WESTMORELAND COAL COMPANY Incentive Stock Option Agreement Granted under the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan for Employees and Non-Employee Directors
Exhibit 10.1
XXXXXXXXXXXX COAL COMPANY
Incentive Stock Option Agreement
Granted under the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan for Employees and Non-Employee Directors
Granted under the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan for Employees and Non-Employee Directors
1. Grant of Option.
This agreement evidences the grant by Xxxxxxxxxxxx Coal Company, a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), on , 2008 (the “Grant Date”) to
, a[n] [employee][officer] of the Company (the “Participant”), of
an option to purchase, in whole or in part, on the terms provided herein and in the Company’s 2007
Equity Incentive Plan for Employees and Non-Employee Directors (the “Plan”), a total of
shares (the “Shares”) of common stock, $2.50 par value per
share, of the Company (“Common Stock”) at $ per Share. Unless earlier
terminated, this option shall expire at 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on (the “Final
Exercise Date”).
It is intended that the option evidenced by this agreement shall be an incentive stock option
as defined in Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any regulations
promulgated thereunder (the “Code”). Except as otherwise indicated by the context, the
term “Participant”, as used in this option, shall be deemed to include any person who acquires the
right to exercise this option validly under its terms.
2. Vesting Schedule.
This option will become exercisable (“vest”) as to % of the original
number of Shares on the [first anniversary] of the Grant Date and as to an additional
% of the original number of Shares at the end of each successive period following the
[first anniversary] of the Grant Date until the anniversary of the Grant Date.
The right of exercise shall be cumulative so that to the extent the option is not exercised in
any period to the maximum extent permissible it shall continue to be exercisable, in whole or in
part, with respect to all Shares for which it is vested until the earlier of the Final Exercise
Date or the termination of this option under Section 3 hereof or the Plan.
3. Exercise of Option.
(a) Form of Exercise. Each election to exercise this option shall be in writing,
signed by the Participant, and received by the Company at its principal office, accompanied by this
agreement, and payment in full in the manner provided in the Plan. The Participant may purchase
less than the number of shares covered hereby, provided that no partial exercise of this option may
be for any fractional share.
(b) Continuous Relationship with the Company Required. Except as otherwise provided
in this Section 3, this option may not be exercised unless the Participant, at the time he
or she exercises this option, is, and has been at all times since the Grant Date, an employee or
officer of, or consultant or advisor to, the Company or any parent or subsidiary of the Company as
defined in Section 424(e) or (f) of the Code (an “Eligible Participant”).
(c) Termination of Relationship with the Company. If the Participant ceases to be an
Eligible Participant for any reason, then, except as provided in paragraphs (d) and (e) below, the
right to exercise this option shall terminate 181 days after such cessation (but in no event after
the Final Exercise Date), provided that this option shall be exercisable only to
the extent that the Participant was entitled to exercise this option on the date of such cessation.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Participant, prior to the Final Exercise Date, violates the
non-competition or confidentiality provisions of any employment contract, confidentiality and
nondisclosure agreement or other agreement between the Participant and the Company, the right to
exercise this option shall terminate immediately upon written notice to the Participant from the
Company describing such violation.
(d) Exercise Period Upon Death or Disability. If the Participant dies or becomes
disabled (within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code) prior to the Final Exercise Date
while he or she is an Eligible Participant and the Company has not terminated such relationship for
“cause” as specified in paragraph (e) below, this option shall be exercisable, within the period of
one year following the date of death or disability of the Participant, by the Participant (or in
the case of death by an authorized transferee), provided that this option shall be
exercisable only to the extent that this option was exercisable by the Participant on the date of
his or her death or disability, and further provided that this option shall not be exercisable
after the Final Exercise Date.
(e) Termination for Cause. If, prior to the Final Exercise Date, the Participant’s
employment is terminated by the Company for Cause (as defined below), the right to exercise this
option shall terminate immediately upon the effective date of such termination of employment. If,
prior to the Final Exercise Date, the Participant is given notice by the Company of the termination
of his or her employment by the Company for Cause, and the effective date of such employment
termination is subsequent to the date of delivery of such notice, the right to exercise this option
shall be suspended from the time of the delivery of such notice until the earlier of (i) such time
as it is determined or otherwise agreed that the Participant’s employment shall not be terminated
for Cause as provided in such notice or (ii) the effective date of such termination of employment
(in which case the right to exercise this option shall, pursuant to the preceding sentence,
terminate upon the effective date of such termination of employment). If the Participant is party
to an employment or severance agreement with the Company that contains a definition of “cause” for
termination of employment, “Cause” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in such
agreement. Otherwise, “Cause” shall mean willful misconduct by the Participant or willful
failure by the Participant to perform his or her responsibilities to the Company (including,
without limitation, breach by the Participant of any provision of any employment, consulting,
advisory, nondisclosure, non-competition or other similar agreement between the Participant and the
Company), as determined by the Company, which determination shall be conclusive. The Participant
shall be considered to have been discharged for Cause if the Company determines, within 30 days
after the Participant’s resignation, that discharge for cause was warranted.
4. Tax Matters.
(a) Withholding. No Shares will be issued pursuant to the exercise of this option
unless and until the Participant pays to the Company, or makes provision satisfactory to the
Company for payment of, any federal, state or local withholding taxes required by law to be
withheld in respect of this option.
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(b) Disqualifying Disposition. If the Participant disposes of Shares acquired upon
exercise of this option within two years from the Grant Date or one year after such Shares were
acquired pursuant to exercise of this option, the Participant shall notify the Company in writing
of such disposition.
5. Nontransferability of Option.
This option may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered by the
Participant, either voluntarily or by operation of law, except by will or the laws of descent and
distribution, and, during the lifetime of the Participant, this option shall be exercisable only by
the Participant.
6. Provisions of the Plan.
This option is subject to the provisions of the Plan (including the provisions relating to
amendments to the Plan), a copy of which is furnished to the Participant with this option.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this option to be executed under its corporate seal
by its duly authorized officer. This option shall take effect as a sealed instrument.
| XXXXXXXXXXXX COAL COMPANY |
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| By: | ||||
| Name: | ||||
| Title: | ||||
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PARTICIPANT’S ACCEPTANCE
The undersigned hereby accepts the foregoing option and agrees to the terms and conditions
thereof. The undersigned hereby acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Company’s 2007 Equity
Incentive Plan for Employees and Non-Employee Directors.
| PARTICIPANT: | ||||||
| Address: | ||||||
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