Reclassification of Position An employee shall not have her salary reduced by reason of a change in the classification of her position that is caused other than by the employee herself.
Termination in Connection with a Change of Control If during the two (2) year period that begins on the date that is one (1) year prior to a Change of Control and ends on that date which is one (1) year following a Change of Control, Conn’s (or its successor) terminates Executive’s employment other than for Cause or as a result of Executive’s death or Disability, or Executive voluntarily terminates his employment for Good Reason, Conn’s will pay the following amounts and provide the following benefits:
(i) A lump-sum cash payment in an amount equal to three (3) times the Executive’s Base Salary, payable not later than ten (10) days following (A) Executive’s termination (if Executive’s employment terminates on or after the date of the Change of Control), or (B) the date of the Change of Control (if Executive’s employment terminates during the one-year period prior to the date of the Change of Control). Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3(c)(i)(B), the amount payable to Executive under this Section 3(c)(i) shall be reduced by the payments, if any, received by Executive pursuant to Section 3(b)(i).
(ii) During the eighteen (18) month period following such termination (the “Change of Control Severance Period”), Executive shall receive continued coverage under the Conn’s medical, dental, life, disability, and other employee welfare benefit plans in which senior executives of Conn’s are eligible to participate, to the extent Executive is eligible under the terms of such plans immediately prior to Executive’s termination. For purposes of clarity, during the term of this Agreement Conn’s shall provide Executive coverage under a major medical plan. Conn’s obligation to provide the foregoing benefits shall terminate upon Executive’s becoming eligible for comparable employee welfare benefits under a plan or arrangement provided by a new employer. Executive agrees to promptly notify Conn’s of any such employment and the material terms of any employee welfare benefits offered to Executive in connection with such employment.
(iii) All awards held by Executive under the Conn’s Amended and Restated 2003 Incentive Stock Option Plan and/or the Conn’s 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan shall immediately vest and, if applicable, continue to be exercisable during the Change of Control Severance Period as if Executive had remained an employee of Conn’s. The terms of this Section 3(c) are continuing in nature and shall survive until the one (1) year anniversary of the earlier of Executive’s termination of employment or termination of this Agreement.
Involuntary Termination in Connection with a Change in Control Notwithstanding anything contained herein, in the event of an Involuntary Termination prior to a Change in Control, if the Involuntary Termination (1) was at the request of a third party who has taken steps reasonably calculated to effect such Change in Control or (2) otherwise arose in connection with or in anticipation of such Change in Control, then the Executive shall, in lieu of the payments described in Section 4 hereof, be entitled to the Post-Change in Control Severance Payment and the additional benefits described in this Section 5 as if such Involuntary Termination had occurred within two (2) years following the Change in Control. The amounts specified in Section 5 that are to be paid under this Section 5(h) shall be reduced by any amount previously paid under Section 4. The amounts to be paid under this Section 5(h) shall be paid within sixty (60) days after the Change in Control Date of such Change in Control.
