LIMITED GUARANTY
Exhibit 7.04
This Limited Guaranty (this “Limited Guaranty”), dated as of August 28, 2013, by King View Development International Limited (the “Guarantor”), in favor of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Guaranteed Party”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Merger Agreement (as defined below).
This Limited Guaranty is one of four substantially identical guaranties (such other limited guaranties, the “Other Limited Guaranties”), with the other being made by Premier Praise Limited, New Good Management Limited and Fosun Industrial Co., Limited (the “Other Guarantors”) to the Guaranteed Party on the date of this Limited Guaranty.
1. LIMITED GUARANTY. (a) To induce the Guaranteed Party to enter into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of the date of this Limited Guaranty (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”), by and among Simcere Holding Limited, a Cayman Islands company (“Parent”), Simcere Acquisition Limited, a Cayman Islands company (“Merger Sub”) and the Guaranteed Party, pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into the Guaranteed Party, with the Guaranteed Party surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, the Guarantor, intending to be legally bound, hereby absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees to the Guaranteed Party, as the primary obligor and not merely as surety, on the terms and subject to the conditions herein, the due and punctual payment, performance and discharge of 10.58% of the payment obligations of Parent to the Guaranteed Party under Sections 8.5(c), 8.5(d) and 6.14 of the Merger Agreement as and when due (the “Guaranteed Obligations”), provided, that in no event shall the Guarantor’s liability under this Limited Guaranty exceed an amount equal to (a) US$317,400 (the “Maximum Amount”) minus (b) any portion of the Guaranteed Obligations actually paid by Parent or Merger Sub in accordance with the terms hereof and under the Merger Agreement; provided, further, that the Guarantor shall have no obligations with respect to the payment obligations of Parent under Sections 8.5(d) and 6.14 unless the underlying expenses are evidenced by invoice or other written evidence, in each case, to the reasonable satisfaction of the Guarantor. This Limited Guaranty may be enforced for the payment of money only. All payments hereunder shall be made in United States dollars, in immediately available funds. The Guarantor shall make all payments hereunder free and clear of any deduction, offset, defense, claim or counterclaim of any kind, except as expressly provided in this Limited Guaranty. The Guarantor acknowledges that the Guaranteed Party entered into the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement in reliance on this Limited Guaranty.
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Limited Guaranty, if Parent fails to fully and timely discharge any of the Guaranteed Obligations when due, then all of the Guarantor’s liabilities and obligations to the Guaranteed Party hereunder in respect of the Guaranteed Obligations shall, on demand, become immediately due and payable and the Guarantor hereby agrees to promptly fully perform and discharge, or to cause to be promptly fully performed or discharged, any such Guaranteed Obligations. In furtherance of the foregoing, the Guarantor acknowledges that the Guaranteed Party may, in its sole discretion, bring and prosecute a separate action or actions against the Guarantor for the Guaranteed Obligations (subject to the Maximum Amount), regardless of whether any action is brought against Parent, Merger Sub or any Other Guarantor, or whether Parent, Merger Sub or any Other Guarantor is joined in any action or actions. The Guarantor agrees to pay all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) incurred by the Guaranteed Party in connection with the enforcement of its rights hereunder, but only to the extent that it has been finally determined by the arbitration panel in accordance with Section 11(b) that the Guarantor is liable for, but has failed to perform, the Guaranteed Obligations hereunder.
(c) The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Limited Guaranty were not performed in accordance with its specific terms or were otherwise breached and further agree that the Guaranteed Party shall be entitled to an injunction, specific performance and other equitable relief against the Guarantor to prevent breaches of this Limited Guaranty and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof, in addition to any other remedy to which it is entitled at law or in equity, and shall not be required to provide any bond or other security in connection with any such order or injunction. The Guarantor further agrees not to oppose the granting of any such injunction, specific performance and other equitable relief on the basis that (i) the Guaranteed Party has an adequate remedy at law or (ii) an award of an injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at law or in equity (collectively, the “Prohibited Defenses”).
