SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This
Securities Purchase Agreement (this “Agreement”)
is
dated as of February 15, 2007, between NutraCea, a California corporation (the
“Company”),
and
each purchaser identified on the signature pages hereto (each, including its
successors and assigns, a “Purchaser”
and
collectively the “Purchasers”).
WHEREAS,
subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and pursuant
to
Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”),
and Rule 506 promulgated thereunder, the Company desires to issue and sell
to
each Purchaser, and each Purchaser, severally and not jointly, desires to
purchase from the Company, securities of the Company as more fully described
in
this Agreement.
NOW,
THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement,
and for other good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which
are hereby acknowledged, the Company and each Purchaser agree as
follows:
ARTICLE
I.
DEFINITIONS
1.1 Definitions
.
In
addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, for all purposes
of
this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings set forth in this Section
1.1:
“Action”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(j).
“Affiliate”
means
any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries,
controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person as such
terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act. With
respect to a Purchaser, any investment fund or managed account that is managed
on a discretionary basis by the same investment manager as such Purchaser will
be deemed to be an Affiliate of such Purchaser.
“Business
Day”
means
any day except Saturday, Sunday, any day which is a federal legal holiday in
the
United States or any day on which banking institutions in the State of New
York
are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to
close.
“Closing”
means
the closing of the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to Section
2.1.
“Closing
Date”
means
the Trading Day when all of the Transaction Documents have been executed and
delivered by the applicable parties thereto, and all conditions precedent to
(i)
the Purchasers’ obligations to pay the Subscription Amount and (ii) the
Company’s obligations to deliver the Securities have been satisfied or
waived.
1
“Closing
Price”
means
on any particular date (a) the last reported closing bid price per share of
Common Stock on such date on the Trading Market (as reported by Bloomberg L.P.
at 4:15 p.m. (New York City time)), or (b) if there is no such price on such
date, then the closing bid price on the Trading Market on the date nearest
preceding such date (as reported by Bloomberg L.P. at 4:15 p.m. (New York City
time)), or (c) if the Common Stock is not then listed or quoted on a
Trading Market and if prices for the Common Stock are then reported in the
“pink
sheets” published by Pink Sheets LLC (or a similar organization or agency
succeeding to its functions of reporting prices), the most recent bid price
per
share of the Common Stock so reported, or (d) if the shares of Common Stock
are not then publicly traded the fair market value of a share of Common Stock
as
determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Purchasers
of a majority in interest of the Shares then outstanding and reasonably
acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by
the
Company.
“Commission”
means
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common
Stock”
means
the common stock of the Company, no par value per share, and any other class
of
securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed
into.
“Common
Stock Equivalents”
means
any securities of the Company or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder
thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation,
any
debt, preferred stock, rights, options, warrants or other instrument that is
at
any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise
entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common Stock.
“Company
Counsel”
means
Xxxxxxxxx Genshlea Chediak Law Corporation, with offices located at 000 Xxxxxxx
Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000.
“Disclosure
Schedules”
means
the Disclosure Schedules of the Company delivered concurrently herewith.
“Effective
Date”
means
the date that the initial Registration Statement filed by the Company pursuant
to the Registration Rights Agreement is first declared effective by the
Commission.
“Evaluation
Date”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(r).
“Exchange
Act”
means
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder.
“Exempt
Issuance”
means
the issuance of (a) shares of Common Stock or options to consultants, employees,
officers or directors of the Company pursuant to any stock or option plan duly
adopted for such purpose, by a majority of the non-employee members of the
Board
of Directors of the Company or a majority of the members of a committee of
non-employee directors established, (b) securities upon the exercise or exchange
of or conversion of any Securities issued hereunder and/or other securities
exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into shares of Common Stock
issued and outstanding on the date of this Agreement, provided that such
securities have not been amended since the date of this Agreement to increase
the number of such securities or to decrease the exercise, exchange or
conversion price of such securities, (c) shares of Common Stock issued or
issuable as a dividend on Common Stock, (d) shares of Common Stock issued to
any
broker or placement agent in connection with the transactions consummated
pursuant to this Agreement, (e) shares of Common Stock issued by the Company
as
a penalty pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement or the Prior
Registration Rights Agreements, and (e) securities issued pursuant to
acquisitions or strategic transactions (including securities issuable to brokers
for such transactions) approved by a majority of the disinterested directors
of
the Company, provided that any such issuance shall only be to a Person which
is,
itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company in a business
synergistic with the business of the Company and in which the Company receives
benefits in addition to the investment of funds, but shall not include a
transaction in which the Company is issuing securities primarily for the purpose
of raising capital or to an entity whose primary business is investing in
securities.
2
“FWS”
means
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx & Xxxxx LLP with offices located at 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx 0000, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000-0000.
“GAAP”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).
“Indebtedness”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(aa).
“Intellectual
Property Rights”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(o).
“Liens”
means
a
lien, charge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive
right or other restriction.
“Material
Adverse Effect”
shall
have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1(b).
“Material
Permits”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(m).
“Per
Share Purchase Price”
equals
$2.50, subject to adjustment for reverse and forward stock splits, stock
dividends, stock combinations and other similar transactions of the Common
Stock
that occur after the date of this Agreement.
“Person”
means
an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated
association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company,
government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any
kind.
“Prior
Registration Rights Agreements”
shall
mean, collectively, (i) that
certain Registration Rights Agreement that was entered into by the Company
and
certain investors in connection with the Company’s issuance of its Series B
Convertible Preferred Stock on October 4, 2005 and (ii) that certain
Registration Rights Agreement that was entered into by the Company and certain
investors in connection with the Company’s issuance of its Series C Convertible
Preferred Stock on May 12, 2006.
3
“Proceeding”
means
an action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without
limitation, an informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a
deposition), whether commenced or threatened.
“Purchaser
Party”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.8.
“Registration
Rights Agreement”
means
the Registration Rights Agreement, dated the date hereof, among the Company
and
the Purchasers, in the form of Exhibit
A
attached
hereto.
“Registration
Statement”
means
a
registration statement meeting the requirements set forth in the Registration
Rights Agreement and covering the resale by the Purchasers of the Shares and
the
Warrant Shares.
“Required
Approvals”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(e).
“Rule
144”
means
Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such
Rule may be amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation
hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same effect as
such
Rule.
“SEC
Reports”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).
“Securities”
means
the Shares, the Warrants and the Warrant Shares.
“Securities
Act”
means
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder.
“Shares”
means
the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable to each Purchaser pursuant to
this
Agreement.
“Short
Sales”
means
all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO under the Exchange
Act (but
shall not be deemed to include the location and/or reservation of borrowable
shares of Common Stock).
“Subscription
Amount”
means,
as to each Purchaser, the aggregate amount to be paid for Shares and Warrants
purchased hereunder as specified below such Purchaser’s name on the signature
page of this Agreement and next to the heading “Subscription Amount,” in United
States dollars and in immediately available funds.
“Subsequent
Financing”
shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.13.
4
“Subsidiary”
means
any subsidiary of the Company as set forth on Schedule
3.1(a),
and
shall, where applicable, include any subsidiary of the Company formed or
acquired after the date hereof.
“Trading
Day”
means
a
day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading.
“Trading
Market”
means
the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted
for trading on the date in question: the American Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq
Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market,
the
New York Stock Exchange or the OTC Bulletin Board.
“Transaction
Documents”
means
this Agreement, the Warrants, the Registration Rights Agreement and any other
documents or agreements executed in connection with the transactions
contemplated hereunder.
“Transfer
Agent”
means
American Stock Transfer & Trust, with a mailing address of 59 Maiden Lane,
Plaza Level - Lobby Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000 and a facsimile number of 000 000
0000, and any successor transfer agent of the Company.
