Conduct of the Business Pending the Closing (a) Except as otherwise expressly provided by this Agreement or with the prior written consent of Newco, between the date hereof and the Closing, the Company shall:
(i) conduct the Business only in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(ii) use its commercially reasonable efforts to (A) preserve the present business operations, organization (including officers and Employees) and goodwill of the Company and (B) preserve the present relationships with Persons having business dealings with the Company (including customers and suppliers);
(iii) maintain (A) all of the assets and properties of, or used by, the Company consistent with past practice, and (B) insurance upon all of the assets and properties of the Company in such amounts and of such kinds comparable to that in effect on the date of this Agreement;
(iv) (A) maintain the books, accounts and records of the Company in the Ordinary Course of Business, (B) continue to collect accounts receivable and pay accounts payable and other Liabilities set forth on the Balance Sheet in the Ordinary Course of Business utilizing normal procedures and without discounting or accelerating payment of such accounts or Liabilities utilizing all available cash and any available line of credit, and (C) comply with all contractual and other obligations of the Company;
(v) comply with the capital expenditure plan of the Company for 2009 set forth on Company Disclosure Schedule 6.2(a)(v), including making such capital expenditures in the amounts and at the times set forth in such plan;
(vi) comply in all material respects with all applicable Laws;
(vii) take steps to renew all Permits in a timely manner prior to their lapse; and
(viii) pay all maintenance and similar fees and take all other appropriate actions as necessary to prevent the abandonment, loss or impairment of all Intellectual Property of the Company.
(b) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, except as otherwise expressly provided by this Agreement or with the prior written consent of Newco, the Company shall not:
(i) (A) increase the salary or other compensation of any director or Employee of the Company except for normal year-end increases in the Ordinary Course of Business, (B) grant any bonus, benefit or other direct or indirect compensation to any Employee or director, (C) increase the coverage or benefits available under any (or create any new) severance pay, termination pay, vacation pay, company awards, salary continuation for disability, sick leave, deferred compensation, bonus or other incentive compensation, insurance, pension or other employee benefit plan or arrangement made to, for, or with any of the directors, officers, Employees, agents or representatives of the Company or otherwise modify or amend or terminate any such plan or arrangement (D) enter into any employment, deferred compensation, stay bonus, severance, special pay, consulting, non-competition or similar agreement or arrangement with any directors or officers of the Company (or amend any such agreement) to which the Company is a party; or (E) pay or make any dividend or distribution of cash or other property with respect to the units or other equity interests of the Company;
(ii) (A) create, incur, assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise become liable or responsible with respect to (whether directly, contingently or otherwise) any Indebtedness except (u) the Indebtedness related to the Permitted Exceptions, (x) the Indebtedness reflected in the Balance Sheet, (y) the Indebtedness incurred in the Ordinary Course of Business since the Balance Sheet Date, or (z) the Indebtedness set forth on Company Disclosure Schedule 4.5; (B) except in the Ordinary Course of Business, pay, prepay, accelerate, discharge, purchase, repurchase or satisfy any Indebtedness issued or guaranteed by the Company; (C) materially modify the terms of any Indebtedness or other Liability; or (D) make any loans, advances of capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person;
(iii) subject to any Lien or otherwise encumber or, except for Permitted Exceptions, permit, allow or suffer to be subjected to any Lien or otherwise encumbered, any of the Purchased Assets;
(iv) acquire any material properties or assets or sell, assign, license, transfer, convey, lease or otherwise dispose of any of the Purchased Assets (except for fair consideration in the Ordinary Course of Business) of the Company;
(v) except as provided in Section 6.6 hereof, enter into or agree to enter into any merger or consolidation with any Person, and not engage in any new business or invest in, make a loan, advance or capital contribution to, or otherwise acquire the securities of any Person;
(vi) cancel or compromise any debt or claim, or waive or release any material right of the Company except in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(vii) enter into, modify or terminate any labor or collective bargaining agreement or, through negotiation or otherwise, make any commitment or incur any Liability to any labor organization with respect to any Employee;
(viii) introduce any material change with respect to the operation of the Business, including any material change in the types, nature, composition or quality of products or services, or, other than in the Ordinary Course of Business, make any change in product specifications or prices or terms of distributions of such products;
(ix) enter into any transaction or enter into, modify or renew any Contract which by reason of its size or otherwise is not in the Ordinary Course of Business;
(x) enter into any Contract, understanding or commitment that restrains, restricts, limits or impedes the ability of the Business, or the ability of Newco or Purchaser, to compete with or conduct any business or line of business in any geographic area or solicit the employment of any persons;
(xi) terminate, amend, restate, supplement or waive any rights under any (A) Material Contract, Real Property Lease, Personal Property Lease or Intellectual Property License, other than in the Ordinary Course of Business or (B) Permit;
(xii) settle or compromise any pending or threatened Legal Proceeding or any claim or claims for, or that would result in a loss of revenue of, an amount that could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to be greater than $50,000;
(xiii) change or modify its credit, collection or payment policies, procedures or practices, including acceleration of collections or receivables (whether or not past due) or fail to pay or delay payment of payables or other liabilities;
(xiv) take any action which would adversely affect the ability of the parties to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(xv) amend the operating agreement of the Company;
(xvi) agree to materially increase Liabilities from the amounts set forth on the Balance Sheet except in the Ordinary Course of Business under loan or credit agreements or arrangements up to the maximum amounts and other terms as in effect on the date of this Agreement; or
(xvii) agree to do anything (A) prohibited by this Section 6.2, (B) that would make any of the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement or any of the Company Documents untrue or incorrect in any material respect or could result in any of the conditions to the Closing not being satisfied or (C) that could be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect with respect to the Company.
