Sale and Purchase Agreement regarding all shares in Matria Holding GmbH
Seller
[Notarization
Required]
regarding
all
shares in
Matria
Holding GmbH
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
00
20354
Hamburg
Tel:
+49(0)00-00 00 00
Fax:
+49(0)00-00 00 00 00
xxx.xx.xxx
by
and
among
Matria
Healthcare, Inc.,
with
business address at
0000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx,
Marietta,
Georgia,
USA
(hereinafter
referred to as “Seller
1”),
Diabetes
Acquisition, Inc.,
with
business address at
0000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx,
Marietta,
Georgia,
USA
(hereinafter
referred to as “Seller
2”),
(Seller
1
and Seller 2 hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Sellers”
and
each
as a “Seller”),
OPG
Holding GmbH
with
business address at:
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
00
40227
Düsseldorf
Germany
(hereinafter
referred to as the “Purchaser”),
and
OPG
Groep N.V.
with
business address at:
Xxxxxxxxxx
0,
3526
KS
Utrecht
The
Netherlands
(hereinafter
referred to as the “Parent“)
2
(the
Sellers and the Purchaser hereinafter collectively referred to as
the
"Parties" and each as a "Party").
3
Index
of Definitions
“2005 Financial
Statements”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.4.1.
|
“Accounting
Firm”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 4.5.1.
|
“Adjustment
Amount”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 4.6.
|
“Affiliate(s)”
|
shall
mean any affiliated company (verbundenes
Unternehmen)
as defined in Sections 15 et seq. AktG.
|
“Agreed
Tax Rates”
|
shall
mean the Tax rates and Tax laws applicable for the periods
for which a Tax
is claimed (or, if at such time amended Tax rates and/or
amended Tax laws
have already been enacted for future Tax periods, on the
basis of such
amended Tax rates and/or amended Tax laws).
|
“Agreement”
|
shall
mean this Sale and Purchase Agreement together with its
Exhibits.
|
“AktG”
|
shall
mean the German Stock Corporation Act (Aktiengesetz).
|
“AO”
|
shall
mean the German Tax Code (Abgabenordnung).
|
“BGB”
|
shall
mean the German Civil Code (Bürgerliches
Gesetzbuch).
|
“BGH
Judgments”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 8.4.2.
|
“Books
and Records”
|
shall
mean all accounting, financial, tax and other books and records,
also if
in electronic
|
4
form,
including, but not limited to, internal and external correspondence
of the
Group.
|
|
“Breach”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 8.1.1.
|
“Business”
|
shall
mean the business of DIA REAL and eu-medical as conducted
on the Signing
Date.
|
“Business
Day”
|
shall
mean any day on which banks in Frankfurt am Main, Germany,
are open for
business.
|
“Cash”
|
shall
mean cash and cash equivalents (Section 266 para. 2 B. IV.
HGB).
|
“Cash
Pool”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to in Section 1.4.2.
|
“CISG”
|
shall
mean the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International
Sale
of Goods.
|
“Claim
Addressee”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 8.7.3.
|
“Closing”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 5.1.
|
“Closing
Date”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 5.4.
|
“Closing
Conditions”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 5.1.
|
“Commitment(s)”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 10.1.
|
“Committed
Seller”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 10.1.
|
“Company”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in the Recitals.
|
“Confidentiality
Agreement”
|
shall
mean the confidentiality agreement entered into between Seller
1 on the
one hand
|
5
and
the Parent on
the other hand dated as of 1 August 2006.
|
|
“Defense”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 8.7.3.
|
“DIA
REAL”
|
shall
mean DIA REAL GmbH.
|
“Employee
Benefit Plan”
|
shall
mean any plan or collective grant (Gesamtzusage)
created, given or maintained by, or applicable to, any of
the Group
Companies providing benefits in addition to salaries or wages
for specific
groups of employees.
|
“eu-medical”
|
shall
mean eu-medical GmbH.
|
“Final
Equity”
|
shall
mean equity (Eigenkapital)
as
shown in the Signing Date Financial Statements
(Section 266 para. 3 A. HGB), including, for the avoidance
of doubt, any
difference resulting from consolidation of investments (Unterschiedsbetrag
aus der Kapitalkonsolidierung),
but less an amount equal to the good-will (Gesch’fts- oder Firmenwert) as
shown in the signing date financial statements.
|
“Final
Working Capital”
|
shall
mean the net of Cash, accounts receivable, inventories, prepaid
expenses,
other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses,
excluding
accounts receivable vis-à-vis the Sellers and Sellers’ Affiliates or
financial obligations vis-à-vis the Sellers and Sellers’ Affiliates and
financial obligations vis-à-vis financial institutions, in each case as
shown in the Signing Date Financial Statements.
|
“Governmental
Authority”
|
shall
mean any
federal, state, municipal, local or foreign government, governmental
authority, regulatory or administrative agency, governmental
commission,
department, board,
|
6
bureau,
agency or instrumentality, court, tribu-nal, arbitrator or
arbitral body
having jurisdiction over the respective Group Company or
its
business.
|
|
“Group”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 1.3.2.
|
“Group
Company(ies)”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 1.3.2.
|
“Group
Depot System”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 8.4.2.
|
“Guarantee
Statement(s)”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.1.
|
“HGB”
|
shall
mean the German Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch).
|
“Initial
Purchase Price”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.1
|
“Indemnification
Tax Benefit”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 8.1.3.
|
“IP
Right(s)”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.6.1.
|
“Liens”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.5.2.
|
“Losses”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 8.1.2.
|
“Material
Agreements”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.14.1.
|
“Merger
Control Clearance”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 5.1.1.
|
“Parent”
|
shall
mean OPG Groep N.V.
|
“Party(ies)”
|
shall
mean the Sellers and the
Purchaser.
|
7
“Pledges“
|
shall have
the meaning ascribed to it in Section 1.2.1.
|
“Pledgees“
|
shall
mean the beneficiaries of the Pledges.
|
“Purchaser”
|
shall
mean OPG Holding GmbH.
|
“Relevant
Period”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.9.1.
|
“Seller(s)”
|
shall
mean Seller 1 and Seller 2.
|
“Seller
1”
|
shall
mean Matria Healthcare, Inc.
|
“Seller
2”
|
shall
mean Diabetes Acquisition, Inc.
|
“Seller
1 Share”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 1.2.1.
|
“Seller
2 Share”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 1.2.1.
|
“Sellers'
Account”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 3.3.1
|
“Sellers’
Knowledge”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.16.
|
“Shares”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 1.2.2.
|
“Signing
Date”
|
shall
mean the date of this Agreement.
|
“Signing
Date Certificate”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 4.2.1.
|
“Signing
Date Financial Statements”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 4.2.1.
|
“Tax
Benefit”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 10.2.1.
|
“Target
Equity”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 4.1.
|
8
“Target
Working Capital”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 4.1.
|
“Tax(es)”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.9.5.2.
|
“Tax
Audit”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.9.5.3.
|
“Tax
Returns”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 6.9.5.1.
|
“Third
Party Claim”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 8.7.3.
|
“Threshold”
|
shall
have the meaning ascribed to it in Section 8.5.1.
|
9
Index
of Exhibits
Exhibit
3.3.1
|
Particulars
of Sellers´ Account.
|
Exhibit
6.2.6
|
Articles
of association of Group Companies.
|
Exhibit
6.2.7
|
Commercial
register excerpts of Group Companies.
|
Exhibit
5.5.2
|
Draft
of commercial register filing relating to removal of Xxxxxxx
XxXxx as
managing director of the Company.
|
Exhibit
5.5.5
|
Draft
release of Pledges.
|
Exhibit
6.3.4
|
Business
Forecasts.
|
Exhibit
6.4.1
|
2005
Financial Statements.
|
Exhibit
6.4.1.
(iii)
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to Financial Statements.
|
Exhibit
6.5.2
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to Liens.
|
Exhibit
6.6.1
|
List
of IP Rights.
|
Exhibit
6.6.2
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to IP Rights registration fees and third-party
licenses.
|
Exhibit
6.6.3
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to encumbrances of IP Rights.
|
Exhibit
6.6.4
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to challenges to IP Rights.
|
Exhibit
6.7.1
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to litigation.
|
Exhibit
6.7.2
|
Disclosure
schedule with respect to depot litigation.
|
Exhibit
6.8.1
|
List
of managing directors and key
employees.
|
10
Exhibit
6.8.2
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to pensions.
|
Exhibit
6.8.4
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to shop agreements.
|
Exhibit
6.9
|
Disclosure
schedules relating to Taxes.
|
Exhibit
6.10.1
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to compliance.
|
Exhibit
6.10.1.1
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to qualification as health care
provider.
|
Exhibit
6.11.4
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to competition restrictions.
|
Exhibit
6.12
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to conduct of business after 31 December
2005.
|
Exhibit
6.14.1
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to Material Agreements.
|
Exhibit
6.14.2 (i)
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to terminated Material Agreements.
|
Exhibit
6.14.2 (ii)
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to Material Agreements with change-of-control
provisions.
|
Exhibit
6.15
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to insurance policies.
|
Exhibit
10.1
|
Disclosure
schedule relating to
Commitments.
|
11
Recitals
WHEREAS,
Seller 1 and Seller 2 are the sole shareholders in Matria Holding GmbH
(hereinafter referred to as the “Company”);
WHEREAS,
the Sellers wish to dispose of all of their shares in the Company,
and the
Purchaser wishes to acquire such shares;
WHEREAS,
it is the purpose of this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions
upon
which the Sellers sell and transfer all of their respective shares
in the
Company to the Purchaser.
NOW,
THEREFORE, the Parties agree as follows:
1.
|
Corporate
Status
|
1.1
|
Particulars
of the
Company
|
The
Company is a company with limited liability (Gesellschaft
mit beschränkter Haftung)
duly
incorporated and validly existing under the laws of Germany and registered
with
the Commercial Register (Handelsregister)
of the
Lower Court (Amtsgericht)
of
Dresden under HRB 17367.
