This Agreement ("Agreement") dated January 20, 2009 is made and entered into
between
Best Energy Services, Inc., a Nevada corporation with offices at 0000 Xxxxx,
Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxx 00000 ("BES" or the "Company"), and Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx ("Xxxxxxxx") as
follows:
WITNESSTH:
WHEREAS,
Xxxxxxxx was employed by BES as its Chairman, President and Chief
Executive
Officer pursuant to an Employment Agreement dated March 5, 2008 (the
"Employment
Agreement") , a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit A;
and
WHEREAS,
Xxxxxxxx'x employment with BES terminated effective October 13,
2008;
and
WHEREAS,
Xxxxxxxx and BES (hereinafter together referred to as the "Parties")
desire to
set forth the terms relating to the separation payment to be made to Xxxxxxxx
pursuant
to Section 6 of the Employment Agreement as a result of the termination of
Xxxxxxxx'x
employment; and
WHEREAS,
in furtherance of such agreement, the Parties have agreed to the terms and
conditions
of this Agreement as set forth below;
Therefore,
as material considerations and inducements to the execution and delivery
of this
Agreement and in consideration of the mutual promises set forth herein
and
other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged,
the Parties hereby contract, covenant, and agree as follows:
1. Capitalized
Terms. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this
Agreement
shall have the meaning set forth in the Employment Agreement.
2. Termination.
Effective as of October 13, 2008 (hereinafter referred to as the "Termination
Date"),
Xxxxxxxx'x
status as an employee and officer of BES ceased in its entirety.
3. Consideration.
Xxxxxxxx shall be paid the following:
(a) Xxxx Xxx. Xxxxxxxx
has been paid the amount of $25,000, which equals
two (2) months
pay at
his current Base Salary.
(b) Common Stock.
Xxxxxxxx will be issued 75,000 shares of the Company's common
stock,
par
value $0.001 per share ("Common Stock"),
in three equal installments
of 25,000
shares
each with the first such installment to be issued on January
20, 2009 and the second
and third
such installments to be issued on January
31, 2009 and February 28, 2009, respectively
(c) Medical Insurance.
Subject to the terms of the Company's medical insurance
plan in effect
as of the
date hereof, BES will pay for Xxxxxxxx to remain covered
under the
Company's current
medical
insurance plan (at current levels of coverage) through April 30,
2009.
(d) Reimbursement of ARH
Receivables. BES has collected certain accounts receivable
of
American
Rig Housing, Inc , a Texas corporation ("ARH"), arising prior to February
28, 2008
(the
"Receivables"). The Company agrees to pay such collected Receivables
to Xxxxxxxx in
cash by
corporate check in accordance with the terms of this Section
3(d). The payment to
be made
pursuant to this Section 3(d) shall be made from and after
the later of (i) the date
that all
funds are released from the account established pursuant
to that certain Escrow
Agreement
dated February 14, 2008 by and among the Company,
Xxxx Xxxxx and
XX Xxxxxx
Xxxxx Bank, N.A. and (ii) the date that the Company
and Xxxxxxxx agree upon
he amount
of the Receivables collected by the Company.
(e) Reimbursement of Business
Expenses. BES will reimburse Xxxxxxxx for verified
out-of-pocket
expenses incurred by Xxxxxxxx in the performance of his duties under the
Employment Agreement.
(f) Deferred
Compensation. The Company has previously agreed to pay
Xxxxxxxx
a total of $1,000,000 in deferred compensation(the
"Deferred Compensation")
and
currently
owes $850,000 of the Deferred Compensation to Xxxxxxxx.
The Deferred Compensation
shall be
payable as follows: (i) upon execution and
delivery of this Agreement, the Company shall
issue a
total of 600,000 shares of Common
Stock valued at $0.50 per share to Xxxxxxxx; (ii) beginning
on
January 15, 2009 and
continuing through and including April 15, 2009, the Company shall pay
Xxxxxxxx
$15,000
per month on the 15th day of each month; and (iii) beginning on May 15,
2009,
the
Company shall pay Xxxxxxxx $10,000 per month for a period of 49 months. All
amounts
paid pursuant
to this
Section 3(f) shall represent full and final payment of the Deferred
Compensation. Notwithstanding
anything
to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, if the Board of Directors of the
Company reasonably
determines
that the Company does not have sufficient cash to pay any amounts pursuant to
this Section 3(f)
or if the
payment of such amounts would cause a default under any agreement to which the Company is a
party,
then the Company may postpone the
payment of any such amount until the cause of such non-payment has been
resolved.