Operations Pending Closing Between the date hereof and the Closing, except as (a) set forth in this Agreement or the Option Exercise Agreement, (b) contemplated by the applicable subsection of Schedule 5.01, or (c) required by applicable Law or the regulations or requirements of any regulatory organization applicable to WTGS TV, the Seller or the LIN Companies, as the case may be, unless Buyer otherwise consents in writing which request for consent shall be directed to and promptly considered in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Section 5.01 by Buyer and which consent shall (i) not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed in the case of clauses (c), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (l), (n), (r), (s), (t), (u) or (w), and (ii) which may otherwise be withheld in Buyer’s sole discretion, the LIN Companies shall, and Seller shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause WTGS TV and, prior to the Merger Closing, the LIN Companies to, and the Seller shall, following the Merger Closing and prior to the Closing:
(a) operate the Station in the ordinary course and in all material respects in accordance with the Communications Laws, the FCC Licenses and with all other applicable Laws;
(b) not cause or permit, or agree or commit to cause or permit, by act or failure to act, any of the FCC Licenses to expire or to be revoked, suspended or adversely modified, or take or fail to take any action that would cause the FCC or any other Governmental Authority to institute proceedings (other than proceedings of general applicability) for the suspension, revocation or adverse modification of any of the FCC Licenses listed on Schedule 3.04(a);
(c) other than in the ordinary course of business or for the purpose of disposing of obsolete or worthless assets, not (i) sell, lease, license or dispose of or agree to sell, lease, license or dispose of any material assets unless replaced with similar items of substantially equal or greater value and utility or (ii) create, assume or permit to exist any Liens upon their assets, except for Permitted Liens;
(d) not dissolve, liquidate, merge or consolidate with any other entity;
(e) maintain, repair and replace the Tangible Personal Property, including any Tangible Personal Property which has been damaged prior to Closing, and maintain, repair and replace the Real Property, including any improvements thereon, which has been damaged prior to Closing, in each case in the ordinary course of business;
(i) upon reasonable written advance notice, give Buyer and its representatives reasonable access at reasonable, mutually agreed-upon times during normal business hours to the Station, and furnish Buyer with information relating to the Business that Buyer may reasonably request, provided, however, that such access rights shall not be exercised in a manner that interferes with the Business and (ii) otherwise provide such reasonable assistance and cooperation as may be requested by Buyer from time to time prior to the Closing Date to reasonably facilitate the transition of the Business, including facilities, operations and applicable data, to Buyer upon and effective as of the Effective Time;
(g) except as otherwise required by Law, not enter into, renew or renegotiate any employment agreement with a Transferred Employee providing for annual compensation in excess of $100,000, any severance agreement or any labor, or union agreement or plan, including any Collective Bargaining Agreement, that will be binding upon Buyer after the Closing;
(h) not hire or terminate the employment of any Station general manager or any other Transferred Employee with annual aggregate non-equity compensation, including target bonuses, in excess of $100,000, excluding any terminations for “cause” as reasonably determined by Sellers;
(i) except in the ordinary course of business, not (i) materially increase the compensation or benefits payable to any Transferred Employee, or (ii) modify any severance policy applicable to any Transferred Employee that would result in any material increase in the amount of severance payable to any such Transferred Employee (or would materially expand the circumstances in which such severance is payable);
(j) not sell, lease, license or otherwise dispose of or encumber any Station Asset except (i) pursuant to or in accordance with existing Assumed Contracts or (ii) immaterial Station Assets in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices;
(k) use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the Station’s MVPD carriage existing as of the date of this Agreement;
(l) except for agreements and contracts which can be terminated by WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, without penalty upon notice of ninety (90) days or less, not (i) enter into any agreement or contract that would have been a Material Contract were WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, a party or subject thereto on the date of this Agreement unless such agreement or contract (x) is entered into in the ordinary course of business and (y) does not involve payments by WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, of greater than $250,000 during any twelve (12) month period, (ii) amend in any material respect any Material Contract unless such amendment (x) is effected in the ordinary course of business, (y) does not increase the amount of payments to be made by WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, during any twelve (12) month period by $250,000 or more or (iii) terminate or waive any material right under any Material Contract other than in the ordinary course of business (excluding the expiration of any Material Contract in accordance with its terms) (it being understood that if any such entry into, or amendment or termination of any such agreement or contract is permitted pursuant to this Section 5.1(k) as a result of the references to acts taken in the ordinary course of business, but such action would otherwise be prohibited by any other provision of this Section 5.1, then this Section 5.1(k) shall not be interpreted to permit such action without the prior written consent of Buyer as contemplated hereby);
(m) not enter into any Contract constituting a Sharing Agreement with respect to the Station;
