Termination Without Cause by the Company During the term of this Agreement and at times following the Company’s successfully consummating its first equity financing of $10 million or more in gross proceeds following the Effective Date (the “First Financing”), if the Company terminates the Executive’s employment without Cause pursuant to Paragraph 4(d) of this Agreement (a “Termination without Cause”), under circumstances that constitute a Involuntary Separation from Service with the Company (as defined for purposes of §409A of the Internal Revenue Code), the Company shall pay the Executive that ratable amount of Annual Compensation which the Executive would earn in 12 months based on Executive’s then-current salary and target bonus level (the “Severance Period”). Executive shall continue to participate in all other benefit plans during the Severance Period, except to the extent prohibited by law or any applicable employee benefit plan. All Stock Options granted to Executive which have vested prior to the final day of Executive’s employment under this Agreement (the “Termination Date”) shall remain vested and exercisable for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement. The Company will continue to vest Stock Options and stock awards during the Severance Period in accordance with the following vesting schedule:
(1) If a Termination without Cause occurs during the first year of the term of this Agreement, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the calendar quarter within which the Termination without Cause occurs shall vest and become exercisable on the Termination Date for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement and, in addition, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the calendar quarter after the occurrence of the Termination without Cause also shall vest and become exercisable for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement; and
(2) If a Termination without Cause occurs during the second year of the term of this Agreement, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the calendar quarter within which the Termination without Cause occurs shall vest and become exercisable on the Termination Date for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement and, in addition, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the two (2) calendar quarters after the occurrence of the Termination without Cause also shall vest and become exercisable for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement; and
(3) If a Termination without Cause occurs during the third year of the term of this Agreement or thereafter, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the calendar quarter within which the Termination without Cause occurs shall vest and become exercisable on the Termination Date for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement and, in addition, all unvested Stock Options that would have vested during the three (3) calendar quarters after the occurrence of the Termination without Cause also shall vest and become exercisable for the exercise period set forth in Executive’s Option Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 5(d), if Executive receives a Termination without Cause prior to the First Financing, Executive shall receive no severance. Payment of the Executive’s separation pay benefit under this Section 5(d), if any, shall be made as follows:
(i) Payment of the separation pay benefit shall commence as of the 30th day after the Executive’s Separation from Service, and shall continue in monthly installments thereafter until all 6 payments are made.
(ii) In the event the value of the separation pay benefit shall exceed two times the lesser of the Executive’s annualized compensation or the maximum amount that may be taken into account for qualified plan purposes (in each case, as determined in accordance with Treas. Reg. §1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii)(A)), the excess shall not be paid as provided in (i), above, but instead shall be paid in 6 equal monthly installments commencing as of the first of the month after the date that is six months after the Executive’s Separation from Service date.
(iii) In no event shall payments be accelerated, nor shall the Executive be eligible to defer payments to a later date.
Termination by the Corporation If the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Corporation upon the giving of written notice of such termination to the Executive at any time within the 6 month period following a Change of Control (other than for Just Cause, Disability or Death), then the Executive shall be entitled to the following:
i. such payments on account of severance as provided for under Section 12(b) of this Agreement; and
ii. notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 12 hereof or in this Agreement, all options granted by the Corporation to the Executive shall, following the giving of any notice by the Corporation under this Section 14(a), be deemed to vest immediately and shall be exercisable by the Executive for a period of 90 days following the giving of such notice by the Corporation hereunder.
Termination by the Employer Without Cause Subject to the payment of Termination Benefits pursuant to Section 7(b), the Executive’s employment under this Agreement may be terminated by the Employer without Cause upon no less than sixty (60) days prior written notice to the Executive.
Termination by the Company Without Cause The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment hereunder at any time without Cause. Any termination by the Company of the Executive’s employment under this Agreement which does not constitute a termination for Cause under Section 3(c) and does not result from the death or disability of the Executive under Section 3(a) or (b) shall be deemed a termination without Cause.
Termination by the Company for Cause Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein contained, the Company may terminate immediately the employment of Executive without notice and without pay in lieu of notice:
(i) if Executive commits an act of theft, fraud or material dishonesty or misconduct involving the property or affairs of the Company or the carrying out of Executive’s duties; or
(ii) if Executive commits a material breach or material non-observance of any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement provided that Executive is given written notice of any such breach or non-observance and fails to remedy the same within 15 days of receipt of such notice; or
(iii) if Executive is convicted of a felony; or
(iv) if Executive refuses or fails to implement any reasonable directive issued by the Company’s Board of Directors and Executive fails to remedy the refusal or failure within 15 days of receipt of written notice thereof; or
(v) if Executive or any member of his family makes any personal profit arising out of or in connection with a transaction to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or with which it is associated without making disclosure to and obtaining prior written consent of the Company. Upon the termination of Executive’s employment pursuant to this Subsection (a), this Agreement and the employment of Executive hereunder shall be wholly terminated. Upon any such termination, Executive shall have no claim against the Company in respect of his employment for damages or otherwise except in respect of payment of base salary earned, due and owing and unused vacation time to the date of termination.
