EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.5
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT is effective on November 9, 2020, between Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”), a Delaware corporation, and Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx (the “Employee”).
The parties desire to enter into this Agreement so as to provide for the employment of the Employee by the Company and for certain other matters in connection with such employment, all as set forth more fully in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and covenants set forth herein, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties to this Agreement hereby agree as follows:
3. | Compensation. |
(c) | Sign-on Bonus. The Employee will receive a sign-on bonus of |
$40,000.00; to be paid 30 days after the first day of employment, less applicable taxes and withholding, paid in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices.
An award of 10,000 Restricted Stock Units to be vested at 50% on the first anniversary of hire and 50% on the second anniversary of hire.
4. | Termination. |
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shall be paid in accordance with the terms of those plans. For purposes of this Agreement, the
term “Disability” shall mean an illness, incapacity or a mental or physical condition that renders the Employee unable or incompetent to carry out the job responsibilities that the Employee held or the tasks that the Employee was assigned at the time the disability commenced, as determined by the Board and supported by the opinion of a physician. The Employee shall fully cooperate with the physician retained to furnish such opinion, including submitting to such examinations and tests as may be requested by the physician.
policies; (vii) gross insubordination by the Employee in the performance of the Employee’s duties under this Agreement; (viii) engaging in any conduct, action or behavior that, in the reasonable opinion of the Company, has had a material adverse effect on the reputation of the Company or the Employee; (ix) any continued or repeated absence from the Company, unless the absence is approved or excused by the CEO or the result of the Employee’s illness, disability or incapacity (in which event the provisions of Section 4(b) hereof shall control); or (x) misappropriation of any funds or property of the Company, theft, embezzlement or fraud. For the avoidance of doubt, “Cause” shall not mean a failure to achieve scientific goals, financial goals or forecasted timelines. In the event that the Company shall discharge the Employee pursuant to this Section 4(c), the Company shall not have any further obligation or liability under this Agreement, except that the Company shall pay to the Employee: (i) any portion of the
Employee’s Base Salary for the period up to the date of termination that has been earned but remains unpaid; and (ii) any benefits that have accrued to the Employee under the terms of the employee benefit plans of the Company, which benefits shall be paid in accordance with the terms of those plans.
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this Agreement that survive the termination of the Employee’s employment by the Company,
(A) the Employee’s Base Salary for a period of nine months, less applicable taxes and withholdings, payable in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices, with an accelerated payment of any balance upon the occurrence of a Change in Control; provided, however, that if such termination of employment shall occur within three months before or within twelve months after the occurrence of a Change in Control (such period being referred to herein as the “Change of Control Period”), the severance payable to the Employee shall be increased to an amount equal to the Employee’s Base Salary for a period of eighteen months and be payable in a single lump sum payment, less applicable taxes and withholdings; (B) payment or reimbursement (upon presentation of proof of payment) of the Employee’s medical insurance premiums at the same level as was in effect on the termination date for a period of nine months, which period shall increase to eighteen months if such termination of employment shall occur within the Change in Control Period; and (C) if such termination shall occur within the Change
in Control Period, an amount equal to the Employee’s Target Bonus for one year plus the Target Bonus for the year in which such employment termination shall occur prorated based on the relative number of days in such year during which the Employee was employed by the Company and/or its successor in the Change in Control, payable in a single lump sum payment, less applicable taxes and withholdings. Any severance payments and lump sum payments due hereunder shall commence as soon as administratively feasible within 60 days after the date of
the Employee’s termination of employment provided the Employee has timely executed and returned the Release referred to in Section 4(g) and, if a revocation period is applicable, the Employee has not revoked the Release; provided, however, that if the 60-day period begins in one calendar year and ends in a second calendar year, the severance payments shall begin to be paid in the second calendar year. On the date that severance payments commence, the Company will pay the Employee in a single lump sum payment, less applicable taxes and withholding, the severance payments that the Employee would have received on or prior to such date but for the delay imposed by the immediately preceding sentence, with the balance of the severance payments to be paid as originally scheduled.
as hereafter increased; or (iv) a material diminution of the Executive’s Base Salary and benefits, in the aggregate, unless such reduction is part of a Company-wide reduction in compensation and/or benefits for all of its senior executives. If the Employee shall terminate the Employee’s employment hereunder for Good Reason, the Employee shall be entitled to receive the same payments and benefits on the same terms and conditions as would be applicable upon a termination of the Employee’s employment by the Company without Cause, as provided in Section 4(d) and subject to the satisfaction of the other provisions of this Section 4(e). The Employee may not resign with Good Reason pursuant to this Section 4(e), and shall not be considered to have done so for any purpose of this Agreement, unless (A) the Employee, within 60 days after the initial existence of the act or failure to act by the Company that constitutes
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“Good Reason” within the meaning of this Agreement, provides the Company with written notice that describes, in particular detail, the act or failure to act that the Employee believes to constitute “Good Reason” and identifies the particular clause of this Section 4(e) that the Employee contends is applicable to such act or failure to act; (B) the Company, within 30 days after its receipt of such notice, fails or refuses to rescind such act or remedy such failure to act so as to eliminate “Good Reason” for the termination by the Employee of the Employee’s employment relationship with the Company, and (C) the Employee actually resigns from the employ of the Company on or before that date that is six calendar months after the initial
existence of the act or failure to act by the Company that constitutes “Good Reason.” If the requirements of the preceding sentence are not fully satisfied on a timely basis, then the resignation by the Employee from the employ of the Company shall not be deemed to have been for “Good Reason,” the Employee shall not be entitled to any of the benefits to which the Employee would have been entitled if the Employee had resigned from the employ of the Company for “Good Reason,” and the Company shall not be required to pay any amount or provide any benefit that would otherwise have been due to the Employee under this Section 4(e) had the Employee resigned with “Good Reason.”
