Delivery to Escrow Agent You may tender your escrow securities to a person or company in a business combination. At least five business days prior to the date the escrow securities must be tendered under the business combination, you must deliver to the Escrow Agent:
(a) a written direction signed by you that directs the Escrow Agent to deliver to the depositary under the business combination any share certificates or other evidence of the escrow securities and a completed and executed cover letter or similar document and, where required, transfer power of attorney completed and executed for transfer in accordance with the requirements of the depositary, and any other documentation specified or provided by you and required to be delivered to the depositary under the business combination; and
(b) any other information concerning the business combination as the Escrow Agent may reasonably request.
Concerning the Escrow Agent 6.1. The Escrow Agent undertakes to perform only such duties as are expressly set forth herein and no implied duties or obligations shall be read into this Agreement against the Escrow Agent.
6.2. The Escrow Agent may act in reliance upon any writing or instrument or signature which it, in good faith, believes to be genuine, may assume the validity and accuracy of any statement or assertion contained in such a writing or instrument, and may assume that any person purporting to give any writing, notice, advice or instructions in connection with the provisions hereof has been duly authorized to do so. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable in any manner for the sufficiency or correctness as to form, manner, and execution, or validity of any instrument deposited in this escrow, nor as to the identity, authority, or right of any person executing the same; and its duties hereunder shall be limited to the safekeeping of such certificates, monies, instruments, or other document received by it as such escrow holder, and for the disposition of the same in accordance with the written instruments accepted by it in the escrow.
6.3. Pledgee and the Pledgor hereby agree, to defend and indemnify the Escrow Agent and hold it harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, actions, suits, or proceedings at law or in equity, or any other expenses, fees, or charges of any character or nature which it may incur or with which it may be threatened by reason of its acting as Escrow Agent under this Agreement; and in connection therewith, to indemnify the Escrow Agent against any and all expenses, including attorneys' fees and costs of defending any action, suit, or proceeding or resisting any claim (and any costs incurred by the Escrow Agent pursuant to Sections 6.4 or 6.5 hereof). The Escrow Agent shall be vested with a lien on all property deposited hereunder, for indemnification of attorneys' fees and court costs regarding any suit, proceeding or otherwise, or any other expenses, fees, or charges of any character or nature, which may be incurred by the Escrow Agent by reason of disputes arising between the makers of this escrow as to the correct interpretation of this Agreement and instructions given to the Escrow Agent hereunder, or otherwise, with the right of the Escrow Agent, regardless of the instructions aforesaid, to hold said property until and unless said additional expenses, fees, and charges shall be fully paid. Any fees and costs charged by the Escrow Agent for serving hereunder shall be paid by the Pledgor.
6.4. If any of the parties shall be in disagreement about the interpretation of this Agreement, or about the rights and obligations, or the propriety of any action contemplated by the Escrow Agent hereunder, the Escrow Agent may, at its sole discretion deposit the Pledged Materials with the Clerk of the United States District Court of New Jersey, sitting in Newark, New Jersey, and, upon notifying all parties concerned of such action, all liability on the part of the Escrow Agent shall fully cease and terminate. The Escrow Agent shall be indemnified by the Pledgor, the Company and Pledgee for all costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees in connection with the aforesaid proceeding, and shall be fully protected in suspending all or a part of its activities under this Agreement until a final decision or other settlement in the proceeding is received.
6.5. The Escrow Agent may consult with counsel of its own choice (and the costs of such counsel shall be paid by the Pledgor and Pledgee) and shall have full and complete authorization and protection for any action taken or suffered by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with the opinion of such counsel. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any mistakes of fact or error of judgment, or for any actions or omissions of any kind, unless caused by its willful misconduct or gross negligence.
6.6. The Escrow Agent may resign upon ten (10) days' written notice to the parties in this Agreement. If a successor Escrow Agent is not appointed within this ten (10) day period, the Escrow Agent may petition a court of competent jurisdiction to name a successor.
