Exhibit 10.12
PLEDGE AGREEMENT dated as of December 17,
1999, among XXXXXX MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, INC., a
Delaware corporation (the "BORROWER"), XXXXXX
ACQUISITION HOLDINGS, INC., a Delaware corporation
("HOLDINGS") (EACH DOMESTIC SUBSIDIARY OF THE
BORROWER LISTED ON SCHEDULE I HERETO (each such
Subsidiary individually a "SUBSIDIARY PLEDGOR" and
collectively, the "SUBSIDIARY PLEDGORS"; the
Borrower, Holdings and the Subsidiary Pledgors are
referred to collectively herein as the "PLEDGORS")
and THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, a New York banking
corporation ("CHASE"), as collateral agent (in such
capacity, the "COLLATERAL AGENT") for the Secured
Parties (as defined in the Credit Agreement referred
to below).
Reference is made to (a) the Credit Agreement dated as of December 7,
1999 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the
"CREDIT AGREEMENT"), among the Borrower, Holdings, the lenders from time to time
party thereto (the "LENDERS"), Chase, as administrative agent and collateral
agent for the Lenders and as issuing bank (in such capacity, the "ISSUING
BANK"), Bank of America, N.A., as syndication agent, and Chase Manhattan Bank,
Paris Branch, as the agent and lender for the local facilities, (b) any
Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified
from time to time, the "SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE AGREEMENT"), to be entered into by
and among certain subsidiaries of the Borrower and the Collateral Agent and (c)
the Parent Guarantee Agreement dated as of December 7, 1999 (as amended,
supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the "PARENT GUARANTEE
AGREEMENT"), among Holdings and the Collateral Agent. Capitalized terms used but
not defined herein shall have meanings assigned to such terms in the Credit
Agreement.
The Lenders have agreed to make Loans to the Borrower and the Issuing
Bank has agreed to issue Letters of Credit for the account of the Borrower,
pursuant, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions specified in, the
Credit Agreement. The Subsidiary Pledgors and Holdings have agreed to guarantee,
among other things, all the obligations of the Borrower under the Credit
Agreement. The obligations of the Lenders to make Loans and of the Issuing Bank
to issue Letters of Credit are conditioned upon, among other things, the
execution and delivery by the Pledgors of a Pledge Agreement in the form hereof
to secure (a) the due and punctual payment by the Borrower of (i) the principal
of and premium, if any, and interest (including interest accruing during the
pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar
proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding) on
the Loans, when and as due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, upon one or
more dates set for prepayment or otherwise, (ii) each payment required to be
made by the Borrower under the Credit Agreement in respect of any Letter of
Credit, when and as due, including payments in respect of reimbursement of
disbursements, interest thereon and obligations to provide cash collateral and
(iii) all other monetary obligations, including reasonable fees, costs, expenses
and indemnities, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent, fixed or
otherwise (including monetary obligations incurred during the pendency of any
bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of
whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), of the Borrower to the Secured
Parties under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents, (b) the due and
punctual performance of all covenants, agreements, obligations and liabilities
of the Borrower under or pursuant to the Credit Agreement and the other Loan
Documents, (c) the due and punctual payment and performance of all the
covenants, agreements, obligations and liabilities of each WMT Loan Party under
or pursuant to this Agreement and the other WMT Loan Documents and (d) the due
and punctual payment and performance of all obligations of the Borrower under
each Hedging Agreement entered into with any counterparty that was a Lender at
the time such Hedging Agreement was entered into (all the monetary and other
obligations referred to in the preceding lettered clauses of this paragraph
being referred to collectively as the "OBLIGATIONS").
