefits or perquisite payments during the Severance Period, including but not limited to dues and expenses related to club memberships, automobile, cell phone, expenses for professional services, executive physicals, and other similar perquisites.
(viii) The Company shall pay as incurred (within ten calendar days following the Company’s receipt of an invoice from Executive) Executive’s out-of-pocket expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by Executive at any time from the date of this Agreement through Executive’s remaining lifetime or, if longer, the statute of limitations for contract claims under applicable state law, in connection with any action taken to enforce the Executive’s rights under this Agreement or construe or determine the validity of this Agreement or otherwise in connection herewith, including any claim or legal action or proceeding, whether brought by Executive or the Company or another party; provided, Executive must be successful through judgment in his/her favor with respect to such action in order to recover fees under this Section 5(f)(viii); provided further, that Executive shall have submitted an invoice for such fees and expenses at least fifteen calendar days before the end of the calendar year next following the calendar year in which such fees and expenses were incurred. The amount of such legal fees and expenses that the Company is obligated to pay in any given calendar year shall not affect the legal fees and expenses that the Company is obligated to pay in any other calendar year, and Executive’s right to have the Company pay such legal fees and expenses may not be liquidated or exchanged for any other benefit. The Company’s obligation to pay Executive’s eligible legal fees and expenses under this Section 5(f)(viii) shall not be conditioned upon the termination of Executive’s employment.
Salary Benefits and Bonus Compensation 3.1 BASE SALARY. Effective July 1, 2000, as payment for the services to be rendered by the Employee as provided in Section 1 and subject to the terms and conditions of Section 2, the Employer agrees to pay to the Employee a "Base Salary" at the rate of $180,000 per annum, payable in equal bi-weekly installments. The Base Salary for each calendar year (or proration thereof) beginning January 1, 2001 shall be determined by the Board of Directors of Avocent Corporation upon a recommendation of the Compensation Committee of Avocent Corporation (the "Compensation Committee"), which shall authorize an increase in the Employee's Base Salary in an amount which, at a minimum, shall be equal to the cumulative cost-of-living increment on the Base Salary as reported in the "Consumer Price Index, Huntsville, Alabama, All Items," published by the U.S. Department of Labor (using July 1, 2000, as the base date for computation prorated for any partial year). The Employee's Base Salary shall be reviewed annually by the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee of Avocent Corporation.
