Contract
Exhibit
1.1
$100,000,000
Shares of
Common Stock
(par
value $0.01 per share)
March
2, 2009
UBS
Securities LLC
000 Xxxx
Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000-0000
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Eagle
Bulk Shipping Inc., a Republic of the Xxxxxxxx Islands corporation (the “Company”), confirms its
agreement (this “Agreement”) with UBS
Securities LLC (the “Manager”), as
follows:
SECTION
1. Description of
Securities. The Company proposes to issue and sell through or
to the Manager, as sales agent and/or principal, shares of the Company’s common
stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), having an
aggregate offering price of up to $100,000,000 (the “Shares”) on the terms set
forth in Section 3 of this Agreement. The Company agrees that
whenever it determines to sell the Shares directly to the Manager as principal,
it will enter into a separate agreement (each, a “Terms Agreement”) in form and
substance satisfactory to the Manager, relating to such sale in accordance with
Section 3 of this Agreement.
SECTION
2. Representations and
Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants
to and agrees with the Manager that:
1
(a) An
“automatic shelf registration statement” (the “registration statement”) as
defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules
and regulations thereunder (collectively called the “Act”), on Form S-3 (File No.
333-148417) in respect of the Shares, including a form of prospectus, has been
prepared and filed by the Company not earlier than three years prior to the date
hereof, in conformity with the requirements of the Act, and the rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) thereunder (the
“Rules and
Regulations”). The registration statement contains certain
information concerning the offering and sale of the Common Stock, including the
Shares, and contains additional information concerning the Company and its
business; the Commission has not issued an order preventing or suspending the
use of the Basic Prospectus (as defined below), the Prospectus Supplement (as
defined below), the Prospectus (as defined below) or any Permitted Free Writing
Prospectus
(as defined below), or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and no
proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Act has been
instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the
Commission. Except where the context otherwise requires, “Registration Statement,” as
used herein, means the registration statement, as amended at the time of such
registration statement’s effectiveness for purposes of Section 11 of the Act, as
such section applies to the Manager, as well as any new registration statement,
post-effective amendment or new automatic shelf registration statement as may
have been filed pursuant to Sections 4(f) or (g) of this Agreement, including
(1) all documents filed as a part thereof or incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference therein, (2) any information contained or incorporated
by reference in a prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b)
under the Act, to the extent such information is deemed, pursuant to Rule 430B
or Rule 430C under the Act, to be part of the registration statement at the time
of such registration statement’s effectiveness for purposes of Section 11 of the
Act, as such section applies to the Manager, and (3) any registration statement
filed to register the offer and sale of Shares pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the
Act. Except where the context otherwise requires, “Basic Prospectus,” as used
herein, means the prospectus filed as part of each Registration Statement,
together with any amendments or supplements thereto as of the date of the
Agreement. Except where the context otherwise requires, “Prospectus Supplement,” as
used herein, means the final prospectus supplement, relating to the Shares,
filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act
on or before the second business day after the date hereof (or such earlier time
as may be required under the Act), in the form furnished by the Company to the
Manager in connection with the offering of the Shares. Except where
the context otherwise requires, “Prospectus,” as used herein,
means the Prospectus Supplement together with the Basic Prospectus attached to
or used with the Prospectus Supplement. “Permitted Free Writing
Prospectuses,” as used herein, means the documents listed on Schedule
A attached hereto, if any. Any reference herein to the
registration statement, the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the
Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus
shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents, if any, incorporated by
reference, or deemed to be incorporated by reference, therein (the “Incorporated Documents”),
including, unless the context otherwise requires, the documents, if any, filed
as exhibits to such Incorporated Documents. Any reference herein to
the terms “amend,”
“amendment” or “supplement” with respect to
the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, the
Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to
and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the
“Exchange Act”) on or
after the initial effective date of the Registration Statement, or the date of
the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or such
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus,
as the case may be, and deemed to be incorporated therein by
reference.
2
(b) The
Registration Statement complied when it became effective, complies as of the
date hereof and, as amended or supplemented, at each deemed effective date with
respect to the Manager pursuant to Rule 430(B)(f)(2) of the Act, at each
Settlement Date (as defined in Section 3(a)(vi) hereof), and at all times during
which a prospectus is required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically,
deemed to be delivered pursuant to Rule 153 or through compliance with Rule 172
under the Act or any similar rule) in connection with any sale of Shares, will
comply, in all material respects, with the requirements of the Act, and the
Registration Statement did not and will not, at or during such times, contain an
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;
the conditions to the use of Form S-3 in connection with the offering and sale
of the Shares as contemplated hereby have been satisfied; the Registration
Statement meets, and the offering and sale of the Shares as contemplated hereby
complies with, the requirements of Rule 415 under the Act (including, without
limitation, Rule 415(a)(5)); the Basic Prospectus complied or will comply, at
the time it was or will be filed with the Commission, complies as of the date
hereof (if filed with the Commission on or prior to the date hereof) and, as of
the time of each sale of Shares pursuant to this Agreement (each, a “Time of Sale”), at each
Settlement Date and at all times during which a prospectus is required by the
Act to be delivered (whether physically, deemed to be delivered pursuant to Rule
153 or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule) in
connection with any sale of Shares, will comply, in all material respects, with
the requirements of the Act; at no time during the period that begins on the
earlier of the date of the Basic Prospectus and the date the Basic Prospectus
was filed with the Commission and ends on each Settlement Date did or will the
Basic Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, include an untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make
the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading; the Prospectus will comply, as of the date that it is
filed with the Commission, the date of the Prospectus Supplement, each Time of
Sale, each Settlement Date, and at all times during which a prospectus is
required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically, deemed to be delivered
pursuant to Rule 153 or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any
similar rule) in connection with any sale of Shares, in all material respects,
with the requirements of the Act (including, without limitation, Section 10(a)
of the Act); at no time during the period that begins on the date of the
Prospectus Supplement and ends at the later of each Settlement Date and the end
of the period during which a prospectus is required by the Act to be delivered
(whether physically, deemed to be delivered pursuant to Rule 153 or through
compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule) in connection with
any sale of Shares did or will the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented,
either alone or together with any combination of one or more of the then issued
Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, include an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading; at no time during the period that begins on the date of
such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and ends at each Settlement
Date did or will any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus include an
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company
makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statement contained in
the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus or any
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with
information concerning the Manager and furnished in writing by or on behalf of
the Manager expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Basic
Prospectus, the Prospectus or such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus; each
Incorporated Document, at the time such document was filed with the Commission
or at the time such document became effective, as applicable, complied, in all
material respects, with the requirements of the Exchange Act and did not include
an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
3
(c) (i)
At the time of filing of the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the
most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section
10(a)(3) of the Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment,
incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or
form of prospectus) and (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on
its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the
Act) made any offer relating to the Shares in reliance on the exemption of Rule
163 under the Act. The Company has not received from the Commission any notice
pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act objecting to the use of the automatic
shelf registration form.
(d) Prior
to the execution of this Agreement, the Company has not, directly or indirectly,
offered or sold any Shares by means of any “prospectus” (within the meaning of
the Act) or used any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Act) in connection
with the offer or sale of the Shares; the Company has not, directly or
indirectly, prepared, used or referred to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus
except in compliance with Rule 163 or with Rules 164 and 433 under the Act;
assuming that any such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus is so sent or given
after the Registration Statement was filed with the Commission (and after such
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus was, if required pursuant to Rule 433(d) under
the Act, filed with the Commission), the sending
or giving, by the Manager, of any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus will satisfy
the provisions of Rule 164 or Rule 433 (without reliance on subsections (b), (c)
and (d) of Rule 164); the conditions set forth in one or more of subclauses (i)
through (iv), inclusive, of Rule 433(b)(1) under the Act are satisfied, and the
registration statement relating to the offering of the Shares contemplated
hereby, as initially filed with the Commission, includes a prospectus that,
other than by reason of Rule 433 or Rule 431 under the Act, satisfies the
requirements of Section 10 of the Act; neither the Company nor the Manager is
disqualified, by reason of subsection (f) or (g) of Rule 164 under the Act, from
using, in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares, “free writing
prospectuses” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act) pursuant to Rules 164 and
433 under the Act; the Company is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule
405 under the Act) as of the eligibility determination date for purposes of
Rules 164 and 433 under the Act with respect to the offering of the Shares
contemplated by the Registration Statement; the parties hereto agree and
understand that the content of any and all “road shows” (as defined in Rule 433
under the Act) related to the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby is
solely the property of the Company.