(g) Taxes and
Withholding. All payments made to Xxxxxxxx under this Agreement
shall be
less
applicable tax withholding and payroll deductions.
The
payments delivered pursuant to Paragraphs (a) through (g) above are referred to
as the
"Consideration.
" BES is
not obligated to pay any of the Consideration if Xxxxxxxx revokes or
breaches this Agreement. Xxxxxxxx
acknowledges
the sufficiency of the Consideration as consideration
to him for executing this Agreement and agreeing
to be
bound by its terms.
Additionally,
Xxxxxxxx acknowledges and agrees that upon payment of the Consideration,
he will have been paid all
moneys
owed to him pursuant to the Employment Agreement.
4. Release.
(a) Release
and Assignment
of All Claims by
Xxxxxxxx. In consideration of
BES's
agreement to provide the Consideration described in
Paragraph 3 of this
Agreement,
Xxxxxxxx, his spouse, heirs, executors, trustees, assigns, and attorneys, if
any
(collectively,
the "Releasors"), hereby release and forever discharge BES and all of
its
past,
present and future officers, directors, stockholders, partners, representatives,
board
members,
subsidiaries, parent companies, related entities, insurance carriers,
agents,
servants,
employees, successors, assigns, heirs, legatees, and attorneys, in their
individual
and
official capacities (the "Released Parties"), from any and all claims, causes
of
action,
lawsuits, proceedings, damages, interests, benefits, and all other demands of
any kind
or
character whatsoever, in law or in equity, in any way directly or indirectly
related to or
connected
with his employment or separation therefrom with the Released Parties.
This
Release includes, without limitation, the following:
(i) Claims
related to Xxxxxxxx'x employment and/or the termination of
his
employment including, without limitation, any allegation of a violation of
any
employment,
bonus, or other compensation agreement with BES, including, without
limitation,
the Employment Agreement;
(ii) Claims
that could have been asserted in any Charge of
Discrimination
filed by Xxxxxxxx with the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission
and/or the Texas Workforce Commission--Civil Rights Division;
(iii) Claims
arising under state or federal constitution or state or federal
statute
(including, without limitation, all tort claims), city ordinance, or
public
policy,
including, without limitation, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as
amended,
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C.
§ 1001 et
seq. and claims involving employment discrimination, harassment,
and/or
retaliation of any form (including, without limitation, claims under the
Age
Discrimination
in Employment Act of 1967, 29 U.S.C. §621 et seq., Title VII of
the Civil
Rights
Act of
1964 as amended, 42 U.S.C. §2000e et seq., the Civil Rights
Act of 1870, 42 U.S.C. §1981,
the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 00
X.X.X. §00000 et seq., the Family and Medical
Leave
Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C.
§2601 et seq., the Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. §206, the Texas
Commission
on Human
Rights Act, Tex. Lab. Code Xxx. §21.001 et seq., and/or the Texas Workers'
Compensation
Act, Tex.
Lab. Code §451.001 et seq.);
(iv) Claims
arising under state or federal contract, tort, or common law,
including,
without limitation, any claim of breach of contract, promissory
estoppel,
detrimental reliance, wrongful discharge, false imprisonment,
assault,
battery,
intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, slander,
libel,
fraud,
invasion of privacy, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair
dealing,
breach of
fiduciary duty, conversion, and tortious interference with any type
of
third-party
relationship, as well as any and all damages that may arise out of
any
such
claims, including, without limitation, claims for economic loss, lost
profits,
loss of
capital, lost wages, lost earning capacity, emotional distress,
mental
anguish,
personal injuries, punitive damages, or any future damages;
(v) Claims
of retaliation of any nature, including, but not limited to,the
anti-
retaliatory
provisions of the statues identified in Paragraph 4(a)(iii) of this Agreement;
and
(vi) CLAIMS
OF NEGLIGENCE OF ANY KIND INCLUDING,WITHOUT
LIMITATION,
GROSS NEGLIGENCE AGAINST BES BASED UPON THE
ACTION OR INACTION OF BES.