(n) not change any accounting practices, procedures or methods (except for any change required under GAAP or applicable law) or maintain its books and records, in each case in a manner other than in the ordinary course of business;
(o) not make or agree or commit to make any capital expenditure, except (i) for capital expenditures equal to or less than $200,000 in connection with any particular project or equal to or less than $500,000 in the aggregate, and (ii) for emergency commitments or expenditures;
(p) maintain its qualifications to hold the FCC Licenses with respect to the Station and not take any action that will materially impair such FCC Licenses or such qualifications;
(q) promote the programming of the Station (both on-air and using third party media) in the ordinary course of business, taking into account inventory availability;
(r) not adopt, enter into or become bound by any new Employee Plan or amend, modify or terminate any Employee Plan, except (i) to comply with applicable Law, (ii) in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices without any additional post-Closing material liability to WTGS TV, the Seller or LIN Companies, as applicable, or (iii) as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
(s) keep in full force and effect the material insurance policies set forth on Schedule 3.12 (or other insurance policies comparable in amount and scope);
(t) not make or rescind any election relating to Taxes, settle or compromise any claim, action, suit, litigation, proceeding, arbitration, investigation, audit or controversy relating to Taxes, for any taxable period ending on or after September 30, 2012, or change any of its methods of reporting income or deductions on its Income Tax Returns, or the classifications of its existing property and assets, in each case, to the extent such action would reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect Buyer or its Affiliates after the Closing;
(u) not (i) enter into or agree or commit to enter into any new Tradeout Agreement relating to the Station with a value in excess of $40,000, and $200,000 in the aggregate, prior to Closing that will not be fully performed prior to the Closing or (ii) make any guarantee of commercial ratings other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(i) utilize the Program Rights only in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (ii) not sell or otherwise dispose of any such Program Rights;
(w) not extend credit to advertisers other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(x) timely make retransmission consent elections with all MVPDs located in or serving the Station’s Markets;
(y) not enter into any retransmission consent agreement relating to the Station other than as set forth on Schedule 5.01(y);
(z) not enter into any Contract with any Affiliate or Subsidiary of Seller that survives the Closing; and
(aa) not agree, commit or resolve to take any actions inconsistent with the foregoing.
Conduct of Business Pending the Closing During the period from the date of this Agreement and continuing until the earlier of the termination of this Agreement in accordance with its terms or the Closing, the Company shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, carry on the Business in the ordinary course of business and, to the extent consistent therewith, use all commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the Business intact and preserve the goodwill of and relationships with Governmental Entities, customers, suppliers, partners, lessors, licensors, licensees, contractors, distributors, agents, officers and employees and others having business dealings with the Business, provided that the foregoing shall not prevent Sellers from rejecting Contracts that are not Assumed Contracts. During the period from the date of this Agreement through the Closing Date, the Company shall endeavor to maintain the Net Receivables Amount, the Inventory Value and each component of Inventory at or in excess of the amounts set forth on Schedule 7.1. Without limiting the generality of the first sentence of this Section 7.1, during the period from the date of this Agreement through the Closing Date, the Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, without the prior written consent of Buyer:
(a) abandon any rights under any of the Assumed Contracts; terminate, amend, modify or supplement the terms of any Assumed Contract; or fail to honor or perform, the Assumed Contracts;
(b) other than sales of Inventory in the ordinary course of business or the disposition of obsolete equipment, lease, license, surrender, relinquish, sell, transfer, convey, assign or otherwise dispose of any Acquired Assets;
(c) mortgage, pledge or subject to Liens (other than Permitted Liens), any property, business or any of the Acquired Assets, other than as would not result in any Liability that would be or would increase an Assumed Liability as of or subsequent to the Closing;
(d) incur or permit to be incurred any Liability (other than Accounts Payable or in connection with the performance of Assumed Contracts) that would be or would increase an Assumed Liability as of or subsequent to the Closing;
(e) fail to replenish the Inventory and Supplies of the Business in the ordinary course of business;
(f) increase the salary of any Identified Employee at or after the time such person becomes an Identified Employee, other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(g) make or rescind any material Tax election or take any material Tax position (unless required by law) or file any Tax Return or change its fiscal year or financial or Tax accounting methods, policies or practices, or settle any Tax Liability, except in each case as would not reasonably be expected to affect the Buyer;
(h) institute, settle or agree to settle any litigation, action or Proceeding before any court or Governmental Entity relating to the Acquired Assets, or modify in any manner that is adverse to the Business or the Acquired Assets, rescind or terminate a material Permit, allowance, or credit (or application therefor) relating to the Business or the Acquired Assets;
(i) transfer or grant any rights under, modify any existing rights under, or enter into any settlement regarding the breach or infringement of, any material Intellectual Property; or
(j) enter into any Contract to do any of the foregoing.
Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Closing The Company covenants and agrees that prior to the Closing Date: (a) the Company shall conduct its business and operations only in the usual and ordinary course of business; (b) Except as contemplated by this Agreement, and as necessary to effect the proposals contained in the Company Proxy Statement to be filed (the “Company Proxy Statement”), the Company shall not directly or indirectly do any of the following: (i) sell, pledge, dispose of or encumber any of its assets; (ii) amend or propose to amend its Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws; (iii) split, combine or reclassify any outstanding shares of its capital stock, or declare, set aside or pay any dividend or other distribution payable in cash, stock, property or otherwise with respect to shares of its capital stock; (iv) redeem, purchase or acquire or offer to acquire any shares of its capital stock or other securities; (v) create any subsidiaries; (vi) enter into or modify any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement with respect to any of the foregoing; (c) Except as contemplated by this Agreement, and those items contained in the Company Proxy Statement to be filed, the Company shall not (i) issue, sell, pledge or dispose of, or agree to issue, sell, pledge or dispose of, any additional shares of, or any options, warrants, conversion privileges or rights of any kind to acquire any shares of, its capital stock; (ii) acquire (by merger, consolidation, acquisition of stock or assets or otherwise) any corporation, partnership or other business organization or division or the material assets thereof; (iii) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money, issue any debt securities or guarantee any indebtedness to others; or (iv) enter into or modify any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement with respect to any of the foregoing; (d) the Company shall notify ADS promptly of any material adverse event or circumstance affecting ADS (including the filing of any material litigation against the Company or the existence of any dispute with any person or entity which involves a reasonable likelihood of such litigation being commenced); (e) the Company shall comply in all material respects with all legal requirements and contractual obligations applicable to its operations and business and pay all applicable taxes; and
Conditions to the Closing Date The obligation of each Lender to make its initial Loans hereunder is subject to satisfaction of the following conditions precedent to the Administrative Agent satisfaction:
(a) The Administrative Agent receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or facsimile or other electronic image transmission (e.g., “PDF” or “TIF” via electronic mail) (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, each properly executed by a member of the Senior Management of the signing Credit Party, each dated the Closing Date (or, in the case of certificates of governmental officials, a recent date before the Closing Date) and each in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent:
(i) (A) executed counterparts of this Agreement, sufficient in number for distribution to the Administrative Agent, each Lender and the Credit Parties, and (B) executed counterparts of each Security Document sufficient in number for distribution to the Administrative Agent and the Credit Parties, and an executed Note for each Lender who requests a Note;
(ii) an officer’s certificate of each Credit Party executing a Loan Document, (A) certifying and attaching true, correct and complete copies of: (1) the certificate of formation, certificate of incorporation, articles of incorporation (or such equivalent thereof) of such Credit Party, and, where applicable, certified as of a recent date from the Secretary of State (or applicable Governmental Authority) of the jurisdiction in which such Credit Party is incorporated or formed, (2) the by-laws, limited liability company agreement, articles of association, partnership agreement or other applicable Governing Document of such Credit Party, and (3) the resolutions or votes of the board of directors or board of managers or partners (or equivalent thereof) of such Credit Party, authorizing such Credit Party’s entry into the Loan Documents to which it is a party; and (B) certifying the incumbency of members of the Senior Management of such Credit Party authorized to act in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Credit Party is a party and providing a specimen signature of such members of the Senior Management of such Credit Party who will be signing Loan Documents on the Closing Date and thereafter;
(iii) such documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may require to evidence that each Credit Party executing a Loan Document is validly existing and in good standing (where applicable) in its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, as applicable;
(iv) a favorable legal opinion of Xxxxxxx Xxxx & Xxxxxxxxx LLP, special New York counsel to the Credit Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, as to matters concerning the Credit Parties and the Loan Documents as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request; and
(v) a certificate of a member of the Senior Management of the Borrower certifying that (1) the condition specified in Sections 4.02(b) has been satisfied, (2) there has been no event or circumstance since December 31, 2023 that has had or could be reasonably expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, and (3) all consents, licenses, and approvals required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by each Credit Party and the validity against each Credit Party of the Loan Documents to which such Credit Party is a party have been obtained.
