Exhibit 10(a)
AGREEMENT UPON SEPARATION OF EMPLOYMENT
This Agreement Upon Separation Of Employment ("Agreement") is made and
entered into by and between Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx, her successors, heirs,
administrators, executors, personal representatives and assigns ("Xxxxx") and
The Quaker Oats Company, its officers, directors, shareholders, employees,
agents, assigns, subsidiaries, divisions, parents, affiliates and successors
("Quaker"), collectively "the parties." The Agreement shall become effective
seven (7) days after it is executed by Xxxxx.
1. Economic Consideration to Xxxxx
Upon becoming effective, this Agreement shall satisfy the Quaker Officers
Severance Program's (the "Program") prerequisites that in order to qualify for
Program benefits, an officer must execute a valid waiver and release of all
potential claims and must enter into a non-competition agreement. In addition,
Xxxxx shall receive the following consideration, to which she would not be
entitled in the absence of this Agreement:
X. Xxxxx'x active employment with Quaker is terminating on March 31,
1998. After severance payments under the Program have expired, and subject to
the provisions in Xxxxxxxxx 0, Xxxxxx shall pay Xxxxx an amount equal to one
year of Program payments (i.e., final salary plus average bonus). This sum
shall be paid in twenty four (24) equal semi-monthly installments commencing as
soon as payments to her under the Program expire and terminating on March 31,
2000. Payments under this paragraph 1(A) are consideration for the covenants
in paragraph 5, not for anything else.
B. While Xxxxx is scheduled to receive payments under paragraph 1(A)
(without regard to interruption of such payments pursuant to paragraph 5),
Quaker shall provide her with the same insurance coverage as is provided under
the Program. This benefit is part of the consideration for the Waiver and
Release in paragraph 3, and the Miscellaneous Agreements in paragraph 4.
2. Termination Of Employment
Xxxxx understands and agrees that her active employment relationship with
Quaker, its parent companies, affiliates and successors, will be permanently
and irrevocably severed as of March 31, 1998. Xxxxx agrees she shall not apply
or otherwise seek reinstatement or reemployment by Quaker at any time, and that
Quaker has no obligation, contractual or otherwise, to rehire, reemploy or
recall her in the future. Xxxxx further stipulates that this agreement is
sufficient cause for Quaker to deny any request for rescission, rehire,
reemployment or recall.
Xxxxx agrees that prior to the effective date of her termination from
active employment, she will return all Quaker property, including but not
limited to keys, office pass, credit cards, computers, office equipment, sales
records and data; provided, Quaker has agreed that Xxxxx may retain her home
computer and fax machine, and the furniture in her home dedicated to supporting
those pieces of equipment, as set forth in a letter signed by Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx
and dated March 19, 1998. Xxxxx further agrees that within sixty (60) days
after her termination date, she will submit all outstanding expenses and clear
all advances and her personal advance account, if any.
3. Waiver & Release
X. Xxxxx waives, releases and discharges Quaker from any and all claims
and liabilities, demands, actions and causes of action, including attorneys'
fees and costs and participation in a class action lawsuit, whether known or
unknown, fixed or contingent, that she may have or claim to have against Quaker
as of the date this Agreement becomes effective. Xxxxx further covenants not
to file a lawsuit or participate in a class action lawsuit to assert such
claims. Without limitation, Xxxxx specifically waives all claims for back pay,
future pay or any other form of compensation or income, except as provided
below. This waiver includes but is not limited to claims arising out of or in
any way related to Xxxxx'x employment or termination of employment with Quaker,
including age discrimination claims under the Age Discrimination In Employment
Act (as amended), discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 (as amended) or the Americans with Disabilities Act, claims for breach
of contract, and any other statutory or common law cause of action under state,
federal or local law.
