Mr. Steven C Straus Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Dear Steve:
Exhibit
99.1
Xx.
Xxxxxx X Xxxxxx
0000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx,
Xxxx 00000
Dear
Xxxxx:
You
and
LCA-Vision, Inc. (the “Company”) are parties to an employment agreement dated
November 1, 2006, a copy of which is attached (“Agreement”). You and the Company
hereby agree to the following amendments to that Agreement, which shall be
effective as of the date of this letter:
1. |
The
first bullet point under “Terms of Employment” is revised to
read:
|
· |
“Your
base salary will be $380,000 annualized. You will be entitled to
annual
performance reviews and increases (but not decreases) in your salary
from
time to time in the discretion of the
Board.”
|
2. |
The
fourth bullet point under “Terms of Employment” is revised to
read:
|
· |
“The
term of your employment is “at will” which means that you or LCAV may end
your employment at any time and for any reason. Your employment under
this
agreement will be for a two year term that will be automatically
renewed
for successive two year periods on the anniversary of the first day
of
your employment and each subsequent such anniversary date, unless
either
the Company or you provides written notice to the other party of
the
decision not to so renew your employment term which notice is received
at
least 120 days prior to the anniversary date. Thus, for example,
if notice
is not given 120 days prior to November 2, 2008, your employment
term will
extend until November 2, 2010. In the event that the Company terminates
your employment without Cause or you terminate your employment for
Good
Reason, or your employment terminates upon the expiration of any
two-year
employment term as a result of a Company notice to you of nonrenewal
of
the employment term, or your employment terminates due to your death
or
Disability (each such capitalized term is defined on Attachment A
hereto),
you will be entitled to the following severance and benefits: (i)
continuation of your base salary, payable in 24 equal monthly installments
commencing on the next payroll ending date after your date of termination,
(ii) continuation of health, dental and vision benefits for the 24
month
period following your date of termination with premiums charged to
you at
active employee rates, (iii) in the case of any such termination
occurring
after the sixth complete month of the fiscal year of termination,
a bonus
under the Annual Bonus/Incentive Compensation Plan for the year of
termination in an amount based on actual performance for the year
(provided, all subjective individual performance measures will be
deemed
satisfied), pro-rated for the fraction of the year during which you
were
employed, and payable when annual bonuses are paid to other senior
executives, (iv) all of your Time-Based Restricted Shares and Options
will
vest in full and all of your Performance-Based Restricted Share Awards
will vest pro rata (and treated as having been earned at a target
level of
performance if the performance period is not then completed) based
on the
ratio of the number of days employed from the date of grant to the
number
of days constituting the vesting period, and (v) the following amounts
and
benefits (“Accrued Obligations”): (a) your accrued and unpaid base salary
and accrued and unused vacation through the date of termination,
payable
by the next payroll ending date after such termination, (b) your
unreimbursed business expenses incurred through the date of termination
and payable in accordance with such policies and procedures as are
applicable to senior executives of the Company, (c) any unpaid annual
bonus earned for the prior fiscal year, payable when annual bonuses
are
paid to other senior executives (but in no event beyond the Short-Term
Deferral Deadline as defined on Attachment A hereto), and (d) all
accrued,
vested and unpaid benefits under all employee benefit plans in which
you
are a participant immediately prior to your termination, payable
in
accordance with the terms of such plans. You will not be obligated
to
mitigate your severance and other benefits, and no amounts payable
to you
hereunder will be reduced as a result of subsequent employment or
self-employment, except that your health benefits continuation as
provided
at clause (ii) above will be reduced by any comparable coverage from
a
subsequent employer. In the event of a Change in Control (as defined
under
the LTI Plan) all of your Time-Based Restricted Shares and Options
will
vest in full and all of your Performance-Based Restricted Share Awards
will be treated as earned at target (if the performance period is
not then
completed) and will vest in full. Such payments shall be subject
to
Attachment B hereto.
|
Notwithstanding
the provisions of the foregoing paragraph, to the extent the amount of severance
payable and other benefits provided under the immediately preceding paragraph
does not exceed the Separation Pay Exemption Amount (as defined on Attachment
A
hereto), such severance and other benefits shall be exempt from Section 409A
of
the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 409A”) and shall be paid or provided in
accordance with the provisions of the foregoing paragraph. The amount of the
severance payable and other benefits provided under the immediately preceding
paragraph that is in excess of the Separation Pay Exemption Amount shall be
subject to the requirements of Section 409A and shall be paid in strict
accordance with the provisions of the foregoing paragraph, unless you are a
Specified Employee (as defined on Attachment A hereto) on your date of
termination in which case the excess amount shall be paid as follows: (w) no
portion of the excess amount may be paid, or commence to be paid, earlier than
6
months after the date you terminate employment, (x) in the case of a payment
that would have otherwise been paid during such 6-month period, the payment
shall be made on the first day of the seventh month following the date you
terminate employment, (y) in the case of installment payments that would have
otherwise been paid during such 6 month period, such installment payments shall
be accumulated and paid on the first day of the seventh month following the
date
you terminate employment and the remaining installments shall be paid in strict
accordance with the provisions of the foregoing paragraph, and (z) the
determination of the amount of severance payable and other benefits provided
under this agreement that may considered excess amounts shall be made in the
following order (those that are listed first shall be considered not to exceed
the Separation Pay Exemption Amount to the maximum extent possible): (I)
benefits, then (II) any payments in cash that are to be paid in installments,
then (III) any payments in cash that are to be paid in a lump sum, and (IV)
any
noncash payments.”