1.2
|
Registered
Share Capital
|
1.2.1
|
The
registered share capital (Stammkapital)
of the Company amounts to DEM 50,000.00. The share capital consists
of one share with a nominal amount of DEM 17,500.00 which is held by
Seller 1 (hereinafter referred to as the “Seller
1 Share”)
and one share with a nominal amount of DEM 32,500.00 which
is held by
Seller 2 (hereinafter referred to as the “Seller
2 Share”).
The Seller 2 Share is pledged under a first ranking share
pledge agreement
and a second ranking share pledge agreement dated 19 April
2006 (the
“Pledges”).
|
1.2.2
|
For
the purposes of this Agreement, the Seller 1 Share and the
Seller 2 Share
shall collectively be referred to as the “Shares”.
|
1.3
|
Subsidiaries
|
1.3.1
|
The
Company is
the sole shareholder of:
|
1.3.1.1 DIA
REAL,
a company with limited liability (Gesellschaft
mit beschränkter Haftung)
duly
incorporated and validly existing under
12
the laws of Germany and registered with the Commercial Register (Handelsregister)
of the
Lower Court (Amtsgericht)
of
Dresden under HRB 19937. The registered share capital (Stammkapital)
of DIA
REAL amounts to DEM 100,000.00 and consists of two shares with a nominal
amount
of DEM 50,000.00 each;
1.3.1.2 eu-medical,
a
company
with limited liability (Gesellschaft
mit beschränkter Haftung)
duly
incorporated and validly existing under the laws of Germany and registered
with
the Commercial Register (Handelsregister)
of the
Lower Court (Amtsgericht)
of
Dresden under HRB 17601. The registered share capital (Stammkapital)
of
eu-medical amounts to DEM 50,000.00 and consists of one share with
a nominal
amount of DEM 50,000.00.
1.3.2
|
For
the purposes of this Agreement, the Company, DIA REAL and
eu-medical shall
collectively be referred to as the “Group”
or the “Group
Companies”
and each as a “Group
Company”.
|
1.4
|
Domination
and Profit and Loss Transfer Agreement; Cash
Pool
|
1.4.1
|
The
Company on the one hand and DIA REAL and eu-medical on the
other hand have
entered into a domination and profit and loss transfer agreement
(Beherrschungs-
und Ergebnisabführungsvertrag)
dated 16 September 2002.
|
1.4.2
|
The
Group Companies are members of a cash pooling system pursuant
to the
automated cash management system agreement of 20 June 2000
between
Commerzbank AG on the one hand and the Group Companies on
the other hand
(the “Cash
Pool”).
|
2.
|
Sale
and Purchase of the Shares; Assignment; Economic
Effect
|
2.1
|
Sale
and Purchase of the Shares
|
2.1.1
|
Seller
1 hereby agrees to sell, and the Purchaser hereby agrees
to purchase,
the
Seller 1 Share
upon
the terms and conditions of this
Agreement.
|
2.1.2
|
Seller
2 hereby
agrees to sell, and the Purchaser hereby agrees to purchase,
the
Seller 2 Share
upon
the terms and conditions of this
Agreement.
|
2.2
|
Assignment
|
13
2.2.1
|
Seller
1 hereby
transfers the Seller 1 Share to the Purchaser subject to
the condition
precedent (aufschiebende
Bedingung)
of the payment of the Initial Purchase Price in full. The
Purchaser hereby
accepts such transfer.
|
2.2.2
|
Seller
2 hereby transfers
the Seller 2 Share to the Purchaser subject to the condition
precedent
(aufschiebende
Bedingung)
of the payment of the Initial Purchase Price in full. The
Purchaser hereby
accepts such transfer.
|
2.3
|
Economic
Effect
|
The
Shares are sold to the Purchaser with effect as of the Signing Date
with all
rights and obligations pertaining thereto, including, but not limited
to, the
right to receive all profits for the current fiscal year as well as
all profits
for previous years not distributed to the Sellers.
3.
|
Initial
Purchase Price; Particulars of
Payment
|
3.1
|
Initial
Purchase Price
|
The
initial purchase price to be paid by the Purchaser to the Sellers for
the Shares
shall be EUR 26,000,000.
(hereinafter referred to as the “Initial Purchase
Price”).
3.2
|
Payments
on the Closing Date
|
On
the
Closing Date, the Purchaser shall pay to the Sellers the Initial Purchase
Price.
3.3
|
Particulars
of Payment; Default; Set-off and Retention
Rights
|
3.3.1
|
Any
payments to be made under this Section 3
shall be made in EUR (Euros), without deduction of any costs
and charges,
by irrevocable wire transfer of immediately available funds
to the bank
account or accounts designated by the Sellers and set forth
in
Exhibit
3.3.1
hereof (hereinafter referred to as the “Sellers´
Account”).
|
3.3.2
|
Any
failure by the Purchaser to make any payment pursuant to
this Section
3
when due shall result in the Purchaser’s immediate default (Verzug),
without any reminder (Mahnung)
by the Sellers being required.
|
14
3.3.3
|
The
Purchaser shall not be entitled to exercise any right of
set-off
(Aufrechnung)
or retention right (Zurückbehaltungsrecht)
with respect to its payment obligations pursuant to this
Section
3.
|
4.
|
Purchase
Price Adjustment
|
4.1
|
Target
Working Capital
and Target Equity
|
The
Parties assume that as of the Signing Date (i) the Final Working Capital
will
not be less than an amount of EUR 12,974,000.00 (such amount hereinafter
referred to as the “Target
Working Capital”)
and
(ii) the Final Equity will not be less than an amount of EUR 14,009,000.00
(such
amount hereinafter referred to as the “Target
Equity”).
4.2
|
Preparation
of Signing
Date Financial Statements
|
4.2.1
|
As
promptly as practicable, if reasonably possible within 45
days after the
Closing Date, the Sellers shall prepare, or cause to be prepared,
with the
assistance of the Group and deliver to the Purchaser (i)
an unaudited
consolidated balance sheet and consolidated profit and loss
accounts of
the Group, each as of the Signing Date (the "Signing
Date Financial Statements")
and (ii) a certificate (the "Signing
Date Certificate")
based on the Signing Date Financial Statements setting forth
the
calculation of the Final Working Capital and the Final
Equity.
|
4.2.2
|
The
Purchaser will fully cooperate and assist, and shall cause
the relevant
entities of the Group to fully cooperate and assist, the
Sellers in the
preparation of the Signing Date Financial Statements and
the Signing Date
Certificate. Such cooperation and assistance shall include,
without
limitation, making available all relevant books and records
of the Group
and any other relevant information relating to the Group,
providing access
to the Group's premises, and allowing interviews with the
Group's
directors, officers and employees.
|
4.3
|
Accounting
Principles
|
The
Signing Date Financial Statements
shall be prepared in accordance with German GAAP and in accordance
with the
accounting policies of the Group, on a basis consistent with the
methods used in
the preparation of the 2005 Financial Statements (provided that in
the event of
a conflict between German GAAP and consistency, consistency shall
prevail) and
using the following specific methodology and principles:
15
4.3.1
|
The
Signing Date Financial Statements shall be prepared on a
going-concern
basis, disregarding (i) the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement or
any effects resulting therefrom, (ii) any costs related to
the integration
of the Group into the Purchaser's group and (iii) any actions
or
intentions of the Purchaser.
|
4.3.2
|
Subsequent
events (wertaufhellende
Tatsachen)
shall only be taken into account if they became known prior
to the
preparation of the Signing Date Financial Statements in accordance
with
Section 4.2.
|
4.3.3
|
Extraordinary
write offs, value adjustments or provisions other than or
in excess of
those contained in the 2005 Financial Statements shall be
made only if and
to the extent they were caused by events after the establishment
(Aufstellung)
of the 2005 Financial Statements.
|
4.3.4
|
No
physical stock taking of the inventory (Inventur)
shall be performed except if and to the extent as was required
by KPMG in
their audit of the 2005 Financial
Statements.
|
4.4
|
Review
of Signing
Date Financial Statements and Signing Date
Certificate
|
If
the
Purchaser believes that the Signing Date Financial Statements and/or
the Signing
Date Certificate are not correct, the Purchaser may, within 21 days
after
delivery of the Signing Date Financial Statements and the Signing Date
Certificate, deliver a notice to the Sellers disagreeing with the calculations
and setting forth the Purchaser's calculations of the relevant items
or amounts
based upon the definitions, policies and principles set forth in this
Agreement,
provided, however, that the only bases for disagreement shall be (i)
non-compliance with the standards set forth in Section 4.3
for the
preparation of the Signing Date Financial Statements and (ii) computational
errors. Any such notice of disagreement shall specify, in reasonable
detail,
those items or amounts as to which the Purchaser disagrees and the
Purchaser
shall be deemed to have agreed to all other positions set forth in
the Signing
Date Financial Statements and the Signing Date Certificate. The Purchaser
and
its auditors shall receive upon the Purchaser´s reasonable request all
information regarding the preparation of the Signing Date Financial
Statements
and access to all relevant documents necessary for reviewing the 2005
Financial
Statements, the Signing Date Financial Statements, the Final Working
Capital and
the Final Equity if and to the extent reasonably available to the
Sellers.
4.5
|
Dispute
Resolution
|
4.5.1
|
If
the Purchaser has duly delivered a notice of disagreement
in accordance
with Section 4.4,
the Purchaser and the Sellers shall, during the 30-day-period
following
such delivery (or any other period of time mutually agreed
upon
be-
|
16
tween the Sellers and the Purchaser), use reasonable efforts to reach
an
agreement on the disputed items or amounts. If and to the extent that,
during
such period, the Sellers and the Purchaser are unable to reach such
agreement,
either Party may refer the remaining differences to an internationally
recognized firm of independent public accountants (the "Accounting
Firm").
If
the Parties cannot mutually agree upon the Accounting Firm within two
weeks
after either Party has requested its appointment, the Accounting Firm
shall be
appointed, upon request of either Party, by the Institute of Chartered
Accountants (Institut
der Wirtschaftsprüfer e.V.)
in
Düsseldorf (Germany). Any remaining differences with respect to the Signing
Date
Financial Statements and the Signing Date Certificate shall be referred
to the
Accounting Firm.