4
(e) As
of the date of this Agreement, the Company has an authorized and outstanding
capitalization as set forth in the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31,
2008 or as of the Company’s then most recently completed quarter or fiscal year,
contained in the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q or the Company’s annual
report on Form 10-K, as applicable, at the indicated date, and there has been no
material change in such information since December 31, 2008 or the Company’s
then most recently completed quarter or fiscal year (subject to the issuance of
shares of Common Stock upon exercise of stock options and warrants disclosed as
outstanding in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto) and
the Prospectus and the grant of options under existing stock option plans
described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto), the
Basic Prospectus and the Prospectus); all of the issued and outstanding shares
of capital stock, including the Common Stock, of the Company have been duly
authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable, have been
issued in compliance with all applicable securities laws and were not issued in
violation of any preemptive right, resale right, right of first refusal or
similar right; the Shares are duly listed, and admitted and authorized for
trading, subject to official notice of issuance, on the Nasdaq Stock Market
Inc.’s National Market (“NASDAQ”).
(f) The
Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in
good standing under the laws of the Republic of the Xxxxxxxx Islands, with full
corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and
conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus
and the Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, to
execute and deliver this Agreement and to issue, sell and deliver the Shares as
contemplated herein.
(g) The
Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good
standing in each jurisdiction where the ownership or leasing of its properties
or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the
failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in
the aggregate, (i) have a material adverse effect on the business, properties,
financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the Company and the
Subsidiaries (as defined below) taken as a whole, (ii) prevent or materially
interfere with consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or (iii)
result in the delisting of shares of Common Stock from NASDAQ (the occurrence of
any such effect or any such prevention or interference or any such result
described in the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) being herein referred to
as a “Material Adverse
Effect”).
5
(h) The
Company has no subsidiaries (as defined under the Act) other than those
subsidiaries listed on Schedule
B hereto (collectively, the “Subsidiaries”); the Company
owns all of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other equity interest of
each of the Subsidiaries; other than the capital stock or other equity interest
of the Subsidiaries, the Company does not own, directly or indirectly, any
shares of stock or any other equity interests or long-term debt securities of
any corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, association or other entity;
complete and correct copies of the charters and the bylaws of the Company and
the charters, bylaws or operating agreement, as the case may be, of each
Subsidiary and all amendments thereto have been delivered to the Manager; each
Subsidiary has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation
in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, with
full corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and
to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus and the Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses, if any; each Subsidiary
is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good
standing in each jurisdiction where the ownership or leasing of its properties
or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the
failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in
the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the outstanding shares of
capital stock or other equity interest of each of the Subsidiaries have been
duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, have been
issued in compliance with all applicable securities laws, were not issued in
violation of any preemptive right, resale right, right of first refusal or
similar right and are owned by the Company subject to no security interest,
other encumbrance or adverse claims; no options, warrants or other rights to
purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue or other rights to convert
any obligation into shares of capital stock or ownership interests in the
Subsidiaries are outstanding; and the Company has no
“significant subsidiary,” as that term is defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation
S-X under the Act.
(i) The
Shares have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered
against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued,
fully paid and non-assessable and free of statutory and contractual preemptive
rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal and similar rights; the Shares,
when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be
free of any restriction upon the voting or transfer thereof pursuant to the
Company’s charter or bylaws or any agreement or other instrument to which the
Company is a party.
(j) The
capital stock of the Company, including the Shares, conforms in all material
respects to each description thereof, if any, contained or incorporated by
reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus; and the certificates for the Shares are in due and proper
form.
6
(k) The
Company has full corporate power and authority to enter into this
Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company. This Agreement constitutes a valid and
binding agreement of the Company and is enforceable against the Company in
accordance with its terms, except as the enforceability hereof and thereof may
be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and similar laws
affecting creditors’ rights generally and moratorium laws in effect from time to
time and by equitable principles restricting the availability of equitable
remedies. The Company is not a party to any other sales agency or
distribution agreements or similar arrangements with any agent or other
representative similar in nature to the equity shelf program established by this
Agreement.
(l) Neither
the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is in breach or violation of or in
default under (nor has any event occurred which, with notice, lapse of time or
both, would result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default under or
give the holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf)
the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of
such indebtedness under) (A) its charter, bylaws or operating agreement, as the
case may be, or (B) any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit
agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract or
other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of
its properties may be bound or affected, or (C) any federal, state, local or
foreign law, regulation or rule, or (D) any rule or regulation of any
self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority
(including, without limitation, the rules and regulations of NASDAQ), or (E) any
decree, judgment or order applicable to it or any of its
properties.
(m) The
execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of
the Shares and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will not
conflict with, result in any breach or violation of or constitute a default
under (nor constitute any event which, with notice, lapse of time or both, would
result in any breach or violation of, constitute a default under or give the
holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf) the
right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of
such indebtedness under) (or result in the creation or imposition of a lien,
charge or encumbrance on any property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary
pursuant to) (A) the charters, bylaws or operating agreement, as the case may
be, Company or any of the Subsidiaries, or (B) any indenture, mortgage, deed of
trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any
license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which the Company
or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any of their
respective properties may be bound or affected, or (C) any federal, state, local
or foreign law, regulation or rule, or (D) any rule or regulation of any
self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority
(including, without limitation, the rules and regulations of NASDAQ), or (E) any
decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries
or any of their respective properties.
7
(n) No
approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any federal, state,
local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority
or agency, or of or with any self-regulatory organization or other
non-governmental regulatory authority (including, without limitation, NASDAQ),
or approval of the stockholders of the Company, is required in connection with
the issuance and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the
transactions contemplated hereby, other than (i) registration of the Shares
under the Act, which has been effected, (ii) any necessary qualification under
the securities or blue sky laws of the various jurisdictions in which the Shares
are being offered by the Manager or (iii) under the Conduct Rules of the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
(o) Except
as described in the Registration Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto) and
the Prospectus, (i) no person has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause
the Company to issue or sell to it any shares of Common Stock or shares of any
other capital stock or other equity interests of the Company, (ii) no person has
any preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to
purchase any shares of Common Stock or shares of any other capital stock of or
other equity interests in the Company and (iii) no person has the right to act
as an underwriter, agent, financial advisor to the Company or in any similar
capacity in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares; no person has the
right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to register under the Act
any shares of Common Stock or shares of any other
capital stock of or other equity interests in the Company, or to include any
such shares or interests in the Registration Statement or the offering
contemplated thereby.
(p) Each
of the Company and the Subsidiaries has all necessary licenses, authorizations,
consents and approvals and has made all necessary filings required under any
applicable law, regulation or rule, and has obtained all necessary licenses,
authorizations, consents and approvals from other persons, in order to conduct
their respective businesses; neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is
in violation of, or in default under, or has received notice of any proceedings
relating to revocation or modification of, any such license, authorization,
consent or approval or any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or
rule or any decree, order or judgment applicable to the Company or any of the
Subsidiaries, except where such violation, default, revocation or modification
would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(q) There
are no actions, suits, claims, investigations or proceedings pending or, to the
Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated to which the Company or any of
the Subsidiaries or any of their respective directors or officers is or would be
a party or of which any of their respective properties is or would be subject at
law or in equity, before or by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental
or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or before or by any
self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority
(including, without limitation, NASDAQ), except any such action, suit, claim,
investigation or proceeding which, if resolved adversely to the Company or any
Subsidiary, would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse
Effect.