The Escrow Agent To induce the Escrow Agent to act hereunder, it is further agreed by the Buyer and the Seller that:
(a) The Escrow Agent shall not be under any duty to give the Escrowed Property held by it hereunder any greater degree of care than it gives its own similar property and shall not be required to invest any Escrowed Property held hereunder except as directed in this Agreement. Uninvested funds held hereunder shall not earn or accrue interest.
(b) This Agreement expressly sets forth all the duties of the Escrow Agent with respect to any and all matters pertinent hereto. No implied duties or obligations shall be read into this Agreement against the Escrow Agent. The Escrow Agent shall not be bound by the provisions of any agreement among the other parties hereto except this Agreement.
(c) The Escrow Agent shall not be liable, except for its own gross negligence or willful misconduct and, except with respect to claims based upon such gross negligence or willful misconduct that are successfully asserted against the Escrow Agent, the Buyer and the Seller shall, severally and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless the Escrow Agent (and any successor escrow agent) from and against one-half of any and all losses, liabilities, claims, actions, damages, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursements, arising out of and in connection with this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, the Escrow Agent shall in no event be liable in connection with its investment or reinvestment of any cash held by it hereunder in good faith, in accordance with the terms hereof, including without limitation, any liability for any delays (not resulting from its gross negligence or willful misconduct) in the investment or reinvestment of the Escrowed Property or any loss of interest incident to any such delays. This Section 5(c) shall survive notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement or the resignation of the Escrow Agent.
(d) The Escrow Agent shall be entitled to rely in good faith upon any order, judgment, certification, demand, notice, instrument or other writing delivered to it hereunder in accordance with the terms hereof without being required to determine the authenticity or the correctness of any fact stated therein or the propriety or validity of the service thereof. The Escrow Agent may act in reliance upon any instrument or signature believed by it in good faith to be genuine and may assume that any person purporting to give receipt or advice or make any statement or execute any document in connection with the provisions hereof has been duly authorized to do so.
(e) The Escrow Agent may act pursuant to the advice of counsel with respect to any matter relating to this Agreement and shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted in good faith in accordance with such advice.
(f) The Escrow Agent does not have any interest in the Escrowed Property deposited hereunder but is serving as escrow holder only and has only possession thereof. The Buyer and the Seller shall each pay or reimburse the Escrow Agent upon request for one-half of any transfer taxes or other taxes relating to the Escrowed Property incurred in connection herewith and shall indemnify and hold harmless the Escrow Agent from any amounts that it is obligated to pay in the way of such taxes. Any payments of income from the Escrow Account shall be subject to withholding regulations therein in force with respect to United States taxes. It is understood that the Escrow Agent shall be responsible for income reporting only with respect to income earned on investment of the Escrowed Property and is not responsible for any other reporting. This Section 5(f) shall survive notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement or the resignation of the Escrow Agent.
(g) The Escrow Agent makes no representation as to the validity, value, genuineness or the collectability of any security or other document or instrument held by or delivered to it.
(h) The Escrow Agent shall not be called upon to advise any party as to the wisdom in selling or retaining or taking or refraining from any action with respect to any securities or other property deposited hereunder.
(i) The Escrow Agent (and any successor escrow agent) may at any time resign as such by delivering the Escrowed Property and Interest, if any, to any successor escrow agent jointly designated by the Buyer and the Seller in writing or to any court of competent jurisdiction, whereupon the Escrow Agent shall be discharged of and from any and all further obligations arising in connection with this Agreement. The resignation of the Escrow Agent will take effect on the date (the "Resignation Date") which is the earlier to occur of: (i) the date a successor is appointed (including a court of competent jurisdiction) or (ii) the date which is 30 days after the date of delivery of its written notice of resignation to the other parties hereto. Upon the appointment of a successor escrow agent, such successor escrow agent shall deliver written notice to the Buyer and the Seller on the appointment of such successor escrow agent. If at the Resignation Date the Escrow Agent has not received a designation of a successor escrow agent, the Escrow Agent's sole responsibility after the Resignation Date shall be to safekeep the Escrowed Property and Interest, if any, until receipt of a designation of successor escrow agent or a joint written disposition instruction by the other parties hereto.