4.5.2
|
The
Accounting Firm, acting as an expert (Schiedsgutachter)
and not as an arbitrator, shall, based on the standards set
forth in this
Agreement decide whether and to what extent the Signing Date
Certificate
requires adjustment. The Accounting Firm, in making its determination,
shall only take into account any remaining differences submitted
to it and
shall limit its determination to the scope of the dispute
between the
Parties.
|
4.5.3
|
The
Purchaser and the Sellers shall cooperate with and assist,
and shall cause
their respective accountants and the Group to cooperate with
and assist,
the Accounting Firm in the conduct of its review. Such cooperation
and
assistance shall include, without limitation, the making
available to the
Accounting Firm of all relevant books and records of the
Group and any
other information relating to the Group.
|
4.5.4
|
The
Parties shall instruct the Accounting Firm to deliver its
written opinion
(including reasons for the Accounting Firm's decision on
each disputed
item) to them no later than one month (or within any other
period of time
mutually agreed) after the remaining differences have been
referred to it.
The decision of the Accounting Firm shall be conclusive and
binding on the
Parties (within the limits set forth in Section 319 para. (1) of the
German Civil Code (BGB))
and shall not be subject to any appeal. The
fees and disbursements of the Accounting Firm shall be shared
between the
Sellers and the Purchaser in proportion to their respective
success and
defeat as determined by the Accounting
Firm.
|
4.6
|
Adjustment
Amount
|
The
Initial Purchase Price shall be adjusted by the aggregate amount (the
“Adjustment
Amount”)
of:
17
(i) Target
Working Capital minus Final Working Capital
plus
(ii)
Target
Equity minus Final Equity.
A
difference between the Target Working Capital and the Final Working
Capital
shall, to the extent it leads at the same time to a difference between
the
Target Equity and the Final Equity, only be taken into account once.
The
Adjustment Amount, if any, shall be paid within 15 Business Days after
the date
on which the determination of the Final Working Capital and the Final
Equity has
become binding on the Parties as follows: should the Adjustment Amount
be
negative, it shall be paid by the Purchaser to the Sellers’ Account; if the
Adjustment Amount is positive, it shall be paid by the Sellers to an
account to
be named by the Purchaser.
4.7
|
The
Sellers may only act jointly with regard to the procedures
set forth in
this Section 4 and any communication of the Sellers shall only be
binding and effective if it is made jointly by both
Sellers.
|
5.
|
Closing;
Closing Conditions
|
5.1
|
Conditions
to
Closing
|
The
Sellers and the Purchaser shall only be obliged to consummate the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, as set forth in Section 5.5
below
(hereinafter referred to as the “Closing”),
subject to the following conditions precedent (aufschiebende
Bedingungen)
(hereinafter referred to as the “Closing
Conditions”):
5.1.1 The
Closing shall be permissible pursuant to German merger control clearance
requirements (hereinafter referred to as “Merger
Control Clearance”).
5.1.2 No
enforceable judgment, injunction, order or decree by any court or governmental
authority shall prohibit the consummation of the Closing.
5.1.3 The
Pledgees have issued an irrevocable release of the Pledges subject
to the
Closing having occurred.
5.2
|
Merger
Control Proceedings
|
18
5.2.1 The
Purchaser (and the Sellers, to the extent this is required of the Sellers
under
applicable mandatory law) shall ensure that any filings necessary to
obtain
Merger Control
Clearance and any other filings with, or notifications to, any
governmental authority required in connection with this Agreement will
be made
without undue delay (unverzüglich),
but in no event later than five Business Days, after the Signing Date,
provided that all information required from the Sellers and the Group
for the
filing has been received by the
Purchaser. Any filings made by the Purchaser shall require the prior
written consent of the Sellers, which consent will not unreasonably
be
withheld.
5.2.1
|
In
order to obtain Merger Control Clearance, the Sellers and
the Purchaser
shall (i) reasonably cooperate in all respects with each
other in the
preparation of any filing or notification and in connection
with any
submission, investigation or inquiry, (ii) supply to any
competent
authority without undue delay (unverzüglich)
any additional information requested pursuant to applicable
laws and take
all other procedural actions required to obtain Merger Control
Clearance
or to cause any applicable waiting periods to commence and
expire, (iii)
provide without undue delay (unverzüglich)
copies of any written communication sent or received (or
written summaries
of any non-written communication) in connection with Merger
Control
Clearance, and (iv) give each other and their respective
advisors and
counsel the opportunity to participate in all meetings and
conferences
with any competent authority, subject, in all cases, to appropriate
measures being taken to safeguard (including, but not limited
to, from the
other Parties) the confidentiality of privileged or commercially
sensitive
information.
|
5.2.2
|
The
Purchaser shall, at the Sellers’ request, offer, consent to, or comply
with, any demands or conditions (Auflagen
oder Bedingungen)
made by any competent merger control authority as a condition
to Merger
Control Clearance.
|
5.3
|
Cut-off
Date
|
Both
the
Sellers (acting jointly) and the Purchaser shall have the right to
rescind
(zurücktreten)
this
Agreement by written notice by the rescinding Party to the other Parties
with a
copy to the acting notary public if the Closing Conditions have not
been
satisfied by 31 December 2006 at the latest in which event neither
Party shall
have any liability (other than for breach of this Agreement prior to
such
termination) except for willful breach of this Agreement, provided,
however,
that the Confidentiality Agreement shall remain in full force and effect
as if
this Agreement had not been entered into.
5.4
|
Time
of Closing
|
19
The
Closing shall occur on the “Closing
Date”
which
shall be (a) the third Business Day following the day on which the
last of the
Closing Conditions is met, or (b) such other date as the Parties may
agree in
writing.
5.5
|
Actions
at Closing
|
On the Closing Date, the Parties shall take the following actions simultaneously
(Zug
um Zug):
5.5.1
|
The
Purchaser shall pay the Initial Purchase Price in accordance
with Section
3 above.
|
5.5.2
|
The
Sellers shall deliver to the Purchaser instruct
the acting notary to file the application to the Commercial
Register
(Handelsregister)
of the Lower Court (Amtsgericht)
in Dresden a
shareholders’ resolution regarding the formal discharge (Entlastung)
and removal of Xx. Xxxxxxx XxXxx as of the Signing Date as
managing
director (Geschäftsführerin)
of the Company, a draft of which is attached hereto as Exhibit
5.5.2.
|
5.5.3
|
Upon
receipt of the Initial Purchase Price, the Sellers shall
notify the
Purchaser of such receipt by
telefax.
|
5.5.4
|
The
Purchaser shall deliver evidence satisfactory to the Sellers
that all
Sellers´ Commitments have been replaced in accordance with
Section 10.1
below.
|
5.5.5
|
The
Sellers shall deliver to the Purchaser the release of the
Pledges as set
out in Section 5.1.3, a draft of which is attached hereto
as Exhibit
5.5.5.
|
6.
|
Sellers’
Guarantees
|
6.1
|
Statements,
Guarantees, Scope and Content of
Guarantees
|
The Sellers hereby guarantee to the Purchaser by way of independent
undertakings
of guarantee in terms of Section 311 (1) BGB (selbst’ndige
Garantieversprechen)
that
the
statements set forth hereinafter in Section 6 (hereinafter collectively
referred to as the “Guarantee
Statements”
and
each as a “Guarantee
Statement”)
are
true as of the Signing Date;
provided,
however,
that
6.1.1
|
Guarantee
Statements which are made as of a specific date shall be
true with respect
to such date only;
|
6.1.2
|
the
scope and content of each Guarantee Statement as well as
the Sellers’
liability arising thereunder shall be exclusively defined
by, and be
subject to, the provisions of this Agreement and, in particular,
without
limiting the generality
|
20
of the foregoing, the limitations on the Purchaser’s rights and remedies set
forth in Section 7
below;
and
6.1.3.
|
the
Guarantee Statements in sections 6.2.1., 6.2.2., 6.3.1.,
6.3.2. and 6.3.3.
are true as of the Signing Date and as of the Closing Date.
|
6.2
|
Authorization
of the Sellers and Organization of the Group
|
6.2.1
|
The
Sellers have the corporate power and authority to enter into
and perform
this Agreement and have obtained all corporate authorizations
to empower
them to enter into this Agreement. Assuming Merger Control
Clearance is
obtained, the execution and delivery of, and the performance
by the
Sellers of their obligations under, this Agreement will not
result in a
breach of any provision of the articles of association of
the Sellers or
any applicable laws and regulations, or result in a breach
of any order,
judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or regulatory
authority
by which the Sellers are bound.
|
6.2.2
|
The
statements made in Section 1 hereof are true.
|
6.2.3
|
Each
of the Group Companies is duly incorporated and validly existing.
None of
the Group Companies has any subsidiaries other than a Group
Company.
Except for the branches registered in the commercial register
of DIA REAL
in Neumünster and Demen, the latter of which is currently inactive,
none
of the Group Companies has any branch (Zweigniederlassung).
None of the Group Companies is, or has agreed to become,
a member of any
registered limited or general partnership or unincorporated
association
(BGB-Gesellschaft)
or joint venture. No resolution has been passed for the winding-up
of any
of the Group Companies and, to the Sellers´ Knowledge, there exist no
circumstances which may result
therein.
|
6.2.4
|
None
of the Group Companies is a party to any agreement that would
permit a
third party (other than a Group Company) to control it or
to oblige it to
transfer its profits to any such third party.
|
6.2.5
|
No
bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings have been instituted
against any of
the Group Companies nor do there, to the Sellers’ Knowledge, exist any
circumstances giving rise to insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings
against
any of the Group Companies.
|
6.2.6
|
Exhibit 6.2.6 contains
true and complete copies of the current articles of association
of each of
the Group Companies.
|
21
6.2.7
|
Exhibit
6.2.7
contains current commercial register extracts of each of
the Group
Companies.
|
6.3
|
Particulars
of the Shares
and Business Forecasts
|
6.3.1
|
Subject
to the Pledges, the Sellers are the sole and unrestricted
owners of the
Shares, the Shares are free and clear of any liens, encumbrances
or other
rights of third parties, and there are no pre-emptive rights,
rights of
first refusal, options or other rights of any third party
to purchase or
acquire any of the Shares and the Shares constitute the entire
issued
share capital in the Company.
|
6.3.2
|
The
Shares are fully paid in and the share capital has not been
repaid; all
statutory provisions with regard to the payment and repayment
of share
capital (Kapitalaufbringung
und Kapitalerhaltung)
have been complied with.
|
6.3.3
|
Sections
6.3.1 and 6.3.2 apply to the shares in DIA REAL and eu-medical
accordingly, however with the exception (i) that the Pledges
only encumber
the Seller 2 Share and (ii) of payments made under the Cash
Pool.