“VWAP”
means,
for any date, the price determined by the first of the following clauses that
applies: (a) if the Common Stock is then listed or quoted on a Trading Market,
the daily volume weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or
the nearest preceding date) on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock
is
then listed or quoted for trading as reported by Bloomberg L.P. (based on a
Trading Day from 9:30 a.m. (New York City time) to 4:02 p.m. (New York City
time); (b) if the OTC Bulletin Board is not a Trading Market, the volume
weighted average price of the Common Stock for such date (or the nearest
preceding date) on the OTC Bulletin Board; (c) if the Common Stock is not then
quoted for trading on the OTC Bulletin Board and if prices for the Common Stock
are then reported in the “Pink Sheets” published by Pink Sheets, LLC (or a
similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices),
the most recent bid price per share of the Common Stock so reported; or
(d) in all other cases, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as
determined by an independent appraiser selected in good faith by the Purchasers
of a majority in interest of the Shares then outstanding and reasonably
acceptable to the Company, the fees and expenses of which shall be paid by
the
Company.
“Warrants”
means
collectively the Common Stock purchase warrants delivered to the Purchasers
at
the Closing in accordance with Section 2.2(a) hereof, which Warrants shall
be
exercisable beginning 6-months following the Closing Date and have a term of
exercise equal to five years, in the form of Exhibit
C
attached
hereto.
“Warrant
Shares”
means
the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
5
ARTICLE
II.
PURCHASE
AND SALE
2.1 Closing.
On the Closing Date, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
herein, substantially concurrent with the execution and delivery of this
Agreement by the parties hereto, the Company agrees to sell, and the Purchasers,
severally and not jointly, agree to purchase, in the aggregate, up to
$50,000,000 of Shares and Warrants. Each Purchaser shall deliver to the Company,
via wire transfer or a certified check, immediately available funds equal to
its
Subscription Amount and the Company shall deliver to each Purchaser its
respective Shares and a Warrant as determined pursuant to Section 2.2(a), and
the Company and each Purchaser shall deliver the other items set forth in
Section 2.2 deliverable at the Closing. Upon satisfaction of the covenants
and
conditions set forth in Sections 2.2 and 2.3, the Closing shall occur at the
offices of Company Counsel, or such other location as the parties shall mutually
agree.
2.2 Deliveries
(a) On
or
prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered
to
each Purchaser the following:
(i) this
Agreement duly executed by the Company;
(ii) a
legal
opinion of Company Counsel, substantially in the form of Exhibit
B
attached
hereto;
(iii) a
copy of
the irrevocable instructions to the Transfer Agent instructing the Transfer
Agent to deliver, on an expedited basis, a certificate evidencing a number
of
Shares equal to such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount divided by the Per Share
Purchase Price, registered in the name of such Purchaser;
(iv) a
Warrant
registered in the name of such Purchaser to purchase up to a number of shares
of
Common Stock equal to 50% of the Shares purchased by such Purchaser hereunder,
with an exercise price equal to $3.25, subject to adjustment therein;
and
(v) the
Registration Rights Agreement duly executed by the Company.
(b) On
or
prior to the Closing Date, each Purchaser shall deliver or cause to be delivered
to the Company the following:
(i) this
Agreement duly executed by such Purchaser;
(ii) such
Purchaser’s Subscription Amount by wire transfer to the account as specified in
writing by the Company; and
(iii) the
Registration Rights Agreement duly executed by such Purchaser.
6
2.3 Closing
Conditions.
(a) The
obligations of the Company hereunder in connection with the Closing are subject
to the following conditions being met:
(i) the
accuracy in all material respects on the Closing Date of the representations
and
warranties of the Purchasers contained herein;
(ii) all
obligations, covenants and agreements of each Purchaser required to be performed
at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed;
(iii) the
aggregate Subscription Amount hereunder for all Purchasers shall be no less
than
$30,000,000.
(iv) the
delivery by each Purchaser of the items set forth in Section 2.2(b) of this
Agreement.
(b) The
respective obligations of the Purchasers hereunder in connection with the
Closing are subject to the following conditions being met:
(i) the
accuracy in all material respects on the Closing Date of the representations
and
warranties of the Company contained herein;
(ii) all
obligations, covenants and agreements of the Company required to be performed
at
or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed;
(iii) the
delivery by the Company of the items set forth in Section 2.2(a) of this
Agreement;
(iv) there
shall have been no Material Adverse Effect with respect to the Company since
the
date hereof; and
(v) from
the
date hereof to the Closing Date, trading in the Common Stock shall not have
been
suspended by the Commission or the Company’s principal Trading Market (except
for any suspension of trading of limited duration agreed to by the Company,
which suspension shall be terminated prior to the Closing), and, at any time
prior to the Closing Date, trading in securities generally as reported by
Bloomberg L.P. shall not have been suspended or limited, or minimum prices
shall
not have been established on securities whose trades are reported by such
service, or on any Trading Market, nor shall a banking moratorium have been
declared either by the United States or New York State authorities nor shall
there have occurred any material outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other
national or international calamity of such magnitude in its effect on, or any
material adverse change in, any financial market which, in each case, in the
reasonable judgment of each Purchaser, makes it impracticable or inadvisable
to
purchase the Securities at the Closing.
7
ARTICLE
III.
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES
3.1 Representations
and Warranties of the Company.
Except
as
set forth in the disclosure schedules separately delivered to the Purchasers
concurrently herewith (the “Disclosure
Schedules”),
the
Company hereby makes the representations and warranties set forth below to
each
Purchaser:
(a) Subsidiaries.
All of
the direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Company are set forth on
Schedule
3.1(a).
Except
as set forth on Schedule
3.1(a),
the
Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity
interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any Liens, and all of the issued
and outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued
and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights
to
subscribe for or purchase securities. If the Company has no subsidiaries, then
all other references to the Subsidiaries or any of them in the Transaction
Documents shall be disregarded.
(b) Organization
and Qualification.
The
Company and each of the Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise
organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the
jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization (as applicable), with the
requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and
to
carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary is in violation or default of any of the provisions of its respective
certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or
charter documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified
to
conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other
entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or
property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the
failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not
have or reasonably be expected to result in (i) a material adverse effect on
the
legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) a
material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business, current
prospects or financial condition of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken
as a
whole, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in
any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction
Document (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material
Adverse Effect”;
provided, however that changes in the Trading Price of the Common Stock shall
not, in and of itself, constitute a Material Adverse Effect) and no Proceeding
has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing
or
seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or
qualification.
(c) Authorization;
Enforcement.
The
Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to
consummate the transactions contemplated by each of the Transaction Documents
and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The
execution and delivery of each of the Transaction Documents by the Company
and
the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby
have
been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and
no
further action is required by the Company, its board of directors or its
stockholders in connection therewith other than in connection with the Required
Approvals. Each Transaction Document has been (or upon delivery will have been)
duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms
hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the
Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except
(i)
as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application
affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws
relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or
other
equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution
provisions may be limited by applicable law.
8
(d) No
Conflicts.
The
execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company,
the issuance and sale of the Securities and the consummation by the Company
of
the other transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and will not
(i)
conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s
certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or
charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event
that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result
in the creation of any material Lien upon any of the properties or assets of
the
Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination,
amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time
or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument
(evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding
to
which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or
asset
of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to
receipt of the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of
any
law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction
of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary
is
subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by
which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected;
except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have
or
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(e) Filings,
Consents and Approvals.
The
Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order
of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court
or
other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other Person
in
connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the
Transaction Documents, other than (i) filings required pursuant to Section
4.4
of this Agreement, (ii) the filing with the Commission of the Registration
Statement, (iii) application(s) to each applicable Trading Market for the
listing of the Securities for trading thereon in the time and manner required
thereby, (iv) the filing of Form D with the Commission and such filings as
are
required to be made under applicable state securities laws and (v) the approvals
set forth on Schedule
3.1(e)
(collectively, the “Required
Approvals”).
(f) Issuance
of the Securities.
