Retention Payment Payment of the Retention amount will be made in accordance with Public Contract Code Section 7107. If the Retention Payment is made before D-BE has complied with all of its obligations under the Contract, then payment of Retention shall not be interpreted as Final Payment and shall not relieve D-BE of its obligations under the Final Payment provisions.
Retention Bonus (a) Subject to Sections 2(b), 2(c) and 2(d) below and your continued employment through the Determination Date (as defined below), you will be eligible to receive a Retention Bonus equal to the annual bonus you would have been eligible to receive under the Company’s Annual Incentive Plan based on the Company’s actual performance for 2023, as determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Committee”) following the completion of 2023, had you been a participant in the Annual Incentive Plan with a target bonus opportunity of up to 40% of your base salary (such amount as determined by the Committee, the “Retention Bonus”), which determination shall occur between January 1, 2024 and March 15, 2024 (the date of such determination, the “Determination Date”). The Retention Bonus, if any, will be paid in cash in a lump sum between January 1, 2025 and March 15, 2025. You will continue to be considered an employee of the Company for purposes of this letter agreement if you are on a Company- approved leave of absence.
(b) In the event of a Change in Control during 2024, subject to your continued employment through the earlier of: (1) the Determination Date; or (2) the date of the Change in Control, you will be eligible to receive your Retention Bonus in cash in a lump sum within 10 days following the date of the Change in Control.
(c) In the event of your Involuntary Termination (as defined in the Employment Agreement) on or after the Determination Date but on or prior to the date you have received the Retention Bonus, you will be eligible to receive your Retention Bonus in cash in a lump sum within 10 days following the effective date of your Release (as defined below). As a condition to your receipt of the Retention Bonus pursuant to this Section 2(c), you shall execute and not revoke a general release of all claims in favor of the Company and its affiliates (the “Release”) in the form attached to the Employment Agreement as Exhibit A. In the event the Release does not become effective within the 55-day period following the date of your Involuntary Termination, you shall not be entitled to the Retention Bonus.
(d) If your employment terminates prior to the Determination Date for any reason, then this letter agreement will terminate, and you will forfeit any right you may have to receive the Retention Bonus.
Severance Amount If the Company is required to pay Executive severance by the express terms of Section 7(a) or 7(b), the Company shall pay Executive the following as severance:
(1) Executive's Base Salary at the highest rate in effect prior to the Termination Date as salary continuation for a period of eighteen months commencing on the date on which Executive's employment with the Company is terminated (the "TERMINATION DATE") (the "SEVERANCE PERIOD"), payable in equal monthly installments pursuant to the Company's customary payroll practices for executive salaries; provided, however, that, at the option of the Company, the amounts payable under this Section 7(c) may be paid by the Company in one lump sum.
(2) Executive, Executive's spouse, and Executive's dependents will continue to be eligible for coverage under the Company's group health plan or any successor plan on the same basis as active executive employees of the Company, their spouses, and their dependents for the duration of the Severance Period. If and when group health coverage under another employer's plan is made available to Executive, Executive's spouse, or Executive's dependents, the Company's obligations under this paragraph will cease with respect to each person to whom such coverage is made available, notwithstanding that such person may not in fact become covered under such other employer's plan. Executive's portion of the premium for such coverage shall be withheld from the salary continuation payments described in paragraph (1) immediately above or, if salary continuation has been paid in a lump sum, Executive shall reimburse the Company for Executive's portion of the premium on a monthly basis.
(3) An amount equal to the sum of amounts paid or payable to Executive as bonuses by the Company for the year prior to the year in which the Termination Date occurs. This amount will be payable in one lump sum, to Executive within 30 days after the end of the Severance Period.
(4) Executive shall become 100% vested in all of the shares of restricted stock granted to Executive under the Mariner Energy, Inc. Equity Participation Plan to the extent Executive is less than 100% vested in such shares as of the Termination Date.
(5) Executive shall become 50% vested in all of the rights and interests granted to Executive under the Company's stock and other equity plans (other than the Mariner Energy, Inc. Equity Participation Plan), including without limitation any stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance units, and/or performance shares to the extent Executive is less than 50% vested in such award as of the Termination Date.
(6) Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, if the Company incurs an obligation to pay severance under this Section 7(c) in connection with the termination of Executive's employment after the consummation of an initial public offering by the Company, then, subject to Section 7(h), Executive shall be entitled to receive the amounts specified in Section 8(a) in lieu of the amounts specified in Sections 7(c)(1) and 7(c)(3).
(7) Payments under this Section 7(c) shall be in lieu of any severance benefits otherwise due to Executive under any severance pay plan or program maintained by the Company that covers its employees or executives generally. If Executive receives payment under Section 8(a), payments otherwise payable under Section 7(c)(1) shall terminate.
Severance Payment If, during the Employment Term at any time during the period of twelve (12) consecutive months following the occurrence of a Change in Corporate Control, the Executive is involuntarily terminated (other than for Cause) or the Executive terminates his employment for Good Reason, then subject to compliance with the restrictive covenants in Section 9 and Section 10 and the execution and timely return by the Executive of the Release, the Executive shall be entitled to receive a lump sum severance payment equal to the present value of a series of monthly payments for twenty-four (24) months, each in an amount equal to one-twelfth (1/12th) of the sum of (i) the Executive’s Base Salary, as in effect at the time of the Change in Corporate Control, and (ii) the average of the annual bonuses paid to the Executive for the prior two fiscal years of the Company ending prior to the Change in Corporate Control, if any. Such present value shall be calculated using a discount rate equal to the interest rate on 90-day Treasury bills, as reported in the Wall Street Journal (or similar publication) on the date of the Change in Corporate Control. Such lump sum payment shall be made to the Executive within sixty (60) days following the date of such involuntary termination. In addition, if during the Employment Term within twelve (12) months after a Change in Corporate Control the Executive is involuntarily terminated (other than for Cause) or the Executive terminates his employment for Good Reason, he shall be entitled to continued coverage at the Company’s expense under any health insurance programs maintained by the Company in which the Executive participated at the time of his termination, which coverage shall be continued for eighteen (18) months or until, if earlier, the date the Executive obtains comparable coverage under a group health plan maintained by a new employer. To the extent the benefits provided under the immediately preceding sentence are otherwise taxable to the Executive, such benefits, for purposes of Section 409A of the Code (and the regulations and other guidance issued thereunder) shall be provided as separate monthly in-kind payments of those benefits, and to the extent those benefits are subject to and not otherwise excepted from Section 409A of the Code, the provision of the in-kind benefits during one calendar year shall not affect the in-kind benefits to be provided in any other calendar year.
Retention Bonuses Provided Executive becomes and remains an active employee of Mercantile, Mercantile will pay Executive retention bonuses in accordance with the following schedule:
(i) $60,937.50 [25% of salary and target incentive compensation], to be paid on the first payroll period following the Effective Time,
(ii) $60,937.50 [25% of salary and target incentive compensation], to be paid on the first payroll period following six (6) months of Executive’s employment with Mercantile,
(iii) $60,937.50 [25% of salary and target incentive compensation], to be paid on the first payroll period following twelve (12) months of Executive’s employment with Mercantile. After twelve (12) months of Executive’s employment with Mercantile, Executive will not be entitled to any further Severance or Retention benefits. The above-listed payments and benefits are in lieu of any and all payments and benefits to which Executive may otherwise have been entitled under the CIC Agreement or any other agreement or practice.