8
(r) Ernst
& Young LLP, whose report on the consolidated financial statements of the
Company and the Subsidiaries is included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, are independent registered public
accountants as required by the Act and by the rules of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board.
(s) The
financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, together
with the related notes and schedules, present fairly the consolidated financial
position of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the
consolidated results of operations, cash flows and changes in stockholders’
equity of the Company and the Subsidiaries for the periods specified and have
been prepared in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Act and
Exchange Act and in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved; all pro
forma financial statements or data included or incorporated
by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus comply with the applicable requirements of the Act and the
Exchange Act, and the assumptions used in the preparation of such pro forma
financial statements and data are reasonable, the pro forma adjustments used
therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions or circumstances
described therein and the pro forma adjustments have been properly applied to
the historical amounts in the compilation of those statements and data; the
other financial and statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in
the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing
Prospectus are accurately and fairly presented and prepared on a basis
consistent with the financial statements and books and records of the Company
and the Subsidiaries; there are no financial statements (historical or pro
forma) that are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus that are not included or incorporated
by reference as required; neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has
any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any
off-balance sheet obligations), not described in the Registration Statement
(excluding the exhibits thereto) and the Prospectus; and all disclosures
contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP
financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the
Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of
Regulation S-K under the Act, to the extent applicable.
(t) Subsequent
to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus and the Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses, if any,
there has not been (i) any material adverse change, or any development involving
a prospective material adverse change, in the business, properties, management,
financial condition or results of operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries
taken as a whole, (ii) any transaction which is material to the Company and the
Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (iii) any obligation or liability, direct or
contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), incurred by the
Company or any Subsidiary, which is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries
taken as a whole, (iv) any change in the capital stock or outstanding
indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiaries or (v) any dividend or
distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the
Company or any Subsidiary.
9
(u) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary is, and at no time during which a prospectus is
required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance
with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule) in connection with any sale of
Shares will any of them be, and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of
the Shares, neither of them will be, an “investment company” or an entity
“controlled” by an “investment company,” as such terms are defined in the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(v) The
Company and each of the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all
property (real and personal) described the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as being owned by any of
them, free and clear of all liens, claims, security interests or other
encumbrances, except as described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus
or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus; all the property described in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus
as being held under lease by the Company or a Subsidiary is held thereby under
valid, subsisting and enforceable leases.
(w) Neither
the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is engaged in any unfair labor practice;
except for matters which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a
Material Adverse Effect, (i) there is (A) no unfair labor practice complaint
pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of
the Subsidiaries before the National Labor Relations Board, and no grievance or
arbitration proceeding arising out of or under collective bargaining agreements
is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened, (B) no strike, labor
dispute, slowdown or stoppage pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened
against the Company or any of the Subsidiaries and (C) no union representation
dispute currently existing concerning the employees of the Company or any of the
Subsidiaries, (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, no union organizing activities
are currently taking place concerning the employees of the Company or any of the
Subsidiaries and (iii) there has been no violation of any federal, state, local
or foreign law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of
employees, any applicable wage or hour laws or any provision of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) or the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder concerning the employees of the Company or
any of the Subsidiaries.
10
(x) The
Company and the Subsidiaries and their respective properties, assets and
operations are in compliance with, and the Company and each of the Subsidiaries
hold all permits, authorizations and approvals required under, Environmental
Laws (as defined below), except to the extent that failure to so comply or to
hold such permits, authorizations or approvals would not, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; there are no past, present or, to the
Company’s knowledge, reasonably anticipated future events, conditions,
circumstances, activities, practices, actions, omissions or plans that could
reasonably be expected to give rise to any material costs or liabilities to the
Company or any Subsidiary under, or to interfere with or prevent compliance by
the Company or any Subsidiary with, Environmental Laws; except as would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, neither the
Company nor any of the Subsidiaries (i) is the subject of any investigation,
(ii) has received any notice or claim, (iii) is a party to or affected by any
pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action,
suit or proceeding, (iv) is bound by any judgment, decree or order or (v) has
entered into any agreement, in each case relating to any alleged violation of
any Environmental Law or any actual or alleged release or threatened release or
cleanup at any location of any Hazardous Materials (as defined below) (as used
herein, “Environmental
Law” means any federal, state, local or foreign law, statute, ordinance,
rule, regulation, order, decree, judgment, injunction, permit, license,
authorization or other binding requirement, or common law, relating to health,
safety or the protection, cleanup or restoration of the environment or natural
resources, including those relating to the distribution, processing, generation,
treatment, storage, disposal, transportation, other handling or release or
threatened release of Hazardous Materials, and “Hazardous Materials” means
any material (including, without limitation, pollutants, contaminants, hazardous
or toxic substances or wastes) that is regulated by or may give rise to
liability under any Environmental Law).
(y) In
the ordinary course of their business, the Company and each of the Subsidiaries
conduct periodic reviews of the effect of the Environmental Laws on their
respective businesses, operations and properties, in the course of which they
identify and evaluate associated costs and liabilities (including, without
limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for cleanup, closure
of properties or compliance with the Environmental Laws or any permit, license
or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential
liabilities to third parties).
(z) All
tax returns required to be filed by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries have
been timely filed, and all taxes and other assessments of a similar nature
(whether imposed directly or through withholding) including any interest,
additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto due or claimed to be due from
such entities have been timely paid, other than those being contested in good
faith and for which adequate reserves have been provided.
11
(aa) The
Company and each of the Subsidiaries maintain insurance covering their
respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses as the Company
reasonably deems adequate; such insurance insures against such losses and risks
to an extent which is adequate in accordance with customary industry practice to
protect the Company and the Subsidiaries and their respective businesses; all
such insurance is fully in force on the date hereof and will be fully in force
at each Time of Sale and Settlement Date; neither the Company nor any Subsidiary
has reason to believe that it will not be able to renew any such insurance as
and when such insurance expires.
(bb) Neither
the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the last
audited consolidated financial statements of the Company included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus any
loss or interference with its business from fire,
explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from
any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree.
(cc) Except
as described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free
Writing Prospectus, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has sent or received
any communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the
contracts or agreements referred to or described in the Prospectus or any
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, or referred to or described in, or filed as
an exhibit to, the Registration Statement or any Incorporated Document, and no
such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company or any
Subsidiary or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party to any such contract
or agreement.
(dd) The
Common Stock is an “actively-traded security” excepted from the requirements of
Rule 101 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act by subsection (c)(1) of
such rule.
(ee) The
Company and each of the Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting
controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are
executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii)
transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial
statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to
maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in
accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the
recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at
reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any
differences.
12
(ff) The
Company has established and maintains and evaluates “disclosure controls and
procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the
Exchange Act) and “internal control over financial reporting” (as such term is
defined in Rule 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act); such disclosure
controls and procedures are designed to ensure that material information
relating to the Company and the Subsidiaries, is made known to the Company’s
Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer by others within those
entities, and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective to perform
the functions for which they were established; the Company’s independent
auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have
been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies, if any, in the design or
operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s
ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data; and (ii) all
fraud, if any, whether or not material, that involves management or other
employees who have a role in the Company’s internal controls; all material
weaknesses, if any, in internal controls have been identified
to the Company’s independent auditors; since the date of the most recent
evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls,
there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors
that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective
actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses; the
principal executive officers (or their equivalents) and principal financial
officers (or their equivalents) of the Company have made all certifications
required by the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”) and any
related rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission, and the statements
contained in each such certification are complete and correct; the Company, the
Subsidiaries and the Company’s directors and officers are each in compliance in
all material respects with all applicable effective provisions of the
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission and NASDAQ
promulgated thereunder.