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Accordingly, the Pledgors and the Collateral Agent, on behalf of itself
and each Secured Party (and each of their respective successors or assigns),
hereby agree as follows:
SECTION 1. PLEDGE. As security for the payment and performance, as the
case may be, in full of the Obligations, each Pledgor hereby transfers, grants,
bargains, sells, conveys, hypothecates, pledges, sets over and delivers unto the
Collateral Agent, its successors and assigns, and hereby grants to the
Collateral Agent, its successors and assigns, for the ratable benefit of the
Secured Parties, a security interest in all of the Pledgor's right, title and
interest in, to and under (a) the shares of capital stock or other equity
interests owned by it and listed on Schedule II hereto and any shares of capital
stock of the Borrower or any Subsidiary obtained in the future by the Pledgor
and the certificates representing all such shares (the "PLEDGED STOCK");
PROVIDED that the Pledged Stock shall not include (i) more than 65% of the
issued and outstanding shares of voting stock of any Foreign Subsidiary unless
(x) reasonably requested by the Collateral Agent and (y) to the extent that such
pledge may be accomplished without causing adverse tax consequences to the
Borrower; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, following any such pledge, if the Borrower
notifies the Collateral Agent that the continuing existence of such pledge is
reasonably likely to cause adverse tax consequences to the Borrower, then, so
long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the
Collateral Agent shall promptly release such pledge to the extent necessary to
eliminate such adverse tax consequences, or (ii) to the extent that applicable
law requires that a Subsidiary of the Pledgor issue directors' qualifying shares
or interests, such qualifying shares or interests; (b)(i) the debt securities
listed opposite the name of the Pledgor on Schedule II hereto, (ii) any debt
securities in the future issued to the Pledgor and (iii) the promissory notes
and any other instruments evidencing such debt securities (the "PLEDGED DEBT
SECURITIES"); (c) all other property that may be delivered to and held by the
Collateral Agent pursuant to the terms hereof; (d) subject to Section 5, all
payments of principal or interest, dividends, cash, instruments and other
property from time to time received, receivable or otherwise distributed, in
respect of, in exchange for or upon the conversion of the securities referred to
in clauses (a) and (b) above; (e) subject to Section 5, all rights and
privileges of the Pledgor with respect to the securities and other property
referred to in clauses (a), (b), (c) and (d) above; and (f) all proceeds of any
of the foregoing (the items referred to in clauses (a) through (f) above being
collectively referred to as the "COLLATERAL"). Upon delivery to the Collateral
Agent, (a) any stock certificates, notes or other securities now or hereafter
included in the Collateral (the "PLEDGED SECURITIES") shall be accompanied by
stock powers duly executed in blank or other instruments of transfer reasonably
satisfactory to the Collateral Agent and by such other instruments and documents
as the Collateral Agent may reasonably request and (b) all other property
comprising part of the Collateral shall be accompanied by proper instruments of
assignment duly executed by the applicable Pledgor and such other instruments or
documents as the Collateral Agent may reasonably request. Each delivery of
Pledged Securities shall be accompanied by a schedule describing the securities
theretofore and then being pledged hereunder, which schedule shall be attached
hereto as Schedule II and made a part hereof. Each schedule so delivered shall
supersede any prior schedules so delivered.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the Collateral, together with all right, title,
interest, powers, privileges and preferences pertaining or incidental thereto,
unto the Collateral Agent, its successors and assigns, for the ratable benefit
of the Secured Parties, forever; SUBJECT, HOWEVER, to the terms, covenants and
conditions hereinafter set forth.
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SECTION 2. DELIVERY OF THE COLLATERAL. (a) Each Pledgor agrees promptly
to deliver or cause to be delivered to the Collateral Agent any and all Pledged
Securities, and any and all certificates or other instruments or documents
representing the Collateral.
(b) Each Pledgor will cause any Indebtedness for borrowed money owed to
the Pledgor by any person to be evidenced by a duly executed promissory note
that is pledged and delivered to the Collateral Agent pursuant to the terms
thereof.
SECTION 3. REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS. Each Pledgor
hereby represents, warrants and covenants, as to itself and the Collateral
pledged by it hereunder, to and with the Collateral Agent that:
(a) the Pledged Stock represents that percentage as set forth
on Schedule II of the issued and outstanding shares of each class of
the capital stock of the issuer with respect thereto;
(b) except for the security interest granted hereunder, the
Pledgor (i) is and will at all times continue to be the direct owner,
beneficially and of record, of the Pledged Securities indicated on
Schedule II, (ii) holds the same free and clear of all Liens, (iii)
will make no assignment, pledge, hypothecation or transfer of, or
create or permit to exist any security interest in or other Lien on,
the Collateral, other than pursuant hereto, and (iv) subject to Section
5, will cause any and all Collateral, whether for value paid by the
Pledgor or otherwise, to be forthwith deposited with the Collateral
Agent and pledged or assigned hereunder;
(c) the Pledgor (i) has the power and authority to pledge the
Collateral in the manner hereby done or contemplated and (ii) will
defend its title or interest thereto or therein against any and all
Liens (other than the Lien created by this Agreement), however arising,
of all persons whomsoever;
(d) no consent of any other person (including stockholders,
members or creditors of any Pledgor) and no consent or approval of any
Governmental Authority or any securities exchange was or is necessary
to the validity of the pledge effected hereby (other than consents that
have been obtained);
(e) by virtue of the execution and delivery by the Pledgors of
this Agreement, when the Pledged Securities, certificates or other
documents representing or evidencing the Collateral are delivered to
the Collateral Agent in accordance with this Agreement, the Collateral
Agent will obtain a valid and perfected first lien upon and security
interest in such Pledged Securities as security for the payment and
performance of the Obligations;
(f) the pledge effected hereby is effective to vest in the
Collateral Agent, on behalf of the Secured Parties, the rights of the
Collateral Agent in the Collateral as set forth herein;
(g) all of the Pledged Stock has been duly authorized and
validly issued and is fully paid and nonassessable;
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(h) all information set forth herein relating to the Pledged
Stock is accurate and complete in all material respects as of the date
hereof; and
(i) the pledge of the Pledged Stock pursuant to this Agreement
does not violate Regulation T, U or X of the Federal Reserve Board or
any successor thereto as of the date hereof.