The
Securities are duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance
with
the applicable Transaction Documents, will be duly and validly issued, fully
paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company
other
than restrictions on transfer provided for in the Transaction Documents. The
Warrant Shares, when issued in accordance with the terms of the Transaction
Documents, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear
of all Liens imposed by the Company other than restrictions on transfer provided
for in the Transaction Documents. The Company has reserved from its duly
authorized capital stock the maximum number of shares of Common Stock issuable
pursuant to this Agreement and the Warrants.
9
(g) Capitalization.
Except
as provided on Schedule 3.1(g), the capitalization of the Company is as
described in the SEC Reports. Schedule
3.1(g)
also
lists the number of shares of Common Stock owned beneficially, and of record,
by
each executive officer and director of the Company as of the date hereof. The
Company has not issued any capital stock since its most
recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act, other
than pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options under the Company’s
stock option plans, the issuance of shares of Common Stock to employees pursuant
to the Company’s employee stock purchase plans and pursuant to the conversion or
exercise of Common Stock Equivalents outstanding as of the date of the most
recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act. No Person has any right
of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar
right
to participate in the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
Except as disclosed in the Company’s filings with the Commission or as a result
of the purchase and sale of the Securities, there are no outstanding options,
warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character
whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into
or
exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for
or acquire, any shares of Common Stock, or contracts, commitments,
understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or
may
become bound to issue additional shares of Common Stock or Common Stock
Equivalents. The issuance and sale of the Securities will not obligate the
Company to issue shares of Common Stock or other securities to any Person (other
than the Purchasers) and will not result in a right of any holder of Company
securities to adjust the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price under
any
of such securities. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the
Company are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued
in
compliance with all federal and state securities laws, and none of such
outstanding shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar
rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. No further approval or
authorization of any stockholder, the Board of Directors of the Company or
others is required for the issuance and sale of the Securities. There are no
stockholders agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with
respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or, to
the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s
stockholders.
(h) SEC
Reports; Financial Statements.
The
Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents
required to be filed by the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange
Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the twelve months
preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required
by
law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including
the
exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, being
collectively referred to herein as the “SEC
Reports”)
on a
timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has
filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As
of
their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with
the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable,
and
none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The financial
statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material
respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations
of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing.
Such
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States
generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during
the periods involved (“GAAP”),
except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes
thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all
footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all material respects the
financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of and
for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the
periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal,
immaterial, year-end audit adjustments.
10
(i) Material
Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments.
Since
the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC
Reports, except as specifically disclosed in a subsequent SEC Report filed
prior
to the date hereof, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development
that
has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or
otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities
not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to
GAAP or disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has
not
altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared or made
any
dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or
purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares
of
its capital stock and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities
to
any officer, director or Affiliate, except pursuant to existing Company stock
option plans. The Company does not have pending before the Commission any
request for confidential treatment of information. Except for the issuance
of
the Securities contemplated by this Agreement or as set forth on Schedule
3.1(i),
no
event, liability or development has occurred or exists with respect to the
Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective business, properties, operations
or financial condition, that would be required to be disclosed by the Company
under applicable securities laws at the time this representation is made or
deemed made that has not been publicly disclosed at least 1 Trading Day prior
to
the date that this representation is made.
(j) Litigation.
Except
as set forth in the SEC Reports, there is no action, suit, inquiry, notice
of
violation, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge of the
Company, threatened in writing against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary
or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator,
governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state,
county, local or foreign) (collectively, an “Action”)
which
(i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability
of
any of the Transaction Documents or the Securities or (ii) could, if there
were
an unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor, to the Company’s
knowledge, any director or officer thereof (in his or her capacity as such),
is
or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or
liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of
fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there
is not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the Commission involving
the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company (in
his
or her capacity as such). The Commission has not issued any stop order or other
order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the
Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange Act or the Securities
Act.
11
(k) Labor
Relations.
No
material labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent
with respect to any of the employees of the Company which could reasonably
be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company’s or its
Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s
relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and
the
Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their
employees are good. No executive officer, to the knowledge of the Company,
is,
or is now expected to be, in violation of any material term of any employment
contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement
or
non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive
covenant in favor of any third party, and the continued employment of each
such
executive officer does not subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to
any
liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. The Company and its
Subsidiaries are in compliance with all U.S. federal, state, local and foreign
laws and regulations relating to employment and employment practices, terms
and
conditions of employment and wages and hours, except where the failure to be
in
compliance could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected
to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(l) Compliance.
Except
as set forth in the SEC Reports, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary (i)
is
in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not
been
waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default
by
the Company or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary
received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in
violation of, any material indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other
material agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any
of
its material properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation
has
been waived), (ii) is in violation of any order of any court, arbitrator or
governmental body, or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule
or
regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all
foreign, federal, state and local laws applicable to its business and all such
laws that affect the environment, except in each case as could not have or
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
12
(m) Regulatory
Permits.
The
Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and
permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory
authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as described in
the
SEC Reports, except where the failure to possess such permits could not
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (“Material
Permits”),
and
neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings
relating to the revocation or modification of any Material Permit.
(n) Title
to Assets.
The
Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to
all
real property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company
and
the Subsidiaries and good and marketable title in all personal property owned
by
them that is material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries,
in
each case free and clear of all Liens, except for Liens as do not materially
affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the
use
made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the
Subsidiaries and Liens for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, the
payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties. Any real
property and facilities held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries
are
held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the
Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance.
(o) Patents
and Trademarks.
Except
as otherwise provided in the SEC Reports, the Company and the Subsidiaries
have,
or have rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark
applications, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights,
licenses and other intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary
or
material for use in connection with their respective businesses as described
in
the SEC Reports and which the failure to so have could have a Material Adverse
Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual
Property Rights”).
Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary
has received a written notice that any of the Intellectual Property Rights
used
by the Company or any Subsidiary violates or infringes upon the rights of any
Person. To the knowledge of the Company, all such Intellectual Property Rights
are enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of
any
of the Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries have
taken
reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value
of all of their intellectual properties, except where failure to do so could
not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect.
(p) Insurance.
The
Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial
responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent
and customary in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are
engaged. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to believe that
it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such
coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may
be
necessary to continue its business without a significant increase in
cost.
(q) Transactions
With Affiliates and Employees.
Except
as set forth in the SEC Reports, none of the officers or directors of the
Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the
Company is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any
Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors),
including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the
furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal
property to or from, or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer,
director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in
which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest
or
is an officer, director, trustee or partner, in each case in excess of $60,000
other than for (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered,
(ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii)
other employee benefits, including stock option agreements under any stock
option plan of the Company and restricted stock agreements under any restricted
stock plan of the Company.
13
(r) Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx;
Internal Accounting Controls.
Except
as set forth in the SEC Reports, the Company is in material compliance with
all
provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 which are applicable to it as
of
the Closing Date. The
Company and the Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls
sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed
in
accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii)
transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial
statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability, (iii)
access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or
specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is
compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action
is taken with respect to any differences. The Company has established disclosure
controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and
15d-15(e)) for the Company and designed such disclosure controls and procedures
to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the
reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s
rules and forms. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the
effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as of the end
of the period covered by the Company’s most recently filed periodic report under
the Exchange Act (such date, the “Evaluation
Date”).
The
Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange
Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the
disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the
Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no changes in the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in
the Exchange Act) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial
reporting.
(s) Certain
Fees.
No
brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company
to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent,
investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions
contemplated by the Transaction Documents, except as set forth in Schedule
3.1(s). The Purchasers shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or
with
respect to any claims (other than such fees or commissions owed by a Purchaser
pursuant to agreements entered into by such Purchaser, which fees or commissions
shall be the sole responsibility of such Purchaser) made by or on behalf of
other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section that may be due
in
connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents
due
to an arrangement or agreement made by the Company.