(b) The Administrative Agent shall have received duly executed Agency Account Agreements, signed by each of the applicable parties thereto, for each deposit account or securities account required to be subject to an Agency Account Agreement pursuant to the terms of Section 6.16 hereof.
Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Merger (a) The Company agrees that, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time or the earlier termination of this Agreement, except as (1) expressly contemplated by any other provision of this Agreement, any Ancillary Agreement, (2) as set forth in Section 6.01 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, and (3) as required by applicable Law (including COVID-19 Measures or as may be requested or compelled by any Governmental Authority), unless BCAC shall otherwise consent in writing (which consent shall not be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed):
(i) the Company shall conduct its business in the ordinary course of business; and
(ii) the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to preserve substantially intact the current business organization of the Company, to keep available the services of the current officers, key employees and consultants of the Company and to preserve the current relationships of the Company with customers, suppliers and other persons with which the Company has significant business relations.
(b) By way of amplification and not limitation, except as (1) expressly contemplated by any other provision of this Agreement, any Ancillary Agreement, (2) as set forth in Section 6.01 of the Company Disclosure Schedule, and (3) as required by applicable Law (including COVID-19 Measures or as may be requested or compelled by any Governmental Authority), the Company shall not, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time or the earlier termination of this Agreement, directly or indirectly, do any of the following without the prior written consent of BCAC (which consent shall not be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed):
(i) amend or otherwise change its certificate of incorporation or bylaws;
(ii) issue, sell, pledge, dispose of, grant or encumber, or authorize the issuance, sale, pledge, disposition, grant or encumbrance of, (A) any shares of any class of capital stock of the Company, or any options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights of any kind to acquire any shares of such capital stock, or any other ownership interest (including, without limitation, any phantom interest), of the Company, provided that (x) the exercise, conversion or settlement of any Company Preferred Stock, Company Options or Company Warrants or (y) grants of Company Options that would be permitted by Section 6.01(b)(vii) shall not require the consent of BCAC; or (B) any material assets of the Company;
(iii) declare, set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution, payable in cash, stock, property or otherwise, with respect to any of its capital stock;
(iv) reclassify, combine, split, subdivide or redeem, or purchase or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any of its capital stock, other than redemptions of equity securities from former employees upon the terms set forth in the underlying agreements governing such equity securities;
(v) (A) acquire (including, without limitation, by merger, consolidation, or acquisition of stock or assets or any other business combination) any person, corporation, partnership, other business organization or any division thereof in an amount in excess of $300,000; or (B) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money in excess of $300,000 or issue any debt securities or assume, guarantee or endorse, or otherwise become responsible for, the obligations of any person, or make any loans or advances, or intentionally grant any security interest in any of its assets, in each case, except in the ordinary course of business;
(vi) enter into or adopt a plan or agreement of reorganization, merger or consolidation or adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation or dissolution;
(vii) (A) except in the ordinary course of business or as would not create a material liability on the Company, enter into any new, or materially amend any existing employment or severance or termination agreement with any director or executive officer of the Company, or (B) make any change to employee compensation, incentives or benefits after the filing of the Registration Statement that would reasonably be expected to require an amendment to the Registration Statement under applicable Law;
(viii) take any action where such action could reasonably be expected to prevent or impede the Transactions from qualifying for the Intended Tax Treatment;
(ix) enter into any contract or agreement with any union, works council or labor organization covering the Company’s employees;
(x) materially amend accounting policies or procedures, other than reasonable and usual amendments in the ordinary course of business or as required by GAAP;
(xi) make, change or revoke any Tax election, amend any Tax Return or settle or compromise any material United States federal, state, local or non-United States income Tax liability or consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any claim or assessment for any amount of Tax relating to the Company;
(xii) materially amend, or modify or consent to the termination (excluding any expiration in accordance with its terms) of any Material Contract or amend, waive, modify or consent to the termination (excluding any expiration in accordance with its terms) of the Company’s material rights thereunder, in each case in a manner that is materially adverse to the Company, except in the ordinary course of business;
(xiii) acquire or lease, or agree to acquire or lease, any real property;
(xiv) intentionally permit any material item of Company IP to lapse or to be abandoned, invalidated, dedicated to the public, or disclaimed, or otherwise become unenforceable or fail to perform or make any applicable filings, recordings or other similar actions or filings, or fail to pay all required fees and taxes required or advisable to maintain and protect its interest in each and every material item of Company IP;
(xv) initiate, settle or compromise any Actions;
(xvi) enter into any Contract, understanding or commitment that contains any restrictive covenant or otherwise restrains, restricts, limits or impedes the ability of the Company to compete with or conduct any business in any geographic area or solicit the employment of any Persons; or
(xvii) enter into any formal or informal agreement or otherwise make a binding commitment to do any of the foregoing.