SECTION 4. REGISTRATION IN NOMINEE NAME; DENOMINATIONS. The Collateral
Agent, on behalf of the Secured Parties, shall have the right (in its sole and
absolute discretion) to hold the Pledged Securities in its own name as pledgee,
the name of its nominee (as pledgee or as sub-agent) or the name of the
Pledgors, endorsed or assigned in blank or in favor of the Collateral Agent.
Each Pledgor will promptly give to the Collateral Agent copies of any notices or
other communications received by it with respect to Pledged Securities
registered in the name of such Pledgor. The Collateral Agent shall at all times
have the right to exchange the certificates representing Pledged Securities for
certificates of smaller or larger denominations for any purpose consistent with
this Agreement.
SECTION 5. VOTING RIGHTS; DIVIDENDS AND INTEREST, ETC. (a) Unless and
until an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing:
(i) Each Pledgor shall be entitled to exercise any and all
voting and/or other consensual rights and powers inuring to an owner of
Pledged Securities or any part thereof for any purpose consistent with
the terms of this Agreement, the Credit Agreement and the other Loan
Documents; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that such Pledgor will not be entitled to
exercise any such right if the result thereof could materially and
adversely affect the rights inuring to a holder of the Pledged
Securities or the rights and remedies of any of the Secured Parties
under this Agreement or the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document
or the ability of the Secured Parties to exercise the same.
(ii) The Collateral Agent shall promptly execute and deliver
to each Pledgor, or cause to be executed and delivered to each Pledgor,
all such proxies, dividend payment orders, powers of attorney and other
instruments as such Pledgor may reasonably request for the purpose of
enabling such Pledgor to exercise the voting and/or consensual rights
and powers it is entitled to exercise pursuant to subparagraph (i)
above and to receive the cash dividends it is entitled to receive
pursuant to subparagraph (iii) below.
(iii) Each Pledgor shall be entitled to receive and retain any
and all cash dividends, distributions, interest and principal paid on
the Pledged Securities to the extent and only to the extent that such
cash dividends, distributions, interest and principal are permitted by,
and otherwise paid in accordance with, the terms and conditions of the
Credit Agreement, the other Loan Documents and applicable laws. All
noncash dividends, distributions, interest and principal, and all
dividends, distributions, interest and principal paid or payable in
cash or otherwise in connection with a partial or total liquidation or
dissolution, return of capital, capital surplus or paid-in surplus, and
all other distributions (other than distributions referred to in the
preceding sentence) made on or in respect of the Pledged Securities,
whether paid or payable in cash or otherwise, whether resulting from a
subdivision, combination or reclassification of the outstanding Capital
Stock of the issuer of any Pledged Securities or
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received in exchange for Pledged Securities or any part thereof, or in
redemption thereof, or as a result of any merger, consolidation,
acquisition or other exchange of assets to which such issuer may be a
party or otherwise, shall be and become part of the Collateral, and, if
received by any Pledgor, except to the extent otherwise permitted
pursuant to the Credit Agreement, shall not be commingled by such
Pledgor with any of its other funds or property but shall be held
separate and apart therefrom, shall be held in trust for the benefit of
the Collateral Agent and shall be forthwith delivered to the Collateral
Agent in the same form as so received (with any necessary endorsement).
(b) Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of
Default, all rights of any Pledgor to dividends, distributions, interest or
principal that such Pledgor is authorized to receive pursuant to paragraph
(a)(iii) above shall cease, and all such rights shall thereupon become vested in
the Collateral Agent, which shall have the sole and exclusive right and
authority to receive and retain such dividends, distributions, interest or
principal. All dividends, distributions, interest or principal received by the
Pledgor contrary to the provisions of this Section 5 shall be held in trust for
the benefit of the Collateral Agent, shall be segregated from other property or
funds of such Pledgor and shall be forthwith delivered to the Collateral Agent
upon demand in the same form as so received (with any necessary endorsement).
Any and all money and other property paid over to or received by the Collateral
Agent pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph (b) shall be retained by the
Collateral Agent in an account to be established by the Collateral Agent upon
receipt of such money or other property and shall be applied in accordance with
the provisions of Section 7. After all Events of Default have been cured or
waived, the Collateral Agent shall, within five Business Days after all such
Events of Default have been cured or waived, repay to each Pledgor all cash and
non-cash dividends, distributions, interest or principal (without interest),
that such Pledgor would otherwise be permitted to retain pursuant to the terms
of paragraph (a)(iii) above and which remain in such account.