3. |
The
following paragraph is added to the CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT in the
Agreement:
|
“The
payment of amounts and the provision of benefits under this agreement are
intended to be exempt from, or compliant with, Section 409A of the Internal
Revenue Code. Accordingly, the payment of any amount under this agreement
subject to Section 409A shall be made in strict compliance with the provisions
hereof, and no such amounts payable hereunder may be accelerated or deferred
beyond the periods provided herein. This agreement shall be administered and
interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the foregoing
intentions.”
4. |
Attachment
A to the Agreement is replaced in its entirety with the Attachment
A to
this letter.
|
To
the
extent relevant as of the date of this letter, all other provisions of the
Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
Please
indicate your written acceptance by signing this letter and returning to my
attention.
Sincerely, | Accepted by: | ||
/s/ E. Xxxxxxx Xxxxx | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx | ||
E. Xxxxxxx Xxxxx |
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx |
||
Chairman
LCA-Vision
Dated:
April 28, 2008
|
Dated: April 24, 2008 |
ATTACHMENT
A
DEFINITIONS
“Cause”
shall mean that you (i) have been convicted of (or plead guilty or nolo
contendere to) a felony involving theft or moral turpitude, or (ii) have
willfully and continually failed to perform substantially your duties with
LCAV
or one of its affiliates (other than any such failure resulting from incapacity
due to physical or mental illness), after a written demand for substantial
performance is delivered to you by the Board which specifically identifies
the
manner in which the Board believes that you have not substantially performed
your duties. No act or failure to act on your part shall be considered “willful”
if it is done, or omitted to be done, by you in good faith or with a reasonable
belief that your action or omission was in the best interest of the
Company.
“Good
Reason” means a separation from service satisfying the following
conditions:
(A)
you
separate from service within 90 days following the initial existence of one
or
more of the following conditions arising without your prior written consent:
(i)
a material reduction of your title, authorities, duties, or responsibilities
(including reporting responsibilities) as the chief executive officer of the
Company, (ii) the Company requiring you to be based at a location in excess
of
thirty-five (35) miles from the Company’s headquarters in Cincinnati, (iii) a
reduction of your base salary amount or target bonus percentage as in effect
from time to time, (iv) a material breach of this agreement by the Company,
(v)
removal from or failure to elect or reelect you as a member of the Board of
Directors, or (vi) the failure of the Company to obtain a satisfactory agreement
from any successor of the Company to assume and agree to perform the Company’s
obligations under this letter agreement and deliver a copy thereof to you;
and
(B)
you
provide written notice to the Company of the existence of the condition
described in paragraph (A) above within 90 days of the initial existence of
the
condition; and
(C)
the
Company fails to remedy the condition within 30 days of its receipt of the
notice described in paragraph (B) above.
“Disability”
means a mental or physical illness or impairment of sufficient duration that
you
have commenced to receive payments under the Company’s long-term disability plan
in which you are participating or, if such plan is ever terminated, as provided
under the terms of such plan as if it had not been terminated.
“Short-term
Deferral Deadline” means the last day on which a payment would qualify as a
short-term deferral under Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-1(b)(4). A payment that
occurs no later of the 15th day of the third month following your first taxable
year in which the right to the payment is no longer subject to a substantial
risk of forfeiture (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue
Code) or the 15th day of the third month following the end of the Company's
first taxable year in which the right to the payment is no longer subject to
a
substantial risk of forfeiture generally qualifies as a payment before the
Short-Term Deferral Deadline.
“Separation
Pay Exemption Amount” means an amount equal to two times the lesser of (x) the
sum of your annualized compensation based upon the annual rate of pay for
services provided to the Company for your taxable year preceding the taxable
year in which you separate from service (adjusted for any increase during that
year that was expected to continue indefinitely if you had not separated from
service); or (y) the maximum amount that may be taken into account under a
qualified plan pursuant to Section 401(a)(17) of the Internal Revenue Code
for
the year in which you separate from service.
“Specified
Employee” shall be defined in accordance with Treas. Reg. §1.409A 1(j) and such
rules as many be established by the Company (including its delegate) from time
to time.