2. NATURE OF GUARANTY. The Guaranteed Party shall not be obligated to file any claim relating to the Guaranteed Obligations in the event that Parent or Merger Sub becomes subject to a bankruptcy, reorganization or similar proceeding, and the failure of the Guaranteed Party to so file shall not affect the Guarantor’s obligations hereunder. Subject to the terms hereof, the Guarantor’s liability hereunder is absolute, unconditional, irrevocable and continuing irrespective of any modification, amendment or waiver of or any consent to departure from the Merger Agreement that may be agreed to by Parent or Merger Sub. In the event that any payment to the Guaranteed Party in respect of any Guaranteed Obligations is rescinded or must otherwise be returned for any reason whatsoever, the Guarantor shall remain liable hereunder with respect to such Guaranteed Obligations (subject to the Maximum Amount) as if such payment had not been made. This Limited Guaranty is an unconditional guarantee of payment and not of collectibility.
2
3. CHANGES IN GUARANTEED OBLIGATIONS, CERTAIN WAIVERS. The Guarantor agrees that the Guaranteed Party may, in its sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, without notice to or further consent of the Guarantor, extend the time of performance of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, and may also make any agreement with Parent, Merger Sub or with any other Person interested in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, for the extension, renewal, payment, compromise, discharge or release thereof, in whole or in part, or for any modification of the terms thereof or of any agreement between the Guaranteed Party and Parent, Merger Sub or such other Person without in any way impairing or affecting the Guarantor’s obligations under this Limited Guaranty or affecting the validity or enforceability of this Limited Guaranty. The Guarantor agrees that its obligations hereunder shall not be released or discharged, in whole or in part, or otherwise affected by (a) the failure or delay of the Guaranteed Party to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any right or remedy against Parent, Merger Sub or any other Person interested in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement; (b) any change in the time, place or manner of payment of any of the Guaranteed Obligations or any rescission, waiver, compromise, consolidation or other amendment or modification of any of the terms of the Merger Agreement or any other agreement evidencing, securing or otherwise executed by Parent, Merger Sub and the Guaranteed Party in connection with any of the Guaranteed Obligations; (c) the addition, substitution, any legal or equitable discharge or release (in the case of a discharge or release, other than a discharge or release of the Guarantor with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations as a result of payment in full of the Guaranteed Obligations in accordance with their terms, a discharge or release of Parent with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations under the Merger Agreement, or as a result of defenses to the payment of the Guaranteed Obligations that would be available to Parent under the Merger Agreement) of the Guarantor or any Person now or hereafter liable with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations or otherwise interested in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement other than any discharge or release arising from the bankruptcy or insolvency of Parent or Merger Sub and other defenses expressly waived hereby; (d) any change in the corporate existence, structure or ownership of Parent, Merger Sub or any other Person now or hereafter liable with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations or otherwise interested in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement; (e) the existence of any claim, set-off, judgment or other right which the Guarantor may have at any time against Parent, Merger Sub or the Guaranteed Party or any of their respective Affiliates, whether in connection with the Guaranteed Obligations or otherwise; (f) the adequacy of any other means the Guaranteed Party may have of obtaining payment related to the Guaranteed Obligations; or (g) any insolvency, bankruptcy, reorganization or other similar proceeding affecting Parent, Merger Sub or any other Person now or hereafter liable with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations or otherwise interested in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. To the fullest extent permitted by Law, the Guarantor hereby expressly waives any and all rights or defenses arising by reason of any Law which would otherwise require any election of remedies by the Guaranteed Party. The Guarantor waives promptness, diligence, notice of the acceptance of this Limited Guaranty and of the Guaranteed Obligations, presentment, demand for payment, notice of non-performance, default, dishonor and protest, notice of the incurrence of any Guaranteed Obligations and all other notices of any kind (except for notices to be provided to Parent or Merger Sub pursuant to the Merger Agreement or notices expressly provided pursuant to this Limited Guaranty), all defenses which may be available by virtue of any valuation, stay, moratorium Law or other similar Law now or hereafter in effect, any right to require the marshalling of assets of Parent, Merger Sub or any other Person now or hereafter liable with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations or otherwise interested in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, and all suretyship defenses generally (other than a breach by the Guaranteed Party of this Limited Guaranty). The Guarantor acknowledges that it will receive substantial direct and indirect benefits from the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and that the waivers set forth in this Limited Guaranty are knowingly made in contemplation of such benefits. The Guarantor hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not institute, directly or indirectly, and shall cause its Affiliates not to institute, directly or indirectly, any proceeding asserting (i) the Prohibited Defenses, or (ii) subject to clause (ii) of the last sentence of Section 5 (No Subrogation) hereof, that this Limited Guaranty is illegal, invalid or unenforceable in accordance with its terms, in each case subject to the effect of bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar Laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.