(c) Upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of
Default, all rights of any Pledgor to exercise the voting and consensual rights
and powers it is entitled to exercise pursuant to paragraph (a)(i) of this
Section 5, and the obligations of the Collateral Agent under paragraph (a)(ii)
of this Section 5, shall cease, and all such rights shall thereupon become
vested in the Collateral Agent, which shall have the sole and exclusive right
and authority to exercise such voting and consensual rights and powers, PROVIDED
THAT, unless otherwise directed by the Required Lenders, the Collateral Agent
shall have the right from time to time following and during the continuance of
an Event of Default to permit the Pledgors to exercise such rights. After all
Events of Default have been cured or waived, such Pledgor will have the right to
exercise the voting and consensual rights and powers that it would otherwise be
entitled to exercise pursuant to the terms of paragraph (a)(i) above.
SECTION 6. REMEDIES UPON DEFAULT. Upon the occurrence and during the
continuance of an Event of Default, subject to applicable regulatory and legal
requirements, the Collateral Agent may sell the Collateral, or any part thereof,
at public or private sale or at any broker's board or on any securities
exchange, for cash, upon credit or for future delivery as the Collateral Agent
shall deem appropriate. The Collateral Agent shall be authorized at any such
sale (if it deems it advisable to do so) to restrict the prospective bidders or
purchasers to persons who will represent and agree that they are purchasing the
Collateral for their own account for investment and not with a view to the
distribution or sale thereof, and upon consummation of any such sale the
Collateral Agent shall have the right to assign, transfer and deliver to the
purchaser or purchasers thereof the Collateral so sold. Each such purchaser at
any such sale shall hold the property sold absolutely free from any claim or
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right on the part of any Pledgor, and, to the extent permitted by applicable
law, the Pledgors hereby waive all rights of redemption, stay, valuation and
appraisal any Pledgor now has or may at any time in the future have under any
rule of law or statute now existing or hereafter enacted.
The Collateral Agent shall give a Pledgor 10 days' prior written notice
(which each Pledgor agrees is reasonable notice within the meaning of Section
9-504(3) of the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in the State of New York or
its equivalent in other jurisdictions) of the Collateral Agent's intention to
make any sale of such Pledgor's Collateral. Such notice, in the case of a public
sale, shall state the time and place for such sale and, in the case of a sale at
a broker's board or on a securities exchange, shall state the board or exchange
at which such sale is to be made and the day on which the Collateral, or portion
thereof, will first be offered for sale at such board or exchange. Any such
public sale shall be held at such time or times within ordinary business hours
and at such place or places as the Collateral Agent may fix and state in the
notice of such sale. At any such sale, the Collateral, or portion thereof, to be
sold may be sold in one lot as an entirety or in separate parcels, as the
Collateral Agent may (in its sole and absolute discretion) determine. The
Collateral Agent shall not be obligated to make any sale of any Collateral if it
shall determine not to do so, regardless of the fact that notice of sale of such
Collateral shall have been given. The Collateral Agent may, without notice or
publication, adjourn any public or private sale or cause the same to be
adjourned from time to time by announcement at the time and place fixed for
sale, and such sale may, without further notice, be made at the time and place
to which the same was so adjourned. In case any sale of all or any part of the
Collateral is made on credit or for future delivery, the Collateral so sold may
be retained by the Collateral Agent until the sale price is paid in full by the
purchaser or purchasers thereof, but the Collateral Agent shall not incur any
liability in case any such purchaser or purchasers shall fail to take up and pay
for the Collateral so sold and, in case of any such failure, such Collateral may
be sold again upon like notice. At any public (or, to the extent permitted by
applicable law, private) sale made pursuant to this Section 6, any Secured Party
may bid for or purchase, free from any right of redemption, stay or appraisal on
the part of any Pledgor (all said rights being also hereby waived and released
to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law), the Collateral or any part
thereof offered for sale and may make payment on account thereof by using any
claim then due and payable to it from such Pledgor as a credit against the
purchase price, and it may, upon compliance with the terms of sale, hold, retain
and dispose of such property without further accountability to such Pledgor
therefor. For purposes hereof, (a) a written agreement to purchase the
Collateral or any portion thereof shall be treated as a sale thereof, (b) the
Collateral Agent shall be free to carry out such sale pursuant to such agreement
and (c) such Pledgor shall not be entitled to the return of the Collateral or
any portion thereof subject thereto, notwithstanding the fact that after the
Collateral Agent shall have entered into such an agreement all Events of Default
shall have been remedied and the Obligations paid in full. As an alternative to
exercising the power of sale herein conferred upon it, the Collateral Agent may
proceed by a suit or suits at law or in equity to foreclose upon the Collateral
and to sell the Collateral or any portion thereof pursuant to a judgment or
decree of a court or courts having competent jurisdiction or pursuant to a
proceeding by a court-appointed receiver. Any sale pursuant to the provisions of
this Section 6 shall be deemed to conform to the commercially reasonable
standards as provided in Section 9-504(3) of the Uniform Commercial Code as in
effect in the State of New York or its equivalent in other jurisdictions.