Termination by the Company for Cause or by the Executive without Good Reason The Company may terminate the Executive’s employment pursuant to the terms of this Agreement at any time for Cause (as defined below) by giving the Executive written notice of termination. Such termination shall become effective upon the giving of such notice. Upon any such termination for Cause, or in the event the Executive terminates his employment with the Company without Good Reason (as defined in Section 6(c)), then the Executive shall have no right to compensation, or reimbursement under Section 4, or to participate in any Executive benefit programs under Section 5, except as may otherwise be provided for by law, for any period subsequent to the effective date of termination. For purposes of this Agreement, “Cause” shall mean: (i) the Executive is convicted of, or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony related to the business of the Company; (ii) the Executive, in carrying out his duties hereunder, has acted with gross negligence or intentional misconduct resulting, in any case, in material harm to the Company; (iii) the Executive misappropriates Company funds or otherwise defrauds the Company including a material amount of money or property; (iv) the Executive breaches his fiduciary duty to the Company resulting in material profit to him, directly or indirectly; (v) the Executive materially breaches any agreement with the Company and fails to cure such breach within 10 days of receipt of notice, unless the act is incapable of being cured; (vi) the Executive breaches any provision of Section 8 or Section 9; (vii) the Executive becomes subject to a preliminary or permanent injunction issued by a United States District Court enjoining the Executive from violating any securities law administered or regulated by the SEC; (viii) the Executive becomes subject to a cease and desist order or other order issued by the SEC after an opportunity for a hearing; (ix) the Executive refuses to carry out a resolution adopted by the Company’s Board at a meeting in which the Executive was offered a reasonable opportunity to argue that the resolution should not be adopted; or (x) the Executive abuses alcohol or drugs in a manner that interferes with the successful performance of his duties.
Termination by the Company Without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason (a) Employee shall not receive any of the benefits pursuant to this Section 5.2 unless he executes a general release in favor of the Company, in a form acceptable to the Company and substantially similar to the form attached hereto as Schedule B (the “Release”) within the consideration period specified therein (the “Release Review Period”) and until the Release becomes effective and can no longer be revoked by Employee under its terms. Employee’s ability to receive benefits pursuant to this Section 5.2 is further conditioned upon his: returning all Company property; complying with his post termination obligations under this Agreement and the Proprietary Information, Inventions and Non-Competition Agreement; and complying with the Release including without limitation any non-disparagement and confidentiality provisions contained therein.
(b) In the event that Executive’s employment is terminated pursuant to Section 4.2 by the Company without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall pay to Executive as severance twelve months of his annual Base Salary then in effect, together with an additional amount calculated by dividing by 365 the number of days employed in the year of termination and multiplying that number by the amount of the Executive’s previous year’s bonus (if any), such amount to be paid in one lump sum on the date the Release becomes effective, subject to standard payroll deductions and withholdings, provided, however, that if the Release Review Period begins in one tax year and ends in a later tax year, the payments under this Section 5.2(b) will be made following the date that the Release is effective that occurs in the later tax year . Additionally, if Executive timely elects and remains eligible for continued coverage under COBRA, the Company, as part of this Agreement, will pay that portion of Executive’s COBRA premiums it was paying prior to the Separation Date for twelve (12) months.
(c) In the event Executive’s employment is terminated pursuant to Section 4.2, and not for Cause, death or Disability, all unvested equity awards shall become fully vested, all unvested stock options shall become fully vested and exercisable and any ISO’s issued to Executive will automatically convert to a non-qualified options on the 91st day following termination, provided it has not been exercised, subject to the terms of the applicable stock plan and option agreement.
Termination by Employer Without Cause Employer may immediately terminate Employee’s employment without Cause. If, during the Term of this Agreement, Employee’s employment is terminated by Employer without Cause (other than due to death or Disability), including if Employer declines to renew the Term of the Agreement, then Employee shall be entitled to receive the Accrued Compensation. In addition, subject to Employee’s continuing compliance with the covenants contained in Paragraphs 7 and 8 of this Agreement and any other similar applicable restrictive covenants with Employer or an affiliate, and the execution by Employee of a binding general waiver and release of claims in a form acceptable to Employer (the “Release”) within the time period specified by Employer at the time of the Termination Date (which shall be no longer than 50 days after the Termination Date) and the expiration of any applicable revocation period with respect to the Release, if Employee’s employment terminates pursuant to this Paragraph 10.A(ii), then Employee shall be entitled to receive:
a. Payment of the Bonus, if any, that was earned by Employee in any fiscal year ending prior to the Termination Date but remains unpaid as of the Termination Date, payable in a lump sum within seventy (70) days after the Termination Date.
