Separation from Service A termination of employment shall not be deemed to have occurred for purposes of any provision of this Agreement providing for the payment of any amounts or benefits upon or following a termination of employment unless such termination also constitutes a “Separation from Service” within the meaning of Section 409A and, for purposes of any such provision of this Agreement, references to a “termination,” “termination of employment,” “separation from service” or like terms shall mean Separation from Service.
Separation from Employment You will, upon separation from employment with the Company and its subsidiaries for any reason (such as termination, resignation, death or disability) (each, a “Separation”), receive such salary and other benefits as have accrued as of the date and time of Separation, and as may otherwise be required by law, as well as such Salary, bonuses and benefits as may be due and owing under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the forgoing, in the event that the Company determines in good faith that your Separation is not considered a “separation from service” under Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-1(h) because (a) you have not separated but have changed status to a part time employee, consultant or independent contractor performing more than 20% of the average level of bona fide services (whether as an employee, consultant or independent contractor) you performed over the immediately preceding 36-month period, or (b) you are continuing employment with another entity that is considered a single entity with the Company (“Employer Group”) under Section 414(b) or (c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), any Severance Benefits to which you may be entitled under other provisions of this Agreement shall begin immediately when your status changes such that the Company determines that you have “separated from service” under Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-1(h). For this purpose, service performed as an employee or as an independent contractor is counted, except that service as a member of the board of directors of a member of the Employer Group is not counted unless termination benefits under this Agreement are aggregated for purposes of Section 409A of the Code with benefits under any other Employer Group plan or agreement in which you also participate as a director. Notwithstanding any provisions of this Agreement to the contrary, if you are a “specified employee” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and determined pursuant to procedures adopted by the Company) at the time of your separation from service and if any portion of the payments or benefits to be received by you upon separation from service would be considered deferred compensation under Section 409A of the Code, amounts that would otherwise be payable pursuant to this Agreement during the six-month period immediately following your separation from service shall instead be paid or made available, with interest at the Wall Street Journal prime rate as of the date of separation from service, on the earlier of (i) the first business day of the seventh month following the date of your separation from service or (ii) your death.
Specified Employee Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if Executive is deemed by the Company at the time of Executive’s Separation from Service to be a “specified employee” for purposes of Section 409A, to the extent delayed commencement of any portion of the benefits to which Executive is entitled under this Agreement is required in order to avoid a prohibited distribution under Section 409A, such portion of Executive’s benefits shall not be provided to Executive prior to the earlier of (i) the expiration of the six-month period measured from the date of Executive’s Separation from Service with the Company or (ii) the date of Executive’s death. Upon the first business day following the expiration of the applicable Section 409A period, all payments deferred pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be paid in a lump sum to Executive (or Executive’s estate or beneficiaries), and any remaining payments due to Executive under this Agreement shall be paid as otherwise provided herein.