3
4. NO WAIVER; CUMULATIVE RIGHTS. No failure on the part of the Guaranteed Party to exercise, and no delay in exercising, any right, remedy or power hereunder or under the Merger Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise by the Guaranteed Party of any right, remedy or power hereunder preclude any other or future exercise of any right, remedy or power hereunder. Each and every right, remedy and power hereby granted to the Guaranteed Party or allowed it by Law or other contracts shall be cumulative and not exclusive of any other, and may be exercised by the Guaranteed Party at any time or from time to time subject to the terms and provisions hereof. The Guaranteed Party shall not have any obligation to proceed at any time or in any manner against, or exhaust any or all of the Guaranteed Party’s rights against Parent or Merger Sub or any other Person now or hereafter liable for any Guaranteed Obligations or interested in the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement prior to proceeding against the Guarantor hereunder, and the failure by the Guaranteed Party to pursue rights or remedies against Parent or Merger Sub shall not relieve the Guarantor of any liability hereunder, and shall not impair or affect the rights and remedies, whether express, implied or available as a matter of law, of the Guaranteed Party.
5. NO SUBROGATION. The Guarantor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably agrees not to exercise any rights that it may now have or hereafter acquire against Parent or Merger Sub with respect to any of the Guaranteed Obligations that arise from the existence, payment, performance or enforcement of the Guarantor’s obligations under or in respect of this Limited Guaranty, including, without limitation, any right of subrogation, reimbursement, exoneration, contribution or indemnification and any right to participate in any claim or remedy of the Guaranteed Party against Parent or Merger Sub, whether or not such claim, remedy or right arises in equity or under contract, statute or common law, including, without limitation, the right to take or receive from Parent or Merger Sub, directly or indirectly, in cash or other property or by set-off or in any other manner, payment or security on account of such claim, remedy or right, unless and until the Guaranteed Obligations shall have been paid in full. If any amount shall be paid to the Guarantor in violation of the immediately preceding sentence at any time prior to the satisfaction in full of the Guaranteed Obligations, such amount shall be received and held in trust for the benefit of the Guaranteed Party, shall be segregated from other property and funds of the Guarantor and shall forthwith be paid or delivered to the Guaranteed Party in the same form as so received (with any necessary endorsement or assignment) to be credited and applied against all amounts payable by the Guarantor under this Limited Guaranty. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Limited Guaranty or otherwise, the Guaranteed Party hereby agrees that other than any discharge or release arising from the bankruptcy or insolvency of Parent or Merger Sub and other defenses expressly waived hereby: (i) to the extent Parent or Merger Sub is relieved of any of the Guaranteed Obligations under the Merger Agreement, the Guarantor shall be similarly relieved of its corresponding payment obligations under this Limited Guaranty; and (ii) the Guarantor shall have all defenses to the payment of its obligations under this Limited Guaranty that would be available to Parent and/or Merger Sub under the Merger Agreement with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations, as well as any defenses in respect of any fraud or willful misconduct of the Guaranteed Party hereunder or any breach by the Guaranteed Party of any of the terms or provisions hereof.
4
6. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. The Guarantor hereby represents and warrants that:
(a) (i) it is a legal entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization; (ii) it has all corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform this Limited Guaranty; (iii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Limited Guaranty (A) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and (B) do not, or will not, as the case may be, conflict with or violate any provision of the Guarantor’s organizational documents, applicable Law or contractual restriction binding on the Guarantor or its assets;
(b) except as is not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably likely to impair or delay the Guarantor’s performance of its obligations in any material respect, all consents, approvals, authorizations, permits of, filings with and notifications to, any Governmental Entity necessary for the due execution, delivery and performance of this Limited Guaranty by the Guarantor have been obtained or made and all conditions thereof have been duly complied with, and no other action by, and no notice to or filing with, any Governmental Entity is required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Limited Guaranty by the Guarantor;
(c) this Limited Guaranty constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Guarantor enforceable against the Guarantor in accordance with its terms, subject to the effects of bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar Laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles; and
(d) the Guarantor has the financial capacity to pay and perform its obligations under this Limited Guaranty, and all funds necessary for the Guarantor to fulfill its obligations under this Limited Guaranty shall be available to the Guarantor for so long as this Limited Guaranty shall remain in effect in accordance with Section 9 (Continuing Guaranty) hereof.