14
(t) Private
Placement.
Assuming the accuracy of the Purchasers representations and warranties set
forth
in Section 3.2, no registration under the Securities Act is required for the
offer and sale of the Securities by the Company to the Purchasers as
contemplated hereby. The issuance and sale of the Securities hereunder does
not
contravene the rules and regulations of the Trading Market.
(u) Investment
Company.
The
Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately after receipt of
payment for the Securities, will not be or be an Affiliate of, an “investment
company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
The Company shall conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become
subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(v) Registration
Rights.
Other
than each of the Purchasers and as otherwise provided on Schedule
3.1(v),
no
Person has any right to cause the Company to effect the registration under
the
Securities Act of any securities of the Company.
(w) Listing
and Maintenance Requirements.
The
Company’s Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the
Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to
its
knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of
the
Common Stock under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any
notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration.
The Company has not, in the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received notice
from any Trading Market on which the Common Stock is or has been listed or
quoted to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing
or
maintenance requirements of such Trading Market. The Company is, and has no
reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be,
in
compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements.
(x) Application
of Takeover Protections.
The
Company and its board of directors have taken all necessary action, if any,
in
order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business
combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement)
or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s articles of
incorporation (or similar charter documents) or the laws of its state of
incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Purchasers as a result
of the Purchasers and the Company fulfilling their obligations or exercising
their rights under the Transaction Documents, including without limitation
as a
result of the Company’s issuance of the Securities and the Purchasers’ ownership
of the Securities.
(y) Disclosure.
Except
with respect to the material terms and conditions of the transactions
contemplated by the Transaction Documents, the Company confirms that neither
it
nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided any of the Purchasers
or
their agents or counsel with any information that the Company believes
constitutes material, non-public information. The Company understands and
confirms that the Purchasers will rely on the foregoing representation in
effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All written materials
furnished by or on behalf of the Company to the Purchasers regarding the
Company, its business and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the
Disclosure Schedules to this Agreement, are true and correct and do not contain
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The press releases
disseminated by the Company during the twelve months preceding the date of
this
Agreement taken as a whole do not contain any untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under
which they were made and when made, not misleading. The Company acknowledges
and
agrees that no Purchaser makes or has made any representations or warranties
with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those
specifically set forth in the Transaction Documents.
15
(z) No
Integrated Offering.
Assuming
the accuracy of the Purchasers’ representations and warranties set forth in
Section 3.2, neither the Company, nor any of its Affiliates, nor, to the
Company’s knowledge, any Person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or
indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers
to
buy any security, under circumstances that would cause this offering of the
Securities to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes
of
(i) the Securities Act which would require the registration of any such
securities under the Securities Act, or (ii) any applicable shareholder approval
provisions of any Trading Market on which any of the securities of the Company
are listed or designated.
(aa) Solvency.
Based
on the consolidated financial condition of the Company as of the Closing Date,
after giving effect to the receipt by the Company of the proceeds from the
sale
of the Securities hereunder, (i) the fair saleable value of the Company’s assets
exceeds the amount that will be required to be paid on or in respect of the
Company’s existing debts and other liabilities (including known contingent
liabilities) as they mature; (ii) the Company’s assets do not constitute
unreasonably small capital to carry on its business as now conducted and as
proposed to be conducted including its capital needs taking into account the
particular capital requirements of the business conducted by the Company, and
currently planned capital requirements and capital availability thereof; and
(iii) the current cash flow of the Company, together with the proceeds the
Company would receive, were it to liquidate all of its assets, would be
sufficient to pay all amounts on or in respect of its liabilities when such
amounts are required to be paid. The Company does not intend to incur debts
beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature (taking into account the
timing and amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its debt). The
Company has no knowledge of any facts or circumstances which lead it to believe
that it will file for reorganization or liquidation under the bankruptcy or
reorganization laws of any jurisdiction within one year from the Closing Date.
Except as set forth in the SEC Reports or on Schedule
3.1(aa),
the
Company has not incurred or guaranteed, suffered to exist or is otherwise liable
for any Indebtedness. For the purposes of this Agreement, “Indebtedness”
means
(a) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed in excess of $50,000
(other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business),
(b) all guaranties, endorsements and other known contingent obligations in
respect of Indebtedness of others, whether or not the same are or should be
reflected in the Company’s balance sheet (or the notes thereto), except
guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection
or
similar transactions in the ordinary course of business; and (c) the present
value of any lease payments
in excess of $50,000 due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance
with GAAP. Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default with respect to any
Indebtedness.
16
(bb) Tax
Status.
Except
for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably
be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each
Subsidiary has filed all necessary federal, state and foreign income and
franchise tax returns and has paid or accrued all taxes shown as due thereon,
and the Company has no knowledge of a tax deficiency which has been asserted
or
threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary.
(cc) No
General Solicitation.
Neither
the Company nor any person acting on behalf of the Company has offered or sold
any of the Securities by any form of general solicitation or general
advertising. The Company has offered the Securities for sale only to the
Purchasers and certain other “accredited investors” within the meaning of Rule
501 under the Securities Act.
(dd) Foreign
Corrupt Practices.
Neither
the Company, nor to the knowledge of the Company, any agent or other person
acting on behalf of the Company, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds
for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses
related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful
payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any
foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii)
failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company (or made by any
person acting on its behalf of which the Company is aware) which is in violation
of law, or (iv) violated in any material respect any provision of the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
(ee) Accountants.
The
Company’s accounting firm is set forth on Schedule
3.1(ee)
of the
Disclosure Schedule. To the knowledge and belief of the Company, such accounting
firm (i) is a registered public accounting firm as required by the Exchange
Act
and (ii) shall provide an unqualified report with respect to the financial
statements to be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2006.
(ee) No
Disagreements with Accountants and Lawyers. Except
as
set forth on Schedule
3.1(ee),
there
are no disagreements of any kind presently existing, or reasonably anticipated
by the Company to arise, between the Company and the accountants and lawyers
formerly or presently employed by the Company which could affect the Company’s
ability to perform any of its obligations under any of the Transaction
Documents, and the Company is current with respect to any fees owed to its
accountants and lawyers.
(ff) Acknowledgment
Regarding Purchasers’ Purchase of Securities.
The
Company acknowledges and agrees that each of the Purchasers is acting solely
in
the capacity of an arm’s length purchaser with respect to the Transaction
Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby. The Company further
acknowledges that no Purchaser is acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary
of
the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to the Transaction
Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby and any advice given by
any
Purchaser or any of their respective representatives or agents in connection
with the Transaction Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby is
merely incidental to the Purchasers’ purchase of the Securities. The Company
further represents to each Purchaser that the Company’s decision to enter into
this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents has been based solely on
the
independent evaluation of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company
and its representatives.
17
(gg) Acknowledgement
Regarding Purchaser’s Trading Activity.
Anything
in this Agreement or elsewhere herein to the contrary notwithstanding (except
for Sections 3.2(f) and 4.15 hereof), it is understood and acknowledged by
the
Company (i) that none of the Purchasers have been asked by the Company to agree,
nor has any Purchaser agreed, to desist from purchasing or selling, long and/or
short, securities of the Company, or “derivative” securities based on securities
issued by the Company or to hold the Securities for any specified term; (ii)
that past or future open market or other transactions by any Purchaser,
including Short Sales, and specifically including, without limitation, Short
Sales or “derivative” transactions, before or after the closing of this or
future private placement transactions, may negatively impact the market price
of
the Company’s publicly-traded securities; (iii) that any Purchaser, and
counter-parties in “derivative” transactions to which any such Purchaser is a
party, directly or indirectly, presently may have a “short” position in the
Common Stock unless represented otherwise by a Purchase herein, and (iv) that
each Purchaser shall not be deemed to have any affiliation with or control
over
any arm’s length counter-party in any “derivative” transaction. The
Company further understands and acknowledges that (a) one or more Purchasers
may
engage in hedging activities at various times during the period that the
Securities are outstanding, including, without limitation, during the periods
that the value of the Warrant Shares deliverable with respect to Securities
are
being determined and (b) such hedging activities (if any) could reduce the
value
of the existing stockholders' equity interests in the Company at and after
the
time that the hedging activities are being conducted. The Company
acknowledges that such aforementioned hedging activities do not constitute
a
breach of any of the Transaction Documents. If a Purchaser has established
a
short position or engaged in hedging activities with respect to the Company’s
common stock prior to the public announcement of the transactions contemplated
hereby as provided in Section 4.4 hereof, Purchaser shall describe such short
position or the nature of any such hedging activity in the Selling Shareholder
Questionnaire attached to the Registration Rights Agreement.