(j) The Escrow Agent shall have no responsibility for the contents of any writing of any third party contemplated herein as a means to resolve disputes and may rely without any liability upon the contents thereof.
(k) In the event of any disagreement between the Buyer and the Seller resulting in adverse claims or demands being made in connection with the Escrowed Property and Interest, if any, or in the event that the Escrow Agent in good faith is in doubt as to what action it should take hereunder, the Escrow Agent shall be entitled to retain the Escrowed Property and Interest, if any, until the Escrow Agent shall have received (i) a Final Determination (as defined in Section 3(b) and accompanied by the opinion of counsel referred to in Section 3(b)) directing delivery of the Escrowed Property and Interest, if any, or (ii) a written agreement executed by the Buyer and the Seller directing delivery of the Escrowed Property and Interest, if any, in which event the Escrow Agent shall disburse the Escrowed Property and Interest, if any, in accordance with such Final Determination or agreement. The Escrow Agent shall act on such Final Determination or agreement without further question.
(l) The compensation of the Escrow Agent (as payment in full) for the services to be rendered by the Escrow Agent hereunder shall be the amount of $2,500 for the initial year paid by the Buyer at the time of execution of this Agreement and $2,000 annually thereafter, together with reimbursement for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and advances incurred or made by the Escrow Agent in performance of its duties hereunder (including reasonable fees, expenses and disbursements of its counsel). All fees and expenses of the Escrow Agent hereunder shall be paid by the Buyer. Any fees or expenses of the Escrow Agent or its counsel which are not paid as provided for herein may be taken from any property held by the Escrow Agent hereunder.
(m) No prospectuses, press releases, reports and promotional material or other similar materials which mentions the Escrow Agent's name or the rights, powers, or duties of the Escrow Agent shall be issued by the other parties hereto or on such parties' behalf unless the Escrow Agent shall first have given its specific written consent thereto.
(n) The other parties hereto authorize the Escrow Agent, for any securities held hereunder, to use the services of any United States central securities depository it deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, the Depository Trust Company and the Federal Reserve Book Entry System.
Acceptance by Escrow Agent The Escrow Agent hereby accepts and agrees to perform its obligations hereunder, provided that:
(a) The Escrow Agent may act in reliance upon any signature believed by it to be genuine, and may assume that any person who has been designated by Underwriter or the Company to give any written instructions, notice or receipt, or make any statements in connection with the provisions hereof has been duly authorized to do so. Escrow Agent shall have no duty to make inquiry as to the genuineness, accuracy or validity of any statements or instructions or any signatures on statements or instructions. The names and true signatures of each individual authorized to act singly on behalf of the Company and Underwriter are stated in Schedule II, which is attached hereto and made a part hereof. The Company and Underwriter may each remove or add one or more of its authorized signers stated on Schedule II by notifying the Escrow Agent of such change in accordance with this Agreement, which notice shall include the true signature for any new authorized signatories.
(b) The Escrow Agent may act relative hereto in reliance upon advice of counsel in reference to any matter connected herewith. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any mistake of fact or error of judgment or law, or for any acts or omissions of any kind, unless caused by its willful misconduct or gross negligence.
(c) Underwriter and the Company agree to indemnify and hold the Escrow Agent harmless from and against any and all claims, losses, costs, liabilities, damages, suits, demands, judgments or expenses (including but not limited to reasonable attorney’s fees) claimed against or incurred by Escrow Agent arising out of or related, directly or indirectly, to this Escrow Agreement unless caused by the Escrow Agent’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.
(d) In the event that the Escrow Agent shall be uncertain as to its duties or rights hereunder, the Escrow Agent shall be entitled to (i) refrain from taking any action other than to keep safely the Escrow Funds until it shall be directed otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) deliver the Escrow Funds to a court of competent jurisdiction.