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SECTION 7. APPLICATION OF PROCEEDS OF SALE. The proceeds of any sale of
Collateral pursuant to Section 6, as well as any Collateral consisting of cash,
shall be applied by the Collateral Agent as follows:
FIRST, to the payment of all costs and expenses incurred by
the Collateral Agent in connection with such sale or otherwise in
connection with this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any of the
Obligations, including all court costs and the reasonable fees and
expenses of its agents and legal counsel, the repayment of all advances
made by the Collateral Agent hereunder or under any other Loan Document
on behalf of any Pledgor and any other costs or expenses incurred in
connection with the exercise of any right or remedy hereunder or under
any other Loan Document;
SECOND, to the payment in full of the Obligations (other than
Obligations in respect of indemnification and expense reimbursement
obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document to the extent
such Obligations are not due and payable) (the amounts so applied to be
distributed among the Secured Parties pro rata in accordance with the
amounts of the Obligations owed to them on the date of any such
distribution); and
THIRD, as promptly as practicable, to the Pledgors, their
successors or assigns, or as a court of competent jurisdiction may
otherwise direct.
The Collateral Agent shall have absolute discretion as to the time of
application of any such proceeds, moneys or balances in accordance with this
Agreement. Upon any sale of the Collateral by the Collateral Agent (including
pursuant to a power of sale granted by statute or under a judicial proceeding),
the receipt of the purchase money by the Collateral Agent or of the officer
making the sale shall be a sufficient discharge to the purchaser or purchasers
of the Collateral so sold and such purchaser or purchasers shall not be
obligated to see to the application of any part of the purchase money paid over
to the Collateral Agent or such officer or be answerable in any way for the
misapplication thereof.
SECTION 8. REIMBURSEMENT OF COLLATERAL AGENT. (a) Each Pledgor agrees
to pay upon reasonable notice to the Collateral Agent the amount of any and all
reasonable expenses, including the reasonable fees, other charges and
disbursements of its counsel and of any experts or agents, that the Collateral
Agent may incur in connection with (i) the administration of this Agreement,
(ii) the custody or preservation of, or the sale of, collection from, or other
realization upon, any of the Collateral, (iii) the exercise or enforcement of
any of the rights of the Collateral Agent hereunder or (iv) the material failure
by such Pledgor to perform or observe any of the provisions hereof.
(b) Without limitation of its indemnification obligations under the
other Loan Documents, each Pledgor agrees to indemnify the Collateral Agent and
the Indemnitees (as defined in Section 9.03 of the Credit Agreement) against,
and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses, claims, damages,
liabilities and related expenses, including reasonable counsel fees, other
charges and disbursements, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee
arising out of, in any way connected with, or as a result of (i) the execution,
delivery or performance of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any
agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the performance by the
parties hereto of their respective obligations thereunder or the consummation of
the Transactions and the other transactions contemplated thereby or (ii) any
claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing,
whether or not any Indemnitee is a party thereto, PROVIDED that such
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indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such
losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses are determined by a
court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have
resulted from the gross negligence or wilful misconduct of such Indemnitee or
any Related Party of such Indemnitee.
(c) Any amounts payable as provided hereunder shall be additional
Obligations secured hereby and by the other Security Documents. The provisions
of this Section 8 shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless
of the termination of this Agreement, the consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby, the repayment of any of the Obligations, the invalidity or
unenforceability of any term or provision of this Agreement or any other Loan
Document or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Collateral Agent or
any other Secured Party. All amounts due under this Section 8 shall be payable
on written demand therefor and shall bear interest at the rate specified in
Section 2.12(c) of the Credit Agreement.
SECTION 9. COLLATERAL AGENT APPOINTED ATTORNEY-IN-FACT. Each Pledgor
hereby appoints the Collateral Agent the attorney-in-fact of such Pledgor for
the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Agreement and taking any
action and executing any instrument that the Collateral Agent may reasonably
deem necessary or advisable to accomplish the purposes hereof, which appointment
is irrevocable and coupled with an interest. Without limiting the generality of
the foregoing, the Collateral Agent shall have the right, upon the occurrence
and during the continuance of an Event of Default, with full power of
substitution either in the Collateral Agent's name or in the name of such
Pledgor, to ask for, demand, xxx for, collect, receive and give acquittance for
any and all moneys due or to become due under and by virtue of any Collateral,
to endorse checks, drafts, orders and other instruments for the payment of money
payable to the Pledgor representing any interest or dividend or other
distribution payable in respect of the Collateral or any part thereof or on
account thereof and to give full discharge for the same, to settle, compromise,
prosecute or defend any action, claim or proceeding with respect thereto, and to
sell, assign, endorse, pledge, transfer and to make any agreement respecting, or
otherwise deal with, the same; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that nothing herein contained
shall be construed as requiring or obligating the Collateral Agent to make any
commitment or to make any inquiry as to the nature or sufficiency of any payment
received by the Collateral Agent, or to present or file any claim or notice, or
to take any action with respect to the Collateral or any part thereof or the
moneys due or to become due in respect thereof or any property covered thereby.