Termination in Connection with Change of Control If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason within sixty (60) days prior to or twelve (12) months following a Change of Control, Executive shall be entitled to receive, in lieu of any severance benefits to which Executive may otherwise be entitled under any severance plan or program of the Company, the benefits provided below:
(A) the Company shall pay to Executive his or her fully earned but unpaid base salary, when due, through the date of termination at the rate then in effect, plus all other amounts to which Executive is entitled under any compensation plan or practice of the Company at the time of termination;
(B) on the first scheduled payment date pursuant to the usual payroll practices of the Company (or successor entity, as applicable) immediately after the 60th day following the date of termination or Change of Control, in the event the date of termination precedes a Change of Control, with respect to those payments the amount of which is not administratively practicable by the foregoing date because it is not yet known whether a Change of Control will occur within sixty (60) days following the date of termination, as applicable, Executive shall be entitled to receive a lump sum severance payment equal to the sum of:
(1) twelve (12) months of Executive’s monthly base salary as in effect immediately prior to the date of termination, plus
(2) an amount equal to Executive’s Bonus;
(C) The vesting and/or exercisability of all of Executive’s outstanding unvested Stock Awards shall be automatically accelerated on the date of termination;
(D) for the period beginning on the date of termination and ending on the date which is twelve (12) full months following the date of termination (or, if earlier, the date on which Executive accepts employment with another employer that provides comparable benefits in terms of cost and scope of coverage), the Company shall pay for and provide Executive and his or her dependents with healthcare and life insurance benefits which are substantially the same as the benefits provided to Executive immediately prior to the date of termination, including, if necessary, paying the costs associated with continuation coverage pursuant to COBRA;
(E) Executive shall be entitled to executive-level outplacement services at the Company’s expense, not to exceed $15,000. Such services shall be provided by a firm selected by Executive from a list compiled by the Company; and
(F) The payments and benefits provided for in this Section 4(d)(ii) shall only be payable in the event Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason within sixty (60) days prior to or twelve (12) months following a Change of Control. If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason prior to a Change of Control and such Change of Control is not consummated within sixty (60) days following such termination, then Executive shall receive the payments and benefits described in Section 4(d)(i) and shall not be eligible to receive any of the payments and benefits described in this Section 4(d)(ii).
Upon a Change of Control Upon a Change of Control (as defined in Section 6 hereof) the following shall occur:
(i) at the time of the consummation of such Change of Control, 25% of any then unvested stock options held by you at such time that were granted on or prior to the Amendment Date shall vest as of the date of the consummation of such Change of Control (notwithstanding any contrary provision in any agreement evidencing such stock options) with such vesting reducing the number of shares subject to such stock options that would otherwise vest on each subsequent vesting date by 25%.
(ii) if, within one year following the date of the consummation of such Change of Control, the Company or any successor thereto terminates your employment other than for Cause, or you terminate your employment for Good Reason, then, in lieu of any payments to you or on your behalf under Section 5(a) hereof, (A) the Company shall pay to you a lump sum payment equal to the sum of (x) your then-current annual base salary plus (y) your target bonus amount for the year in which such termination occurs, which amount shall be paid to you as provided in Section 5(f) below; (B) 100% of any then unvested equity and equity-based awards, including, but not limited to, stock options, held by you at the time of such termination shall fully vest, effective upon the date of such termination (notwithstanding any contrary provision in any agreement evidencing such equity or equity-based awards); and (C) if you are participating in the Company’s group health plan and/or dental plan at the time your employment terminates pursuant to this Section 5(c)(ii) and you exercise your right to continue participation in those plans under COBRA, the Company will pay or, at its option, reimburse you, on a monthly basis, for the full monthly premium cost of that participation for the 12 months following the date on which your employment with the Company terminates or, if earlier, until the date you become eligible to enroll in the health (and/or, if applicable, dental) plan of a new employer, it being understood that, to the extent that the payment of the base salary contemplated by clause (A)(x) of this Section 5(c)(ii) in a lump sum would result in adverse tax consequences under Section 409A, such payment shall instead be paid at the same time and in the same form as provided in Section 5(a)(i)(A) hereof.