|
6.3.4
|
The
copies of the documents attached as Exhibit
6.3.4,
are a true representation of the forecast provided by the
management of
the Group Companies to the Sellers and, to the Sellers´ Knowledge,
constitute the most current versions of such documents.
|
6.4
|
2005
Financial Statements
|
6.4.1
|
The
consolidated financial statements (Konzernabschluss)
for the Company as well as the individual financial statements
(Einzelabschlüsse)
for DIA REAL and eu-medical, each as of 31 December 2005
(hereinafter
jointly referred to as the “2005 Financial
Statements”),
which are attached as Exhibit
6.4.1
hereof, (i) have been prepared in accordance with generally
accepted
accounting principles in Germany as of 31 December 2005 and
in accordance
with past practice
(unless otherwise disclosed in the notes to the 2005
Financial Statements)
(ii) with regard to the individual financial statements of
DIA REAL and
the consolidated financial statements of the Company have
been audited by
KPMG who have rendered an unqualified audit certificate (uneingeschränkter
Bestätigungsvermerk),
and (iii), except as disclosed in Exhibit
6.4.1
(iii)
hereof presented a true and fair view of the asset, financial
and profit
position (vermitteln
unter Beachtung der Grundsätze ordnungsmäßiger Buchführung ein den
tatsächlichen Verhältnissen entsprechendes Bild der Vermögens-, Finanz-
und Ertragslage)
of the respective Group Company as of 31 December 2005 on
the date when
the 2005 Financial Statements were established (aufgestellt).
|
22
6.4.2
|
The
2005 Financial Statements are not materially distorted by
items of an
unusual or non-recurring nature or affected by the results
of transactions
with the Sellers or Sellers' Affiliates.
|
6.4.3
|
To
the Sellers´ Knowledge, (i) all books, ledgers and other financial records
of each of the Group Companies have in all material respects
been
maintained in accordance with applicable laws and the standard
practice,
and (ii) the accounting records of the Group Companies are
in all material
respects up to date and have been maintained in all material
respects in
accordance with the relevant law and generally accepted applicable
standards, principles and practices.
|
6.5
|
Title
to Assets; Encumbrances
|
6.5.1
|
The
Group Companies have good and valid title to, or, in the
case of leased or
licensed assets or property, valid leasehold interests or
licenses in, all
property and assets (whether real, personal, tangible or
intangible)
reflected in the 2005 Financial Statements, except (i) as
for property and
assets disposed of since 31 December 2005 in the ordinary
course of
business; or (ii) reservations of title by suppliers, mechanics,
workmen,
carriers and the like in the ordinary course of business.
To the Sellers´
Knowledge, the Group Companies have all assets available
which are
required for the conduct of their respective business as
presently being
conducted.
|
6.5.2
|
The
fixed and current assets owned by any of the Group Companies
are free and
clear of any liens, pledges, retention rights, reservations
of title,
easements or other encumbrances in favor of a third party
other than a
Group Company (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Liens”),
except for (i) the Liens disclosed in Exhibit
6.5.2
hereof, (ii) Liens in favor of banks and other financial
institutions over
cash or other assets deposited with such banks and other
financial
institutions, (iii) Liens created by operation of applicable
law,
including, but not limited to, Liens in favor of tax authorities
and other
governmental bodies, (iv) Liens, whether created by operation
of
applicable law or by contractual agreement, of suppliers,
mechanics,
workmen, carriers and the like.
|
6.6
|
Intellectual
Property Rights
|
6.6.1
|
Exhibit
6.6.1
hereof contains a list of all registered intellectual property
rights
(except, for the avoidance of doubt, off-the-shelf software
licenses) of
the Group, including, but not limited to, patents, service
marks, trade
names, marks and domain names owned and used by, or registered
for or
licensed to any of
|
23
the Group Companies (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “IP
Rights”
and
each as an “IP
Right”),
specifying, with respect to each IP Right, (i) the nature of such IP
Right, (ii)
the owner of such IP Right, and (iii) the jurisdiction in which such
IP Right
has been registered, or in which an application for such registration
has been
filed, and the registration or application numbers, respectively (if
applicable)
thereof.
6.6.2
|
Except
as disclosed in Exhibit
6.6.2
hereof, (i) to the extent necessary to validly maintain the
IP Rights, all
registration or administration fees have been duly paid and
(ii) none of
the Group Companies has granted a license with respect to
any IP Right to
any third party (other than a Group Company).
|
6.6.3
|
Except
as disclosed in Exhibit
6.6.3
hereof, none of the IP Rights are encumbered with any Liens.
|
6.6.4
|
Except
as disclosed in Exhibit
6.6.4
hereof, none of the IP Rights are subject to any pending
(rechtshängig)
litigation to which a Group Company is a party or to any
judgment,
injunction, order or decree issued against any of the Group
Companies and,
to the Sellers’ Knowledge, no third party has challenged any IP
Rights.
|
6.6.5
|
To
the Sellers´ Knowledge, the information technology systems owned and/or
used by the Group Companies, including without limitation
any software,
hardware, firmware, and client/server networks are owned
by the Group
Companies or are available to them for unrestricted
use.
|
6.7
|
Litigation
|
6.7.1
|
Except
as disclosed in Exhibit
6.7.1
hereof, no lawsuits or other legal proceedings to which any
of the Group
Companies is a party are pending (rechts-hängig)
before any Governmental Authority involving an amount in
excess of EUR
10,000 (excluding costs and fees) and, to the Sellers’ Knowledge, no such
lawsuits or legal proceedings have been threatened in writing
against any
of the Group Companies.
|
6.7.2
|
To
the Sellers´ Knowledge, except as disclosed in Exhibit
6.7.2,
none of the physicians with whom DIA REAL maintains a physician´s depot
used to distribute products of DIA REAL (Ärztedepots)
is party to any pending (rechts-hängig)
legal proceedings before any civil court (Zivilgericht),
administrative court (Verwaltungsgericht),
social court (Sozialgericht),
ethical court (Standesgericht)
or the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt)
challenging the legality of such depots.
|
24
6.8
|
Labor
and Employment Matters
|
6.8.1
|
Exhibit
6.8.1
hereof contains a true and complete list of all managing
directors
(Geschäftsführer)
as well as all employees and free-lancers (freie
Mitarbeiter)
of any of the Group Companies, correctly showing all details
of
compensation, including the aggregate annual compensation
of these persons
(including, but not limited to, performance-related payments,
bonuses and
any benefits and any entitlements to contractual termination
payments in
case of a termination of the employment relationship). To
the Sellers’
Knowledge none of such employees has given written notice
of termination
of his or her employment.
In
2006 there were no increases of the salaries (including,
but not limited
to, performance-related payments, bonuses and any benefits)
except as in
the ordinary course of business.
|
6.8.2
|
Except
as disclosed in Exhibit
6.8.2
hereof or as required under mandatory provisions of applicable
law, none
of the Group Companies have made any (i) individual pension
commitments or
(ii) any benefit commitments under any Employee Benefit Plan
to any of its
current or former employees.
|
6.8.3
|
To
the Sellers´ Knowledge, the Group Companies have in the three years prior
to the Signing Date in all material respects complied with
the labor laws
(including, without limitation, health and safety as well
as social
security regulations) and implementing regulations applicable
to them from
time to time.
|
6.8.4
|
Exhibit
6.8.4
includes all shop agreements (Betriebsvereinbarungen)
of the Group unless such agreements repeat only mandatory
statutory
law.
|
6.9
|
Taxes
|
Except
as
disclosed in Exhibit
6.9
hereof:
6.9.1
|
all
Tax Returns required to be filed by or on behalf of any of
the Group
Companies with respect to any assessment period (Veranlagungs-
oder Erhebungszeitraum)
ending on or before the Signing Date, including the current
calendar year
until the Signing Date (hereinafter referred to as “Relevant
Period”),
or required to be filed on or before the Signing Date, have
been filed
when due, or extensions have been obtained;
to
the Sellers´ Knowledge, all statements in such Tax Returns, including,
but
not limited to, the respective tax balance sheets, were true
and
complete;
|
6.9.2
|
all
Taxes with respect to any of the Group Companies, whether
assessed or not,
either (i) have been fully paid if and when due, or (ii)
have been
provided for in
|
25
the 2005 Financial Statements or the Signing Date Financial Statements
by
liabilities or provisions for Taxes (Steuerverbindlichkeiten
oder Steuerrückstellungen)
or as
part of other provisions (sonstige
Rückstellungen);
6.9.3
|
none
of the Group Companies is involved in any extraordinary Tax
Audit or
investigation (other than regular Tax Audits in the normal
course of
business) relating to any Relevant Period and, to the Sellers´ Knowledge,
there are no outstanding administrative or court proceedings
(behördliche
oder gerichtliche Verfahren)
pending (rechtshängig)
between the Group Companies and any Governmental Authority
in respect of
any material Tax matter; and
|
6.9.4
|
to
the Sellers´ Knowledge, the Group Companies have complied with their
material obligations under any statutory provisions concerning
Taxes not
covered elsewhere in this Section 6.9. To the Sellers´ Knowledge, the
amount of Tax chargeable on the Group Companies during any
Tax year within
the Relevant Period has not to any material extent depended
on any
concession, agreement, dispensation or other formal arrangement
with any
Tax authority where either (i) the availability of any such
arrangement
will be prejudiced as a result of the acquisition or change
of control of
the Group Companies resulting from this Agreement, or (ii)
the Group
Companies have not acted in accordance with the terms of
any such
arrangement.
|
6.9.5
|
For
the purposes of this Agreement,
|
6.9.5.1 “Tax
Returns”
shall
mean any return, declaration, report or other document relating to
Taxes to be
filed with any Governmental Authority competent for Taxes, including,
but not
limited to, any schedule, exhibit or amendment thereof.
6.9.5.2 “Tax”
or
“Taxes”
shall
mean any kinds of taxes and similar assessments and charges as defined
in
Section 3 AO or in relevant provisions of applicable foreign law or
tax
equivalents (Steuerausgleichs-
oder Steuerumlagezahlungen in steuerlichen
Organschaftsverhältnissen),
including, without limitation, federal, statutory, state, local, municipal
and
governmental duties, corporate income tax, trade tax, state tax, stamp
duty,
transfer tax, customs duty, registration tax, wealth tax, wage tax,
value added
tax, withholding taxes, real estate taxes, social security contributions
(including the employee share of it) and any other form of taxation
as well as
any related fine, penalty, surcharge, costs or related interest or
similar
charges.