(hh) Regulation
M Compliance.
The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has,
(i)
taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in
the
stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to
facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for,
purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the
Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for
soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than,
in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Company’s
placement agent in connection with the placement of the Securities.
18
3.2 Representations
and Warranties of the Purchasers
.
Each
Purchaser, for itself and for no other Purchaser, hereby represents and warrants
as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date to the Company as
follows:
(a) Organization;
Authority.
Such
Purchaser is an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization with full right,
corporate or partnership power and authority to enter into and to consummate
the
transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry
out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of
the
Transaction Documents and performance by such Purchaser of the transactions
contemplated by the Transaction Documents have been duly authorized by all
necessary corporate or similar action on the part of such Purchaser. Each
Transaction Document to which it is a party has been duly executed by such
Purchaser, and when delivered by such Purchaser in accordance with the terms
hereof, will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of such
Purchaser, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except (i)
as
limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting
enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to
the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable
remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may
be
limited by applicable law.
(b) Own
Account.
Such
Purchaser understands that the Securities are “restricted securities” and have
not been registered under the Securities Act or any applicable state securities
law and is acquiring the Securities as principal for its own account and not
with a view to or for distributing or reselling such Securities or any part
thereof in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities
law, has no present intention of distributing any of such Securities in
violation of the Securities Act or any applicable state securities law and
has
no direct or indirect arrangement or understandings with any other persons
to
distribute or regarding the distribution of such Securities (this representation
and warranty not limiting such Purchaser’s right to sell the Securities pursuant
to the Registration Statement or otherwise in compliance with applicable federal
and state securities laws) in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable
state securities law. Such Purchaser is acquiring the Securities hereunder
in
the ordinary course of its business.
(c) Purchaser
Status.
At the
time such Purchaser was offered the Securities, it was, and at the date hereof
it is, and on each date on which it exercises any Warrants, it will be either:
(i) an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3),
(a)(7) or (a)(8) under the Securities Act or (ii) a “qualified institutional
buyer” as defined in Rule 144A(a) under the Securities Act. Such Purchaser is
not required to be registered as a broker-dealer under Section 15 of the
Exchange Act.
19
(d) Experience
of Such Purchaser.
Such
Purchaser, either alone or together with its representatives, has such
knowledge, sophistication and experience in business and financial matters
so as
to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the prospective investment
in the Securities, and has so evaluated the merits and risks of such investment.
Such Purchaser is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the
Securities and, at the present time, is able to afford a complete loss of such
investment.
(e) General
Solicitation.
Such
Purchaser is not purchasing the Securities as a result of any advertisement,
article, notice or other communication regarding the Securities published in
any
newspaper, magazine or similar media or broadcast over television or radio
or
presented at any seminar or any other general solicitation or general
advertisement.
(f) Short
Sales and Confidentiality Prior To The Date Hereof.
Other
than consummating the transactions contemplated hereunder, such Purchaser has
not, nor has any Person acting on behalf of or pursuant to any understanding
with such Purchaser, directly or indirectly executed any transaction, including
Short Sales, in the securities of the Company during the period commencing
from
the time
that such Purchaser was first contacted by the Company regarding, or received
a
term sheet (written or oral) from the Company or any other Person representing
the Company setting forth, the material terms of the transactions contemplated
hereunder until the date hereof (“Discussion
Time”).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of a Purchaser that is a
multi-managed investment vehicle whereby separate portfolio managers manage
separate portions of such Purchaser's assets and the portfolio managers have
no
direct or indirect knowledge of the investment decisions made by the portfolio
managers managing other portions of such Purchaser's assets, the representation
set forth above shall only apply with respect to the portion of assets managed
by the portfolio manager that made the investment decision to purchase the
Securities covered by this Agreement. Other than to other Persons party to
this
Agreement, such Purchaser has maintained the confidentiality of all disclosures
made to it in connection with this transaction (including the existence and
terms of this transaction).
ARTICLE
IV.
OTHER
AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES
4.1 Transfer
Restrictions.
(a) The
Securities may only be disposed of in compliance with state and federal
securities laws. In connection with any transfer of Securities other than
pursuant to an effective registration statement or Rule 144(k) under the
Securities Act or to the Company, the Company may require the transferor thereof
to provide to the Company an opinion of counsel selected by the transferor
and
reasonably acceptable to the Company, the form and substance of which opinion
shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that such
transfer does not require registration of such transferred Securities under
the
Securities Act. As a condition of transfer, any such transferee shall agree
in
writing to be bound by the terms of this Agreement and shall make the
representations set forth in Section 3.2 hereof, and, if any rights under the
Registration Rights Agreement are assigned to the transferee of the shares,
(i)
furnish the Company with a fully executed Selling Holder Questionnaire (as
defined in the Registration Rights Agreement), and (ii) agree to be bound by
the
Registration Rights Agreement. If such conditions are satisfied, such transferee
shall have the rights of a Purchaser under this Agreement and the Registration
Rights Agreement.
20
(b) The
Purchasers agree to the imprinting, so long as is required by this Section
4.1,
of a legend on any of the Securities in the following form:
THIS
SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
OR
THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM
REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES
ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN
EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN
AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION
REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE
SECURITIES LAWS AS EVIDENCED BY A LEGAL OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE TRANSFEROR
TO
SUCH EFFECT, THE SUBSTANCE OF WHICH SHALL BE REASONABLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE
COMPANY. THIS SECURITY MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN
ACCOUNT WITH A REGISTERED BROKER-DEALER OR OTHER LOAN WITH A FINANCIAL
INSTITUTION THAT IS AN “ACCREDITED INVESTOR” AS DEFINED IN RULE 501(a) UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OR OTHER LOAN SECURED BY SUCH SECURITIES.
The
Company acknowledges and agrees that a Purchaser may from time to time pledge
pursuant to a bona fide margin agreement with a registered broker-dealer or
grant a security interest in some or all of the Securities to a financial
institution that is an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the
Securities Act and who agrees to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement
and the Registration Rights Agreement and, if required under the terms of such
arrangement, such Purchaser may transfer pledged or secured Securities to the
pledgees or secured parties. Such a pledge or transfer would not be subject
to
approval of the Company and no legal opinion of legal counsel of the pledgee,
secured party or pledgor shall be required in connection therewith. Further,
no
notice shall be required of such pledge. At the appropriate Purchaser’s expense,
the Company will execute and deliver such reasonable documentation as a pledgee
or secured party of Securities may reasonably request in connection with a
pledge or transfer of the Securities, including, if the Securities are subject
to registration pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the preparation
and filing of any required prospectus supplement under Rule 424(b)(3) under
the
Securities Act or other applicable provision of the Securities Act to
appropriately amend the list of Selling Stockholders thereunder.