Section 409A Compliance To the extent applicable, it is intended that this Agreement comply with the provisions of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code and the guidance promulgated thereunder (“Section 409A”). This Agreement shall be administered in a manner consistent with this intent, and any provision that would cause the Agreement to fail to satisfy Section 409A shall have no force and effect until amended by the parties to comply with Section 409A (which amendment may be retroactive to the extent permitted by Section 409A). Unless otherwise expressly provided, any payment of compensation by Company to Employee, whether pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise, shall be made no later than the 15th day of the third month (i.e., 2½ months) after the later of the end of the calendar year or the Company’s fiscal year in which Employee’s right to such payment vests (i.e., is not subject to a “substantial risk of forfeiture” for purposes of Code Section 409A). For purposes of this Agreement, “Separation from Service” shall have the meaning given to such term under Section 409A. Each payment and each installment of any severance payments provided for under this Agreement shall be treated as a separate payment for purposes of application of Section 409A. To the extent that any severance payments come within the definition of “short term deferrals” or “involuntary severance” under Section 409A, such amounts shall be excluded from “deferred compensation” as allowed under Section 409A, and shall not be subject to the following Section 409A compliance requirements. All payments of “nonqualified deferred compensation” (within the meaning of Section 409A) are intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A, and shall be interpreted in accordance therewith. Neither party individually or in combination may accelerate, offset or assign any such deferred payment, except in compliance with Section 409A. No amount shall be paid prior to the earliest date on which it is permitted to be paid under Section 409A and Employee shall have no discretion with respect to the timing of payments except as permitted under Section 409A. Any payments to which Section 409A applies which are subject to execution of a waiver and release which may be executed and/or revoked in a calendar year following the calendar year in which the payment event (such as Separation from Service) occurs shall commence payment only in the calendar year in which the release revocation period ends as necessary to comply with Section 409A. In the event that Employee is determined to be a “key employee” (as defined and determined under Section 409A) of the Company at a time when its stock is deemed to be publicly traded on an established securities market, payments determined to be “nonqualified deferred compensation” payable upon separation from service shall be made no earlier than (i) the first day of the seventh (7th) complete calendar month following such termination of employment, or (ii) Employee’s death, consistent with the provisions of Section 409A. Any payment delayed by reason of the prior sentence shall be paid out in a single lump sum at the end of such required delay period in order to catch up to the original payment schedule. All expense reimbursement or in-kind benefits subject to Section 409A provided under this Agreement or, unless otherwise specified in writing, under any Company program or policy, shall be subject to the following rules: (i) the amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement or in-kind benefits provided during one calendar year may not affect the benefits provided during any other year; (ii) reimbursements shall be paid no later than the end of the calendar year following the year in which the Employee incurs such expenses, and the Employee shall take all actions necessary to claim all such reimbursements on a timely basis to permit the Company to make all such reimbursement payments prior to the end of said period, and (iii) the right to reimbursement or in-kind benefits shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no amendment may be made to this Agreement if it would cause the Agreement or any payment hereunder not to be in compliance with Section 409A.
Other Termination of Service If the Optionee's Service with the Participating Company Group terminates for any reason, except Disability or death, the Option, to the extent unexercised and exercisable by the Optionee on the date on which the Optionee's Service terminated, may be exercised by the Optionee within three (3) months after the date on which the Optionee's Service terminated, but in any event no later than the Option Expiration Date.
Distributions on Account of Separation from Service If and to the extent required to comply with Section 409A, no payment or benefit required to be paid under this Agreement on account of termination of the Executive’s employment shall be made unless and until the Executive incurs a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A.
Termination of Employment Executive's employment hereunder may be terminated under the following circumstances:
Code Section 409A Compliance Each payment under this Agreement shall be considered a separate payment for purposes of Section 409A. A termination of employment shall not be deemed to have occurred for purposes of any provision of this Agreement providing for the payment of any amount or benefit upon or following a termination of employment unless such termination is also a “separation from service” within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 409A (“Section 409A”) and, for purposes of this Agreement, references to a “termination,” “termination of employment” or like terms shall mean “separation from service.” Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, if the Executive is a “specified employee” (within the meaning of Section 409A) on the date of the Executive’s separation from service, then any payments or benefits that otherwise would be payable under this Agreement within the first six months following the Executive’s separation from service (the “409A Suspension Period”), shall instead be paid in a lump sum within fourteen (14) days after the end of the sixth month period following the Executive’s separation from service, or Executive’s death, if sooner, but only to the extent that such payments or benefits provide for the “deferral of compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A, after application of the exemptions provided in Sections 1.409A-1(b)(4) and 1.409A-1(b)(9)(ii)-(v) thereof. After the 409A Suspension Period, the Executive will receive any remaining payments and benefits due pursuant to this Agreement in accordance with its terms (as if there had not been any suspension beforehand). To the extent that severance payments or benefits under this Agreement are conditioned on the execution of a release by Executive, Executive shall forfeit all rights to such payments and benefits unless such release is signed and delivered to the Company within the time required by this Agreement. Whenever a payment under this Agreement specified a payment period with respect to a number of days, the actual date of payment within the specified period shall be within the sole discretion of the Company. The Company will cooperate with the Executive in making any amendments to this Agreement that the Executive reasonably requests to avoid the imposition of taxes or penalties under Section 409A of the Code provided that such changes do not provide the Executive with additional benefits (other than de minimus benefits) under this Agreement.