26
6.9.5.3 “Tax
Audit”
shall
mean any audit, investigation or other proceeding regarding Taxes by
any
Governmental Authority.
6.10
|
Compliance
with Laws
|
6.10.1
|
To
the Sellers’ Knowledge, except as disclosed in Exhibit
6.10.1
hereof,
|
6.10.1.1 DIA
REAL
is acknowledged as qualified health care provider ("zugelassener
Leistungserbringer")
within
the meaning of §§ 124, 126 SGB V. DIA REAL is generally
entitled to payments by health insurances for its health care services
and
health care products provided to insured persons, firstly as qualified
health
care provider and
secondly - especially but without limitation - pursuant to agreements
within the meaning of §§ 125, 127 SGB V with various insurance companies, which
are listed in
Exhibit
6.10.1.1,
and
which list is current, correct and complete;
6.10.1.2 each
Group Company is materially in compliance with applicable laws and
all orders,
judgments and decrees of any Governmental Authority applicable
thereto;
6.10.1.3 none
of
the Group Companies has received any notice, summons or an official
request of
any kind from any national competition authority or the European Commission
or
from any authority in any other country, competent in competition and
anti-trust
matters, with respect to any aspect of the business and the businesses
conducted
by the Group Companies;
6.10.1.4 the
Group
Companies have not received any subsidies (Beihilfen)
nor
have they applied for subsidies; and
6.10.1.5 (i)
none
of the premises formerly owned or formerly or presently leased or used
by the
Group Companies as well as buildings and other
structures (betriebliche
Einrichtungen)
contain
pollution of soil, ground-water, ground air, building materials and
(ii) all
premises are free of any environmental contamination (Umweltbelastung)
which could subject any of the Group Companies to any liability, (iii)
with regard to the business of any of the Group Companies there are
no
environmentally relevant
facts or conditions which can reasonably be expected to cause material
losses, damages, expenses or liabilities for any Group Company.
27
6.11
|
Commercial
Issues
|
6.11.1
|
The
Group Companies are not a party to any contract which was
entered into
otherwise than in the ordinary course of business or which
is not at arm´s
length. To the Sellers´ Knowledge, none of the Group Companies is in
default under any Material Agreement, mortgage, charge, lien
or pledge.
|
6.11.2
|
To
the Sellers´ Knowledge, neither the Sellers nor the Group Companies have
been notified in writing that (i) any supplier of the Group
Companies will
cease supplying them after Closing, or (ii) any customer
of the Group
Companies will terminate, limit or withdraw its business
with it after
Closing.
|
6.11.3
|
None
of the Group Companies either acts as a surety for or has
issued any
guarantee or provided any security in favor of any third
party or the
Sellers, or Sellers' Affiliates or agreed to do any of the
foregoing, in
each case except as in the ordinary course of business.
|
6.11.4
|
Except
as listed in Exhibit
6.11.4,
to the Sellers´ Knowledge, none of the Group Companies is party to
non-compete, restrictive covenants or other agreements that
restrict any
of the Group Companies from operating the business as conducted
on the
Signing Date except for vertical restrictions under distributorship,
agency, license agreements and alike agreements entered into
in the
ordinary course of business.
|
6.12
|
Conduct
of Business after 31 December 2005
|
Except
as
disclosed in Exhibit
6.12
hereof,
and except for transactions contemplated by, or any facts or events
disclosed
in, this Agreement, in the period between and including 31 December
2005 and the
Signing Date, there has not been:
6.12.1 any
recapitalization or reorganization which materially changes the corporate
structure of the Group;
6.12.2 any
declaration or payment of dividends by any of the Group Companies,
any repayment
of capital or distribution of reserves or capital, including any capital
reduction at any of
the Group Companies;
6.12.3 any
divestiture by any of the Group Companies of assets, except as in the
ordinary
course of business;
28
6.12.4 any
capital expenditure by any of the Group Companies, by additions or
improvements
to property, plant or equipment, except as in the ordinary course of
business;
6.12.5 any
transaction entered into by any of the Group Companies outside the
ordinary
course of business;
6.12.6 any
damage, destruction or other casualty loss (whether or not covered
by insurance)
to assets of the Group Companies that have, individually or in the
aggregate, a
fair market
value in excess of EUR 25,000.
6.13
|
M&A
Fees
|
None
of
the Group Companies has incurred during the period from 31 December
2005 until
the Signing Date any liability or obligation to pay any fees or commissions
to
any broker, finder, or agent, including investment banking fees or
any break-up
or comparable fees with respect to, or due to, the transactions contemplated
by
this Agreement.
6.14
|
Material
Agreements
|
6.14.1 Exhibit
6.14.1
contains
a complete
and correct list of all written agreements (i) to which a Group Company
is a
party, (ii) which (a) in the 12 months preceding 31 August 2006
required payments by or to a Group Company (including, but not limited
to,
payments resulting from minimum purchase obligations (Mindestabnahmeverpflichtung)
by a
Group
Company) in excess of EUR 100,000, in
each
case resulting
from a primary contractual duty (primäre
Hauptleistungsverpflichtung),
or (b)
under which such payments were made
in the 12 months preceding 31 August 2006, (iii) the primary contractual
duties (primäre
Hauptleistungsverpflichtung)
of
which, as of the Signing Date, have not been completely
fulfilled (nicht
vollständig erfüllte Verträge)
and (iv)
which are not disclosed under any other Section of this Agreement (the
“Material
Agreements”).
6.14.2 Except
as
listed in Exibit
6.14.2
(i),
the
respective Group Company has not terminated the Material Agreements
and has not
received a valid notice of termination by the
respective
counter-party and (ii) except as listed in Exhibit
6.14.2
(ii)
no
counterparty to any Material Agreement will have a right to terminate,
or to
change the conditions of, any
Material Agreement solely as a result of the Sellers entering or
consummating this Agreement.
6.15
|
Insurances
|
29
Exhibit
6.15
contains
a complete and correct list of all insurance policies taken out by
a Group
Company. To the Sellers´ Knowledge, (i) all premium payments required under such
insurance policies as of the Signing Date have been made and (ii) there
has been
no breach of any material terms of such insurance policies which will
lead to
any denial by the insurers of any right to insurance cover for insured
incidents
prior to the Signing Date.
6.16
|
Sellers’
Knowledge
|
For
the
purposes of this Agreement, “Sellers’
Knowledge”
means
only the actual knowledge (positive
Kenntnis)
of
Seller 1 and Seller 2 after due inquiry of the managing directors (Xxxxx’xxxxxxxxx)
of each
of the Group Companies. Any knowledge of Seller 1 will be attributed
to Seller 2
and vice
versa.
7.
|
Sellers’
Separate Covenants
|
7.1
|
Sellers’
Covenants between Signing Date and Closing
Date
|
From
the
Signing Date through the Closing Date, the Sellers shall, to the extent
permitted by
mandatory law (including, but not limited to, merger control rules)
and any
applicable agreements, cause each of the Group Companies, unless the
Purchaser
otherwise consents in writing,
7.1.1 not
to
change or amend its articles of association (Gesellschaftsvertrag),
except
as required by law;
7.1.2 to
operate its business in a reasonable and prudent manner consistent
with past
practice;
7.1.3 not
to
change materially its existing business organization and relations
with its
employees, customers and suppliers;
7.1.4 not
to
sell, assign, transfer, convey, lease or otherwise dispose of any material
assets or properties except in the ordinary course of business;
7.1.5 not
to
assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise become responsible (whether
directly,
indirectly, contingently or otherwise) for the obligations of, or make
any loans
or advances
to, any person except in the ordinary course of business;
7.1.6 not
to
enter into, terminate, cancel, amend, modify, alter or vary, in any
material
respect, any Material Agreement to which it is a party;
30
7.1.7 except
as
in the ordinary course of business, not to grant any increase in wages,
salaries, bonus or other remuneration of any employee or change the
terms and
conditions of
their employment in any other respect except for termination for good
cause (Kündigung
aus wichtigem Xxxxx);
7.1.8 not
to
hire any new employees, except for replacement of employees on materially
identical conditions;
7.1.9 not
to
cancel, compromise on, release, assign or waive any claims or rights
with a
value in excess of EUR 50,000 in the individual case;
7.1.10 not
to
commit to any capital investment, except for, in the individual case,
(i)
replacement investments under EUR 25,000 and (b) capital investments under
EUR 10,000;
7.1.11 not
to
make any material alteration in the manner of keeping its books, accounts
or
records, or in the accounting practices therein reflected (GAAP, as
applicable),
except as
required
by law or generally accepted accounting principles respectively;
and
7.1.12 upon
request, grant the Purchaser reasonable access at normal business hours
to the
Group Companies for the purpose of enabling the Purchaser to monitor
the
Sellers´
compliance with this Section 7.1.
7.2
|
Sellers’
Indemnities
|
7.2.1 The
Sellers shall indemnify
and hold
harmless the Purchaser and the Group Companies from any claims by Xx.
Xxxxxxx
XxXxx against the Purchaser or the Group Companies in
connection with her managing director position and/or employment for
time
periods after the Signing Date.
7.2.2 Following
the Closing Date, there will be no legal relationships between any
of the Group
Companies and any Seller or any Sellers´ Affiliates unless such legal
relationships are
expressly mentioned in this Agreement. The Sellers will indemnify and
hold
harmless the Purchaser from any claims of any of the Sellers’ or any of the
Sellers´ Affiliates following
the Closing Date.
7.2.3 The
Sellers shall indemnify and hold harmless the Purchaser or, at the
discretion of
the Purchaser, the Group Companies against any non-appealable Taxes
due and
payable by
the
Group Companies relating to periods until the Signing Date if and to
the extent
such Taxes have not been paid or accrued for in the Signing Date Financial
Statements.
Notwithstanding
the Seller’s liability for
31
Breaches
pursuant to Section 6.9 above, the Seller may only be held liable once,
either
under the Seller’s liability for Breaches under Section 6.9 above or under the
Seller’s
indemnification obligation under this Section 7.2.3 with regard to
the same
subject matter and circumstances covered under both Sections 6.9 and
7.2.3.