21
(c) Certificates
evidencing the Shares and Warrant Shares shall not contain any legend (including
the legend set forth in Section 4.1(b)), (i) while a registration statement
(including the Registration Statement) covering the resale of such security
is
effective under the Securities Act, or (ii) following any sale of such Shares
or
Warrant Shares pursuant to, and in compliance with, Rule 144, or (iii) if such
Shares or Warrant Shares are eligible for sale under Rule 144(k) after delivery
by the holder thereof that the holder thereof is not an Affiliate of the
Company, or (iv) if such legend is not required under applicable requirements
of
the Securities Act (including judicial interpretations and pronouncements issued
by the staff of the Commission). The Company shall cause its counsel to issue
a
legal opinion to the Transfer Agent promptly after the Effective Date if
required by the Transfer Agent to effect the removal of the legend hereunder.
If
all or any portion of a Warrant is exercised at a time when there is an
effective registration statement to cover the resale of the Warrant Shares,
such
Warrant Shares shall be issued free of all legends. The Company agrees that
following the date that a Registration Statement is declared effective with
respect to Shares and Warrant Shares or at such time as such legend is no longer
required under this Section 4.1(c) with respect to such Shares or Warrant
Shares, it will, no later than three Trading Days following the delivery by
a
Purchaser to the Company or the Transfer Agent (with simultaneous notice to
the
Company if such delivery is to the Transfer Agent) of a certificate representing
such Shares or Warrant Shares, as the case may be, issued with a restrictive
legend (the fifth Trading Day following such delivery, the “Legend
Removal Date”),
deliver or cause to be delivered to such Purchaser a certificate representing
such shares that is free from all restrictive and other legends. The Company
may
not make any notation on its records or give instructions to the Transfer Agent
that enlarge the restrictions on transfer set forth in this Section unless
otherwise allowed pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement. Certificates
for Securities subject to legend removal hereunder shall be transmitted by
the
Transfer Agent to the Purchaser by crediting the account of the Purchaser’s
prime broker with the Depository Trust Company System as directed by such
Purchaser.
(d) If
the
Company shall fail to deliver or cause to be delivered to such Purchaser a
certificate representing Shares or Warrant Shares that are free from all
restrictive or other legends by the Legend Removal Date and prior to the time
such Security is received free from restrictive legends, the Purchaser, or
any
third party on behalf of such Purchaser or for the Purchaser’s account,
purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) securities to deliver
in
satisfaction of a sale by the Purchaser of such Security (a “Buy-In”), then the
Company shall pay in cash to the Purchaser (for costs incurred either directly
by such Purchaser or on behalf of a third party) the amount by which the total
purchase price paid for the security as a result of the Buy-In (including
brokerage commissions, if any) exceeds the proceeds received by such Purchaser
as a result of the sale to which such Buy-In relates. The Purchaser shall
provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the
Purchaser in respect of the Buy-In.
(e) Each
Purchaser, severally and not jointly with the other Purchasers, agrees that
such
Purchaser will sell any Securities pursuant to either the registration
requirements of the Securities Act, including any applicable prospectus delivery
requirements, or an exemption therefrom, and that if Securities are sold
pursuant to a Registration Statement, they will be sold in compliance with
the
plan of distribution set forth therein.
22
4.2 Furnishing
of Information
.
Until the earliest of the time that (i) no Purchaser owns Securities or (ii)
two
(2) years following the Closing Date, the Company covenants to timely file
(or
obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace
period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof
pursuant to the Exchange Act even if the Company is not then subject to the
reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Until the earliest of the time
that
(i) any Purchaser owns Securities or (iii) three (3) years following the Closing
Date, if the Company is not required to file reports pursuant to the Exchange
Act, it will prepare and furnish to the Purchasers and make publicly available
in accordance with Rule 144(c) such information as is required for the
Purchasers to sell the Securities under Rule 144. The Company further covenants
that it will take such further action as any holder of Securities may reasonably
request, to the extent required from time to time to enable such Person to
sell
such Securities without registration under the Securities Act within the
requirements of the exemption provided by Rule 144.
4.3 Integration
.
The Company shall not sell, offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise
negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in Section 2 of the Securities
Act) that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Securities in a
manner that would require the registration under the Securities Act of the
sale
of the Securities to the Purchasers or that would be integrated with the offer
or sale of the Securities to the Purchasers for purposes of the rules and
regulations of any Trading Market such that it would require shareholder
approval prior to the closing of such other transaction unless shareholder
approval is obtained before the closing of such subsequent
transaction.
4.4 Securities
Laws Disclosure; Publicity. The Company shall, by 8:30 a.m. (New York City
time) on the Trading Day immediately following the date hereof, issue a Current
Report on Form 8-K, reasonably acceptable to counsel to the placement agent
disclosing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby, and
filing the Transaction Documents as exhibits thereto. The Company shall not
publicly disclose the name of any Purchaser, or include the name of any
Purchaser in any filing with the Commission or any regulatory agency or Trading
Market, without the prior written consent of such Purchaser, except (i) as
required by federal securities law in connection with (A) any registration
statement contemplated by the Registration Rights Agreement and (B) the filing
of final Transaction Documents (including signature pages thereto) with the
Commission and (ii) to the extent such disclosure is required by law or Trading
Market regulations, in which case the Company shall provide the applicable
Purchasers with prior notice of such disclosure permitted under this clause
(ii).
4.5 Shareholder
Rights Plan. No claim will be made or enforced by the Company or, with the
express consent of the Company, any other Person, that any Purchaser is an
“Acquiring Person” under any control share acquisition, business combination,
poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or similar
anti-takeover plan or arrangement in effect or hereafter adopted by the Company,
or that any Purchaser could be deemed to trigger the provisions of any such
plan
or arrangement, by virtue of receiving Securities under the Transaction
Documents or under any other agreement between the Company and the
Purchasers.
23
4.6 Non-Public
Information. Except with respect to the material terms and conditions of the
transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, the Company covenants
and agrees that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf will
provide any Purchaser or its agents or counsel with any information that the
Company believes constitutes material non-public information, unless prior
thereto such Purchaser shall have executed a written agreement regarding the
confidentiality and use of such information. The Company understands and
confirms that each Purchaser shall be relying on the foregoing covenant in
effecting transactions in securities of the Company.
4.7 Use
of
Proceeds. Except for payment of (i) attorney’s fees, (ii) fees incurred in
connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents,
(iii) amounts for the construction of new facilities, capital improvements
and
acquisitions and as otherwise set forth on Schedule 4.7 attached hereto, the
Company shall use the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder
for
working capital purposes.
4.8 Indemnification
of Purchasers. Subject to the provisions of this Section 4.8, the Company
will indemnify and hold each Purchaser and its directors, officers,
shareholders, members, partners, employees and agents (and any other Persons
with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles
notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title), each Person who
controls such Purchaser (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities
Act
and Section 20 of the Exchange Act), and the directors, officers, shareholders,
agents, members, partners or employees (and any other Persons with a
functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding
a
lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling persons (each, a
“Purchaser Party”) harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, obligations,
claims, contingencies, damages, costs and expenses, including all judgments,
amounts paid in settlements, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees and
costs of investigation that any such Purchaser Party may suffer or incur as
a
result of or relating to any breach of any of the representations or warranties,
or material breach of any of the covenants or agreements made by the Company
in
this Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents. If any action shall be
brought against any Purchaser Party in respect of which indemnity may be sought
pursuant to this Agreement, such Purchaser Party shall promptly notify the
Company in writing, and the Company shall have the right to assume the defense
thereof with counsel of its own choosing reasonably acceptable to the Purchaser
Party. Any Purchaser Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel
in
any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and
expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Purchaser Party except
to the extent that (i) the employment thereof has been specifically authorized
by the Company in writing, (ii) the Company has failed after a reasonable period
of time to assume such defense and to employ counsel or (iii) in such action
there is, in the reasonable opinion of such separate counsel, a material
conflict on any material issue between the position of the Company and the
position of such Purchaser Party, in which case the Company shall be responsible
for the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one such separate counsel.
The Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any such proceeding
without its written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
The Company will not be liable to any Purchaser Party under this Agreement
(i)
for any settlement by a Purchaser Party effected without the Company’s prior
written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed; or (ii)
to
the extent, but only to the extent that a loss, claim, damage or liability
is
attributable to any Purchaser Party’s breach of any of the representations,
warranties, covenants or agreements made by such Purchaser Party in this
Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents.