CONDUCT OF BUSINESS PENDING THE MERGER 7.1 Conduct of Business by the OCG and CMPI Pending the Merger From the date hereof until the Effective Time, unless OCG and CMPI shall otherwise agree in writing, and expect as otherwise contemplated by this Agreement, OCG and CMPI and their respective Subsidiaries shall conduct their business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, from the date hereof until the Effective Time, without the written consent of OCG and CMPI, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld:
(a) Neither OCG nor CMPI will adopt or propose any change to their respective certificate or articles of incorporation or bylaws;
(b) Neither OCG nor CMPI will (i) declare, set aside or pay any dividend or other distribution with respect to any shares of capital stock of the respective OCG and CMPI, or (ii) repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any outstanding shares of capital stock or other securities of, or other ownership interests in, OCG or CMPI, as the case may be;
(c) Neither OCG nor CMPI will, nor permit any of its Subsidiaries to, merge or consolidate with any other person or acquire assets of any other person except in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to transactions among wholly-owned subsidiaries of OCG or CMPI, as the case may be;
(d) Neither OCG nor CMPI will, nor permit any of its Subsidiaries to, sell, lease, license or otherwise surrender, relinquish or dispose of any material assets or properties except in the ordinary course of business;
(e) Neither OCG nor CMPI will (i) issue any securities (whether through the issuance or granting of options, warrants, rights or otherwise, (ii) enter into any amendment of any term of any outstanding security of such company or of any of its Subsidiaries, (iii) incur any indebtedness, except trade debt in the ordinary course of business and debt pursuant to existing or previously disclosed contemplated credit facilities or arrangements, (iv) increase in any material respect compensation, bonus or other benefits payable to, or modify or amend any employment agreements or severance agreements with, any executive officer, or (v) enter into any settlement or consent with respect to any pending litigation, other than settlements in the ordinary course of business or on terms which are not otherwise materially adverse to such company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole;
(f) OCG and CMPI will not change any method of accounting or accounting practice by OCG and CMPI or any of their Subsidiaries, except for any such change required by GAAP;
(g) Neither OCG nor CMPI will, nor permit any of its Subsidiaries to, (i) take, or agree or commit to take, any action that would make any representation and warranty of the respective company hereunder inaccurate in any material respect at, or as of any time prior to, the Effective Time or (ii) omit, or agree or commit to omit, to take any action necessary or appropriate to prevent any such representation or warranty from being inaccurate in any material respect at any such time; and
(h) Neither OCG nor CMPI will, nor permit any of its Subsidiaries to, agree or commit to do any of the foregoing.
Mergers, Consolidations, Sales of Assets and Acquisitions Merge into or consolidate with any other person, or permit any other person to merge into or consolidate with it, or sell, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of (in one transaction or in a series of transactions, including effected pursuant to a Delaware LLC Division) all or any part of its assets (whether now owned or hereafter acquired), or issue, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any Equity Interests of the Company or any Subsidiary, or purchase, lease or otherwise acquire (in one transaction or a series of transactions) all or any substantial part of the assets of any other person, except that this Section shall not prohibit:
(a) (i) any disposal by the Company or any Subsidiary of an asset or other property in the ordinary course of the Company’s or Subsidiary’s business, (ii) any acquisition (in one or a series of transactions) by any Loan Party or Subsidiary of all or any substantial part of the assets or other property of any other person, so long as such acquisition is in the ordinary course of such Loan Party’s or Subsidiary’s business, or (iii) the sale of Permitted Investments by any Loan Party or Subsidiary, so long as such sale is in the ordinary course of such Loan Party’s or Subsidiary’s business;
(b) if at the time thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom, (i) the merger of any Subsidiary (other than the Co-Borrower) into a Borrower in a transaction in which such Borrower is the survivor, (ii) the merger or consolidation of any Subsidiary (other than the Co-Borrower) into or with any Subsidiary Guarantor in a transaction in which the surviving or resulting entity is a Subsidiary Guarantor, and, in the case of each of clauses (i) and (ii), no person other than a Borrower or a Subsidiary Guarantor receives any consideration, (iii) the merger or consolidation of any Subsidiary (other than the Co-Borrower) that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor into or with any other Subsidiary that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor, (iv) the liquidation or dissolution or change in form of entity of any Subsidiary (other than a Borrower) if the Company determines in good faith that such liquidation, dissolution or change in form is in the best interests of the Company and is not materially disadvantageous to Lenders, (v) any disposition to effect the formation of any Subsidiary that is a Delaware Divided LLC and would otherwise not be prohibited hereunder; provided that any disposition or other allocation of any assets (including any equity interests of such Delaware Divided LLC) in connection therewith is otherwise permitted hereunder or (vi) any Subsidiary (other than the Co-Borrower) may merge with any other person in order to effect an Investment permitted pursuant to Section 6.04 so long as the continuing or surviving person shall be a Subsidiary, which shall be a Loan Party if the merging Subsidiary was a Loan Party and which together with each of their Subsidiaries shall have complied with the requirements of Section 5.10;
(c) sales, transfers, leases or other dispositions to any Loan Party or by any Subsidiary that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor or the Co-Borrower to any other Subsidiary, including without limitation, a Permitted Vessel Transfer;