(gg) Each
“forward-looking statement” (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Act or
Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus
has been made with a reasonable basis and in good faith.
(hh) All
statistical or market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus
are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable
and accurate, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of
such data from such sources to the extent required.
13
(ii) Neither
the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company,
any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of the
Subsidiaries is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that
would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder; and the Company,
the Subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates have
instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure continued
compliance therewith.
(jj) The
operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at
all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting
requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as
amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and
regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or
guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency
(collectively, the “Money
Laundering Laws”); and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any
court or governmental agency, authority
or body or any arbitrator or non-governmental authority involving the Company or
any of the Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or,
to the Company’s knowledge, threatened.
(kk) Neither
the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company,
any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of the
Subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the
Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will
not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares
contemplated hereby, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such
proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity for
the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any
U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
(ll) No
Subsidiary is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any
dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such
Subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances
to such Subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such
Subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other Subsidiary of the
Company, except as described in the Registration Statement (excluding the
exhibits thereto) and the Prospectus; all dividends and other distributions
declared and payable on the shares of Common Stock of the Company and on the
capital stock of each Subsidiary may under the current laws and regulations of
the Xxxxxxxx Islands be paid in United States dollars and freely transferred out
of the Xxxxxxxx Islands; and all such dividends and other distributions are not
subject to withholding or other taxes under the current laws and regulations of
the Xxxxxxxx Islands and are otherwise free and clear of any withholding, stamp,
transfer, excise or other tax and may be declared and paid without the necessity
of obtaining any consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, licenses,
registrations, clearances and qualifications of or with any court or
governmental agency or body or any stock exchange authorities in the Xxxxxxxx
Islands.
14
(mm) To
the extent required in connection with their respective businesses, each of the
Company and the Subsidiaries has the requisite provider number or other
authorization to xxxx the Medicare program and the respective Medicaid program
in the state or states in which such entity operates unless failure to maintain
such provider number or other authorization would not, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; neither the Company nor any of the
Subsidiaries is subject to any pending or, to the Company’s knowledge,
threatened or contemplated action which could reasonably be expected to result
either in a revocation of any provider number or authorization or in the
Company’s or any Subsidiary’s exclusion from the Medicare
or any state Medicaid programs; the Company’s and each Subsidiaries’ business
practices have been structured in a manner reasonably designed to comply with
the federal or state laws governing Medicare and state Medicaid programs,
including, without limitation, Sections 1320a-7a and 1320a-7b of Title 42 of the
United States Code, and the Company reasonably believes that it is in compliance
with such laws; the Company and each Subsidiary have taken reasonable actions
designed to ensure that they do not: (i) violate the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C.
§§ 3729-3733 or (ii) allow any individual with an ownership or control interest
(as defined in 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-3(a)(3)) in the Company or any Subsidiary or
have any officer, director or managing employee (as defined in 42 U.S.C. §
1320a-5(b)) of the Company or any Subsidiary who would be a person excluded from
participation in any federal health care program (as defined in 42 U.S.C. §
1320a-7b(f)) as described in 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7(b)(8); and the Company and the
Subsidiaries have structured their respective businesses practices in a manner
reasonably designed to comply with the federal and state laws regarding
physician ownership of (or financial relationship with), and referral to,
entities providing healthcare-related goods or services, and with laws requiring
disclosure of financial interests held by physicians in entities to which they
may refer patients for the provisions of healthcare-related goods or services,
and the Company reasonably believes that it and the Subsidiaries are in
compliance with such laws.
(nn) The
issuance and sale of the Shares as contemplated hereby will not cause any holder
of any shares of capital stock, securities convertible into or exchangeable or
exercisable for capital stock or options, warrants or other rights to purchase
capital stock or any other securities of the Company to have any right to
acquire any shares of preferred stock of the Company.
(oo) The
Company is in compliance with the rules of NASDAQ, including, without
limitation, the requirements for continued listing of the Common Stock on NASDAQ
and the Company has not received any notice from NASDAQ regarding the delisting
of the Common Stock from NASDAQ.
(pp) Except
pursuant to this Agreement, neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has
incurred any liability for any finder’s or broker’s fee or agent’s commission in
connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the consummation
of the transactions contemplated hereby or by the Registration
Statement.
15
(qq) Neither
the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor any of their respective directors,
officers, affiliates or controlling persons has taken, directly or indirectly,
any action designed, or which has constituted or might reasonably
be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price
of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the
Shares.
(rr) To
the Company’s knowledge, there are no affiliations or associations between (i)
any member of the FINRA and (ii) the Company or any of the Company’s officers,
directors or 5% or greater security holders or any beneficial owner of the
Company’s unregistered equity securities that were acquired at any time on or
after the 180th day immediately preceding the date the Registration Statement
was initially filed with the Commission, except as disclosed in the Registration
Statement (excluding the exhibits thereto) and the Prospectus.
In
addition, any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of the
Subsidiaries and delivered to the Manager or counsel for the Manager in
connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be a
representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to
the Manager.
SECTION
3. Sale and Delivery of
Securities. (a) On the basis of the representations,
warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and
conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell through the
Manager, as sales agent, and the Manager agrees to use its commercially
reasonable efforts to sell, as sales agent for the Company, the Shares on the
following terms.
(i) The
Shares are to be sold on a daily basis or otherwise as shall be agreed to by the
Company and the Manager on any day that (A) is a trading day for NASDAQ (other
than a day on which NASDAQ is scheduled to close prior to its regular weekday
closing time), (B) the Company has instructed the Manager by telephone
(confirmed promptly by electronic mail) from any of the individuals listed as
authorized representatives of the Company on Schedule C hereto (the “Authorized Company
Representatives”) to make such sales and (C) the Company has satisfied
its obligations under Section 6 of this Agreement. The Company will
designate the maximum amount of the Shares to be sold by the Manager daily as
agreed to by the Manager and in any event not in excess of the amount available
for issuance under the currently effective Registration Statement or in a number
in excess of the number of Shares authorized from time to time to be issued and
sold under this Agreement by the Company’s board of directors, or a duly
authorized committee thereof, and notified to the Manager in writing. Subject to
the terms and conditions hereof, the Manager shall use its commercially
reasonable efforts to offer and sell all of the Shares designated; provided,
however, that the Manager shall have no obligation to offer or sell any Shares,
and the Company acknowledges and agrees that the Manager shall have no such
obligation, in the event an offer or sale of the Shares on behalf of the Company
may in the judgment of the Manager constitute the sale of a “block” under Rule
10b-18(a)(5) under the Exchange Act or a “distribution” within the meaning of
Rule 100 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act or the Manager reasonably
believes it may be deemed an “underwriter” under the Act in a transaction that
is other than by means of ordinary brokers’ transactions between members of
NASDAQ that qualify for delivery of a Prospectus to NASDAQ in accordance with
Rule 153 under the Act (such transactions are hereinafter referred to as “At the Market
Offerings”).
16
(ii) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Company, through any of the Authorized Company
Representatives, may instruct the Manager by telephone (confirmed promptly by
electronic mail) not to sell the Shares if such sales cannot be effected at or
above the price designated by the Company in any such instruction. In
addition, the Company or the Manager may, upon notice to the other party hereto
by telephone (confirmed promptly by electronic mail), suspend the offering of
the Shares; provided,
however, that such
suspension shall not affect or impair the parties’ respective obligations with
respect to the Shares sold hereunder prior to the giving of such
notice.
(iii) The
Manager hereby covenants and agrees not to make any sales of the Shares on
behalf of the Company, pursuant to this Section 3(a), other than (A) by means of
At the Market Offerings and (B) such other sales of the Shares on behalf of the
Company in its capacity as agent of the Company as shall be agreed by the
Company and the Manager.