However, Xxxxx does not waive, release, discharge or covenant not to xxx
for enforcement of any rights or claims that arise out of conduct or omissions
which occur entirely after the date this Agreement becomes effective. In
addition, she does not waive any rights she may have as an employee on inactive
status and/or as a former employee, as the case may be, under this Agreement or
any of Quaker's fringe benefit or incentive plans (e.g., its pension plan, the
Program, the Long Term Incentive Plan of 1990, etc.), nor does she waive her
right to payment for unused vacation, if any, pursuant to Quaker's vacation
policy. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Paragraph 8 of this
Agreement, such benefits shall continue to be governed by the ERISA plans,
contracts and/or Quaker policies that exist independent of this Agreement.
B. Quaker waives, releases and discharges Xxxxx from any and all claims
and liabilities, demands, actions and causes of action, including attorneys'
fees and costs, that it may have or claim to have against Xxxxx as of the date
this Agreement becomes effective; provided, this waiver, release and discharge
only apply to claims as to which Quaker's senior officers or its Board of
Directors were aware, on or before the effective date of this Agreement, of all
material facts necessary to establish Xxxxx'x liability; and further provided,
Quaker does not waive, release, discharge or covenant not to xxx for
enforcement of any rights or claims that arise out of conduct or omissions
which occur entirely after the date this Agreement becomes effective.
C. The parties stipulate that nothing contained in this Agreement shall
be construed as an admission by either of them of any liability, wrongdoing or
unlawful conduct. It is understood that both Quaker and Xxxxx deny any
liability, wrongdoing or unlawful conduct, and each is providing consideration
for this waiver and release solely in order to resolve any potential disputes
between them amicably and to avoid the expense of potential litigation.
4. Miscellaneous agreements
The covenants and agreements set forth in this paragraph shall remain in
effect until March 31, 2001. Covenants 4(A) and 4(B) are material parts of
this Agreement, so a material breach of either of them by Xxxxx would entitle
Quaker, at its discretion, to rescind this Agreement, in addition to any other
legal or equitable remedies it might have for breach:
X. Xxxxx shall provide accurate information or testimony or both in
connection with any legal matter if so requested by Quaker. She shall make
herself available upon request to provide such information and/or testimony, in
a formal and/or an informal setting in accordance with Quaker's request,
subject to reasonable accommodation of her schedule and reimbursement of
reasonable expenses, including reasonable and necessary attorney fees (if
independent legal counsel is reasonably necessary).
X. Xxxxx shall cooperate with media requests for interviews regarding
her termination and/or Quaker, unless directed otherwise by Quaker in a
particular instance. She shall not disparage The Quaker Oats Company, its
products, or any of its directors, officers or employees in these interviews,
nor in any other private or public setting; provided, if Xxxxx is compelled to
provide testimony under oath, she shall testify truthfully without regard to
whether her testimony is favorable or unfavorable to Quaker, and such testimony
shall be protected against claims under this Agreement by the same privilege
that would apply to a defamation claim.
C. The Quaker Oats Company, and any officer or director acting on its
behalf, shall answer all reference inquiries directed to The Quaker Oats
Company regarding Xxxxx by stating only her positions held, compensation and
dates of employment. No additional information shall be provided unless
authorized in advance, in writing, by Xxxxx. Xxxxx agrees to direct all
requests for references from Quaker to the highest ranking Human Resources
officer within Quaker.
5. Prohibited Conduct
X. Xxxxx covenants and agrees that during the periods specified below,
she shall not engage in any of the following activities anywhere in the world:
i. Non-competition. Xxxxx shall not undertake any employment,
consulting position or ownership interest which involves her Participation in
the management of a business entity that markets, sells, distributes, licenses
or produces Covered Products, unless that business entity's sole involvement
with Covered Products is that it makes retail sales or consumes Covered
Products, without competing in any way against Quaker. This covenant shall
remain in effect through March 31, 2000.