Exercise After Termination of Employment (A) Except as the COMMITTEE may at any time provide, if the employment of PARTICIPANT with the COMPANY and the subsidiaries and affiliates of the COMPANY is terminated for any reason other than death or “total disability” (as defined below), the AWARD may be exercised (to the extent that PARTICIPANT was entitled to do so on the date of the termination of PARTICIPANT’s employment) at any time within three months after such termination of employment, subject to the provisions of Section 2(C) of this AGREEMENT, and shall then expire. To the extent PARTICIPANT was not entitled to exercise the AWARD on the date of termination of PARTICIPANT’s employment, such portion of the AWARD shall expire on the date of such termination.
(B) If PARTICIPANT becomes totally disabled, the AWARD shall become immediately vested and exercisable in full, and the AWARD may be exercised at any time during the first twelve (12) months that PARTICIPANT receives benefits under the Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Long Term Disability Plan, or any successor plan or program, subject to the provisions of Section 2(C) of this AGREEMENT, and shall then expire.
(C) If PARTICIPANT dies while employed by the COMPANY or one of the subsidiaries or affiliates of the COMPANY, the AWARD shall become immediately vested and exercisable in full by PARTICIPANT’s estate or by the person who acquires the right to exercise the AWARD upon PARTICIPANT’s death by bequest or inheritance. The AWARD may be exercised at any time within one year after the date of PARTICIPANT’s death, or such other period as the COMMITTEE may at any time provide, subject to the provisions of Section 2(C) of this AGREEMENT, and shall then expire.
(D) For purposes of this AGREEMENT, “total disability” shall have the definition set forth in the Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Long Term Disability Plan, which definition is incorporated herein by reference.
Termination of Service (a) If, prior to the Expiration Date, the Participant’s Service with the Company shall terminate (the date of termination being the “Date of Termination”) by reason of a Normal Termination (as defined in the Plan), the Options shall remain exercisable until the earlier of the Expiration Date or the day three (3) months after the Date of Termination to the extent the Options were vested and exercisable as of the Date of Termination.
(b) If the Participant’s Service with the Company shall cease prior to the Expiration Date by reason of death or disability, or the Participant shall die or become disabled while entitled to exercise any of the Options pursuant to paragraph 3(a), the Participant or the Participant’s legal representative, or, in the case of death, the executor or administrator of the estate of the Participant or the person or persons to whom the Options shall have been validly transferred by the executor or administrator pursuant to will or the laws of descent and distribution, shall have the right, until the earlier of the Expiration Date or one year after the date of death or disability, to exercise the Options to the extent that the Participant was entitled to exercise them on the date of death or disability.
(c) If, prior to the Expiration Date, the Participant’s Service with the Company is terminated for “Cause” (as defined in the Plan), (i) unless otherwise provided by the Committee, the Options, to the extent not exercised as of the Date of Termination, shall lapse and be canceled, and (ii) all shares of Common Stock received pursuant to an exercise of the Options after such termination, in contravention of subsection (i) above, may be purchased by the Company at its discretion for the exercise price of such shares paid by the Participant. If the Participant’s Service relationship with the Company is suspended pending an investigation of whether the Participant shall be terminated for Cause, all the Participant’s rights with respect to the Options shall be suspended during the period of investigation.
(d) If, prior to the Expiration Date, the Participant’s Service with the Company is terminated other than for Cause, a Normal Termination, death or disability, the Options, to the extent then vested and exercisable as of the Date of Termination, shall remain exercisable until the earlier of the Expiration Date or thirty (30) days after the Date of Termination.
(e) After the expiration of any exercise period described in any of Sections 3(a) - (d) hereof, or otherwise upon the Expiration Date, the Options shall terminate together with all of the Participant’s rights hereunder, to the extent not previously exercised.