The
claims described in Paragraph 4 (a)(i) through (vi) are
hereinafter collectively
referred
to as the "Claims." This Agreement may be pleaded as, and shall constitute,
an
absolute
and final bar to any and all lawsuits or administrative claims now pending,
or
that may
hereafter be filed or prosecuted by Releasors against the Released Parties
that
arose out
of or in connection with any of the Claims. Additionally, Xxxxxxxx agrees
that
at no
time subsequent to the execution of this Agreement will he permit the filing
or
maintenance,
in any state, federal, or foreign court, or before any local, state, federal,
or
foreign
administrative agency, or any other tribunal, of any charge, claim, or action
of
any kind
arising out of or in any way related to any of the Claims. Finally, it is
the
intention
of the Parties that this Agreement shall be construed as broadly and
all-
encompassing
as permitted by law and that, notwithstanding such intention, if it is
found
that any
claim of any kind has not been released, Xxxxxxxx agrees that any such claim
is
hereby
assigned to BES. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to affect
the
rights
and responsibilities of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(the
"Commission"),
the National Labor Relations Board (the "NLRB"), or any
otherfederal,
state
or local
agency with similar responsibilities to enforce any laws pertaining to
employment discrimination
or
retaliation, or union activity or participation. Likewise, this waiver will not
be used to justify interfering
with the
protected right of any employee to file a charge or participate in an
investigation or proceeding c
onducted
by the Commission, the NLRB or any similar agency; however, Xxxxxxxx waives the
right to any
benefits
or recovery arising out of any such proceeding.
(b) Limited Release by
BES. In consideration of the payments made to Xxxxxxxx
pursuant
to
this Agreement and the Release and Assignment of all Claims by
Xxxxxxxx
pursuant to Paragraph 4, BES, its past, present and future officers, directors,
stockholders,
partners,
representatives, board members, subsidiaries, parent companies, related
entities, insurance
carriers,
agents, servants, employees, successors, assigns, heirs, legatees, and
attorneys, hereby
release
Xxxxxxxx and forever discharge him from any and all claims or causes of action
which it or
any
of them may have against him arising out of or relating in any manner whatsoever
to his
employment
with BES, except for breaches of fiduciary duty, violations of securities laws
or fraud.
5. Director.
Xxxxxxxx is currently a member of the Board of Directors of BES with
a term of
office expiring
at the
Company's annual meeting of stockholders in 2009. Xxxxxxxx shall
remain as a director of BES until the
expiration
of his term of office.
6. No
Future Employment. Xxxxxxxx agrees that BES has no obligation,contractual
or otherwise, to employ
Xxxxxxxx
as an employee of BES in the future. Xxxxxxxx hereby
waives any right to future employment as an employee of BES.
7. Stock
Options. Xxxxxxxx has previously been granted the following options to
purchase
shares of the Company's common stock:
Exercise
Number
of Price Expiration
Options Per
Share Date of
Grant Date Vesting
300,000 $0.16 Xxxxx
0,
0000 Xxxxx
5,
2013 Immediate
300,000 $0.50 Xxxxx
0,
0000 Xxxxx
5,
2013 December
31, 2008
All of
such options shall remain in full force and effect in accordance with their
respective terms.
S. No
Admission of Wrongdoing. Both Parties acknowledge and agree that
thisAgreement
shall not
be construed as an admission by the other of any act of wrongdoing,liability,
or responsibility
for any
wrongdoing of any kind.
9. Taxation
Consequences and Indemnity. Xxxxxxxx acknowledges and agreesthat BES
has made
no representations to him regarding the taxation of any portion of the
Consideration.
Xxxxxxxx
also understands that he is solely responsible for the payment of
alltaxes, if
any, related
to the
Consideration and that BES has no duty to defend him against
any such
claims. Finally,
Xxxxxxxx
understands and agrees that he shall fully indemnify BES for any claims
brought by taxing
authorities
against BES seeking payment of taxes, penalties, and/or interest
related in any way to the
assessment,
determination, and/or reporting of taxes under federal,
state, and/or local law. This agreement
to
indemnify BES includes the agreement to pay all
attorneys' fees and other costs that BES may reasonably
incur in
the defense of such claims; additionally,
the choice of counsel to represent BES in any such proceedings
to which
this agreement
to indemnify applies shall at all times rest within the sole discretion of BES.
Finally,
Xxxxxxxx
agrees that, if requested by BES at any time following his execution of this
Agreement,
he shall
complete, execute, and deliver to BES a Form W-4 and/or Form W-9 providing such
information
as may be necessary for any party issuing the appropriate Internal Revenue
Service
form
related to the Consideration.