b. A pro-rated Bonus, if any, upon the satisfaction of any pre-established performance objectives at the end of the applicable bonus performance period; such payable pro-rata portion of the Bonus shall be determined by multiplying the Bonus amount by a fraction equal to the number of days of Employee’s employment during such applicable performance period divided by the total number of days in the applicable performance period. Payment of any pro-rated Bonus under this paragraph shall be made in the calendar year following the year in which the services were performed, when bonuses are generally paid to similarly situated employees.
c. An amount equal to (y) thirty (30) months of the Employee’s then-current Annual Salary; plus (z) two and one-half (2.5) times the average of the Bonus payments for the immediately three (3) previous fiscal years from the Termination Date. This amount will be payable in thirty (30) substantially equal monthly installments commencing with the first regular payroll period following the expiration of any applicable revocation period with respect to the Release, and in any event, if at all, within seventy (70) days after the Termination Date.
d. Provided that Employee elects, and to the extent that he is and remains eligible for, continuation coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (“COBRA”) and Employer’s group health plan, payment of that part of the COBRA premiums for such continued coverage of Employee (and, if applicable as of the Termination Date, his dependents) that exceeds the amount that Employee would pay for such coverage if he were an active employee of Employer (“COBRA Subsidies”), starting on the first day following the date on which Employee’s coverage under that plan as an active employee of Employer ends, and ending on the earlier of (A) the date that twelve (12) months of such COBRA Subsidies have been paid, or (B) the date on which Employee’s right to continuation coverage under COBRA ends. Employee agrees and acknowledges that for so long as Employee is covered by COBRA and receiving severance payments under Paragraph 10(A)(ii)(c), the amount that Employee would pay for coverage under Employer’s group health plan if he were an active employee of Employer shall be deducted from such severance payments, and that this coverage under Employer’s group health plan shall run concurrently with such plan’s obligation to provide continuation coverage pursuant to COBRA. Employee further agrees and understands that this paragraph shall not limit such plan’s obligation to provide continuation coverage under COBRA.
Termination Without Cause The Company may terminate Executive’s employment without Cause.
Termination by the Company Without Cause or by the Executive with Good Reason During the Term, if the Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause as provided in Section 3(d), or the Executive terminates the Executive’s employment for Good Reason as provided in Section 3(e), then the Company shall pay the Executive the Accrued Benefit. In addition, subject to the Executive signing a separation agreement in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Separation Agreement and Release”) and the Separation Agreement and Release becoming fully effective, all within the time frame set forth in the Separation Agreement and Release but in no event more than 60 days after the Date of Termination:
(i) the Company shall pay the Executive an amount equal to nine months of the Executive’s Base Salary (the “Severance Amount”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Executive breaches any of the provisions contained in the Restrictive Covenants Agreement, all payments of the Severance Amount shall immediately cease; and
(ii) if the Executive properly elects to receive benefits under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (“COBRA”), nine months of COBRA premiums for the Executive and the Executive’s eligible dependents at the Company’s normal rate of contribution for employees for the Executive’s coverage at the level in effect immediately prior to the Date of Termination; provided, however, if the Company determines that it cannot pay such amounts without potentially violating applicable law (including, without limitation, Section 2716 of the Public Health Service Act), provided that the Executive is enrolled in the Company’s health care programs immediately prior to the Date of Termination, the Company will in lieu thereof provide to the Executive a taxable monthly payment in an amount equal to the portion of the COBRA premiums for the Executive and the Executive’s eligible dependents to continue the Executive’s group health coverage in effect on the Date of Termination at the Company’s normal rate of contribution for employee coverage at the level in effect immediately prior to the Date of Termination for a period of nine months. For the avoidance of doubt, the taxable payments described above may be used for any purpose, including, but not limited to, continuation coverage under COBRA; and
(iii) the amounts payable under Section 4(b)(i) and (ii), to the extent taxable, shall be paid out in substantially equal installments in accordance with the Company’s payroll practice over nine months commencing on the first payroll date following the effective date of the Separation Agreement and Release and, in any case, within 60 days after the Date of Termination; provided, however, that if the 60-day period begins in one calendar year and ends in a second calendar year, the Severance Amount to the extent it qualifies as “non-qualified deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, shall begin to be paid no earlier than the first Company payroll date in the second calendar year and, in any case, by the last day of such 60-day period; provided, further, that the initial payment shall include a catch-up payment to cover amounts retroactive to the day immediately following the Date of Termination. Each payment pursuant to this Agreement is intended to constitute a separate payment for purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-2(b)(2).
