VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL March 12, 2021 Joseph L. Farmer Dear Joe:
Exhibit 10.17
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
March 12, 2021
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Dear Xxx:
As we discussed, your employment with Xilio Therapeutics, Inc. (f/k/a/ Akrevia Therapeutics, Inc., and hereinafter, the “Company”) will end effective March 12, 2021 (the “Separation Date”). As we also discussed, although you are electing to leave the Company, the Company has agreed to provide you with the severance benefits described in detail in paragraph 1 below if you sign and return this letter agreement to me no later than April 3, 2021 (but no earlier than the Separation Date) and do not revoke your agreement (as described below). By signing and returning this letter agreement and not revoking your acceptance, you will be entering into a binding agreement with the Company and will be agreeing to the terms and conditions set forth in the numbered paragraphs below, including the release of claims set forth in paragraph 2. Therefore, you are advised to consult with an attorney before signing this letter agreement and you have been given at least twenty-one (21) days to do so. If you sign this letter agreement, you may change your mind and revoke your agreement during the seven (7) business day period after you have signed it (the “Revocation Period”) by notifying me in writing. If you do not so revoke, this letter agreement will become a binding agreement between you and the Company upon the expiration of the Revocation Period.
Although your receipt of the severance benefits is expressly conditioned on your timely entering into this letter agreement, the following will apply regardless of whether or not you do so:
• | As of the Separation Date, all salary payments from the Company will cease and any benefits you had as of the Separation Date under Company-provided benefit plans, programs, or practices will terminate, except as required by applicable law. |
• | You will receive payment for your final wages and any unused vacation time accrued through the Separation Date. |
• | You may, if eligible and at your own cost, elect to continue receiving group medical insurance pursuant to the “COBRA” law. Please consult the COBRA materials to be provided under separate cover for details regarding these benefits. |
• | You are obligated to keep confidential and not to use or disclose any and all non-public information concerning the Company that you acquired during the course of your employment with the Company, including any non-public information concerning the Company’s business affairs, business prospects, and financial condition, except as otherwise permitted by paragraph 9 below. Further, you remain subject to your continuing obligations to the Company as set forth in the Employee Proprietary Information and Invention Assignment Agreement (the “Restrictive Covenants Agreement”) you previously executed in connection with your commencement of employment with the Company, which obligations remain in full force and effect. |
• | You must return to the Company no later than the Separation Date all Company property. |
If you elect to timely sign and return this letter agreement and do not revoke your acceptance within the Revocation Period, the following terms and conditions will also apply:
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You will not be eligible for, nor shall you have a right to receive, any payments or benefits from the Company following the Separation Date other than as set forth in this paragraph.
2. Release of Claims – In consideration of the severance benefits, which you acknowledge you would not otherwise be entitled to receive, you hereby fully, forever, irrevocably and unconditionally release, remise and discharge the Company, its affiliates, subsidiaries, parent companies, predecessors, and successors, and all of their respective past and present officers, directors, stockholders, partners, members, employees, agents, representatives, plan administrators, attorneys, insurers and fiduciaries (each in their individual and corporate capacities) (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from any and all claims, charges, complaints, demands, actions, causes of action, suits, rights, debts, sums of money, costs, accounts, reckonings, covenants, contracts, agreements, promises, doings, omissions, damages, executions, obligations, liabilities, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and costs), of every kind and nature that you ever had or now have against any or all of the Released Parties, whether known or unknown, including, but not limited to, any and all claims arising out of or relating to your employment with and/or separation from the Company, including, but not limited to, all claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq., the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, 42 U.S.C. § 2000ff et seq., the Family and Medical Leave Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq., the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“WARN”), 29 U.S.C. § 2101 et seq., the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq., Executive Order 11246, Executive Order 11141, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq., and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), 29 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq., all as amended; all claims arising out of the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 151B, § 1 et seq., the Massachusetts Wage Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 148 et seq. (Massachusetts law regarding payment of wages and overtime), the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 12, §§ 11H and 11I, the Massachusetts Equal Rights Act, Mass. Gen. Laws. ch. 93, § 102, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 214, § 1C (Massachusetts right to be free from sexual harassment law), the Massachusetts Labor and Industries Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 1 et seq., Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 214, § 1B (Massachusetts right of privacy law), the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 105D, and the Massachusetts Small Necessities Leave Act, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 52D, all as amended; all common law claims including, but not limited to, actions in defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, misrepresentation, fraud, wrongful discharge, and breach of contract (including without limitation all claims arising out of or related to the Employment Agreement between you and the Company dated May 24, 2019); all claims to any non-vested ownership interest in the Company, contractual or otherwise; all state and federal whistleblower claims to the maximum extent permitted by law; and any claim or damage arising out of your employment with and/or separation from the Company (including a claim for retaliation) under any common law theory or any federal, state or local statute or ordinance not expressly referenced above; provided, however, that this release of claims does not prevent you from filing a charge with, cooperating with, or participating in any investigation or proceeding before, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or a state fair employment practices agency (except that you acknowledge that you may not recover any monetary benefits in connection with any such charge, investigation, or proceeding, and you further waive any rights or claims to any payment, benefit, attorneys’ fees or other remedial relief in connection with any such charge, investigation or proceeding).