Termination Upon or Following a Change of Control (a) A Change of Control of the Company (“Change of Control”) shall be deemed to have occurred upon the happening of any of the following events:
(i) the consummation of a transaction that results in the reorganization, merger or consolidation of the Company with one or more other persons, other than a transaction following which:
(A) at least 51% of the equity ownership interests of the entity resulting from such transaction are beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) in substantially the same relative proportions by persons who, immediately prior to such transaction, beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) at least 51% of the outstanding equity ownership interests in the Company; and
(B) at least 51% of the securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the entity resulting from such transaction are beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) in substantially the same relative proportions by persons who, immediately prior to such transaction, beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) at least 51 % of the securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the Company;
(ii) the acquisition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of 20% or more of the outstanding securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors by any person or by any persons acting in concert;
(iii) a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company, or approval by the stockholders of the Company of a plan for such liquidation or dissolution;
(iv) the occurrence of any event if, immediately following such event, at least 50% of the members of the Board do not belong to any of the following groups:
(A) individuals who were members of the Board on the Initial Effective Date; or
(B) individuals who first became members of the Board after the Initial Effective Date either:
(I) upon election to serve as a member of the Board by affirmative vote of three-quarters of the members of such Board, or of a nominating committee thereof, in office at the time of such first election; or
(II) upon election by the stockholders of the Company to serve as a member of the Board, but only if nominated for election by affirmative vote of three-quarters of the members of the Board, or of a nominating committee thereof, in office at the time of such first nomination; provided, however, that such individual's election or nomination did not result from an actual or threatened election contest (within the meaning of Rule 14a-11 of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act) or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents (within the meaning of Rule 14a-11 of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act) other than by or on behalf of the Board; or
(v) any event which would be described in Section 11(a)(i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) if the term “Association” were substituted for the term “Company” therein or the term “Board of Directors of the Association” were substituted for the term “Board”. In no event, however, shall a Change of Control be deemed to have occurred as a result of any acquisition of securities or assets of the Company, the Association, or an affiliate or subsidiary of either of them, by the Company, the Association, or a subsidiary of either of them, or by any employee benefit plan maintained by any of them. For purposes of this Section 11 (a), the term “person” shall have the meaning assigned to it under Sections 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act.
(b) In the event of a Change of Control, the Executive shall be entitled to the payments and benefits contemplated by Section 9(b) in the event of his or her termination of employment with the Company under any of the circumstances described in Section 9(a) of this Agreement or under any of the following circumstances:
(i) resignation, voluntary or otherwise, by the Executive at any time during the Employment Period within six (6) months following his or her demotion, loss of title, office or significant authority or responsibility or following any reduction in any element of his or her package of compensation and benefits;
(ii) resignation, voluntary or otherwise, by the Executive at any time during the Employment Period within six (6) months following any relocation of his or her principal place of employment or any change in working conditions at such principal place of employment which the Executive, in his or her reasonable discretion, determines to be embarrassing, derogatory or otherwise adverse;
(iii) resignation, voluntary or otherwise, by the Executive at any time during the Employment Period within six (6) months following the failure of any successor to the Company in the Change of Control to include the Executive in any compensation or benefit program maintained by it or covering any of its executive officers, unless the Executive is already covered by a substantially similar plan of the Company which is at least as favorable to him or her; or
(iv) resignation, voluntary or otherwise, for any reason whatsoever during the Employment Period within six months following the effective date of the Change of Control.
Termination Upon a Change of Control (a) In the event a Change of Control (as defined below) occurs, and within 24 months after such Change of Control: (i) your employment with the Company is terminated by you pursuant to a Termination for Good Reason (as defined below); or (ii) your employment with the Company is terminated by the Company for any reason other than death, disability or for Cause pursuant to Sections 9(a), (b) or (c); or (iii) this Agreement is not renewed due to a Termination Notice given by the Company, as provided in Section 1(a), (the events under clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) herein collectively called a "Change of Control Termination"), you shall be entitled to receive the payments and benefits set forth in Section 10(e) and (f) below, which payments and benefits shall be in substitution for, and not in addition to, the payments and benefits otherwise payable under Section 2(a) or 2(b) of this Agreement in the event of termination. Your right to receive such payments and benefits, other than the Accrued Obligations, shall be in consideration of your agreements under this Agreement, including but not limited to your agreement not to compete with the Company for two years after a Change of Control pursuant to Section 6, and shall be conditioned upon your execution of a Release. Such Release shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A but may be modified by the Company as it deems appropriate to reflect changes in law or circumstances arising after the date of this Agreement; provided that no such modification shall increase any of your obligations to the Company over those contemplated by this Agreement, including Exhibit A hereto.