7. NO ASSIGNMENT. The provisions of this Limited Guaranty shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns. Neither this Limited Guaranty nor any rights, interests or obligations hereunder shall be assigned by either party hereto (whether by operation of Law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other party (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed); provided, that no assignment by either party shall relieve the assigning party of any of its obligations hereunder. Any purported assignment in violation of this Limited Guaranty will be null and void.
8. NOTICES. Any notice, request, instruction or other document to be given hereunder by one party to the other party shall be in writing and delivered personally or sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, by facsimile or overnight courier.
| (a) | If to the Guarantor: |
King View Development International Limited
Palm Grove House, P.O. Box 438, Road Town
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Attention: Xxxxxx Xx
Facsimile: x000 00000000
5
| (b) | If to the Guaranteed Party: |
Simcere Pharmaceutical Group
No. 699-18 Xxxx Xx Avenue
Xxxx Xx District, Nanjing
Jiangsu Province 210042
People’s Republic of China
Attention: Yushan Wan, Acting Chief Financial Officer
Facsimile: x00 00 0000 0000
Email: xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx
with a copy to (which copy shall not constitute notice):
Shearman & Sterling
12th Floor, Gloucester Tower
The Landmark, 15 Queen’s Road Central
Hong Kong
Attention: Xxxx Xxxxxxxx, Esq.
Telephone: x000 0000 0000
Facsimile: x000 0000 0000
E-mail: xxxx.xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
9. CONTINUING GUARANTY.
(a) Subject to last sentence of Section 5, this Limited Guaranty shall remain in full force and effect and shall be binding on the Guarantor, its successors and assigns until all of the Guaranteed Obligations have been fully performed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Limited Guaranty shall terminate and the Guarantor shall have no further obligations under this Limited Guaranty as of the earlier of: (i) the Effective Time and (ii) the date falling ninety (90) days from the date of the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms if the Guaranteed Party has not presented a bona fide written claim for payment of any Guaranteed Obligation to the Guarantor by such date; provided, that, if the Guaranteed Party has presented such a bona fide written claim by such date, this Limited Guaranty shall terminate upon the date that such claim is finally satisfied or otherwise resolved by agreement of the parties hereto or pursuant to Section 11 (Governing Law; Jurisdiction) hereof. If any payment or payments made by Parent or Merger Sub or any part thereof, are subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or are required to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other person under any bankruptcy act, state or federal law, common law or equitable cause, then to the extent of such payment or payments, the Guaranteed Obligations or part thereof hereunder intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if said payment or payments had not been made.
6
10. NO RECOURSE. The Guarantor shall have no obligations under or in connection with this Limited Guaranty except as expressly provided by this Limited Guaranty. No liability shall attach to, and no recourse shall be had by the Guaranteed Party, any of its Affiliates or any Person purporting to claim by or through any of them or for the benefit of any of them, under any theory of liability (including without limitation by attempting to xxxxxx a corporate or other veil or by attempting to compel any party to enforce any actual or purported right that they may have against any Person) against any former, current or future equity holders, controlling Person, directors, officers, employees, agents, general or limited partners, managers, members or Affiliates of the Guarantor, Merger Sub or Parent, or any former, current or future equity holders, controlling Persons, directors, officers, employees, agents, general or limited partners, managers, members or Affiliates of any of the foregoing, excluding however the Guarantor, Parent and Merger Sub (each a “Non-Recourse Party” and collectively the “Non-Recourse Parties”) in any way under or in connection with this Limited Guaranty, the Merger Agreement, any other agreement or instrument executed or delivered in connection with this Limited Guaranty or the Merger Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, except for claims (i) against the Guarantor and its successors and assigns under this Limited Guaranty pursuant to the terms hereof, and (ii) for the avoidance of doubt, against Parent and Merger Sub and their respective successors and assigns under the Merger Agreement pursuant to the terms thereof ((i) and (ii) together, the “Retained Claims”).