24
4.9 Reservation
of Common Stock.
As of
the date hereof, the Company has reserved and the Company shall continue to
reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, a sufficient
number of shares of Common Stock for the purpose of enabling the Company to
issue Shares pursuant to this Agreement and Warrant Shares pursuant to any
exercise of the Warrants.
4.10 Listing
of Common Stock.
(a) The
Company hereby agrees to use best efforts to maintain the listing of the Common
Stock on a Trading Market, and as soon as reasonably practicable following
the
Closing (but not later than the earlier of the Effective Date and the first
anniversary of the Closing Date) to list all of the Shares and Warrant Shares
on
such Trading Market. The Company further agrees, if the Company applies to
have
the Common Stock traded on any other Trading Market, it will include in such
application all of the Shares and Warrant Shares, and will take such other
action as is necessary to cause all of the Shares and Warrant Shares to be
listed on such other Trading Market as promptly as possible. The Company will
take all action reasonably necessary to continue the listing and trading of
its
Common Stock on a Trading Market and will comply in all material respects with
the Company’s reporting, filing and other obligations under the bylaws or rules
of the Trading Market.
4.11 Equal
Treatment of Purchasers. No consideration shall be offered or paid to any
Person to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of
any
of the Transaction Documents unless the same consideration is also offered
to
all of the parties to the Transaction Documents. For clarification purposes,
this provision constitutes a separate right granted to each Purchaser by the
Company and negotiated separately by each Purchaser, and is intended for the
Company to treat the Purchasers as a class and shall not in any way be construed
as the Purchasers acting in concert or as a group with respect to the purchase,
disposition or voting of Securities or otherwise.
4.12 Intentionally
Omitted.
4.13 Subsequent
Equity Sales.
(a) From
the
date hereof until 90 days after the Effective Date, neither the Company nor
any
Subsidiary shall issue shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents;
provided,
however,
the 90
day period set forth in this Section 4.13 shall be extended for the number
of
Trading Days during such period in which (i) trading in the Common Stock is
suspended by any Trading Market, or (ii) following the Effective Date, the
Registration Statement is not effective or the prospectus included in the
Registration Statement may not be used by the Purchasers for the resale of
the
Shares and Warrant Shares.
25
(b) From
the
date hereof until the earliest of (i) two years after the Closing Date and
(ii)
such time as no Purchaser holds any of the Securities, the Company shall be
prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to effect any issuance
by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of Common Stock or Common Stock
Equivalents for cash consideration (a “Subsequent
Financing”)
involving a Variable Rate Transaction. “Variable
Rate Transaction”
means
a
transaction in which the Company issues or sells (i) any debt or equity
securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or
include the right to receive additional shares of Common Stock either (A) at
a
conversion, exercise or exchange rate or other price that is based upon and/or
varies with the trading prices of or quotations for the shares of Common Stock
at any time after the initial issuance of such debt or equity securities, or
(B)
with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset
at
some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security
or
upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly
related to the business of the Company or the market for the Common Stock (but
specifically not including a price based anti-dilution provision that resets
the
conversion, exercise or exchange price due to the pricing of a financing that
occurs after the date of such Subsequent Financing), or (ii) enters into any
agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit, whereby
the
Company may sell securities at a future determined price. Any Purchaser shall
be
entitled to obtain injunctive relief against the Company to preclude any such
issuance, which remedy shall be in addition to any right to collect damages.
(c) The
Company agrees that it shall not exercise its right to force or otherwise
require conversion of any of its outstanding preferred stock prior the date
which is 60 calendar days after the Effective Date of the initial Registration
Statement.
(d) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, this Section 4.13 shall not apply in respect of an Exempt
Issuance, except that no Variable Rate Transaction shall be an Exempt
Issuance.
4.14 Short
Sales and Confidentiality After The Date Hereof. Each Purchaser severally
and not jointly with the other Purchasers, covenants that neither it nor any
Affiliate acting on its behalf or pursuant to any understanding with it will
execute any Short Sales during the period commencing at the Discussion Time
and
ending at the time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are
first publicly announced as described in Section 4.4.
Each
Purchaser, severally and not jointly with the other Purchasers, covenants that
until such time as the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are publicly
disclosed by the Company as described in Section 4.4, such Purchaser will
maintain the confidentiality of all disclosures made to it in the Disclosure
Schedules and the existence and terms of this transaction. Each Purchaser
understands and acknowledges, and agrees, severally and not jointly with any
other Purchaser, to act in a manner that will not violate the positions of
the
Commission as set forth in Item 65, Section A, of the Manual of Publicly
Available Telephone Interpretations, dated July 1997, compiled by the Office
of
Chief Counsel, Division of Corporation Finance. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, no Purchaser makes any representation, warranty or covenant
hereby that it will not engage in Short Sales in the securities of the Company
after the time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first
publicly announced as described in Section 4.4. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, in the case of a Purchaser that is a multi-managed investment
vehicle whereby separate portfolio managers manage separate portions of such
Purchaser’s assets and the portfolio managers have no direct or indirect
knowledge of the investment decisions made by the portfolio managers managing
other portions of such Purchaser’s assets, the covenant set forth above shall
only apply with respect to the portion of assets managed by the portfolio
manager that made the investment decision to purchase the Securities covered
by
this Agreement.
26
4.15 Delivery
of Securities After Closing. The Company shall deliver, or cause to be
delivered, the respective Securities purchased by each Purchaser to such
Purchaser promptly following the Closing Date, but no later than three (3)
Trading Days after the Closing Date.
4.16 Form
D; Blue Sky Filings. The Company agrees to timely file a Form D with respect
to the Securities as required under Regulation D and to provide a copy thereof,
promptly upon request of any Purchaser. The Company shall take such action
as
the Company shall reasonably determine is necessary in order to obtain an
exemption for, or to qualify the Securities for, sale to the Purchasers at
the
Closing under applicable securities or “Blue Sky” laws of the states of the
United States, and shall provide evidence of such actions promptly upon request
of any Purchaser.
ARTICLE
V.
MISCELLANEOUS
5.1 Termination.
This Agreement may be terminated prior to the Closing by any Purchaser, as
to
such Purchaser’s obligations hereunder only and without any effect whatsoever on
the obligations between the Company and the other Purchasers, by written notice
to the other parties, if the Closing has not been consummated on or before
February ___, 2007; provided, however, that no such termination will affect
the
right of any party to xxx for any breach by the other party (or
parties).
5.2 Fees
and Expenses. Except as expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents to
the contrary, each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers,
counsel, accountants and other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred
by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery
and
performance of this Agreement. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees,
stamp taxes and other taxes and duties levied in connection with the delivery
of
any Securities to the Purchasers other than income taxes of the Purchasers
that
may be incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated
hereby.
5.3 Entire
Agreement. The Transaction Documents, together with the exhibits and
schedules thereto, contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect
to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior agreements and
understandings, oral or written, with respect to such matters, which the parties
acknowledge have been merged into such documents, exhibits and
schedules.
5.4 Notices.
Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted
to be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and
effective on the earliest of (a) the date of transmission, if such notice or
communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number set forth
on
the signature pages attached hereto prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time)
on a
Trading Day, (b) the next Trading Day after the date of transmission, if such
notice or communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number
set
forth on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a Trading
Day
or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (c) the
2nd
Trading
Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized
overnight courier service, (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such
notice is required to be given or (e) four (4) days after being placed in the
mail, if mailed. The address for such notices and communications shall be as
set
forth on the signature pages attached hereto.
27
5.5 Amendments;
Waivers. No provision of this Agreement may be waived or amended except in a
written instrument signed by the Company and the Purchasers of at least a
majority of the Shares still held by the Purchasers. No waiver of any default
with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement shall
be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any subsequent
default or a waiver of any other provision, condition or requirement hereof,
nor
shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise any right hereunder in
any
manner impair the exercise of any such right.