The Collateral Agent and the other Secured Parties shall be accountable only for
amounts actually received as a result of the exercise of the powers granted to
them herein, and neither they nor their officers, directors, employees or agents
shall be responsible to any Pledgor for any act or failure to act hereunder,
except for their own gross negligence or wilful misconduct.
SECTION 10. WAIVERS; AMENDMENT. (a) No failure or delay of the
Collateral Agent in exercising any power or right hereunder shall operate as a
waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or
power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or
power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any
other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Collateral Agent hereunder
and of the other Secured Parties under the other Loan Documents are cumulative
and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have.
No waiver of any provisions of this Agreement or consent to any departure by any
Pledgor therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be
permitted by paragraph (b) below, and then such waiver or consent shall be
effective only in the specific instance
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and for the purpose for which given. No notice or demand on any Pledgor in any
case shall entitle such Pledgor to any other or further notice or demand in
similar or other circumstances.
(b) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived,
amended or modified except pursuant to a written agreement entered into between
the Collateral Agent and the Pledgor or Pledgors with respect to which such
waiver, amendment or modification is to apply, subject to any consent required
in accordance with Section 9.02 of the Credit Agreement.
SECTION 11. SECURITIES ACT, ETC. In view of the position of the
Pledgors in relation to the Pledged Securities, or because of other current or
future circumstances, a question may arise under the Securities Act of 1933, as
now or hereafter in effect, or any similar statute hereafter enacted analogous
in purpose or effect (such Act and any such similar statute as from time to time
in effect being called the "FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS") with respect to any
disposition of the Pledged Securities permitted hereunder. Each Pledgor
understands that compliance with the Federal Securities Laws might very strictly
limit the course of conduct of the Collateral Agent if the Collateral Agent were
to attempt to dispose of all or any part of the Pledged Securities, and might
also limit the extent to which or the manner in which any subsequent transferee
of any Pledged Securities could dispose of the same. Similarly, there may be
other legal restrictions or limitations affecting the Collateral Agent in any
attempt to dispose of all or part of the Pledged Securities under applicable
Blue Sky or other state securities laws or similar laws analogous in purpose or
effect. Each Pledgor recognizes that in light of such restrictions and
limitations the Collateral Agent may, with respect to any sale of the Pledged
Securities, limit the purchasers to those who will agree, among other things, to
acquire such Pledged Securities for their own account, for investment, and not
with a view to the distribution or resale thereof. Each Pledgor acknowledges and
agrees that in light of such restrictions and limitations, the Collateral Agent,
in its sole and absolute discretion, (a) may proceed to make such a sale whether
or not a registration statement for the purpose of registering such Pledged
Securities or part thereof shall have been filed under the Federal Securities
Laws and (b) may approach and negotiate with a single potential purchaser to
effect such sale. Each Pledgor acknowledges and agrees that any such sale might
result in prices and other terms less favorable to the seller than if such sale
were a public sale without such restrictions. In the event of any such sale, the
Collateral Agent shall incur no responsibility or liability for selling all or
any part of the Pledged Securities at a price that the Collateral Agent, in its
sole and absolute discretion, may in good xxxxx xxxx reasonable under the
circumstances, notwithstanding the possibility that a substantially higher price
might have been realized if the sale were deferred until after registration as
aforesaid or if more than a single purchaser were approached. The provisions of
this Section 11 will apply notwithstanding the existence of a public or private
market upon which the quotations or sales prices may exceed substantially the
price at which the Collateral Agent sells.
SECTION 12. REGISTRATION, ETC. Each Pledgor agrees that, upon the
occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default hereunder, if for
any reason the Collateral Agent desires to sell any of the Pledged Securities of
the Borrower at a public sale, it will, at any time and from time to time, upon
the written request of the Collateral Agent, use its best efforts to take or to
cause the issuer of such Pledged Securities to take such action and prepare,
distribute and/or file such documents, as are required or advisable in the
reasonable opinion of counsel for the Collateral Agent to permit the public sale
of such Pledged Securities. Each Pledgor further agrees to indemnify, defend and
hold harmless the Collateral Agent, each other Secured Party, any underwriter
and their respective officers, directors, affiliates and controlling persons
from and against all loss, liability, reasonable expenses,
10
reasonable costs of counsel (including, without limitation, reasonable fees and
expenses to the Collateral Agent of legal counsel), and claims (including the
costs of investigation) that they may incur insofar as such loss, liability,
expense or claim arises out of or is based upon any alleged untrue statement of
a material fact contained in any prospectus (or any amendment or supplement
thereto) or in any notification or offering circular, or arises out of or is
based upon any alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements in any thereof not misleading,
except insofar as the same may have been caused by any untrue statement or
omission based upon information furnished in writing to such Pledgor or the
issuer of such Pledged Securities by the Collateral Agent or any other Secured
Party expressly for use therein. Each Pledgor further agrees, upon such written
request referred to above, to use its best efforts to qualify, file or register,
or cause the issuer of such Pledged Securities to qualify, file or register, any
of the Pledged Securities under the Blue Sky or other securities laws of such
states as may be reasonably requested by the Collateral Agent and keep
effective, or cause to be kept effec tive, all such qualifications, filings or
registrations. Each Pledgor will bear all costs and expenses of carrying out its
obligations under this Section 12. Each Pledgor acknowledges that there is no
adequate remedy at law for failure by it to comply with the provisions of this
Section 12 and that such failure would not be adequately compensable in damages,
and therefore agrees that its agreements contained in this Section 12 may be
specifically enforced.