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13. Nature of Agreement – You understand and agree that this letter agreement is a severance agreement and does not constitute an admission of liability or wrongdoing on the part of the Company.
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[signature page follows]
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Very truly yours, | ||
By: | /s/ Xxxx Xxxxx | |
Xxxx Xxxxx | ||
CEO | ||
I hereby agree to the terms and conditions set forth above. I have been given at least twenty-one (21) days to consider this letter agreement, and I have chosen to execute this on the date below. I intend that this letter agreement will become a binding agreement between me and the Company if I do not revoke my acceptance in seven (7) days.
/s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | 3/12/2021 | |
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | Date |
To be returned in a timely manner as set forth on the first page of this letter agreement.
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CONSULTING AGREEMENT
This Consulting Agreement (the “Agreement”), effective as of the Effective Date (as defined herein), is entered into between Xilio Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) and Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx (the “Consultant”).
3. Consideration and Reimbursement.
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6. Proprietary Information and Inventions.
a. The Consultant acknowledges that the Consultant’s relationship with the Company is one of high trust and confidence and that in the course of the Consultant’s service to the Company, Consultant will have access to and contact with Proprietary Information. The Consultant will not disclose any Proprietary Information to any person or entity other than employees of the Company or use the same for any purposes (other than in the performance of the services) without written approval by an officer of the Company, either during or after the Consultation Period, unless and until such Proprietary Information has become public knowledge without fault by the Consultant.
b. For purposes of this Agreement, Proprietary Information shall mean, by way of illustration and not limitation, all information, whether or not in writing, whether or not patentable and whether or not copyrightable, of a private, secret or confidential nature, owned, possessed or used by the Company, concerning the Company’s business, business relationships or financial affairs, including, without limitation, any Invention, formula, vendor information, customer information, apparatus, equipment, trade secret, process, research, report, technical or research data, clinical data, know-how, computer program, software, software documentation, hardware design, technology, product, processes, methods, techniques, formulas, compounds, projects, developments, marketing or business plan, forecast, unpublished financial statement, budget, license, price, cost, customer, supplier or personnel information or employee list that is communicated to, learned of, developed or otherwise acquired by the Consultant in the course of the Consultant’s service as a consultant to the Company.
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c. The Consultant agrees that all files, documents, letters, memoranda, reports, records, data sketches, drawings, models, laboratory notebooks, program listings, computer equipment or devices, computer programs or other written, photographic, or other tangible material containing Proprietary Information, whether created by the Consultant or others, which shall come into Consultant’s custody or possession, shall be and are the exclusive property of the Company to be used by the Consultant only in the performance of the Consultant’s duties for the Company and shall not be copied or removed from the Company premises except in the pursuit of the business of the Company. All such materials or copies thereof and all tangible property of the Company in the custody or possession of the Consultant shall be delivered to the Company, upon the earlier of (i) a request by the Company or (ii) the termination of this Agreement. After such delivery, the Consultant shall not retain any such materials or copies thereof or any such tangible property.
d. The Consultant agrees that Consultant’s obligation not to disclose or to use information and materials of the types set forth in paragraphs (b) and (c) above, and Consultant’s obligation to return materials and tangible property set forth in paragraph (c) above extends to such types of information, materials and tangible property of customers of the Company or suppliers to the Company or other third parties who may have disclosed or entrusted the same to the Company or to the Consultant.
e. The Consultant acknowledges that the Company from time to time may have agreements with other persons or with the United States Government, or agencies thereof, that impose obligations or restrictions on the Company regarding inventions made during the course of work under such agreements or regarding the confidential nature of such work. The Consultant agrees to be bound by all such obligations and restrictions that are known to the Consultant and to take all action necessary to discharge the obligations of the Company under such agreements.
f. The Consultant’s obligations under this Section 6.1 shall not apply to any information that (i) is or becomes known to the general public under circumstances involving no breach by the Consultant or others of the terms of this Section 6.1, (ii) is generally disclosed to third parties by the Company without restriction on such third parties, or (iii) is approved for release by written authorization of an officer of the Company. Further, nothing herein prohibits the Consultant from communicating with government agencies about possible violations of federal, state, or local laws or otherwise providing information to government agencies or participating in government agency investigations or proceedings. In addition, notwithstanding the Consultant’s confidentiality and nondisclosure obligations, the Consultant is hereby advised as follows pursuant to the Defend Trade Secrets Act: “An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that (A) is made (i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual (A) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.”