(d) Sale and Lease-Back Transactions permitted by Section 6.03;
(e) Investments permitted by Section 6.04, Permitted Liens, and dividends, distributions and other payments permitted by Section 6.06;
(f) the sale of defaulted receivables in the ordinary course of business and not as part of an accounts receivables financing transaction;
(g) sales, transfers, leases or other dispositions of assets not otherwise permitted by this Section 6.05 (or required to be included in this clause (g) pursuant to Section 6.05(c)); provided, that the Net Proceeds thereof are applied in accordance with Section 2.11(b);
(h) Permitted Business Acquisitions (including any merger or consolidation in order to effect a Permitted Business Acquisition); provided, that following any such merger or consolidation involving a Borrower, such Borrower is the surviving corporation;
(i) leases, charters or licenses (on a non-exclusive basis with respect to intellectual property), or subleases or sublicenses (on a non-exclusive basis with respect to intellectual property), of any property in the ordinary course of business;
(j) sales, leases or other dispositions of inventory of the Company or any Subsidiary determined by the management of the Company to be no longer useful or necessary in the operation of the business of any Loan Party or Subsidiary; provided that the Net Proceeds thereof are applied in accordance with Section 2.11(b);
(k) acquisitions and purchases made with the proceeds of any Asset Sale pursuant to the first proviso of paragraph (a) of the definition of “Net Proceeds”;
(l) [reserved];
(m) any exchange of assets for services and/or other assets of comparable or greater value; provided that (i) at least [*]% of the consideration received by the transferor consists of assets that will be used in a business or business activity permitted hereunder, (ii) in the event of an exchange with a fair market value in excess of the greater of (x) $[*] and (y) [*]% of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of the fiscal quarter immediately prior to the date of such exchange for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.04, the Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate from a Responsible Officer of the Company with respect to such fair market value and (iii) in the event of an exchange with a fair market value in excess of the greater of (x) $[*] and (y) [*]% of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of the fiscal quarter immediately prior to the date of such exchange for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.04, such exchange shall have been approved by at least a majority of the board of directors of the Company; provided, further, that (A) the aggregate gross consideration (including exchange assets, other non-cash consideration and cash proceeds) of any or all assets exchanged in reliance upon this paragraph (m) shall not exceed, in any fiscal year of the Company, the greater of $[*] and [*]% of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of the fiscal quarter immediately prior to the date of such incurrence for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.04, (B) no Default or Event of Default exists or would result therefrom, (C) with respect to any such exchange with aggregate gross consideration in excess of the greater of (x) $[*] and (y) [*]% of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of the fiscal quarter immediately prior to the date of such exchange for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.04, immediately after giving effect thereto, the Company shall be in Pro Forma Compliance, and (D) the Net Proceeds, if any, thereof are applied in accordance with Section 2.11(b);
(n) any disposition of any assets owned by any New Vessel Subsidiary or of any Vessel that is not a Mortgaged Vessel; and
(o) disposals of cash raised or borrowed for the purposes for which such cash was raised or borrowed. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in Section 6.05 above, (i) no sale, transfer or other disposition of assets shall be permitted by this Section 6.05 (other than sales, transfers, leases or other dispositions to Loan Parties pursuant to paragraph (c) hereof) unless such disposition is for fair market value, (ii) no sale, transfer or other disposition of assets shall be permitted by paragraph (a) or (d) of this Section 6.05 unless such disposition is for at least 75% cash consideration and (iii) no sale, transfer or other disposition of assets shall be permitted by paragraph (g) of this Section 6.05 unless such disposition is for at least 75% cash consideration; provided that the provisions of clause (ii) or (iii) shall not apply to any individual transaction or series of related transactions involving assets with a fair market value of less than $[*] or to other transactions involving assets with a fair market value of not more than the greater of $[*] and [*]% of Consolidated Total Assets in the aggregate for all such transactions during the term of this Agreement; provided, further, that for purposes of clause (iii), (a) the amount of any secured Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary or other Indebtedness of a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party (as shown on the Company’s or such Subsidiary’s most recent balance sheet or in the notes thereto) that is assumed by the transferee of any such assets shall be deemed to be cash, (b) any notes or other obligations or other securities or assets received by the Company or such Subsidiary from the transferee that are converted by the Company or such Subsidiary into cash within 180 days after receipt thereof (to the extent of the cash received) shall be deemed to be cash and (c) any Designated Non-Cash Consideration received by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries having an aggregate fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Company), taken together with all other Designated Non-Cash Consideration received pursuant to this clause (c) that is at that time outstanding, not to exceed the greater of $[*] million and [*]% of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of the fiscal quarter immediately prior to the date of receipt of such Designated Non-Cash Consideration for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.04 (with the fair market value of each item of Designated Non-Cash Consideration being measured at the time received and without giving effect to subsequent changes in value) shall be deemed to be cash.