(iv) The
compensation to the Manager, as an agent of the Company, for sales of the Shares
shall be 2.5% of the gross sales price of the Shares sold pursuant to this
Section 3(a). The remaining proceeds, after further deduction for any
transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in
respect of such sales, shall constitute the net proceeds to the Company for such
Shares (the “Net
Proceeds”).
(v) The
Manager shall provide written confirmation to the Company following the close of
trading on NASDAQ each day in which the Shares are sold under this Section 3(a)
setting forth the amount of the Shares sold on such day, the Net Proceeds to the
Company, and the compensation payable by the Company to the Manager with respect
to such sales.
(vi) Settlement
for sales of the Shares pursuant to this Section 3(a) will occur on the third
business day following the date on which such sales are made (each such date, a
“Settlement
Date”). On each Settlement Date, the Shares sold through the
Manager for settlement on such date shall be issued and delivered by the Company
to the Manager against payment of the Net Proceeds for the sale of such
Shares. Settlement for all such Shares shall be effected by free
delivery of the Shares by the Company or its transfer agent to the Manager’s
account, or to the account of the Manager’s designee, at The Depository Trust
Company through its Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian System (“DWAC”) or by
such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties
hereto, which in all cases shall be freely tradable,
transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form, in return for payments
in same day funds delivered to the account designated by the
Company. If the Company, or its transfer agent (if applicable), shall
default on its obligation to deliver the Shares on any Settlement Date, the
Company shall (A) indemnify and hold the Manager harmless against any loss,
claim or damage arising from or as a result of such default by the Company and
(B) pay the Manager any commission to which it would otherwise be entitled
absent such default. The Authorized Company Representatives shall be
the contact persons for the Company for all matters related to the settlement of
the transfer of the Shares through DWAC for purposes of this Section
3(vi).
17
(vii) At
each Time of Sale, Settlement Date and Representation Date (as defined in
Section 40), the Company shall be deemed to have affirmed each representation
and warranty contained in this Agreement. Any obligation of the
Manager to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell the Shares on behalf
of the Company shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the
representations and warranties of the Company herein, to the performance by the
Company of its obligations hereunder and to the continuing satisfaction of the
additional conditions specified in Section 6 of this Agreement.
(b) If
the Company wishes to issue and sell the Shares other than as set forth in
Section 3(a) of this Agreement (each, a “Placement”), it will notify
the Manager of the proposed terms of such Placement. If the Manager,
acting as principal, wishes to accept such proposed terms (which it may decline
to do for any reason in its sole discretion) or, following discussions with the
Company, wishes to accept amended terms, the Manager and the Company will enter
into a Terms Agreement setting forth the terms of such Placement. In
the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of any
Terms Agreement, the terms of such Terms Agreement will control.
(c) (i)
Under no circumstances shall the aggregate gross sales proceeds of the Shares
sold pursuant to this Agreement exceed the lesser of (A) the amount set forth in
Section 1 and (B) the amount available for offer and sale under the currently
effective Registration Statement nor shall the aggregate number of Shares sold
pursuant to this Agreement exceed the number of Shares authorized from time to
time to be issued and sold under this Agreement by the Company’s board of
directors, or a duly authorized committee thereof, and notified to the Manager
in writing.
(ii) If
either party has reason to believe that the exemptive provisions set forth in
Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M under the Exchange Act are not satisfied with
respect to the Shares, it shall promptly notify the other party and sales of the
Shares under this Agreement shall be suspended until that or other exemptive
provisions have been satisfied in the judgment of each party.
(d) Each sale of the Shares to or through
the Manager shall be made in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or, if
applicable, a Terms Agreement.
(e) Subject
to such further limitations on offers and sales of Shares or delivery of
instructions to offer and sell Shares as set forth herein and as may be mutually
agreed upon by the Company and the Manager, offers and sales of Shares pursuant
to this Agreement shall not be requested by the Company and need not be made by
the Manager at any time when or during any period in which the Company is or
could reasonably be deemed to be in possession of material non-public
information.
(f) The
Company acknowledges and agrees that (A) there can be no assurance that the
Manager will be successful in selling the Shares, (B) the Manager will incur no
liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does
not sell Shares for any reason other than a failure by the Manager to use its
commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales
practices and applicable law and regulations to sell such Shares in accordance
with the terms of this Agreement, and (C) the Manager shall be under no
obligation to purchase Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement,
except as otherwise specifically agreed by the Manager and the
Company.
18
SECTION
4. Covenants of the
Company. The Company agrees with the Manager:
(a) During
the period in which a prospectus relating to the Shares is required to be
delivered under the Act (whether physically, deemed to be delivered pursuant to
Rule 153 or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule),
to notify the Manager promptly of the time when any subsequent amendment to the
Registration Statement has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the
Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus has
been filed; to prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon the Manager’s
request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Basic
Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus that, in the
Manager’s and the Company’s reasonable opinion, may be necessary or advisable in
connection with the offering of the Shares by the Manager; and to cause each
amendment or supplement to the Basic Prospectus or the Prospectus to be filed
with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule
424(b) of the Act or, in the case of any Incorporated Document, to be filed with
the Commission as required pursuant to the Exchange Act, within the time period
prescribed.
(b) To
promptly advise the Manager, confirming such advice in writing, of any
suspension of the Manager’s obligations under Rule 15c2-8 under the Exchange Act
or any request by the Commission for amendments or supplements
to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus or any
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or for additional information with respect
thereto, or of notice of examination, institution of proceedings for, or the
entry of a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement
and, if the Commission should enter a stop order suspending the effectiveness of
the Registration Statement, to use its best efforts to obtain the lifting or
removal of such order as soon as possible; to promptly advise the Manager of any
proposal to amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus
or the Prospectus, and to provide the Manager and its counsel copies of any such
documents for review and comment a reasonable amount of time prior to any
proposed filing and to file no such amendment or supplement (other than any
prospectus supplement relating to the offering of other securities (including,
without limitation, the Common Stock)) to which the Manager shall have
reasonably objected in writing.
19
(c) To
make available to the Manager, as soon as practicable after this Agreement
becomes effective, and thereafter from time to time to furnish to the Manager,
as many copies of the Prospectus (or of the Prospectus as amended or
supplemented if the Company shall have made any amendments or supplements
thereto after the effective date of the Registration Statement) as the Manager
may request for the purposes contemplated by the Act; in case the Manager is
required to deliver (whether physically, deemed to be delivered pursuant to Rule
153 or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule), in
connection with the sale of the Shares, a prospectus after the nine-month period
referred to in Section 10(a)(3) of the Act, or after the time a post-effective
amendment to the Registration Statement is required pursuant to Item 512(a) of
Regulation S-K under the Act, the Company will prepare, at its expense, promptly
upon request such amendment or amendments to the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus as may be necessary to permit compliance with the requirements of
Section 10(a)(3) of the Act or Item 512(a) of Regulation S-K under the Act, as
the case may be.
(d) Subject
to Section 4(b) hereof, to file promptly all reports and documents and any
preliminary or definitive proxy or information statement required to be filed by
the Company with the Commission in order to comply with the Exchange Act for so
long as a prospectus is required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically,
deemed to be delivered pursuant to Rule 153 or through compliance with Rule 172
under the Act or any similar rule) in connection with any sale of Shares; and to
provide the Manager, for its review and comment, with a copy of such reports and
statements and other documents to be filed by the Company pursuant to Section
13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during such period a reasonable amount of
time prior to any proposed filing and to promptly notify the Manager of such
filing.
(e) To
pay the fees applicable to the Registration Statement in connection with the
offering of the Shares within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) under the
Act (without reliance on the proviso to Rule 456(b)(1)(i) under the Act) and in
compliance with Rule 456(b) and Rule 457(r) under the Act.