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a. The Consultant will make full and prompt disclosure to the Company of all inventions, creations, improvements, enhancements, designs, innovations, discoveries, processes, methods, techniques, developments, software, computer programs, and works of authorship, whether or not patentable and whether or not copyrightable, that are created, made, conceived or reduced to practice by the Consultant or under the Consultant’s direction or jointly with others during the Consultation Period, whether or not during normal working hours or on the premises of the Company (all of which are collectively referred to in this Agreement as “Inventions”). The Consultant agrees to assign and does hereby assign to the Company (or any person or entity designated by the Company) all of the Consultant’s right, title and interest in and to all Inventions and all related patents, patent applications, copyrights created in the work(s) of authorship, trademarks, trade names, and other industrial and intellectual property rights and applications therefor in the United States and elsewhere. However, the previous sentence shall not apply to Inventions that do not relate to the present or planned business or research and development of the Company and that are made and conceived by the Consultant not during normal working hours, not on the Company’s premises and not using the Company’s tools, devices, equipment or Proprietary Information. The Consultant understands that, to the extent this Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of any state that precludes a requirement that an individual assign certain classes of inventions, this Section 6.2(a) shall be interpreted not to apply to any invention that a court rules and/or the Company agrees falls within such classes. The Consultant further acknowledges that each original work of authorship that is made by the Consultant (solely or jointly with others) within the scope of the Agreement and which is protectable by copyright is a “work made for hire,” as that term is defined in the United States Copyright Act. The Consultant hereby waives all claims to moral rights in any Inventions. ·
b. The Consultant agrees that if, in the course of performing the services, the Consultant incorporates into any Invention developed under this Agreement any preexisting invention, improvement, development, concept, discovery or other proprietary information owned by the Consultant or in which the Consultant has an interest (“Prior Inventions”), (i) the Consultant will inform the Company, in writing before incorporating such Prior Inventions into any Invention, and (ii) the Company is hereby granted a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferable worldwide license with the right to grant and authorize sublicenses, to make, have made, modify, use, import, offer for sale, sell, reproduce, distribute, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works of, display, perform, and otherwise exploit such Prior Inventions, without restriction, including, without limitation, as part of or in connection with such Invention, and to practice any method related thereto. The Consultant will not incorporate any invention, improvement, development, concept, discovery or other proprietary information owned by any third party into any Invention without the Company’s prior written permission.
c. The Consultant agrees to cooperate fully with the Company, both during and after the Consultation Period, with respect to the procurement, maintenance, and enforcement of copyrights, patents and other intellectual property rights (both in the United States and foreign countries) relating to Inventions. The Consultant shall sign all papers, including, without limitation, copyright applications, patent applications, declarations, oaths, formal assignments, assignments of priority rights, and powers of attorney, which the Company may deem necessary or desirable in order to protect its rights and interests in any Invention. The Consultant further agrees that if the Company is unable, after reasonable effort, to secure the signature of the Consultant on any such papers, any executive officer of the Company shall be entitled to execute any such papers as the agent and the attorney-in-fact of the Consultant, and the Consultant hereby irrevocably designates and appoints each executive officer of the Company as the Consultant’s agent and attorney-in-fact to execute any such papers on the Consultant’s behalf, and to take any and all actions as the Company may deem necessary or desirable in order to protect its rights and interests in any Invention, under the conditions described in this sentence.
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d. The Consultant shall maintain adequate and current written records (in the form of notes, sketches, drawings and as may be specified by the Company) to document the conception and/or first actual reduction to practice of any Invention. Such written records shall be available to and remain the sole property of the Company at all times.
7. Non-Exclusivity. The Company retains the right to contract with other companies and/or individuals for consulting services without restriction. Similarly, except as and to the extent set forth in the Letter Agreement and the Restrictive Covenants Agreement (as defined in the Letter Agreement), the Consultant retains the right to contract with other companies or entities for the Consultant’s consulting services.