(e) The Escrow Agent shall have no duty, responsibility or obligation to interpret or enforce the terms of any agreement other than Escrow Agent’s obligations hereunder, and the Escrow Agent shall not be required to make a request that any monies be delivered to the Escrow Account, it being agreed that the sole duties and responsibilities of the Escrow Agent shall be to the extent not prohibited by applicable law (i) to accept checks or other instruments for the payment of money and wire transfers delivered to the Escrow Agent for the Escrow Account and deposit said checks and wire transfers into the non-interest bearing Escrow Account, and (ii) to disburse or refrain from disbursing the Escrow Funds as stated above, provided that the checks received by the Escrow Agent have been collected and are available for withdrawal.
Duties of Escrow Agent Acceptance by the Escrow Agent of its duties under this Escrow Agreement is subject to the following terms and conditions, which all parties to this Escrow Agreement agree shall govern and control with respect to the rights, duties, liabilities and immunities of the Escrow Agent.
(a) The duties and responsibilities of the Escrow Agent shall be limited to those expressly set forth in this Escrow Agreement and the Escrow Agent shall not be subject to, nor obligated to recognize, any other agreements between the Corporation, Underwriter and any Subscriber.
(b) The duties of the Escrow Agent are only such as are herein specifically provided and such duties are purely ministerial in nature. The Escrow Agent's primary duty shall be to keep custody of and safeguard the Escrow Fund during the period of the escrow, to invest monies held in the Escrow Fund in accordance with Section 2 hereof and to make disbursements from the Escrow Fund in accordance with Section 4 hereof.
(c) The Escrow Agent shall be under no obligations in respect of the Escrow Fund other than to faithfully follow the instructions herein contained or delivered to the Escrow Agent in accordance with this Escrow Agreement. The Escrow Agent may rely and act upon any written notice, instruction, direction, request, waiver, consent, receipt or other paper or document which it in good faith believes to be genuine and what it purports to be and the Escrow Agent shall be subject to no liability with respect to the form, execution or validity thereof. If, in the opinion of the Escrow Agent, the instructions it receives are ambiguous, uncertain or in conflict with any previous instructions or this Escrow Agreement, then the Escrow Agent is authorized to hold and preserve intact the Escrow Fund pending the settlement of any such controversy by final adjudication of a court or courts of proper jurisdiction.
(d) The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any act done or step taken or omitted by it, in good faith, or for any mistake of fact or law, or for anything which it may in good faith do or refrain from doing in connection herewith, unless caused by its willful misconduct or gross negligence. The Corporation shall indemnify and hold the Escrow Agent harmless from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, liabilities and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, which may be imposed upon the Escrow Agent or incurred by the Escrow Agent in connection with its acceptance of the appointment as Escrow Agent hereunder or the performance of its duties hereunder, unless the Escrow Agent is determined to have committed an intentional wrongful act or to have been grossly negligent with respect to its duties under this Escrow Agreement.
(e) The Escrow Agent shall return to the Corporation any sums delivered to the Escrow Agent pursuant to this Escrow Agreement for which the Escrow Agent has not received release instructions pursuant to Section 4 hereof, and as to which four years have passed since delivery.
(f) The Escrow Agent may consult with, and obtain advice from, legal counsel (which may not be counsel to the Corporation) in the event of any dispute or questions as to the construction of any of the provisions hereof or its duties hereunder, and it shall incur no liability in acting in good faith in accordance with the written opinion and instructions of such counsel. The fees for consultation with such counsel shall be paid by the Corporation.
(g) Reference in this Escrow Agreement to the Registration Statement is for identification purposes only, and its terms and conditions are not thereby incorporated herein.
Limitation of Liability of Escrow Agent The Escrow Agent will not be liable to any of the Parties hereunder for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it under or in connection with this Agreement, except for losses directly, principally and immediately caused by its bad faith, willful misconduct or gross negligence. Under no circumstances will the Escrow Agent be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, consequential, exemplary, aggravated or punitive losses or damages hereunder, including any loss of profits, whether foreseeable or unforeseeable. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Agreement, in no event will the collective liability of the Escrow Agent under or in connection with this Agreement to any one or more Parties, except for losses directly caused by its bad faith or willful misconduct, exceed the amount of its annual fees under this Agreement or the amount of three thousand dollars ($3,000.00), whichever amount shall be greater.