7.3
|
Non-Competition
and Non-Solicitation
|
7.3.1The
Sellers shall, and shall procure that their Affiliates will act accordingly,
for
a period of two years from the Closing Date, (i) not engage, directly
or
indirectly, in competition
with the Business, (ii) not directly or indirectly solicit any present
customers
of the Group for the purpose of obtaining business in competition with
the
Business; (iii) directly or
indirectly
solicit, interfere with or endeavor to entice away from the Purchaser
and its
Affiliates (including after Closing the Group Companies) any person,
firm or
corporation
dealing
or doing business with the Purchaser or its Affiliates with respect
to the
Business; and (iv) not directly or indirectly solicit the services
of any
managing director or
employee
of DIA REAL or eu-medical, provided, however, that this Section shall
not
prohibit soliciting the employment of any individual who has been terminated
by
his or her
employer and provided, further, that the placement of advertisements
in
newspapers or journals of general circulation not directed or targeted
at any
such individuals shall not
constitute solicitation for purposes of this Section. Nothing in this
Section
7.3 shall prohibit the Sellers from holding ownership of an equity
interest not
greater than 15% of any
class of securities in a publicly held company engaged in a business
in
competition with the Business. In
case
of a change of control at the level of either, or both, Seller(s),
the
obligations set forth in this Section 7.3.1. shall not apply to the
controlling
entity or entities after such change of control and its or their respective
Affiliates other than such
Affiliates
of the Sellers that were Affiliates before such change of control
occurred.
7.3.2 For
each
breach of any of the obligations in Section 7.3.1 by an individual
Seller such
Seller undertakes to pay a contractual penalty in the amount of EUR
100,000. In
case of an
ongoing
breach of such obligation every two weeks during which such breach
is in
existence shall constitute one breach for the purpose of such penalty.
The
maximum aggregate
amount of any contractual penalties under this Section shall be limited
to EUR
500,000. The enforcement of the penalty shall not restrict the Purchaser
from
resorting to other
remedies, in particular, the right of the Purchaser to claim damages
is not
affected hereby. The penalty is credited against any damage claims
based on the
same breach.
32
7.4
|
Applicability
of Section 8
|
For
the
avoidance of doubt, Section 8 shall apply to the obligations of this
Section 7
mutatis
mutandi.
8.
|
Liability
of Sellers
|
8.1
|
Indemnification
|
8.1.1 Subject
to the provisions contained in this Section 8,
the
Sellers shall indemnify the Purchaser against any Losses suffered by
the
Purchaser or any of the Group Companies as a
result of a breach
of
any of the Guarantee Statements or of any of the obligations of the
Sellers
under Sections 7.1 and 7.3 above or as a result of any of the indemnities
under
Section 7.2 above (hereinafter referred to as “Breach”).
8.1.2 For
the
purposes of this Agreement, “Losses”
shall
mean all liabilities, reasonable costs and expenses and other damages
in terms
of Sections 249 et seq. BGB, including lost
profits (entgangener
Gewinn)
(unless
excluded in accordance with the remainder of this Section 8.1.2.),
but excluding
(i) consequential and indirect damages (Folgeschäden
und
mittelbare Schäden),
(ii)
frustrated expenses (vergebliche
Aufwendungen)
in
terms of Section 284 BGB, unless explicitly guaranteed under this Agreement,
(iii) internal and
overhead costs, (iv) damages resulting from a failure to realize synergies
between the Group Companies and the Purchaser and its Affiliates, (v)
damages to
goodwill and (vi) lost
profits resulting from a failure to make alternative investments. Any
Losses shall be computed net of (x) any present or future advantages
and
benefits (including avoided losses
and savings and increases in value of any asset owned by any of the
Group
Companies or the Purchaser (Abzug
neu für alt))
caused
by the relevant Breach and (y) any amounts
which are covered by insurance or which can otherwise be recovered
from
any third party, always provided that corresponding compensation payments
are
actually received
after asserting a respective claim by a Group Company against an insurance
or third party.
8.1.3 If
any of
the Group Companies, the Purchaser or any Affiliate of the Purchaser
is entitled
to any benefit by refund, set-off or reduction of Taxes as a result
of a Breach,
the
amount
of any such benefits to be calculated on the basis of the Agreed Tax
Rates and
under the assumption that the Company is and will re-
33
main in a Tax paying position and to be discounted to the Signing Date
at a rate
of 5.5 % per annum (hereinafter referred to as an “Indemnification
Tax Benefit”),
then
the Indemnification Tax Benefit shall reduce the Purchaser’s indemnification
claim with respect to such Breach. In particular, without limitation,
this shall
apply to any Indemnification Tax Benefit resulting from a lengthening
of any
amortization or depreciation period, higher depreciation allowances
or loss
carry forwards or deductions.
8.1.4 Any
indemnification of Losses will be treated as a reduction of the Initial
Purchase
Price.
8.2
|
Failure
to Mitigate; Change of Accounting Principles; Retroactive
Measures
|
The
Sellers shall not be liable
8.2.1 for
any
Losses if and to the extent that such Losses are attributable to a
failure by
the Purchaser to mitigate the Losses in terms of Section 254 BGB;
8.2.2 for
any
Losses resulting from any change in the accounting and taxation principles
or
practices of any of the Group Companies initiated by the Purchaser,
including,
but not
limited to, the methods of submitting Tax Returns, introduced after
the
Signing Date, except where such changes are made based on mandatory
law;
and
8.2.3 for
any
Losses which are the result of a reorganisation or other measures with
retroactive effect for Tax purposes with respect to periods ending
prior to, or
on, the Signing Date
initiated by the Purchaser.
8.3
|
Losses
or Tax Liabilities Reflected in the 2005 Financial Statements;
Third Party
Indemnification; Set-off with Tax
Losses
|
8.3.1 The
Sellers shall not be liable for any Losses
(a) if
and to
the extent that such Losses are reflected as a write-off, value adjustment,
liability or provision, including general adjustments (Pauschalwertberichtigungen)
for the
relevant risk category, in the 2005 Financial Statements or the Signing
Date
Financial Statements;
(b) if
and to
the extent that the aggregate amount of all Losses does not exceed
the aggregate
amount of (i) any specific provisions contained in the 2005 Financial
Statements
or the Signing Date Financial Statements for the specific Losses which
may be
reversed under the relevant accounting principles, (ii) any payments
received on
accounts receivable to the ex-
34
tent
such payments exceed the highest amount at which such accounts receivable
were
reflected in the 2005 Financial Statements or the Signing Date Financial
Statements and (iii) any net proceeds from the sales of inventories
with respect
to which value adjustments have been made in the 2005 Financial Statements
or
the Signing Date Financial Statements to the extent that such net proceeds
exceed the highest adjusted value of such inventories;
(c) if
and to
the extent that such Losses are the subject of a claim for repayment
or
indemnification against a third party which is fulfilled by such third
party
following a respective request;
(d) in
relation to the Relevant Period which can be offset against entitlements
resulting from Tax loss carry backs or Tax loss carry forwards to the
extent the
Tax losses relate to the Relevant Period; or
(e) if
and to
the extent that such Losses have been taken into account in the calculation
of
the Final Working Capital or Final Equity, as finally agreed between
the
Parties.
8.3.2 Liabilities
or accruals for Taxes shown in the 2005 Financial Statements or the
Signing Date
Financial Statements may be set-off and credited against any indemnification
claim
by the Purchaser due to a Breach of any of the Guarantee Statements
contained in Sections 6.9 or as a result of the indemnity in Section
7.2.3 above
to the extent such liability or
accrual refers to the Tax giving rise to such indemnification
claim.
8.4
|
Matters
Disclosed or Known to the Purchaser; Depot
System
|
8.4.1
|
The
Sellers shall not be liable for a Breach if and to the extent
that the
facts underlying the Breach have been disclosed to the Parent,
the
Purchaser or their respective advisors or representatives
prior to the
Signing Date, in particular, without limiting the generality
of the
foregoing, during the due diligence investigation conducted
by or on
behalf of the Purchaser, or the Parent, the Purchaser or
their respective
advisors or representatives otherwise know of such facts
as of the Signing
Date.
|
8.4.2
|
The
Parties are aware of two judgments by the German Federal
Supreme Court
(Bundesgerichtshof)
dated 2 June 2005 (case nos. I ZR 317/02 and I ZR 215/02)
relating to
whether and under which conditions so-called product “depots”
(Ärztedepots)
set up and maintained by doctors are permissible under German
law
(hereinafter referred to as the “BGH
Judgments”).
The Parties are also aware that
|
35
a substantial part of the products distributed by the Group Companies
is
distributed through "depots" (the “Group
Depot System”).
The
Parties believe that the Group Depot System is in compliance with German
law,
including the BGH Judgments. If the method of distribution of diabetes
supplies
through the Group Depot System may be deemed to be not in compliance
with German
law, including the BGH Judgments, the Parties agree that the Sellers
shall not
be liable for any Breach by virtue of that fact.
8.5
|
Threshold;
Cap
|
8.5.1 Each
of
the Sellers shall only be liable for any Losses arising from any breach
of
Guarantee Statements if such Losses, in each individual case, exceed
an amount
of EUR 50,000,
and then only to the extent that all Losses, in the aggregate, exceed
an amount
of EUR 400,000 (hereinafter referred to as the “Threshold”),
in
which case the entire amount, not
only the amount exceeding the Threshold, shall be recoverable by the
Purchaser.
8.5.2 The
overall and aggregate liability of the Sellers with respect to any
claims for
any breach under or in connection with this Agreement shall be limited
to an
aggregate amount of
30 % of the Initial Purchase Price.
8.5.3 The
limitations set forth in Section 8.5.1 and Section 8.5.2 do not apply
to
Breaches of the Guarantee Statements in Section 6.2.4 through 6.2.7,
Section
6.3.1
through
Section 6.3.3
(Particulars
of the Shares) and Section 6.9 (Taxes) as well as to the indemnities
in Section
7.2. for which the overall and aggregate liability of the Sellers shall
be
limited to the
Initial Purchase Price and to Section 6.2.1. through Section 6.2.3
for which the
overall and aggregate liability of the Sellers shall be limited to
the Initial
Purchase Price plus 20%.