a. "Participation" shall be construed broadly to include,
without limitation: (1) holding a position in which she directly manages such
a business entity; (2) holding a position in which anyone else who directly
manages such a business entity is in Xxxxx'x reporting chain or chain-of-
command (regardless of the number of reporting levels between them); (3)
providing input, advice, guidance, or suggestions regarding the management of
such a business entity to anyone responsible therefor; (4) providing a
testimonial on behalf of such an operation or the product it produces; or (5)
doing anything else which falls within a common sense definition of the term
"participation," as used in the present context.
b. "Covered Products" mean any product which falls into one or
more of the following categories, so long as Quaker is producing, marketing,
distributing, selling or licensing such product anywhere in the world: sports
beverages; thirst quenching beverages; hot cereals; ready-to-eat cereals;
pancake mixes; grain-based snacks; value-added rice products; pancake syrup;
value-added pasta products; dry pasta products; and items Quaker produces for
the food service market.
ii. Raiding Employees. Xxxxx shall not in any way, directly or
indirectly (including through someone else acting on Xxxxx'x recommendation,
suggestion, identification or advice), facilitate or solicit any existing
Quaker employee to leave the employment of Quaker or to accept any position
with any other company or corporation. This covenant shall remain in effect
through March 31, 2001. For purposes of this provision, the following
definitions apply:
a. "Existing Quaker employee" means someone: (1) who is
employed by Quaker on or before the date when Xxxxx'x employment terminates;
(2) who is still employed by Quaker as of the date when the facilitating act or
solicitation takes place; and (3) who holds a manager, director or officer
level position at Quaker (or an equivalent position based on job duties and/or
Hay points, regardless of the employee's title).
b. The terms "solicit" and "facilitate" shall be given the
ordinary, common sense meaning appropriate in the present context.
iii. Non-disclosure. Xxxxx shall not use or disclose to anyone any
confidential information regarding Quaker. For purposes of this provision, the
term "confidential information" shall be construed as broadly as Illinois law
permits and shall include all non-public information Xxxxx acquired by virtue
of her positions with Quaker which might be of any value to a competitor or
which might cause any economic loss (directly or via loss of an opportunity) or
substantial embarrassment to Quaker or its customers, distributors or suppliers
if disclosed. Examples of such confidential information include, without
limitation, non-public information about Quaker's customers, suppliers,
distributors and potential acquisition targets; its business operations and
structure; its product lines, formulas and pricing; its processes, machines and
inventions; its research and know-how; its financial data; and its plans and
strategies. This covenant shall remain in effect through March 31, 2001.
B. In the event of a breach, threatened breach or situation that creates
an inevitable breach of any term of this paragraph by Xxxxx, Quaker shall be
entitled to an injunction compelling specific performance, restraining any
future violations and/or requiring affirmative acts to undo or minimize the
harm to Quaker, in addition to damages for any actual breach that occurs. The
parties stipulate and represent that breach of any provision of this paragraph
would cause irreparable injury to Quaker, for which there would be no adequate
remedy at law, due among other reasons to the inherent difficulty of
determining the precise causation for loss of customers, confidential
information and/or employees and of determining the amount and ongoing effects
of such losses.
C. In the event Xxxxx breaches any term of this Xxxxxxxxx 0, Xxxxxx
shall have the option of seeking injunctive relief or cancelling the payments
due under paragraph 1(A) of this Agreement. Quaker's right to terminate
Program benefits is spelled out in the Program, and is not affected by this
provision.