11. GOVERNING LAW; JURISDICTION.
(a) This Limited Guaranty shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the Laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to the choice of Law principles thereof.
(b) Any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Limited Guaranty or its subject matter (including a dispute regarding the existence, validity, formation, effect, interpretation, performance or termination of this Limited Guaranty) (each a “Dispute”) shall be finally settled by arbitration. The place of arbitration shall be Hong Kong, and the arbitration shall be administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (the “HKIAC”) in accordance with the arbitration rules of the HKIAC in force at the date of commencement of the arbitration (the “HKIAC Rules”). The arbitration shall be decided by a tribunal of three (3) arbitrators, whose appointment shall be in accordance with the HKIAC Rules. Arbitration proceedings (including but not limited to any arbitral award rendered) shall be in English. Subject to the agreement of the tribunal, any Dispute(s) which arise subsequent to the commencement of arbitration of any existing Dispute(s), shall be resolved by the tribunal already appointed to hear the existing Dispute(s). The award of the arbitration tribunal shall be final and conclusive and binding upon the parties as from the date rendered. Judgment upon any award may be entered and enforced in any court having jurisdiction over a party or any of its assets. For the purpose of the enforcement of an award, the parties irrevocably and unconditionally submit to the jurisdiction of any competent court and waive any defenses to such enforcement based on lack of personal jurisdiction or inconvenient forum.
7
12. COUNTERPARTS. This Limited Guaranty shall not be effective until it has been executed and delivered by both parties hereto. This Limited Guaranty may be executed in any number of counterparts, each such counterpart being deemed to be an original instrument, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same agreement. This Limited Guaranty may be executed and delivered by facsimile transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, and in the event this Limited Guaranty is so executed and delivered, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.
13. SEVERABILITY. The provisions of this Limited Guaranty shall be deemed severable and the invalidity or unenforceability of any provision shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the other provisions hereof. If any provision of this Limited Guaranty or the application thereof to any Person or any circumstance is determined to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions hereof shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated thereby so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner adverse to any party; provided, however, that this Limited Guaranty may not be enforced against the Guarantor without giving effect to the Maximum Amount or the provisions set forth in Section 10 hereof. Upon such determination that any provision or the application thereof is invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Limited Guaranty so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner so that the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated as originally contemplated to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law.
14. NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES. Except for the rights of the Non-Recourse Parties provided hereunder, this Limited Guaranty shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, and nothing express or implied in this Limited Guaranty is intended to, or shall, confer upon any other Person any benefits, rights or remedies under or by reason of, or any rights to enforce or cause the Guaranteed Party to enforce, the obligations set forth herein.
15. MISCELLANEOUS.
(a) This Limited Guaranty, together with the Merger Agreement (including any schedules and exhibits thereto), the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Parent Disclosure Schedule, the Contribution Agreement and the Financing Documents, constitute the entire agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersedes any and all prior discussions, negotiations, proposals, undertakings, understandings and agreements, whether written or oral, among Parent, Merger Sub and the Guarantor or any of their respective Affiliates on the one hand, and the Guaranteed Party or any of its Affiliates on the other hand. No amendment, modification or waiver of any provision hereof shall be enforceable unless approved by the Guaranteed Party and the Guarantor in writing.
(b) The descriptive headings contained in this Limited Guaranty are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Limited Guaranty.
8
(c) Both parties acknowledge that each party and its counsel have reviewed this Limited Guaranty and that any rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation of this Limited Guaranty.
[The remainder of this page is left blank intentionally]
9
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Guaranteed Party has caused this Limited Guaranty to be executed and delivered as of the date first written above by its officer thereunto duly authorized.
| GUARANTEED PARTY: | ||
| SIMCERE PHARMACEUTICAL GROUP | ||
| By: | /s/ Xxxx Xx | |
| Name: | Xxxx Xx | |
| Title: | Director and Chairman of Special Committee | |
Limited Guaranty
Signature Page – King View
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Guarantor has executed and delivered this Limited Guaranty as of the date first written above.
| GUARANTOR: | ||
| KING VIEW DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | ||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxxx Xx | |
| Name: | Xxxxxx Xx | |
| Title: | Director | |
Limited Guaranty
Signature Page – King View