8.6
|
Periods
of Limitation
|
8.6.1 All
claims by the Purchaser against the Sellers under or in connection
with any
Breach, shall become time-barred (verjähren)
upon
expiry of eighteen months after the Signing
Date;
provided,
however,
that
(i) any claims
by
the Purchaser against the Sellers for a breach of the Guarantee Statements
contained in Section 6.9 (Taxes) and the indemnity in
Section 7.2.3 above shall become time-barred (verjähren)
upon
expiry of six months after
receipt
of a final tax assessment (bestandskräftiger
Steuerbescheid)
and
(ii) that any
claims by the Purchaser against the Sellers for a breach of the Guarantee
Statements contained in Section 6.2
(Authorization of the Sellers and Organization of the Group) and
Section 6.3.1
through
Section 6.3.3
(Particulars of Shares) above and for a
36
breach
of the indemnities contained in Sections 7.2.1 and 7.2.2 shall become
time-barred (verjähren)
upon
the expiry of three years after the Signing Date.
Any
other claims by the
Purchaser against the Sellers under this Agreement shall become
time-barred (verjähren)
upon
the expiry of three years after the Signing Date.
8.6.2 The
limitation periods pursuant to Section 8.6.1
above
shall be extended (gehemmt)
only in
the event of the initiation of civil proceedings as defined in Section
204 (1)
No. 1 BGB.
In
case of a re-initiation (Neubeginn)
of the
period of limitation as defined in Section 212 BGB, the new period
of limitation
shall be the longer of six months or the remainder of
the initial period of limitation.
8.7
|
Indemnification
Procedures
|
8.7.1 In
the
event of any Breach, the Purchaser shall notify the Sellers thereof
without
undue delay (unverzüglich),
but no
later than four weeks after the Purchaser has knowledge of
the facts underlying such Breach, describe the claim resulting therefrom
in
detail, to the extent feasible, set forth the estimated amount of such
claim and
set the Sellers a
reasonable time limit to remedy the Breach.
8.7.2 The
Sellers shall only be liable to indemnify the Purchaser if (i) the
Sellers are
notified of the Breach and (ii) the Sellers fail to remedy the Breach
within the
time limit set by the
Purchaser, in each case in accordance with Section 8.7.1.
8.7.3 In
the
event any action, claim, demand or proceeding is asserted or announced
against
the Purchaser or any of the Group Companies (hereinafter referred to
as the
“Claim
Addressee”)
by any
third party (including any Governmental Authority) (hereinafter the
“Third
Party Claim”)
with
respect to which the Purchaser intends to hold any of the
Sellers
liable under this Agreement, the Purchaser shall give the Sellers,
or shall
cause that the Sellers are given, the opportunity to decide if and
to what
extent they wish to
defend
the Claim Addressee against the Third Party Claim. The Sellers shall
have the
right to defend the Claim Addressee by all actions they deem appropriate
and
shall have, at
any time, the sole power and discretion to direct and control such
defense, including, but not limited to, avoiding, disputing, appealing,
compromising, acknowledging or
contesting any Third Party Claim; in particular, without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, (i) the Sellers may direct, and participate
in, all
negotiations with the third party,
appoint
and instruct legal counsel and tax advisors and request that the Third
Party
Claim be litigated or settled in accordance with the instructions of
the
Sellers, and (ii) request
that the Purchaser shall procure that the Group Companies provide the
opportunity to the Sellers to take
37
over the position as principal in all Tax Audits (hereinafter collectively
referred to as the “Defense”).
No
action by the Sellers or their advisors or representatives in
connection
with the Defense shall be construed as an acknowledgement (whether
express
or implied) of any claim by the Purchaser under this Agreement or of
any facts
underlying such
claim.
For the
avoidance of doubt, any Defense shall not unreasonably interfere with
the
Business and shall not cause any unreasonable burden on the Purchaser
and the
Group
Companies.
8.7.4 Any
costs
in connection with the Defense shall be borne by the Sellers; provided,
however,
that in
no event shall the Sellers be liable for internal and overhead costs
or costs of
staff of any of the Group Companies or the Purchaser, and, in particular,
without limiting the generality of the foregoing, of the Claim Addressee,
incurred in the course of, or in
connection with, or in relation to, the Defense.
8.7.5 The
Purchaser agrees, and shall cause each Group Company, (i) to fully
cooperate
with, and assist the Sellers in the Defense, (ii) to diligently conduct
the
Defense (if and to the
extent
the Sellers choose not to control and conduct the Defense themselves
but allow
the Purchaser or any Group Company, in particular, without limiting
the
generality of the
foregoing,
the Claim Addressee, to conduct the Defense) in order to mitigate Losses
resulting from the Third Party Claim as far as possible, (iii) not
to
acknowledge or settle any
Third
Party Claim without the prior written consent of the Sellers, (iv)
to provide
the Sellers and their advisors (in particular, without limiting the
generality
of the foregoing, its
legal
counsel) and representatives access, upon reasonable advance notice
and during
normal business hours, to all relevant Books and Records, other information,
premises
(whether
owned or leased by any of the Group Companies or the Purchaser) and
personnel of
any of the Group Companies or the Purchaser in connection with the
Defense, (v)
to
allow
the Sellers and their advisors (in particular, without limiting the
generality
of the foregoing, their legal counsel) and representatives to copy
or photograph
any assets,
documents and Books and Records in connection with the Defense, (vi)
to deliver
to the Sellers without undue delay (unverzüglich)
copies
of all relevant orders (Bescheide),
decisions, filings, motions, and other documents or electronic data
of any
Governmental Authority or any party to any negotiations or proceedings
with
respect to a Third Party
Claim, and (vii) to give the Sellers reasonable opportunity to comment
on
and discuss with the Purchaser and any of the Group Companies, and,
in
particular, without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, with the Claim Addressee,
any
steps which are necessary or appropriate to take or to
38
omit in connection with the Defense, and to comment on and review any
reports,
documents or electronic data and to participate in all relevant audits
and
investigations,
including, but not limited to, Tax Audits and social security
audits, court hearings and any other meetings; it being understood
that (iii) to
(vii) above shall apply irrespective of
whether or to what extent the Sellers choose to control and conduct
the Defense themselves.
8.7.6 The
failure of any of the Purchaser or the Group Companies, in particular,
without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, of the Claim Addressee, to
comply with
any of the
obligations with respect to a Third Party Claim under this Section
8.7
shall
release the Sellers from any indemnification obligation with respect
to such
Third Party Claim if and to
the extent the failure to comply contributed to, or resulted in an
increase of,
such Third Party Claim.
8.8
|
No
Other Rights or Remedies
|
8.8.1 The
Sellers and the Purchaser agree that the rights, claims and remedies
that the
Purchaser or any of the Group Companies may have with respect to a
Breach or any
other
violation by the Sellers of their obligations under this Agreement
are limited
to the rights and remedies explicitly provided for in this
Agreement.
8.8.2 Any
and
all rights, claims and remedies of any legal nature (other than the
claim for
specific performance (primäre
Erfüllungsansprüche)
and any
indemnity claim explicitly
provided for under this Agreement in case of a Breach) which the Purchaser
or
any of the Group Companies might otherwise have against the Sellers
out of or in
connection with
the Sellers’ shareholding in the Group Companies and the sale thereof to the
Purchaser, any of the Sellers’ indirect shareholding in any other of the Group
Companies, this
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be waived
and excluded;
in particular, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the
Purchaser
hereby (x) waives
any claims under (i) statutory representations and warranties (Sections
434 et
seq. BGB), (ii) statutory, contractual or pre-contractual obligations
(Sections
280 to 283, 311 BGB),
(iii) frustration of contract (Section 313 BGB), or tort (Sections
823 et
seq. BGB), and (y), except for the right to rescind this Agreement
pursuant to
Section 5.3.
above,
the
Purchaser
agrees that it shall not have any right to rescind, cancel or otherwise
terminate this Agreement or exercise any right or remedy which would
have a
similar effect.
8.8.3 The
provisions in this Agreement limiting the liability of the Sellers
shall not
apply in case of liability due to willful misconduct (Vorsatz).
39
9.
|
Purchaser's
Guarantees
|
The
Purchaser and the Parent hereby guarantee to the Sellers, by way of
an
independent undertaking of guarantee (selbst’ndiges
Garantieversprechen)
in
terms of Section 311 (1) BGB that the following statements are true as
of the Signing Date and will be true as of the Closing Date:
9.1
|
Authorization
of Purchaser
|
9.1.1
|
The
Purchaser is a company with limited liability, duly incorporated,
validly
existing and in good standing under the laws of Germany.
The Parent is a
Naamloze
Vennootschap,
duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of
the Netherlands. No insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings
have been
instituted against the Purchaser or the Parent nor do there
exist any
circumstances giving rise to the instigation of insolvency
or bankruptcy
proceedings against the Purchaser.
|
9.1.2 The
Purchaser and the Parent each have the corporate power and authority
to enter
into and perform this Agreement and have obtained all corporate authorizations
to empower
them to enter into this Agreement. Assuming Merger Control Clearance
is
obtained, the execution and delivery of, and the performance by the
Purchaser
and the Parent of their
respective obligations under, this Agreement will not result in a breach
of any provision of the articles of association of the Purchaser or
any
applicable laws and regulations, or
result in a breach of any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental
Authority or regulatory authority by which the Purchaser or the Parent
is
bound.
9.2
|
Sufficient
Knowledge and Expertise
|
Each
of
the Purchaser and the Parent (either alone or together with its advisors
and
counsel) has sufficient knowledge and expertise in financial and business
matters to enable it to evaluate the economic merits and risks of acquiring
the
Shares as contemplated by this Agreement.
10.
|
Purchaser's
Covenants
|
10.1
|
Release
from Commitments
|
40
Subject
to the Closing, the Purchaser shall procure that, as from the Signing
Date, the
Sellers shall be unconditionally, finally and irrevocably released
from any
loans, bonds, notes, indemnities, suretyships, comfort letters or other
commitments they may have given or made for the benefit of any of the
Group
Companies (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Commitments”
and
each as a “Commitment”),
including, for the avoidance of doubt, any obligations by any of the
Sellers
under any management incentive plan or bonus scheme entered into with
the
managing directors of the Group, to the extent those Commitments are
listed in
Exhibit
10.1
hereof.