8. Other Agreements; Warranty.
a. The Consultant hereby represents that, except as the Consultant has disclosed in writing to the Company, the Consultant is not bound by the terms of any agreement with any third party to refrain from using or disclosing any trade secret or confidential or proprietary information in the course of Consultant’s consultancy with the Company, to refrain from competing, directly or indirectly, with the business of such third party or to refrain from soliciting employees, customers or suppliers of such third party. The Consultant further represents that Consultant’s performance of all the terms of this Agreement and the performance of the services as a consultant of the Company do not and will not breach any agreement with any third party to which the Consultant is a party (including, without limitation, any nondisclosure or non-competition agreement), and that the Consultant will not disclose to the Company or induce the Company to use any confidential or proprietary information or material belonging to any current or previous employer or others.
b. The Consultant hereby represents, warrants and covenants that Consultant has the skills and experience necessary to perform the services, that Consultant will perform said services in a professional, competent and timely manner, that Consultant has the power to enter into this Agreement and that Consultant’s performance hereunder will not infringe upon or violate the rights of any third party or violate any federal, state or municipal laws.
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9. Independent Contractor Status.
a. The Consultant shall perform all services under this Agreement as an “independent contractor” and not as an employee or agent of the Company. The Consultant is not authorized to assume or create any obligation or responsibility, express or implied, on behalf of, or in the name of, the Company or to bind the Company in any manner. Nothing herein shall create, expressly or by implication, a partnership, joint venture or other association between the parties.
b. The Consultant shall have the right to control and determine the time, place, methods, manner and means of performing the services. In performing the services, the amount of time devoted by the Consultant on any given day will be entirely within the Consultant’s control, and the Company will rely on the Consultant to put in the amount of time necessary to fulfill the requirements of this Agreement. The Consultant will provide all equipment and supplies required to perform the services. The Consultant is not required to attend regular meetings at the Company. However, upon reasonable notice, the Consultant shall meet with representatives of the Company at a location to be designated by the parties to this Agreement.
c. In the performance of the services, the Consultant has the authority to control and direct the performance of the details of the services, the Company being interested only in the results obtained. However, the services contemplated by the Agreement must meet the Company’s standards and approval and shall be subject to the Company’s general right of inspection and supervision to secure their satisfactory completion.
d. The Consultant shall not use the Company’s trade names, trademarks, service names or service marks without the prior approval of the Company.
e. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for all state and federal income taxes, unemployment insurance and social security taxes in connection with this Agreement and for maintaining adequate workers’ compensation insurance coverage.
11. Indemnification. The Consultant shall be solely liable for, and shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company and its successors and assigns from any claims, suits, judgments or causes of action initiated by any third party against the Company where such actions result from or arise out of the services performed by the Consultant under this Agreement. The Consultant shall further be solely liable for, and shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company and its successors and assigns from and against any claim or liability of any kind (including penalties, fees or charges) resulting from the Consultant’s failure to pay the taxes, penalties, and payments referenced in Section 9 of this Agreement. The Consultant shall further indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company and its successors and assigns from and against any and all loss or damage resulting from any misrepresentation, or any non-fulfillment of any representation, responsibility, covenant or agreement on Consultants part, as well as any and all acts, suits, proceedings, demands, assessments, penalties, judgments of or against the Company relating to or arising out of the activities of the Consultant and the Consultant shall pay reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses incident thereto.
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12. Notices. All notices required or permitted under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed effective upon personal delivery or upon deposit in the United States Post Office, by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, addressed to the other party at the address shown above, or at such other address or addresses as either party shall designate to the other in accordance with this Section 12.I
20. Survival. Sections 4 through 20 shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement.
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a. No delay or omission by the Company in exercising any right under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of that or any other right. A waiver or consent given by the Company on any one occasion shall be effective only in that instance and shall not be construed as a bar or waiver of any right on any other occasion.
b. The captions of the sections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and in no way define, limit, or affect the scope or substance of any section of this Agreement.
c. In the event that any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid, illegal or otherwise unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall in no way be affected or impaired thereby.
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Xilio Therapeutics, Inc. | |||
By: | /s/ Xxxx Xxxxx | ||
Name: | Xxxx Xxxxx | ||
Title: | CEO | ||
CONSULTANT: | |||
/s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |||
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Schedule A
The Consultant shall, from time to time, and upon the Company’s request, provide the Company with consulting and advisory services related to the Company’s finances. It is anticipated that the Consultant shall perform such services for the Company no more than 5 hours per week.
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