(f) If
at any time when Shares remain unsold by the Manager the Company receives from
the Commission a notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act or otherwise
ceases to be eligible to use the automatic shelf registration statement form,
the Company will (a) promptly notify the Manager, (b) promptly file a new
registration statement or post-effective amendment on the proper form relating
to the Shares, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Manager, (c) use its
best efforts to cause such registration statement or post-effective amendment to
be declared effective as soon as practicable (if such filing is not otherwise
effective immediately pursuant to Rule 462 under the Act), and (d) promptly
notify the Manager of such effectiveness. The Company will take all
other action necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of
the Shares to continue as contemplated in the Registration Statement that was
the subject of the notice under Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act or for which the
Company has otherwise become ineligible. References herein to the
Registration Statement relating to the Shares shall include such new
registration statement or post-effective amendment, as the case may
be.
(g) If
immediately prior to the third anniversary (the “Renewal Deadline”) of the
initial effective date of the Registration Statement, any of the Shares remain
unsold by the Manager, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Deadline file, if
it has not already done so and is eligible to do so, a new automatic shelf
registration statement relating to the Shares, in a form satisfactory to the
Manager. If the Company is not eligible to file an automatic shelf
registration statement, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Deadline, if it
has not already done so, file a new shelf registration statement relating to the
Shares, in a form satisfactory to the Manager, and will use its best efforts to
cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 180 days after
the Renewal Deadline. The Company will take all other action
necessary or appropriate to permit the public offering and sale of the Shares to
continue as contemplated in the expired registration
statement. References herein to the Registration Statement shall
include such new automatic shelf registration statement or such new shelf
registration statement, as the case may be.
20
(h) To
promptly notify the Manager of the happening of any event that could require the
making of any change in the Prospectus then being used so that the Prospectus
would not include an untrue statement of material fact or omit to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading,
and, during any period during which a prospectus is required to be delivered
(whether physically, deemed to be delivered pursuant to Rule 153 or through
compliance with Rule 172 under the Act or any similar rule) in connection with
any sale of Shares, subject to Section 4(b), to prepare and furnish, at the
Company’s expense, to the Manager promptly such amendments or supplements to
such Prospectus as may be necessary to reflect any such change.
(i) To
furnish such information as may be required and otherwise to cooperate in
qualifying the Shares for offering and sale under the securities or blue sky
laws of such states or other jurisdictions as the Manager may designate and to
maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution
of the Shares; provided, however, that the Company
shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to consent to the
service of process under the laws of any such jurisdiction (except service of
process with respect to the offering and sale of the Shares); and to promptly
advise the Manager of the receipt by the Company of any notification with
respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer or sale
in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such
purpose.
(j) To
make generally available to its security holders, and to deliver to the Manager,
an earnings statement of the Company (which will satisfy the provisions of
Section 11(a) of the Act) covering a period of twelve months beginning after the
effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) of the
Act) as soon as is reasonably practicable after the termination of such
twelve-month period but not later than eighteen months after the effective date
of the Registration Statement (as such date is defined in Rule 158(c) under the
Act).
(k) To
apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares in the manner set forth under
the caption “Use of proceeds” in the Prospectus Supplement.
21
(l) Not
to sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant
any option to sell or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or
indirectly, any shares of the Common Stock or securities convertible into or
exchangeable or exercisable for the Common Stock or warrants or other rights to
purchase the Common Stock or any other securities of the Company that are
substantially similar to the Common Stock or permit the
registration under the Act of any shares of the Common Stock, in each case
without giving the Manager at least three business days’ prior written notice
specifying the nature of the proposed sale and the date of such proposed
sale. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may (i) register the
offer and sale of the Shares through the Manager pursuant to this Agreement;
(ii) file a registration statement on Form S-8 relating to Common Stock that may
be issued
pursuant to equity plans described in the Company’s reports filed with the
Commission’ (iii) issue securities under the Company’s equity compensation plans
described in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission under the Exchange
Act; and (iv) issue shares upon the exercise of outstanding options described in
the Company’s reports filed with the Commission under the Exchange
Act. In the event that notice of a proposed sale is provided by the
Company pursuant to this Section 4(l), the Manager shall suspend activity under
this program for such period of time as may be requested by the Company or as
may be deemed appropriate by the Manager.
(m) Not,
at any time at or after the execution of this Agreement, to offer or sell any
Shares by means of any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Act), or use any
“prospectus” (within the meaning of the Act) in connection with the offer or
sale of the Shares, in each case other than the Prospectus.
(n) The
Company will not, and will cause its Subsidiaries not to, take, directly or
indirectly, any action designed, or which will constitute, or has constituted,
or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or
manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale
or resale of the Shares.
(o) To
use its best efforts to cause the Common Stock to be listed on NASDAQ and to
maintain such listing.
(p) To
advise the Manager immediately after it shall have received notice or obtained
knowledge thereof, of any information or fact that would alter or affect any
opinion, certificate, letter and other document provided to the Manager pursuant
to Section 6 herein.
(q) Upon
commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the
recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the
termination of a Suspension Period (as defined below)), and each time that (i)
the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be amended or supplemented
(other than pursuant to subclause (ii) below and other than a prospectus
supplement filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act relating solely to the
offering of securities other than the Shares), (ii) there is filed with the
Commission any document incorporated by reference into the Prospectus (other
than a Current Report on Form 8-K, unless the Manager shall otherwise reasonably
request), or (iii) otherwise as the Manager may reasonably request ((the date of
commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement and each date
referred to in subclauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above, each a “Representation Date”), to
furnish or cause to be furnished to the Manager forthwith a certificate dated
and delivered the Representation Date, in form satisfactory to the Manager to
the effect that the statements contained in the certificate referred to in
Section 6(i) of this Agreement which were last
furnished to the Manager are true and correct as of such Representation Date, as
though made at and as of such date (except that such statements shall be deemed
to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and
supplemented to such date) or, in lieu of such certificate, a certificate of the
same tenor as the certificate referred to in said Section 6(i), modified as
necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended
and supplemented to the time of delivery of such certificate; provided that the obligation
of the Company under this subsection (q) shall be deferred for any period the
Company has suspended the offering of shares pursuant to Section 3(a)(ii) hereof
(each, a “Suspension
Period”) and shall recommence upon the termination of such
suspension.
22
(r) Upon
commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the
recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the
termination of a Suspension Period), and at each Representation Date, to furnish
or cause to be furnished forthwith to the Manager a written opinion of Xxxxxx
& Xxxxxx LLP, Xxxxxxxx Islands counsel to the Company, or other counsel
satisfactory to the Manager, dated and delivered as of such Representation Date,
in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, of the same tenor as the
opinion referred to in Section 6(c) of this Agreement, but modified as necessary
to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and
supplemented to the time of delivery of such opinion; provided that the obligation
of the Company under this subsection (r) shall be deferred for any Suspension
Period and shall recommence upon the termination of such
suspension.
(s) Upon
commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the
recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the
termination of a Suspension Period), and at each Representation Date, to furnish
or cause to be furnished forthwith to the Manager a written opinion of Xxxxxx
& Xxxxxx LLP, United States counsel to the Company, or other counsel
satisfactory to the Manager, dated and delivered as of such Representation Date,
in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, of the same tenor as the
opinion referred to in Section 6(d) of this Agreement, but modified as necessary
to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and
supplemented to the time of delivery of such opinion; provided that the obligation
of the Company under this subsection (s) shall be deferred for any Suspension
Period and shall recommence upon the termination of such
suspension.
(t) Upon
commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the
recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the
termination of a Suspension Period), and at each Representation Date, to furnish
or cause to be furnished forthwith to the Manager a written opinion of Xxxxxx
& Xxxxxx LLP, special Liberian counsel to the
Company, or other counsel satisfactory to the Manager, dated and delivered as of
such Representation Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, of
the same tenor as the opinion referred to in Section 6(e) of this Agreement, but
modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
as amended and supplemented to the time of delivery of such opinion; provided that the obligation
of the Company under this subsection (t) shall be deferred for any Suspension
Period and shall recommence upon the termination of such
suspension.