10. Entire
Agreement. Xxxxxxxx acknowledges and agrees that, except as
expressly
set forth
herein, no representations of any kind or character have been made by or on
behalf of
BES to
induce his execution of this document and that this Agreement constitutes the
complete
understanding
and agreement between him and BES. Xxxxxxxx also acknowledges and
agrees
that this
Agreement supersedes any and all prior agreements, promises, or
inducements
concerning
the subject matter of this Agreement. By executing and delivering this
Agreement,
Xxxxxxxx
expressly disclaims any reliance on any representations, promises, or other
statements
by BES,
except to the extent such representations, promises, or other statements are
expressly
contained
in this Agreement.
11. Confidentiality.
Xxxxxxxx agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the terms,
contents
and conditions of this Agreement and shall not further disclose or discuss
the
Agreement
except to governmental officials; as required by law; to tax advisors; and for
other
shall
instruct his tax advisors as to the terms of this Paragraph and shall insist
upon their compliance with
the
terms of this Paragraph.
12. Property
and Confidential Information. Xxxxxxxx represents and warrants that
he has
returned any and all property, information or documents including, but not
limited to, any
and all
confidential information belonging to BES, including any originals, copies or
summaries
currently
in Xxxxxxxx'x possession, custody or control.
13. Default
and Notice. In the event that BES fails to make any payment due
under
the
provisions of this Agreement, Xxxxxxxx shall give written notice of such failure
to BES, and
BES shall
have a period of fifteen (15) business days from receipt of such notice in which
to cure
such
default. For purposes of this Paragraph 13, all notices to BES for failure to
make any payment
due under
this Agreement shall be in writing and either hand delivered or sent by
Certified Mail,
Return
Receipt Requested, to Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx L.L.P., 000 Xxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx
0000, Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000.
14. No
Presumption Against Interest. This Agreement has been jointly
negotiated,
drafted,
and reviewed by Xxxxxxxx and BES and, therefore, no provision arising directly
or
indirectly
herefrom may be construed against any Party as being drafted by that
Party.
15. Waiver.
No waiver of any of the terms of this Agreement shall be valid unless
in
writing
and signed by all Parties to this Agreement. The waiver by any party hereto of
any
provision
of this Agreement shall not operate or be construed as a waiver of any
subsequentbreach by
any
party, nor shall any waiver operate or be construed as a rescission of this
Agreement.
16. Severability.
The Parties agree that should any part of this Agreement be
declared
or determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, invalid,
or
unenforceable,
the Parties intend that the legality, validity, and enforceability of
the
remaining parts shall not be affected thereby, and said illegal, invalid or
unenforceable
part shall be deemed not to be a part of this Agreement.
However,
the Parties have carefully read and understand the provisions herein
and agree
that all aspects of this Agreement are reasonable.
17. Captions. The
captions contained in this Agreement are intended for
convenience
only and should not be considered in interpreting the terms of this
Agreement.
18. Understanding
of Agreement. By signing this Agreement, Xxxxxxxx
acknowledges
that he has fully and carefully read this Agreement, that he fully understands
and
agrees to
its contents and effects, and that he is entering into this Agreement of his own
free will
and
accord. Xxxxxxxx further agrees and acknowledges that:
• He
has read and considered the terms of this Agreement, including the
Release
and
Assignment of All Claims set forth in Paragraph 4;
• He
understands and agrees to such terms of his own free will and
accord;
• He
has had an opportunity to consult with an attorney prior to executing
this
Agreement,
and he is hereby advised in writing to consult with counsel of his
choice
prior to executing and delivering this Agreement;
• The
Release and Assignment of all Claims set forth in Paragraph 4
specifically
refers to
rights and/or claims that may arise under the Age Discrimination in
Employment
Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 621 et seq., and
any similar state or local
protective
statute;
• Through
this Agreement, he is releasing BES, along with the other parties
named
above as
the "Released Parties," from any and all claims that he has or may
have
against
them;
• He
has been given at least twenty-one (21) days to consider this Agreement
(but
remains
free to execute this Agreement before the expiration of the
twenty-one
(21)
days);
• For
a seven (7) day period following his execution of this Agreement, he
may
revoke
it, and it will not become effective or enforceable until the expiration of
the seven
(7) day period; and
• His
revocation, if any, must be in writing and sent to Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx,
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxx
L.L.P., 000 Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000,
on or
before the expiration of the seventh day after this Agreement is
executed
by
Xxxxxxxx via facsimile at (000) 000-0000 or hand delivery at the address
above or
e-mail to Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx at xxxxxxx@xx.xxx. If Xxxxxxxx revokes
this
Agreement, he shall not be entitled to receive any payments under
it.
19.
Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to
the
benefit
of the parties and their respective successors and
assigns.