D. In the event Quaker elects to pursue injunctive relief, then the
following rules shall apply:
i. While litigation over the requested injunction is pending,
Quaker may, in its discretion, withhold payments otherwise due but not yet paid
to Xxxxx under paragraph 1(A); provided, Quaker's right to terminate or suspend
Program benefits, which are separate from the benefits described in paragraph
1(A), is spelled out in the Program and is not affected by this provision.
ii. If, at the conclusion of the litigation, Quaker successfully
obtains full injunctive enforcement of all provisions in this paragraph 5 that
it attempts to enforce, then Quaker shall pay Xxxxx all amounts otherwise due
under paragraph 1(A) that were withheld and shall resume making all payments
required under paragraph 1(A), and shall likewise pay all Program payments that
were withheld.
iii. If, at the conclusion of the litigation, Quaker obtains some,
but not all, of the injunctive relief it seeks under this paragraph, then
Quaker shall make an election. It may either accept the injunction and proceed
as specified in subparagraph (ii) above, or it may elect to voluntarily vacate
and/or not enforce the injunction, in which event it shall have no obligation
to resume paying Xxxxx under paragraph 1(A), nor to pay withheld amounts.
iv. If a court entirely declines to enforce paragraph 5 of this
Agreement or holds it invalid or void, then Quaker shall have no further
obligation to pay Xxxxx under paragraph 1(A), including sums withheld while
litigation was pending.
v. If a court holds that the provisions of paragraph 5 are
enforceable, but further finds that Xxxxx did not breach any of them, then
Quaker shall pay Xxxxx all amounts otherwise due under paragraph 1(A) that were
withheld, and shall resume making all payments required under paragraph 1(A).
vi. Xxxxx shall have no claim for damages based on any delay in the
payments due under Paragraph 1(A) that results from a suspension of payments or
withholding in accordance with the preceding provisions; PROVIDED, if payment
of withheld amounts subsequently is required, then along with such payment
Quaker shall pay Xxxxx interest at an annualized rate of 6.0%.
vii. For purposes of this paragraph, litigation shall not be deemed
to have concluded, and no payment shall be due, until all potential appeals by
all parties are waived or exhausted.
E. Recitals: Xxxxx stipulates and represents that the following facts
are true, and further understands and agrees that they are material
representations upon which Quaker is relying in entering into this Agreement:
x. Xxxxx has been President of Quaker's International Grocery
Products division for several years, and in that capacity has been a member of
Quaker's Senior Leadership Team. In these positions, she participated in
forming and/or was informed about the details of operational plans and
strategic long range plans for all of Quaker's businesses, in addition to
acquiring intimate knowledge of plans and strategies for the International
division she ran. Without limitation, she has detailed knowledge regarding
Quaker's International businesses, and had access to detailed information
regarding its domestic businesses, including business plans, new product
development, pricing structure, marketing plans, sales plans, distribution
plans, and supply chain plans for all of Quaker's products. This is: (1)
information Xxxxx gained by virtue of her employment at Quaker; (2) highly
confidential and secret information from which Quaker derives economic value,
actual or potential, from its not being generally known to other persons
outside Quaker who might obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; (3)
information known within Quaker only to key employees and those who need to
know it to perform their jobs; (4) information regarding which Quaker has taken
reasonable measures to preserve its confidentiality; (5) information that could
not easily be duplicated by others, and which Quaker required considerable time
and effort to develop; and (6) information which is likely to remain valuable
and secret for at least two years.
ii. By virtue of her employment at Quaker, Xxxxx has developed
personal and business relationships with existing Quaker employees, which she
otherwise would not have had. By virtue of her position, she also has acquired
knowledge as to which existing Quaker employees are critical to Quaker's
success and future plans, and which ones have skills or contacts that would be
valuable to a competitor.
6. Advance Determination Of Permitted/Prohibited Conduct
Xxxxx may request an advance written determination from Quaker's Chief
Executive Officer as to whether taking a proposed action or job would, in
Quaker's opinion, constitute a breach of this Agreement. In that event, and
provided that Xxxxx discloses in writing all material facts about the proposed
action or job, Quaker shall make a reasonable effort to respond to the request
for an advance written determination within ten (10) business days; PROVIDED,
that if circumstances materially change after the advance determination is made
(e.g., if the duties of a job change after Xxxxx accepts it), the determination
may be reconsidered and revised or reversed upon thirty days advance written
notice to Xxxxx. Quaker shall treat as confidential any non-public information
that Xxxxx communicates as part of a request for an advance determination.