termination. In the event the Employee shall terminate the Employee’s employment pursuant to this Section 4(f), the Company shall not have any further obligation or liability under this Agreement, except that the Company shall pay to the Employee: (i) any portion of the
Employee’s Base Salary for the period up to the date of termination that has been earned but remains unpaid; and (ii) any benefits that have accrued to the Employee under the terms of the employee benefit plans of the Company, which benefits shall be paid in accordance with the terms of those plans.
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Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, in no event shall the timing of the Employee’s execution of the Release, directly or indirectly, result in the Employee designating the calendar year of payment, and if a payment that is subject to execution of the Release could be made in more than one taxable year, payment shall be made in the later taxable year.
deemed to occur by reason of the acquisition of shares of the Company’s capital stock by an investor or group of investors in the Company in a capital-raising transaction; or
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employees” under Section 409A(a)(2)(B) of the Code shall not be paid before the expiration of a period of six months following the date of the Employee’s termination of employment or before the date of the Employee’s death, if earlier.
Payments shall be treated as “parachute payments” (within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(2) of the Code) unless, in the opinion of tax counsel (“Tax Counsel”) selected by the accounting firm
that was, immediately prior to the Change in Control, the Company’s independent auditor (the “Auditor”), such payments or benefits (in whole or in part) do not constitute parachute payments, including by reason of Section 280G(b)(4)(A) of the Code, (B) all “excess parachute payments” within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(1) of the Code shall be treated as subject to the Excise Tax unless, in the opinion of Tax Counsel, such excess parachute payments (in whole or in part)
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represent reasonable compensation for services actually rendered (within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(4)(B) of the Code) in excess of the base amount (within the meaning of Section 280G(b)(3) of the Code) allocable to such reasonable compensation, or are otherwise not subject to the Excise Tax, and (C) the value of any noncash benefits or any deferred payment or benefit shall be determined by the Auditor in accordance with the principles of Sections 280G(d)(3) and
(4) of the Code. If the Auditor is prohibited by applicable law or regulation from performing the duties assigned to it hereunder, then a different auditor, acceptable to both the Company and Employee, shall be selected. The fees and expenses of Tax Counsel and the Auditor shall be paid by the Company.
5. | Non-Disclosure and Non-Competition. |
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termination of Employee’s employment with the Company. The Employee’s ownership of no more than 5% of the outstanding voting stock of a publicly traded company shall not constitute a violation of this Section 5(b). The Employee is entering into this covenant not to compete in consideration of the additional agreements of the Company in this Agreement, including but not limited to the rights of the Employee set forth in Sections 4(d) and 4(e).
6. | Inventions and Discoveries. |
made for hire,” as that term is defined in the United States Copyright Act. The Employee understands and hereby agrees that the decision whether or not to commercialize or market any Invention developed by the Employee solely or jointly with others is within the Company’s sole discretion and for the Company’s sole benefit and that no royalty shall be due to the Employee as a result of the Company’s efforts to commercialize or market any such Invention.
officers and agents as the Employee’s agent and attorney in fact, to act for and in the Employee’s behalf and stead to execute and file any such applications and to do all other lawfully permitted acts to further the prosecution and issuance of letters patent or copyright registrations thereon with the same legal force and effect as if executed by the Employee.
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12. | Assignment. |
If to the Company:
Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 000 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxx
5 Radnor Corporate Center; Suite 500 Attention: Chief Executive Officer
If to the Employee, to address stated on the signature page to this Agreement.
Any party may from time to time change its address for the purpose of notices to that party by a similar notice specifying a new address, but no such change shall be deemed to have been given until it is actually received by the party sought to be charged with its contents.
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benefit shall be postponed to the earliest commencement date on which the payment or provision of such amount or benefit could be made without incurring such additional tax. In addition, to the extent that any Internal Revenue Service guidance issued under Section 409A would result in the Employee being subject to the payment of interest or any additional tax under Section 409A, the parties agree, to the extent reasonably possible, to amend this Agreement in order to avoid the imposition of any such interest or additional tax under Section 409A, which amendment shall have the minimum economic effect necessary and be reasonably determined in good faith by the Company and the Employee.
(Signature page follows.)
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed by the parties.
By: /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, MD |
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, MD |
Chief Executive Officer Date: October 26, 2020 |
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By: /s/ Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx |
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx |
Date: October 26, 2020 |
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