SECTION 13. SECURITY INTEREST ABSOLUTE. All rights of the Collateral
Agent hereunder, the grant of a security interest in the Collateral and all
obligations of each Pledgor hereunder, shall be absolute and unconditional
irrespective of (a) any lack of validity or enforceability of the Credit
Agreement, any other Loan Document, any agreement with respect to any of the
Obligations or any other agreement or instrument relating to any of the
foregoing, (b) any change in the time, manner or place of payment of, or in any
other term of, all or any of the Obligations, or any other amendment or waiver
of or any consent to any departure from the Credit Agreement, any other Loan
Document or any other agreement or instrument relating to any of the foregoing,
(c) any exchange, release or nonperfection of any other collateral, or any
release or amendment or waiver of or consent to or departure from any guaranty,
for all or any of the Obligations or (d) any other circumstance that might
otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, any Pledgor in
respect of the Obligations or in respect of this Agreement (other than the
indefeasible payment in full of all the Obligations and termination of all
commitments of the Lenders and the Issuing Bank).
SECTION 14. TERMINATION OR RELEASE. (a) This Agreement and the security
interests granted hereby shall terminate when all the Obligations have been
indefeasibly paid in full (other than wholly contingent Obligations in respect
of indemnification and expense reimbursement obligations hereunder or under any
other Loan Document to the extent such Obligations are not due and payable) and
the Lenders have no further commitment to lend under the Credit Agreement, the
Standby LC Exposure has been reduced to zero, the Trade LC Exposure has been
reduced to zero and the Issuing Bank has no further obligation to issue Letters
of Credit under the Credit Agreement.
(b) Upon any sale or other transfer by any Pledgor of any Collateral
that is permitted under the Credit Agreement to any person that is not a
Pledgor, or, upon the effectiveness of any written consent to the release of the
security interest granted hereby in any Collateral pursuant to Section 9.02(b)
of the Credit Agreement, the security interest in such Collateral shall be
automatically released. If all of the capital stock of a Pledgor is sold,
transferred or otherwise disposed of to a person that is not an Affiliate of the
Borrower pursuant to a transaction permitted by Section 6.05 of the
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Credit Agreement, such Pledgor shall be released from its obligations under this
Agreement without further action.
(c) In connection with any termination or release pursuant to paragraph
(a) or (b), the Collateral Agent shall execute and deliver to any Pledgor, at
such Pledgor's expense, all documents that such Pledgor shall reasonably request
to evidence such termination or release. Any execution and delivery of documents
pursuant to this Section 14 shall be without recourse to or warranty by the
Collateral Agent.
SECTION 15. NOTICES. All communications and notices hereunder shall be
in writing and given as provided in Section 9.01 of the Credit Agreement. All
communications and notices hereunder to any Subsidiary Pledgor shall be given to
it in care of the Borrower.
SECTION 16. FURTHER ASSURANCES. Each Pledgor agrees to do such further
acts and things, and to execute and deliver such additional conveyances,
assignments, agreements and instruments, as the Collateral Agent may at any time
reasonably request in connection with the administration and enforcement of this
Agreement or with respect to the Collateral or any part thereof or in order
better to assure and confirm unto the Collateral Agent its rights and remedies
hereunder.
SECTION 17. BINDING EFFECT; SEVERAL AGREEMENT; ASSIGNMENTS. Whenever in
this Agreement any of the parties hereto is referred to, such reference shall be
deemed to include the successors and assigns of such party; and all covenants,
promises and agreements by or on behalf of any Pledgor that are contained in
this Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of its successors and
assigns. This Agreement shall become effective as to any Pledgor when a
counterpart hereof executed on behalf of such Pledgor shall have been delivered
to the Collateral Agent and a counterpart hereof shall have been executed on
behalf of the Collateral Agent, and thereafter shall be binding upon such
Pledgor and the Collateral Agent and their respective successors and assigns,
and shall inure to the benefit of such Pledgor, the Collateral Agent and the
other Secured Parties, and their respective successors and assigns, except that
no Pledgor shall have the right to assign its rights hereunder or any interest
herein or in the Collateral (and any such attempted assignment shall be void and
the Collateral Agent shall not have the right to assign its rights or
obligations hereunder or any interest herein other than pursuant to any
assignment or resignation permitted under the Credit Agreement), except as
expressly contemplated by this Agreement or the other Loan Documents. This
Agreement shall be construed as a separate agreement with respect to each
Pledgor and may be amended, modified, supplemented, waived or released with
respect to any Pledgor without the approval of any other Pledgor and without
affecting the obligations of any other Pledgor hereunder.