7. Choice Of Law And Forum; Attorney Fees
A. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
the laws of the State Of Illinois, without giving effect to choice of law
principles.
B. In the event of any litigation over this Agreement or an alleged
breach thereof, Xxxxx consents to submit to the personal jurisdiction of any
court, state or federal, in the State of Illinois. The parties agree that the
Illinois courts, state or federal, shall be the exclusive jurisdiction for any
litigation over this Agreement or an alleged breach thereof.
C. In the event either party breaches this Agreement, in addition to any
damages, injunction, or other relief awarded by a court, the party in violation
of this Agreement shall reimburse the other party for its litigation costs and
expenses, including reasonable attorney fees.
8. Full Agreement
This written document contains the entire understanding and agreement of
the parties on the subject matter set forth herein, and supercedes any prior
agreement relating to these matters. No promises or inducements have been made
other than those reflected herein, and no party is relying on any statement or
representation by any person except those set forth herein, including without
limitation oral or written summaries of this Agreement.
This Agreement cannot be modified or altered except by a subsequent
written agreement signed by the parties; and only Quaker's highest ranking
Human Resources officer or his direct superior shall have authority to sign
such an amendment on behalf of Quaker.
Without limitation, nothing in this document shall eliminate or reduce
Xxxxx'x obligation to comply with the Quaker Code Of Ethics, to the extent that
certain provisions in the Code (such as non-disclosure rules) remain applicable
to employees after termination. Likewise, nothing in this document shall
eliminate or reduce Quaker's obligation to indemnify Xxxxx in certain
situations, pursuant to Quaker's by-laws or applicable law.
9. Severability
Each term of this Agreement is deemed severable, in whole or in part, and
if any provision of this Agreement or its application in any circumstance is
found to be illegal, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining terms and
provisions shall not be affected thereby and shall remain in full force and
effect, except as expressly provided below.
Unless Quaker consents, the provisions in paragraph 5 of this Agreement
are not severable from each other or from Paragraph 1(A). If any provision or
aspect of paragraph 5 is held invalid, illegal, unlawful or unenforceable, then
there is no consideration for payments under paragraph 1(A); PROVIDED, if any
provision in paragraph 5 is invalid or broader than the law allows, a court is
authorized to award the broadest injuntive relief permitted by law, and Quaker
shall thereafter make its election pursuant to paragraph 5(D)(iii) -- if Quaker
elects to accept the limited injunctive relief, then it shall consent to sever
the invalid provision(s). Quaker's consent to sever one or more provisions in
paragraph 5 may be given at any time: before, during, or after litigation, in
Quaker's sole discretion.
The Quaker Oats Company
/s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
By one of its officers
Xxxxx has been advised in writing, via this notice, to consult with an attorney
before signing this Agreement. She acknowledges that she received the original
draft of this Agreement on March ___, 1998. Xxxxx originally was given twenty
one (21) days from March ___, 1998 to consider and decide whether to sign the
Agreement, but at her request Quaker extended that period until April 14, 1998,
and subsequently extended it to noon on April 15, 1998; also, certain
provisions from the original draft were modified at her request. Xxxxx
understands that she may revoke the Agreement within seven (7) days after
signing it. Xxxxx further understands that she has the right to request a
different waiver, release and separation agreeement which contains shorter non-
compete, no raiding and non-disclosure periods. Execution of such a document
would satisfy the Program's prerequisites and entitle her to Program benefits,
but would not entitle her to the additional benefits provided under this
Agreement, nor entail the additional obligations. Xxxxx affirms that she has
carefully read and fully understands all provisions of this Agreement, that the
consideration she is receiving is fair and adequate, and that she has not been
threatened or coerced into signing it.
April 15, 1998 /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