If and to the extent that the Purchaser and a Seller who has made a
Commitment
(hereinafter referred to as the “Committed
Seller”),
despite having used their best efforts, are unable to effect a full
release and
discharge of the Committed Seller due to the fact that the respective
contract
partner is unwilling to agree to a substitution of the Committed Seller
by the
Purchaser or any Affiliate of the Purchaser, then the Purchaser on
the one hand
and the Committed Seller on the other hand shall, in the internal relationship
between themselves, place each other in the position they were in if
the
relevant Commitment had been transferred fully and irrevocably from
the
Committed Seller to the Purchaser or any Affiliate of the Purchaser
on the
Signing Date. The Purchaser shall, in this event, indemnify and hold
harmless
the Committed Seller (freistellen)
from
and against any and all obligations and liabilities (whether or not
accrued or
continued) of the Committed Seller under or resulting from any such
Commitments,
including all damages, losses, costs and expenses.
10.2
|
Tax
Benefits
|
10.2.1 The
Purchaser shall procure that any Tax benefit other than an Indemnification
Tax
Benefit attributable to any period until the Signing Date received
by any of the
Group
Companies
by refund, set-off, reduction of taxes or otherwise (hereinafter referred
to as
a “Tax
Benefit”)
shall
be paid to the Sellers´ Account within ten Business Days after
such Tax Benefit has been received by any of the Group Companies, unless
such Tax Benefit is shown in the 2005 Financial Statements or the Signing
Date
Financial Statements.
10.2.2 Section
10.2.1
above
shall apply mutatis
mutandis
to
Indemnification Tax Benefits as far as they exceed the Purchaser’s
indemnification claim as referred to in Section 8.1.3
above.
10.3
|
Access
to Information
|
10.3.1 From
the
Closing Date the Purchaser shall afford to the Sellers and their advisors
and
counsel and their representatives access, upon reasonable advance notice
and
during
normal
business hours, to Books and Records, as well as to other information,
management, employees and auditors of any of the Group
41
Companies
as long as and to the extent necessary to any of the Sellers in connection
with
any audit, investigation, dispute or litigation. To the extent that
any of the
Sellers
requires original documents, the Purchaser shall forward such Books
and
Records, or cause that such Books and Records be forwarded, to such
Seller at
such Seller’s expense,
who shall return such Books and Records after the respective requirement
to be in possession of original documents no longer applies.
10.3.2 The
Purchaser shall keep, and procure that the Group Companies keep, all
Books and
Records relating to any period of time prior to the Closing Date for
the periods
of time
provided
for under applicable mandatory law. The Purchaser agrees to cause the
Group
Companies to give the Sellers reasonable advance notice prior to transferring,
discarding
or destroying any Books and Records relating to any matters which may
be
relevant with respect to any indemnity obligation of any of the Sellers
under
this Agreement (in
particular, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, with
respect
to any Tax matter relating to any Relevant Period) and, if and to the
extent any
of the Sellers so requests,
to deliver such Books and Records to the Sellers at their expense.
The
provisions of this Section 10.3.2
shall
apply mutatis
mutandis
should
the Purchaser, or any of the Group
Companies, intend to dispose of any Group Company or any Group Company’s
business in whole or in part.
10.4
|
Cooperation
|
10.4.1 The
Parties agree to execute, or cause to be executed, all agreements and
documents
and to take, or cause to be taken, all other actions necessary under
applicable
laws and
regulations to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement,
unless the execution of such agreements and documents or the taking
of such
actions would cause
an unreasonable hardship (Unzumutbarkeit)
or
unless the specific issue is provided for differently in this
Agreement.
10.4.2 The
Parties shall not, and shall ensure that its Affiliates do not, enter
into any
transaction which may prevent, delay or interfere with the consummation
of the
transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
10.5
|
Company
Name
|
The
Purchaser shall procure and guarantees that (i) a shareholders’ resolution
regarding the change of the name of the Company is passed and registration
thereof is applied for no later than one month after the Closing Date
so that
the company name no longer contains the term “Matria” and (ii) that the Company
no longer uses the name “Matria” af-
42
ter
the
Closing Date in any other manner, except where bound to do so under
mandatory
law.
11.
|
Miscellaneous
|
11.1
|
Notices
|
All
notices, requests and other communications under this Agreement shall
be made in
writing in the English language and delivered by hand, courier, mail
or telecopy
to the person at the address set forth below, or such other person
or address as
may be designated by the respective Party from time to time:
11.1.1 To
the
Sellers:
0000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx,
Marietta,
Georgia,
USA
Attn.
General Counsel
each
with
a copy to: Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxx LLP, Attn. Xxxxxxxxx xxx Xxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 00, 00000 Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx.
11.1.2 To
the
Purchaser and the Parent:
OPG
Groep
N.V.
Xxxxxxxxxx
0,
3526
KS
Utrecht
Attn.:
General Counsel
11.2 Costs,
Taxes and Expenses
11.2.1 Subject
to Section 11.2.2
below,
the Purchaser shall bear all transfer taxes (including, but not limited
to, real
estate transfer taxes), stamp duties, fees (including, but not limited
to,
the fees for notarization of this Agreement), registration duties and
other charges in connection with any regulatory requirements (including,
but not
limited to, merger control
proceedings) and other charges and
43
costs payable in connection with the execution of this Agreement and
the
consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby.
11.2.2 Each
Party and the Parent shall bear its own expenses, including, but not
limited to,
the fees of its advisors and counsel.
11.3
|
Public
Disclosure
|
Neither
party to this Agreement shall make any press release or similar announcement
with respect to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby,
and each
party to this Agreement shall keep confidential and not disclose to
any third
party the contents of this Agreement and any confidential information
regarding
the respective other Parties disclosed to it in connection with this
Agreement
or its implementation, except as otherwise agreed with the respective
other
party or parties to this Agreement, as the case may be, and except
as may be
required in order to comply with the requirements of applicable laws
or stock
exchange regulations. The Purchaser and the Sellers respectively shall
procure
that the Group Companies also comply with the obligations under this
Section
11.3
before,
respectively after the Closing Date.
11.4
|
Entire
Agreement; Amendments;
Waivers
|
11.4.1 This
Agreement (together with all Exhibits hereto) contains the entire agreement
between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes
all
prior
agreements and understandings with respect thereto, except for the
Confidentiality Agreement which shall remain in full force and effect
until the
Closing Date and, should this
Agreement
be terminated pursuant to Section 5.3
above,
beyond the date of such termination for the term provided for, if any,
in the
Confidentiality Agreement.
11.4.2 Any
amendment or supplement to or modification of this Agreement (together
with all
Exhibits hereto), including this provision, shall be valid only if
made in
writing, except
where a stricter form (e.g. notarization) is required under applicable
mandatory
law. For the avoidance of doubt, this provision also applies to a waiver
of any
right or claim any
party to this Agreement may have under this Agreement.
11.5
|
Assignments
|
The
Purchaser may not assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any right
or claim it
may have under this Agreement without the written consent of the Sellers,
always
provided, however, that the Purchaser may assign all rights and obligations
under this Agreement
44
to
one of
its Affiliates, subject to its guaranteeing the performance by such
Affiliate of
any obligations under this Agreement so assigned.
11.6
|
Interpretation
|
11.6.1 This
Agreement is written in the English language (except that some or all
of the
Exhibits may be in the German language in whole or in part). Terms
to which a
German
translation has been added in parentheses and italics shall be interpreted
pursuant to the meaning assigned to them in German.
11.6.2 For
the
purposes of any disclosure thresholds contained in any of the Guarantee
Statements, any reference to EUR (Euros) shall include the equivalent
in any
foreign currency at
the exchange rate officially determined in Frankfurt/Main, Germany,
on the
Signing Date, or, should the Signing Date not be on a Business Day,
on the last
Business Day before
the Signing Date.
11.6.3 The
disclosure of any matter in this Agreement (including all Exhibits
hereof) shall
be deemed to be a disclosure for all purposes of this Agreement. The
fact that a
matter has
been disclosed in an Exhibit hereof shall not be used to construe the
extent to
which disclosure is required (including, without limitation, any standard
of
materiality) pursuant to
the provisions of this Agreement and, in particular, without limiting
the
generality of the foregoing, pursuant to any Guarantee Statement.
11.7
|
Definitions
|
The
Index
of Definitions contains a list of definitions of capitalized terms
used in this
Agreement, or references to the Sections hereof where such terms are
defined.
11.8
|
Governing
Law; Venue
|
11.8.1 This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the
laws of
Germany, excluding the CISG, and further excluding its conflicts of
laws
provisions.
11.8.2 Any
disputes
arising
from, or in connection with, this Agreement shall be settled by arbitration
in
accordance with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules in the version effective
on
the Signing Date. The appointing authority shall be the President of
the
Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt am Main (Präsident
des Oberlandesgerichts Frankfurt am Main).
The number of arbitrators shall be three. The place of arbitration
shall
be Frankfurt am Main. The language to be used in the arbitral proceedings
shall
be English.
45
As
far as
an agreement on venue (Gerichtsstandsvereinbarung)
can be
validly entered into between the Parties, the ordinary courts (ordentliche
Gerichte)
competent for the City of Hamburg, Germany, shall be competent for
any dispute,
controversy or claim arising from or in connection with this
Agreement.
11.9
|
Joint
and Several Liability
|
For
the
purposes of this Agreement, the Sellers shall be joint and several
debtors and
joint creditors (G
esamtschuldner und Gesamtgläubiger).
11.10
|
Parent
Guarantee
|
The
Parent hereby guarantees the performance by the Purchaser of all its
obligations
hereunder as
if the
same were incurred by the Parent as sole or principal debtor, and any
claims
under this Section 11.10 shall be fulfilled by the Parent on first
demand
(Garantie auf
erstes Anfordern).
11.11
|
Severability
|
Should
any provision of this Agreement be or become invalid, ineffective or
unenforceable in whole or in part, the validity, effectiveness and
enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not be affected thereby.
Any
such invalid, ineffective or unenforceable provision shall, to the
extent
permitted by law, be deemed replaced by such valid, effective and enforceable
provision as comes closest to the economic intent and purpose of such
invalid,
ineffective or unenforceable provision. The aforesaid shall apply mutatis
mutandis
to any
gap in this Agreement.
46