(b) For purposes of the Agreement, a "Change of Control" shall be deemed to have occurred if: (i) any person (as defined in Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") and as used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof)), excluding the Company, any subsidiary and any employee benefit plan sponsored or maintained by the Company or any subsidiary (including any trustee of any such plan acting in his capacity as trustee), but including a "group" as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act, becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of shares of the Company having at least 30% of the total number of votes that may be cast for the election of directors of the Company; (ii) the shareholders of the Company shall approve any merger or other business combination of the Company, sale of all or substantially all of the Company's assets or combination of the foregoing transactions (a "Transaction"), other than a Transaction involving only the Company and one or more of its subsidiaries, or a Transaction immediately following which the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to the Transaction continue to have a majority of the voting power in the resulting entity (excluding for this purpose any shareholder of the Company owning directly or indirectly more than 10% of the shares of the other company involved in the Transaction) and no person is the beneficial owner of at least 30% of the shares of the resulting entity as contemplated by Section 10(b)(i) above; or (iii) within any 24-month period beginning on or after the date hereof, the persons who were directors of the Company immediately before the beginning of such period (the "Incumbent Directors") shall cease (for any reason other than death) to constitute at least a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company or the board of directors of any successor to the Company, provided that any director who was not a director as of the date hereof shall be deemed to be an Incumbent Director if such director was elected to the Board by, or on the recommendation of or with the approval of, at least two-thirds of the directors who then qualified as Incumbent Directors either actually or by prior operation of this Section 10(b)(iii), unless such election, recommendation or approval was the result of an actual or threatened election contest of the type contemplated by Regulation 14a-11 under the Exchange Act or any successor provision. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Change of Control of the Company shall be deemed to have occurred for purposes of this Agreement by reason of any actions or events in which you participate in a capacity other than in your capacity as an executive or director of the Company.
Purchase and Sale Termination Events Each of the following events or occurrences described in this Section 8.1 shall constitute a “Purchase and Sale Termination Event” (each event which with notice or the passage of time or both would become a Purchase and Sale Termination Event being referred to herein as an “Unmatured Purchase and Sale Termination Event”):
(a) the Termination Date shall have occurred;
(b) any Originator shall fail to make when due any payment or deposit to be made by it under this Agreement or any other Transaction Document to which it is a party and such failure shall remain unremedied for three (3) Business Days;
(c) any representation or warranty made or deemed to be made by any Originator under or in connection with this Agreement, any other Transaction Documents to which it is a party, or any other written information or report delivered pursuant hereto or thereto shall prove to have been incorrect or untrue in any material respect when made or deemed made or delivered; provided, that such circumstance shall not constitute a Purchase and Sale Termination Event if such representation or warranty, or such information or report, is part of an Information Package, is corrected promptly (but not later than two (2) Business Days) after the Originator has knowledge or receives notice thereof; provided, further that no breach of a representation or warranty set forth in Sections 5.5, 5.12, 5.20, 5.22, 5.23 or 5.27 shall constitute a Purchase and Sale Termination Event pursuant to this clause (c) if credit has been given for a reduction of the Purchase Price, the outstanding principal balance of the applicable Intercompany Loan has been reduced or the applicable Originator has made a cash payment to the Buyer, in any case, as required pursuant to Section 3.3(c) with respect to such breach;
(d) any Originator shall fail to perform or observe any other term, covenant or agreement contained in this Agreement or any other Transaction Document to which it is a party on its part to be performed or observed and such failure shall continue unremedied for thirty (30) days after the such Originator has knowledge or receives written notice thereof; or
(e) any Insolvency Proceeding shall be instituted against any Originator and such proceeding shall remain undismissed or unstayed for a period of sixty (60) consecutive days or any of the actions sought in such proceeding (including the entry of an order for relief against, or the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian or other similar official for, it or for any substantial part of its property) shall occur.
Termination Apart from a Change of Control If the Employee's employment with the Company terminates other than as a result of an Involuntary Termination within the twelve (12) months following a Change of Control, then the Employee shall not be entitled to receive severance or other benefits hereunder, but may be eligible for those benefits (if any) as may then be established under the Company's then existing severance and benefits plans and policies at the time of such termination.
Termination in Connection with a Change in Control a. For purposes of this Agreement, a “Change in Control” means any of the following events:
