SEVERANCE AND RESTRICTIVE COVENANT AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.8.3
SEVERANCE AND RESTRICTIVE COVENANT AGREEMENT
THIS SEVERANCE AND RESTRICTIVE COVENANT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is dated as of November ___, 2015 (the “Effective Date”), between TESSCO TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and ________ (“Executive”).
The term of this Agreement shall commence on and as of the Effective Date and continue until Executive’s employment has terminated and the obligations of the parties hereunder have terminated or expired or have been satisfied in accordance with their terms.
For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings set forth in this Section:
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(e) Executive’s failure (other than by reason of physical or mental illness or infirmity) to perform or to comply with any material term or condition of this Agreement, which failure: |
2.3. “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any of the following: |
(a) any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) (other than Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Xx., his affiliates, and members of his family) becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the then-outstanding securities of the Company; or |
(b) there is a change in the composition of a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company within twelve (12) months after any “person” (as defined above) (other than Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Xx., his affiliates, and members of his family) becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing thirty percent (30%) or more of the combined voting power of the then-outstanding securities of the Company; or |
(c) there is consummated any consolidation or merger or share exchange involving the Company in which the Company is not the continuing or surviving corporation or pursuant to which shares of the Company’s common stock would be converted into cash, securities, or other property, other than a merger of the Company in which the holders of the Company’s common stock immediately before the merger have substantially the same proportionate ownership of common stock of the surviving entity immediately after the merger; or |
(d) there is consummated any sale, lease, exchange, or other transfer (in one transaction or a series of related transactions) of all or a substantial portion of the assets of the Company other than to one or more of its wholly-owned subsidiaries; or |
(e) the stockholders of the Company approve a plan or proposal for the complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, or divisive reorganization of the Company. |
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2.6. “Disability” means any physical or mental illness or infirmity of Executive (expressly excluding habitual use of alcohol or drugs) that causes Executive to be substantially unable to perform Executive’s duties hereunder for any period of one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days or two hundred seventy (270) days, whether or not consecutive, in any period of three hundred sixty five (365) days, despite provision by the Company of reasonable accommodations as required by law. The determination of whether a Disability exists shall be made by a licensed physician who is board certified in the specialty mutually determined by the Company and Executive to be applicable and who is mutually selected by the Company and Executive. If the parties cannot agree on such a physician or specialty, each party shall select a physician and the two physicians so selected shall select a third physician board certified in the specialty determined appropriate by the two physicians, and such board-certified physician shall make the determination of whether a Disability exists. Absent certification by the physician so selected that the circumstances of Executive’s condition have changed materially since the time of the then most recent determination, neither party shall be able to initiate a determination as to Disability for a period of nine months after the completion of the then most recent determination. |
2.7. “Good Reason” means the occurrence, without Executive’s express prior written consent, of any of the following: |
For the avoidance of doubt: (x) neither the relocation of Executive’s place of employment to another location nor the occurrence of a Change in Control shall, of itself, constitute “Good Reason” and (y) any prospective action that would, if actually taken or implemented, constitute
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Good Reason through the application of (a) or (b) above (after the expiration without cure of the applicable notice and cure period provided for above) shall not in any event be deemed to have occurred unless and until such action is actually taken or implemented.
2.8. “Separation from Service” means a termination of Executive’s employment that constitutes a separation from service under Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(i) of the Code. |
(d) Effective Date of Termination. Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by the Company and Executive: |
(i) The effective date of termination of Executive’s employment in the case of a termination of Executive’s employment by the Company for any or no reason shall not be more than ninety (90) days after the date the notice of termination is given by the Company; and |
(ii) The effective date of termination in the case of a termination of Executive’s employment by Executive for any reason shall not be less than thirty (30) nor more than thirty-five (35) days after the date the notice of termination is given by Executive. |
The foregoing, however, shall not preclude the Company from requiring that Executive take a leave of absence with pay until the expiration of the period between the date the notice of termination is given and the effective date of termination.
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(e) Section 409A. |
(ii) In the event that any payments due under Section 3.3(c) or Section 3.4 constitute “deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, Executive’s right to receive a series of installment payments shall be treated as a right to a series of separate payments. |
3.3. Termination Without Cause or With Good Reason. If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall pay to Executive: |
(a) Termination Without Cause or With Good Reason. If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall pay to Executive: |
(b) Termination Without Cause or With Good Reason. If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall pay to Executive: |
(c) Termination Without Cause or With Good Reason. If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason, the Company shall pay to Executive: |
3.4. Termination Without Cause or With Good Reason Following Change in Control. If Executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or by Executive for Good Reason within one (1) year following the occurrence of a Change in Control, the Company shall pay to Executive, in lieu of the amount of severance pay that would otherwise be payable under Section 3.3(c), an amount of severance pay equal to one hundred percent (100%) of Executive’s annual base compensation as in effect on the Date of Termination (without regard to any reduction therein constituting Good Reason within the meaning of Section |
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2.7(b)), which amount shall be paid in twelve (12) consecutive equal monthly installments (A) commencing on the later of (x) the first day of second calendar month following the Date of Termination and (y) the tenth (10th) day after Executive has executed and delivered to the Company the general release agreement required by Section 3.7 (and provided that Executive has not thereafter revoked or rescinded such release) and (B) continuing thereafter monthly until paid in full. |
3.5. Determination of Accrued Bonus. For purposes of Section 3.2 and Section 3.3(b), “Accrued Bonus” determined as of Executive’s Date of Termination means any bonus or other cash incentive compensation earned or accrued on the Company’s books as of or through the Date of Termination in accordance with this Section 3.5. In making this calculation, to the extent applicable: (i) Executive’s based compensation or other earnings will be based on actual earnings through the Date of Termination (determined without regard to any reduction therein constituting Good Reason within the meaning of Section 2.7(b)), (ii) any individual contribution percentage or individual performance factor will be set at 100%, and (iii) any Company performance factors will be based on those used to calculate bonus accruals for the most recently completed fiscal quarter of the fiscal year in which the Date of Termination falls, unless the Date of Termination falls within the Company’s first fiscal quarter of the fiscal year, in which case any Company performance factors will be calculated as reasonably determined by the Company in good faith. |
3.6. Determination of Accrued Bonus. For purposes of Section 3.2 and Section 3.3(b), “Accrued Bonus” determined as of Executive’s Date of Termination means any bonus or other cash incentive compensation earned or accrued on the Company’s books as of or through the Date of Termination in accordance with this Section 3.5. In making this calculation, to the extent applicable: (i) Executive’s based compensation or other earnings will be based on actual earnings through the Date of Termination (determined without regard to any reduction therein constituting Good Reason within the meaning of Section 2.7(b)), (ii) any individual contribution percentage or individual performance factor will be set at 100%, and (iii) any Company performance factors will be based on those used to calculate bonus accruals for the most recently completed fiscal quarter of the fiscal year in which the Date of Termination falls, unless the Date of Termination falls within the Company’s first fiscal quarter of the fiscal year, in which case any Company performance factors will be calculated as reasonably determined by the Company in good faith. |
3.7. Determination of Accrued Bonus. For purposes of Section 3.2 and Section 3.3(b), “Accrued Bonus” determined as of Executive’s Date of Termination means any bonus or other cash incentive compensation earned or accrued on the Company’s books as of or through the Date of Termination in accordance with this Section 3.5. In making this calculation, to the extent applicable: (i) Executive’s based compensation or other earnings will be based on actual earnings through the Date of Termination (determined without regard to any reduction therein constituting Good Reason within the meaning of Section 2.7(b)), (ii) any individual contribution percentage or individual performance factor will be set at 100%, and (iii) any Company performance factors will be based on those used to calculate bonus accruals for the most recently completed fiscal quarter of the fiscal year in which the Date of Termination falls, unless the Date of Termination falls within the Company’s first fiscal quarter of the fiscal year, in which case |
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any Company performance factors will be calculated as reasonably determined by the Company in good faith. |
3.8. Limitation. |
(b) Executive’s obligations under this Section 3.9 and Section 4 shall survive termination of Executive’s employment and the expiration of this Agreement. |
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(c) Upon termination of Executive’s employment, Executive will be deemed to have resigned from all offices and directorships then held with the Company or any of its affiliates. |
3.10. Right of Offset. Executive expressly agrees that the Company shall be entitled to offset against any amounts otherwise payable to Executive under Section 3.3 or Section 3.4 any amount that Executive may then be obligated to pay to the Company, pursuant to this Agreement or any other agreement or arrangement between Executive and the Company, and Executive consents to the Company’s withholding of such amounts from any amount otherwise payable pursuant to Section 3.3 or Section 3.4. |
3.11. No Duty to Mitigate. No amount due to Executive under this Agreement by virtue of the termination of Executive’s employment (other than payments to be provided in respect of health benefits to the extent that Executive is entitled to similar benefits by virtue of new employment) shall be reduced by or on account of any compensation received by Executive as the result of employment by another employer. |
4.2. Noncompetition |
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(a) Competitive Activity. In addition to the restrictions contained in the Company’s Code of Conduct, Executive agrees that Executive shall not, without the prior written consent of the Company (as may be communicated through the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer): |
(i) During the period Executive is employed by the Company (the “Employment Period”) and after termination of Executive’s employment during the Restriction Period (as defined in subsection (d)), directly or indirectly, engage or participate in (as an owner, partner, stockholder, employee, director, officer, agent, consultant or otherwise), with or without compensation, any business that is competitive with the business of the Company or any of its affiliates (x) during the Employment Period, as it is being conducted while Executive is employed by the Company or (y) during the Restriction Period, as it was being conducted at the time of the termination of Executive’s employment (each a “Competitive Business”); |
(ii) After termination of Executive’s employment and during the Restriction Period, directly or indirectly, solicit or attempt to persuade any person who was, at any time within the two (2) year period before such termination an employee or independent contractor of the Company, to terminate his, her, or its relationship with the Company; or |
(iii) After termination of Executive’s employment and during the Restriction Period, directly or indirectly, employ, hire, or retain any person who was an employee of the Company at any time within the one (1) year period before such termination. |
For the avoidance of doubt and without limitation, subsection (i) above is intended, among other things, to prohibit, during the Employment Period and Restriction Period, the solicitation by Executive of any customer, client, or vendor of the Company for the benefit of or in furtherance of a Competitive Business and the engagement or participation of Executive by or with any business that solicits or engages in business with any customer, client, or vendor of the Company in furtherance of a Competitive Business.
(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive may own up to a five percent (5%) interest in a publicly traded corporation or other person engaged in a Competitive Business. |
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(d) For purposes hereof, “Restriction Period” means the period beginning upon the Date of Termination and ending on the first anniversary thereof. |
4.3. Remedies for Breach. Executive acknowledges that the provisions of Sections 4.1 and 4.2 are reasonable and necessary for the protection of the Company and that the Company may be irrevocably damaged if these provisions are not specifically enforced. Accordingly, Executive agrees that, in addition to any other legal or equitable relief or remedy available to the Company, the Company shall be entitled to seek and may obtain an appropriate injunction or other equitable remedy for the purposes of restraining Executive from any actual or threatened breach of or otherwise enforcing these provisions (and that no bond or security shall be required in connection therewith), together with an equitable accounting of all earnings, profits, and other benefits arising from such violation, which rights shall be cumulative. |
4.4. Modification. If a court determines that any of the restrictions contained in Section 4.1 or Section 4.2 is unreasonable in terms of scope, duration, geographic area, or otherwise, or any provision in Section 4.1 or Section 4.2 is otherwise illegal, invalid, or unenforceable, then such restriction or provision, as applicable, shall be reformed to the extent necessary so that the same shall be rendered enforceable to the fullest extent otherwise permissible under applicable law, and the parties hereto do hereby expressly authorize any such court to so provide. |
Section 5. GENERAL PROVISIONS |
5.1. Termination of Employment Agreements. The parties hereby agree that any and all prior employment agreements between Executive and the Company are hereby terminated as of the date hereof, and any and all such agreements shall be of no further force and effect from and after the date hereof and the parties shall be released from any further obligations thereunder. The foregoing, however, shall not be deemed to abrogate or otherwise affect any of Executive’s obligations under the Company’s Code of Conduct as heretofore or hereafter in effect or any other restrictive covenant binding upon Executive. |
(a) Certain Rules of Construction.Number. The definitions contained in Section 2 and elsewhere in this Agreement shall be equally applicable to both the singular and plural forms. |
(b) “Including”; “Or.” The word “including” means and shall be read as “including but not limited to” and the word “or” means “or” in the nonexclusive sense, i.e., either “and” or “or.” |
(c) Section and Subsection References. Except as otherwise specified herein, references in this Agreement to Sections, subsections, and paragraphs are references to the Sections, subsections, and paragraphs of this Agreement. |
(d) Headings. The headings of the Sections, subsections, and paragraphs of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute part of this Agreement or affect the construction hereof. |
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(e) “Herein.” Words such as “herein,” “hereinafter,” “hereof,” and “hereunder” refer to this Agreement as a whole and not merely to a subdivision in which such words appear unless the context otherwise requires. |
(f) “Person.” Except as may be expressly provided otherwise herein, the word “person” includes an individual, corporation, general or limited partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, business trust, firm, association, or other form of business entity. |
(g) Joint Drafting. The parties have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. In the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring either party by virtue of the authorship of any of the provisions of this Agreement. |
5.2. Successors; Binding Agreement. |
If to Executive:As set forth below Executive’s signature
to this Agreement
If to the Company:TESSCO Technologies Incorporated
00000 XxXxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxx Xxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: President and CEO
Fax: (000) 000-0000
or to such other address as either party may have furnished to the other in writing in accordance herewith, except that notices of change of address shall be effective only upon actual receipt.
5.5. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. A counterpart signature page delivered by fax or other electronic means shall be as effective as the original thereof. |
5.6. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed, interpreted, and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland (without regard to any provision that would result in the application of the laws of any other state or jurisdiction). |
5.8. Nondisparagement. The Company and Executive agree that neither will knowingly make any false statement intended or reasonably likely to disparage or defame the other to any person not a party to this Agreement relating to the employment relationship between the Company and Executive, the Company's business, or Executive’s performance. |
(a) Any claims (including counterclaims and cross-claims) and disputes between the parties arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement or Executive’s employment with the Company shall (except as permitted by subsection (b)) be resolved by submission to binding arbitration before a single neutral arbitrator, who shall be a member of the Bar of the State of Maryland, in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules and Procedures of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) then in effect. Such arbitration shall be held in Baltimore, Maryland. |
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in respect of any claim arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or Executive’s employment with the Company. |
(c) Without implying any limitation on the requirement of subsection (a) that disputes be submitted to and resolved by arbitration, each party hereby irrevocably waives any right to a trial by jury in any action or proceeding arising under or relating to this Agreement or to the terms or conditions of Executive’s employment with the Company. |
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Severance and Restrictive Covenant Agreement as of the date and year first above written.
TESSCO TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED |
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By: |
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Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Xx. |
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President and CEO |
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Executive: |
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Address: |
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