(u) Upon
commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the
recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the
termination of a Suspension Period), and at each Representation Date, to furnish
or cause to be furnished to the Manager forthwith a certificate of the Secretary
of the Company, dated and delivered as of such Representation Date, in form and
substance satisfactory to the Manager; provided that the obligation
of the Company under this subsection (u) shall be deferred for any Suspension
Period and shall recommence upon the termination of such
suspension.
23
(v) Upon
commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the
recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the
termination of a Suspension Period), and at each Representation Date, Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP, counsel to the Manager, shall deliver a written
opinion, dated and delivered as of such Representation Date, in form and
substance satisfactory to the Manager; provided that the obligation
under this subsection (v) shall be deferred for any Suspension Period and shall
recommence upon the termination of such suspension.
(w) Upon
commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the
recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the
termination of a Suspension Period if any of the events contemplated by
subclauses (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) below have occurred during such Suspension
Period), and each time that (i) the Registration Statement or the Prospectus
shall be amended or supplemented to include additional or amended financial
information, (ii) the Company shall file an annual report on Form 10-K or a
quarterly report on Form 10-Q, (iii) upon request by the Manager to the Company,
there is filed with the Commission any document (other than an annual report on
Form 10-K or a quarterly report on Form 10-Q) incorporated by reference into the
Prospectus which contains financial information, or (iv) as the Manager may
reasonably request, to cause the Accountants, or other independent accountants
satisfactory to the Manager, forthwith to furnish the Manager a letter, dated
the date of the commencement of the offering, the date of effectiveness of such
amendment, the date of filing of such supplement or other document with the
Commission, as the case may be, in
form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, of the same tenor as the letter
referred to in Section 6(h) of this Agreement but modified to relate to the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the
date of such letter; provided
that the obligation of the Company under this subsection (w) shall be
deferred for any Suspension Period and shall recommence upon the termination of
such suspension.
(x) Upon
commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the
recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the
termination of a Suspension Period), and at each Representation Date, to conduct
a due diligence session, in form and substance, satisfactory to the Manager,
which shall include representatives of the management and the accountants of the
Company; provided that
the obligation of the Company under this subsection (x) shall be deferred for
any Suspension Period and shall recommence upon the termination of such
suspension.
(y) That
the Company consents to the Manager trading in the Common Stock for the
Manager’s own account and for the account of its clients at the same time as
sales of the Shares occur pursuant to this Agreement.
(z) If
to the knowledge of the Company, any condition set forth in Section 6(a) or
6(l) of this Agreement shall not have been satisfied on the applicable
Settlement Date, to offer to any person who has agreed to purchase the Shares
from the Company as the result of an offer to purchase solicited by the Manager
the right to refuse to purchase and pay for such Shares.
24
(aa) To
disclose in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and in its annual report on Form
10-K the number of the Shares sold through or to the Manager under this
Agreement, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation paid by the
Company with respect to sales of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement during
the relevant quarter.
(bb) To
ensure that prior to instructing the Manager to sell Shares the Company shall
have obtained all necessary corporate authority for the offer and sale of such
Shares.
(cc) That
each acceptance by the Company of an offer to purchase the Shares hereunder
shall be deemed to be an affirmation to the Manager that the representations and
warranties of the Company contained in or made pursuant to this Agreement are
true and correct as of the date of such acceptance as though made at and as of
such date, and an undertaking that such representations and warranties will be
true and correct as of the Settlement Date for the Shares relating to such
acceptance, as though made at and as of such date (except that such
representations and warranties shall be deemed to relate to the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented relating
to such Shares).
SECTION
5. Payment of
Expenses. (a) The Company agrees with the Manager that whether
or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement
is terminated, to pay all of its expenses incident to the performance of its
obligations hereunder, including, but not limited to, such costs, expenses, fees
and taxes in connection with (i) the preparation and filing of the Registration
Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus, each
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, and
the printing and furnishing of copies of each thereof to the Manager (including
costs of mailing and shipment), (ii) the registration, issue, sale and delivery
of the Shares including any stock or transfer taxes and stamp or similar duties
payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Shares, (iii) the producing,
word processing and/or printing of this Agreement, any Powers of Attorney and
any closing documents (including compilations thereof) and the reproduction
and/or printing and furnishing of copies of each thereof to the Manager
(including costs of mailing and shipment), (iv) the qualification of the Shares
for offering and sale under state laws and the determination of their
eligibility for investment under state or foreign law as aforesaid (including
the reasonable legal fees and filing fees and other disbursements of counsel for
the Manager) and the printing and furnishing of copies of any blue sky surveys
to the Manager, (v) the listing of the Shares on any securities exchange or
qualification of the Shares for quotation on NASDAQ and any registration thereof
under the Exchange Act, (vi) any filing for review of the public offering of the
Shares by FINRA, including the reasonable legal fees and disbursements of
counsel for the Manager relating to FINRA matters and (vii) the reasonable fees
and disbursements of the Company’s counsel and of the Company’s
accountants.
25
(b) The
Company shall reimburse the Manager for reasonable fees and expenses of counsel
for the Manager incurred in connection with this Agreement and the transactions
contemplated hereby in an aggregate amount not to exceed $100,000 (“Manager Expenses”) in
accordance with Schedule
D attached hereto.
(c) Except
as provided in this Section 5 and Schedule
D hereto, the Manager will pay all of its other own out-of-pocket costs
and expenses incurred in connection with entering into this Agreement and the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including, without limitation,
legal fees and disbursements of counsel for the Manager, travel, reproduction,
printing and similar expenses.
SECTION
6. Conditions of Manager’s
Obligations. The obligations of the Manager hereunder are
subject to (i) the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the
part of the Company on the date hereof, any applicable date referred to in
Section 4(q) of this Agreement and as of each Settlement Date,
(ii) the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and
(iii) to the following additional conditions precedent.
(a) (i)No
stop order with respect to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall
have been issued under the Act or proceedings initiated under Section 8(d) or
8(e) of the Act, and no order directed at or in relation to any document
incorporated by reference therein and no order preventing or suspending the use
of the Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and no suspension of the
qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or to the
knowledge of the Company or the Manager of the initiation or threatening of any
proceedings for any of such purposes, has occurred; (ii) the Registration
Statement and all amendments thereto shall not contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (iii) none of the Basic
Prospectus or the Prospectus, and no amendment or supplement thereto, shall
include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they are made, not misleading; (iv) no Prospectus,
together with any combination of one or more of the Permitted Free Writing
Prospectuses, if any, and no amendment or supplement thereto, shall include an
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they are made, not misleading; and (v) none of the Permitted Free Writing
Prospectuses, if any, shall include an untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not
misleading.
26
(b) Subsequent
to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Permitted Free Writing
Prospectuses, if any, no material and unfavorable change, financial or otherwise
(other than as referred to in the Registration Statement and Prospectus), in the
business, condition or prospects of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries
taken as a whole, in the judgment of the Manager, shall occur or become known
and no transaction which is material and unfavorable to the Company (other than
as referred to in the Registration Statement and Prospectus) in the judgment of
the Manager, shall have been entered into by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries.
(c) The
Company shall furnish to the Manager, at every date specified in Section 4(r) of
this Agreement, an opinion of Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx LLP, Xxxxxxxx Islands counsel
to the Company, addressed to the Manager, and dated as of such date, and in form
satisfactory to the Manager, in the form set forth in Exhibit A
hereto.
(d) The
Company shall furnish to the Manager, at every date specified in Section 4(r) of
this Agreement, an opinion of Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx LLP, United States counsel to
the Company, addressed to the Manager, and dated as of such date, and in form
satisfactory to the Manager, in the form set forth in Exhibit B
hereto.