Permitted Actions Anything to the contrary in this Section 3 notwithstanding, any Claimholder may:
(i) if an Insolvency Proceeding has been commenced by or against any Grantor, file a claim, proof of claim or statement of interest with respect to (i) in the case of an ABL Claimholder, the ABL Debt, and (ii) in the case of a Term Claimholder, the Term Debt, and in each case, subject in all respects to this Agreement, the Collateral securing such Debt;
(ii) take any action (not adverse to the priority status of the Liens on the Priority Collateral held by the Priority Agent with respect thereto, or the rights of the Priority Agent or any other Priority Claimholder to undertake Enforcement Actions with respect thereto) in order to create or perfect its Lien in and to the Collateral;
(iii) file any necessary responsive or defensive pleadings in opposition to any motion, claim, adversary proceeding or other pleading made by any Person objecting to or otherwise seeking the disallowance of the claims of (i) in the case of a claim of an ABL Claimholder in respect of the ABL Debt, the ABL Claimholders, or (ii) in the case of a claim of a Term Claimholder in respect of the Term Debt, the Term Claimholders, in each case including any claims secured by the Collateral, if any, in each case, in accordance with the express provisions of this Agreement;
(iv) vote on any plan of reorganization and make any filings and motions that are, in each case, not in contravention of the express provisions of this Agreement, with respect to (A) in the case of an ABL Claimholder, the ABL Debt, and (B) in the case of a Term Claimholder, the Term Debt, and (in each case) the Collateral;
(v) join (but not exercise any control with respect to) any judicial foreclosure proceeding or other judicial lien enforcement proceeding with respect to the Priority Collateral of - 28 - WEIL:\96331350\2\35899.0561 the Priority Agent initiated by such Priority Agent to the extent that any such action could not reasonably be expected, in any material respect, to restrain, hinder, limit, delay for any material period or otherwise interfere with an Enforcement Action by such Priority Agent (it being understood that neither the Junior Agent nor any Junior Claimholder shall be entitled to receive any proceeds from the Priority Collateral unless otherwise expressly permitted herein);
(vi) the Term Agent or any Term Claimholder may exercise any of its rights or remedies with respect to the ABL Priority Collateral in accordance with the Term Documents after the termination of the ABL Priority Standstill Period to the extent permitted by Section 3.1 above; and
(vii) the ABL Agent or any ABL Claimholder may exercise any of its rights or remedies with respect to the Term Priority Collateral in accordance with the ABL Documents after the termination of the Term Priority Standstill Period to the extent permitted by Section 3.2 above.
ADJUSTMENTS TO THE RIGHTS IN THE EVENT OF CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS 3.1 Flip-in.
(a) In the event that prior to the Expiration Time a Flip-in Date shall occur, except as provided in this Section 3.1, each Right shall constitute the right to purchase from the Company, upon exercise thereof in accordance with the terms hereof (but subject to Section 5.10), that number of shares of Common Stock having an aggregate Market Price on the Stock Acquisition Date equal to twice the Exercise Price for an amount in cash equal to the Exercise Price (such right to be appropriately adjusted in order to protect the interests of the holders of Rights generally in the event that on or after such Stock Acquisition Date an event of a type analogous to any of the events described in Section 2.4(a) or (b) shall have occurred with respect to the Common Stock).
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Rights that are or were Beneficially Owned on or after the Stock Acquisition Date by an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof or by any transferee, direct or indirect, of any of the foregoing shall become void and any holder of such Rights (including transferees) shall thereafter have no right to exercise or transfer such Rights under any provision of this Agreement. If any Rights Certificate is presented for assignment or exercise and the Person presenting the same will not complete the certification set forth at the end of the form of assignment or notice of election to exercise and provide such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner and its Affiliates and Associates (or former Beneficial Owners and their Affiliates and Associates) as the Company shall reasonably request, then the Company shall be entitled conclusively to deem the Beneficial Owner thereof to be an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof or a transferee of any of the foregoing and accordingly will deem the Rights evidenced thereby to be void and not transferable or exercisable.
(c) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any time after a Flip-in Date and prior to the time that an Acquiring Person becomes the Beneficial Owner of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock elect to exchange all (but not less than all) the then outstanding Rights (which shall not include Rights that have become void pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.1(b)) for shares of Common Stock at an exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock per Right, appropriately adjusted in order to protect the interests of holders of Rights generally in the event that after the Separation Time an event of a type analogous to any of the events described in Section 2.4(a) or (b) shall have occurred with respect to the Common Stock (such exchange ratio, as adjusted from time to time, being hereinafter referred to as the "Exchange Ratio").