5.6 Headings.
The headings herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this
Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions
hereof.
5.7 Successors
and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit
of the parties and their successors and permitted assigns. The Company may
not
assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior
written consent of each Purchaser; provided, however, that the Company may
assign its rights and delegate its duties hereunder to any surviving, acquiring
or successor corporation in connection with a merger or consolidation of the
Company with another corporation, or a sale, transfer or other disposition
of
all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to another corporation, or
other similar transaction, without the prior written consent of the purchasers,
after notice duly given by the Company to the Purchasers. Any Purchaser may
assign any or all of its rights under this Agreement to any Person to whom
such
Purchaser assigns or transfers any Securities, provided such transferee agrees
in writing to be bound, with respect to the transferred Securities, by the
provisions of the Transaction Documents that apply to the
“Purchasers.”
5.8 No
Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the
parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns and is
not
for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other
Person, except as otherwise set forth in Section 4.8.
5.9 Governing
Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and
interpretation of the Transaction Documents shall be governed by and construed
and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York,
without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees
that all legal proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and
defense of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and any other
Transaction Documents (whether brought against a party hereto or its respective
affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, employees or agents) shall be
commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the City of
New
York. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of
the
state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, borough of Manhattan
for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or
with
any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect
to the enforcement of any of the Transaction Documents), and hereby irrevocably
waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim
that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that
such suit, action or proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for
such
proceeding. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process
and
consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by
mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery
(with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices
to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good
and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein
shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other
manner permitted by law. THE
PARTIES HEREBY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO A TRIAL BY JURY. If
either
party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provisions of the
Transaction Documents, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding
shall be reimbursed by the other party for its reasonable attorneys’ fees and
other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and
prosecution of such action or proceeding.
28
5.10 Survival.
The representations, warranties and covenants contained herein shall survive
the
Closing and the delivery of the Shares and Warrant Shares; provided that the
survival period for the representations and warranties shall be 18 months
following the Closing Date.
5.11 Execution.
This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when
taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become
effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to
the
other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same
counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile
transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, such signature
shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose
behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such
facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.
5.12 Severability.
If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by
a
court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable,
the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth
herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected,
impaired or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their commercially
reasonable efforts to find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same
or substantially the same result as that contemplated by such term, provision,
covenant or restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the
intention of the parties that they would have executed the remaining terms,
provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such that may
be
hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.
5.13 Rescission
and Withdrawal Right. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in
(and without limiting any similar provisions of) any of the other Transaction
Documents, whenever any Purchaser exercises a right, election, demand or option
under a Transaction Document and the Company does not timely perform its related
obligations within the periods therein provided, then such Purchaser may rescind
or withdraw, in its sole discretion from time to time upon reasonable prior
written notice to the Company, any relevant notice, demand or election in whole
or in part without prejudice to its future actions and rights; provided,
however, in the case of a rescission of an exercise of a Warrant, the Purchaser
shall be required to return any shares of Common Stock delivered in connection
with any such rescinded exercise notice.
29
5.14 Replacement
of Securities. If any certificate or instrument evidencing any Securities is
mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company shall issue or cause to be
issued in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation thereof (in the
case of mutilation), or in lieu of and substitution therefor, a new certificate
or instrument, but only upon receipt of evidence reasonably satisfactory to
the
Company of such loss, theft or destruction. The applicant for a new certificate
or instrument under such circumstances shall also pay any reasonable third-party
costs (including customary indemnity) associated with the issuance of such
replacement Securities.
5.15 Remedies.
In addition to being entitled to exercise all rights provided herein or granted
by law, including recovery of damages, each of the Purchasers and the Company
will be entitled to specific performance under the Transaction Documents. The
parties agree that monetary damages may not be adequate compensation for any
loss incurred by reason of any breach of obligations contained in the
Transaction Documents and hereby agrees to waive and not to assert in any action
for specific performance of any such obligation the defense that a remedy at
law
would be adequate.
5.16 Payment
Set Aside. To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to any
Purchaser pursuant to any Transaction Document or a Purchaser enforces or
exercises its rights thereunder, and such payment or payments or the proceeds
of
such enforcement or exercise or any part thereof are subsequently invalidated,
declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside, recovered from, disgorged
by or are required to be refunded, repaid or otherwise restored to the Company,
a trustee, receiver or any other person under any law (including, without
limitation, any bankruptcy law, state or federal law, common law or equitable
cause of action), then to the extent of any such restoration the obligation
or
part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued
in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such
enforcement or setoff had not occurred.
5.17 Independent
Nature of Purchasers’ Obligations and Rights. The obligations of each
Purchaser under any Transaction Document are several and not joint with the
obligations of any other Purchaser, and no Purchaser shall be responsible in
any
way for the performance or non-performance of the obligations of any other
Purchaser under any Transaction Document. Nothing contained herein or in any
other Transaction Document, and no action taken by any Purchaser pursuant
thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Purchasers as a partnership, an
association, a joint venture or any other kind of entity, or create a
presumption that the Purchasers are in any way acting in concert or as a group
with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by the
Transaction Documents. Each Purchaser shall be entitled to independently protect
and enforce its rights, including without limitation, the rights arising out
of
this Agreement or out of the other Transaction Documents, and it shall not
be
necessary for any other Purchaser to be joined as an additional party in any
proceeding for such purpose. Each Purchaser has been represented by its own
separate legal counsel in their review and negotiation of the Transaction
Documents. For reasons of administrative convenience only, Purchasers and their
respective counsel have chosen to communicate with the Company through FWS.
FWS
represents only Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxx, LLC, the placement agent. The Company has
elected to provide all Purchasers with the same terms and Transaction Documents
for the convenience of the Company and not because it was required or requested
to do so by the Purchasers.
30
5.18 Liquidated
Damages. The Company’s obligations to pay any partial liquidated damages or
other amounts owing under the Transaction Documents is a continuing obligation
of the Company and shall not terminate until all unpaid partial liquidated
damages and other amounts have been paid notwithstanding the fact that the
instrument or security pursuant to which such partial liquidated damages or
other amounts are due and payable shall have been canceled.
5.19 Construction.
The parties agree that each of them and/or their respective counsel has reviewed
and had an opportunity to revise the Transaction Documents and, therefore,
the
normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be
resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation
of the Transaction Documents or any amendments hereto.
(Signature
Pages Follow)
31
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase
Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as
of
the date first indicated above.
NUTRACEA |
Address
for Notice:
|
||
By:
|
/s/
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx
|
1261
Hawks’ Flight Court
|
|
Name:
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx
|
Xx
Xxxxxx Xxxxx, XX 00000
|
||
Title:
President
|
Facsimile:
(000) 000-0000
|
||
Attention:
Chief Executive Officer
|
|||
With
a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Xxxxxxxxx
Genshlea Chediak law corporation
000
Xxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Facsimile:
(000) 000-0000
Attn.:
Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Esq.
|
[REMAINDER
OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
SIGNATURE
PAGE FOR PURCHASER FOLLOWS]
32
[PURCHASER
SIGNATURE PAGES TO NUTRACEA SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT]
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement
to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date
first indicated above.
Name
of
Purchaser: ________________________________________________________
Signature
of Authorized Signatory of Purchaser:
__________________________________
Name
of
Authorized Signatory:
____________________________________________________
Title
of
Authorized Signatory:
_____________________________________________________
Email
Address of
Purchaser:________________________________________________
Fax
Number of Purchaser:
________________________________________________
Address
for Notice of Purchaser:
Address
for Delivery of Securities for Purchaser (if not same as above):
Subscription
Amount:
$:
Shares:
#:
Warrant
Shares:
#:
EIN
Number:
[SIGNATURE
PAGES CONTINUE]
33