Appointment of Escrow Agent The Company and the Initial Stockholders hereby appoint the Escrow Agent to act in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Agreement and the Escrow Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to act in accordance with and subject to such terms.
Limitation of Escrow Agent’s Liability (a) Neither the Escrow Agent nor any of its directors, officers or employees shall incur liability with respect to any action taken or suffered by it in reliance upon any notice, direction, instruction, consent, statement or other documents believed by it to be genuine and duly authorized, nor for other action or inaction except its own willful misconduct or gross negligence; provided, that with respect to the custody of the Cash Collateral and Escrow Fund, the Escrow Agent shall use the standard care of customarily used by custodians of funds. The Escrow Agent shall not be responsible for the validity or sufficiency of this Agreement and shall not be responsible for any of the agreements referred to herein, including the Merger Agreement and the Partnership Merger Agreement, but shall be obligated only for the performance of such duties as are specifically set forth in this Escrow Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, the Escrow Agent (i) shall not be obligated to inquire as to the accuracy of any calculations used in preparing the Disbursement Certificate and (ii) shall have no obligation to inquire whether the Partnership has the right to liquidated damages pursuant to the Merger Agreement. In all questions arising under this Agreement, the Escrow Agent may rely on the advice of counsel, including in-house counsel, and for anything done, omitted or suffered in good faith by the Escrow Agent based on such advice the Escrow Agent shall not be liable to anyone. The Escrow Agent shall not be required to take any action hereunder involving any expense unless the payment of such expense is made or provided for in a manner reasonably satisfactory to it. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any losses resulting from the investments made in accordance with this Agreement. In no event shall the Escrow Agent be liable for indirect, punitive, special or consequential damages.
(b) BRI and the Partnership shall jointly and severally indemnify the Escrow Agent for, and hold it harmless against, any loss, liability or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses) incurred without gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Escrow Agent, arising out of or in connection with its carrying out of its duties hereunder, including without limitation drawing on the Letter of Credit.
(c) BRI and the Partnership jointly and severally hereby agree to assume any and all obligations imposed now or hereafter by any applicable tax law with respect to the payment of Escrow Funds under this Agreement, and to indemnify and hold the Escrow Agent harmless from and against any taxes, additions for late payment, interest, penalties and other expenses, that may be assessed against the Escrow Agent in any such payment or other activities under this Agreement (other than taxes on the net income of the Escrow Agent attributable to the payment of fees hereunder). BRI and the Partnership undertake to instruct the Escrow Agent in writing with respect to the Escrow Agent's responsibility for withholding and other taxes, assessments or other governmental charges, certifications and governmental reporting in connection with its acting as Escrow Agent under this Agreement. BRI and the Partnership jointly and severally hereby agree to indemnify and hold the Escrow Agent harmless from any liability on account of taxes, assessments or other governmental charges, including without limitation the withholding or deduction or the failure to withhold or deduct the same, and any liability for failure to obtain proper certifications or to properly report to governmental authorities, to which the Escrow Agent may be or become subject in connection with or which arises out of this Agreement, including costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), interest and penalties.
Deposit of Escrow Shares On or before the Effective Date, each of the Initial Stockholders shall deliver to the Escrow Agent certificates representing his respective Escrow Shares, to be held and disbursed subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Each Initial Stockholder acknowledges that the certificate representing his Escrow Shares is legended to reflect the deposit of such Escrow Shares under this Agreement.
Successor to Escrow Agent Any corporation with which the Escrow Agent may be amalgamated, merged or consolidated, or any corporation succeeding to the business of the Escrow Agent will be the successor of the Escrow Agent under this Agreement without any further act on its part or on the part or any of the Parties, provided that the successor is recognized as a transfer agent by the Canadian exchange the Issuer is listed on (or if the Issuer is not listed on a Canadian exchange, by any Canadian exchange) and notice is given to the securities regulators with jurisdiction.