SECTION 18. SURVIVAL OF AGREEMENT; SEVERABILITY. (a) All covenants,
agreements, representations and warranties made by each Pledgor herein and in
the certificates or other instruments prepared or delivered in connection with
or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be considered to
have been relied upon by the Collateral Agent and the other Secured Parties and
shall survive the making by the Lenders of the Loans and the issuance of the
Letters of Credit by the Issuing Bank, regardless of any investigation made by
the Secured Parties or on their behalf, and shall continue in full force and
effect until the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any other
fee or amount payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document has been
indefeasibly paid in full in cash (other than Obligations in respect of
indemnification and expense reimbursement obligations hereunder or under any
other Loan Document to the extent such Obligations are not due
12
and payable), the Standby LC Exposure has been reduced to zero, the Trade LC
Exposure has been reduced to zero and the Commitments have been terminated.
(b) In the event any one or more of the provisions contained in this
Agreement should be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the
validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained
herein shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby (it being understood
that the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall
not in and of itself affect the validity of such provision in any other
jurisdiction). The parties shall endeavor in good-faith negotiations to replace
the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the
economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid,
illegal or unenforceable provisions.
SECTION 19. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND
CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK BUT WITHOUT
GIVING EFFECT TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PRINCIPLES THEREOF.
SECTION 20. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in two or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which, when
taken together, shall constitute a single contract, and shall become effective
as provided in Section 17. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature
page to this Agreement by facsimile transmission shall be as effective as
delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
SECTION 21. RULES OF INTERPRETATION. The rules of interpretation
specified in Section 1.03 of the Credit Agreement shall be applicable to this
Agreement. Section headings used herein are for convenience of reference only,
are not part of this Agreement and are not to affect the construction of, or to
be taken into consideration in interpreting this Agreement.
SECTION 22. JURISDICTION; CONSENT TO SERVICE OF PROCESS. (a) Each
Pledgor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its
property, to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of any New York State court or
Federal court of the United States of America sitting in New York City, and any
appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or
relating to this Agreement or the other Loan Documents, or for recognition or
enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably
and unconditionally agrees that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, all
claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may be heard and determined
in such New York State or, to the extent permitted by law, in such Federal
court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such
action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other
jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law.
Nothing in this Agreement shall affect any right that the Collateral Agent or
any other Secured Party may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding
relating to this Agreement or the other Loan Documents against any Pledgor or
its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.
(b) Each Pledgor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the
fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection that it may
now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding
arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the other Loan Documents in any
New York State or Federal court. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably
13
waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient
forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(c) Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of
process in the manner provided for notices in Section 15. Nothing in this
Agreement will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process
in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 23. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO
THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL
BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF,
UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT. EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT
NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED,
EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF
LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT
AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY,
AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
SECTION 24. ADDITIONAL PLEDGORS. Pursuant to Section 5.12 of the Credit
Agreement, each Domestic Subsidiary of the Borrower that was not in existence or
not a Subsidiary on the Term Funding Date is required to enter in this Agreement
as a Subsidiary Pledgor upon becoming a Subsidiary if such Subsidiary owns or
possesses property of a type that would be considered Collateral hereunder. Upon
execution and delivery by the Collateral Agent and a Subsidiary of an instrument
in the form of Annex I, such Subsidiary shall become a Subsidiary Pledgor
hereunder with the same force and effect as if originally named as a Subsidiary
Pledgor herein. The execution and delivery of such instrument shall not require
the consent of any Pledgor hereunder. The rights and obligations of each Pledgor
hereunder shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the addition of
any new Subsidiary Pledgor as a party to this Agreement.
SECTION 25. EXECUTION OF FINANCING STATEMENTS. Pursuant to Section
9-402 of the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in the State of New York or
its equivalent in other jurisdictions, each Pledgor authorized the Collateral
Agent to file financing statements with respect to the Collateral owned by it
without the signature of such Pledgor in such form and in such filing offices as
the Collateral Agent reasonably determines appropriate to perfect the security
interests of the Collateral Agent under this Agreement. A carbon, photographic
or other reproduction of this Agreement shall be sufficient as a financing
statement for filing in any jurisdiction.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this
Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
XXXXXX MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY, INC.,
by: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Title: Pres. & CEO
XXXXXX ACQUISITION HOLDINGS, INC.,
by: /s/ Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx
------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx
Title: President
THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK,
as Collateral Agent,
by: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Title: Vice President