(e) The
Company shall furnish to the Manager, at every date specified in Section 4(r) of
this Agreement, an opinion of Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx LLP, special Liberian counsel
to the Company, addressed to the Manager, and dated as of such date, and in form
satisfactory to the Manager, in the form set forth in Exhibit C
hereto.
(f) At
the dates specified in Section 4(y) of this Agreement, the Manager shall have
received from the Accountants letters dated the date of delivery thereof and
addressed to the Manager in form and substance satisfactory to the
Manager.
(g) The
Company shall deliver to the Manager, at every Representation Date specified in
Section 4(q) of this Agreement, a certificate of two of its executive officers
to the effect that (i) the representations and warranties of the Company as set
forth in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Representation Date, (ii)
the Company has performed such of its obligations under this Agreement as are to
be performed at or before each such Representation Date, and (iii) the
conditions set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of Section 6 have been
met. The certificate shall also state that the Shares have been duly
and validly authorized by the Company, that all corporate action required to be
taken for the issuance and sale of the Shares has been validly and sufficiently
taken, and that the Company’s Board of Directors or any other body with
authority has not revoked, rescinded or otherwise modified or withdrawn such
authorization or corporate action.
(h) The
Manager shall have received, at every date specified in Section 4(x) of this
Agreement, the favorable opinion of Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP, counsel
to the Manager, dated as of such date, and in form and substance satisfactory to
the Manager.
(i) The
Manager shall have received, at every date specified in Section 4(w) of this
Agreement, a certificate of the Secretary of the Company, dated as of such date,
and in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager.
(j) All
filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the Act to have been
filed by the Settlement Date shall have been made within the applicable time
period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424.
(k) The
Shares shall have been approved for listing on NASDAQ, subject only to notice of
issuance at or prior to the Settlement Date.
27
SECTION
7. Indemnification and
Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the
Manager and its affiliates, its and their directors, officers, employees and
agents and any person who controls the Manager within the meaning of Section 15
of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of
all of the foregoing persons, from and against any loss, damage, expense,
liability or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation) which the
Manager or any such person may incur under the Act, the Exchange Act, the common
law or otherwise, insofar as such loss, damage, expense, liability or claim
arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or in the
Registration Statement as amended by any post-effective amendment thereof by the
Company) or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to
state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, except insofar as any such loss, damage,
expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement
or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity
with information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Manager to the
Company expressly for use in, the Registration Statement (or expressly for use
in the Registration Statement as amended by any post-effective amendment thereof
by the Company) or arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged
omission to state a material fact in the Registration Statement in connection
with such information, which material fact was not contained in such information
and which material fact was required to be stated in such Registration Statement
or was necessary to make such information not misleading or (ii) any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any
Prospectus (the term Prospectus for the purpose of this Section 7 being deemed
to include the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus and
any amendments or supplements to the foregoing), in any Permitted Free Writing
Prospectus, in any “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Act)
of the Company or in any Prospectus together with any combination of one or more
of the Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, or arises out of or is based
upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading, except, with respect to such Prospectus or
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, insofar as any such loss, damage, expense,
liability or claim arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in, and in conformity with
information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Manager to the Company
expressly for use in, such Prospectus or Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or
arises out of or is based upon any omission or alleged omission to state a
material fact in such Prospectus or Permitted Free Writing Prospectus in
connection with such information, which material fact was not contained in such
information and which material fact was necessary in order to make the
statements in such information, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading.
28
If any
action, suit or proceeding (together, a “Proceeding”) is brought
against the Manager or any such person in respect of which indemnity may be
sought against
the Company pursuant to the foregoing paragraph, the Manager or such person
shall promptly notify the indemnifying party in writing of the institution of
such Proceeding and the Company shall assume the defense of such Proceeding,
including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified
party and payment of all fees and expenses; provided, however, that the omission to
so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company from any liability which the
Company may have to the Manager or any such person or otherwise except to the
extent the Company was materially prejudiced by such omission. The
Manager or such person shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel
in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the
expense of the Manager or of such person unless the employment of such counsel
shall have been authorized in writing by the Company in connection with the
defense of such Proceeding or the Company shall not have, within a reasonable
period of time in light of the circumstances, employed counsel to have charge of
the defense of such Proceeding or such indemnified party or parties shall have
reasonably concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them which
are different from, additional to or in conflict with those available to the
Company (in which case the Company shall not have the right to direct the
defense of such Proceeding on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in
any of which events such fees and expenses shall be borne by the Company, and
paid as incurred (it being understood, however, that the Company shall not be
liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any
local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related Proceedings in the
same jurisdiction representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such
Proceeding). The Company shall not be liable for any settlement of
any Proceeding effected without its written consent but if settled with the
written consent of the Company, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold
harmless the Manager and any such person from and against any loss or liability
by reason of such settlement. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence,
if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested the Company to
reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated
by the second sentence of this paragraph, then the Company agrees that it shall
be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written
consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 business days after
receipt by the Company of the aforesaid request, (ii) the Company shall not have
reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the
date of such settlement and (iii) such indemnified party shall have given the
indemnifying party at least 30 days’ prior notice of its intention to
settle. The Company shall not, without the prior written consent of
the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened
Proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or may be a party and
indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless
such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from
all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding and does
not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act, by or on
behalf of such indemnified party.
29
(b) The Manager agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the
Company, its directors and officers, and any person who controls the Company
within the meaning
of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors
and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any loss, damage,
expense, liability or claim (including the reasonable cost of investigation)
which, jointly or severally, the Company or any such person may incur under the
Act, the Exchange Act, the common law or otherwise, insofar as such loss,
damage, expense, liability or claim arises out of or is based upon (i) any
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in
and, in conformity with information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the
Manager to the Company expressly for use with reference to the Manager in the
Registration Statement (or in the Registration Statement as amended by any
post-effective amendment thereof by the Company), or arises out of or is based
upon any omission or alleged omission to state a material fact in such
Registration Statement in connection with such information, which material fact
was not contained in such information and which material fact was required to be
stated in such Registration Statement or was necessary to make such information
not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in, and in conformity with information furnished in
writing by or on behalf of the Manager to the Company expressly for use in, the
Prospectus Supplement or a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or any amendments
or supplements thereto, or arises out of or is based upon any omission or
alleged omission to state a material fact in the Prospectus Supplement or a
Permitted Free Writing Prospectus in connection with such information, which
material fact was not contained in such information and which material fact was
necessary in order to make the statements in such information, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
If any
Proceeding is brought against the Company or any such person in respect of which
indemnity may be sought against the Manager pursuant to the foregoing paragraph,
the Company or such person shall promptly notify the Manager in writing of the
institution of such Proceeding and the Manager shall assume the defense of such
Proceeding, including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such
indemnified party and payment of all fees and expenses; provided, however, that the omission to
so notify the Manager shall not relieve the Manager from any liability which the
Manager may have to the Company or any such person or otherwise. The
Company or such person shall have the right to employ its own counsel in any
such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of
the Company or such person unless the employment of such counsel shall have been
authorized in writing by the Manager in connection with the defense of such
Proceeding or the Manager shall not have, within a reasonable period of time in
light of the circumstances, employed counsel to have charge of the defense of
such Proceeding or such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably
concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different
from or additional to or in conflict with those available to the Manager (in
which case the Manager shall not have the right to direct the defense of such
Proceeding on behalf of the indemnified party or parties, but the Manager may
employ counsel and participate in the defense thereof but the fees and expenses
of such counsel shall be at the expense of the Manager), in any of which events
such fees and expenses shall be borne by the Manager and paid as incurred (it
being understood, however, that the Manager shall not
be liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any
local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related Proceedings in the
same jurisdiction representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such
Proceeding). The Manager shall not be liable for any settlement of
any such Proceeding effected without the written consent of the Manager but if
settled with the written consent of the Manager, the Manager agrees to indemnify
and hold harmless the Company and any such person from and against any loss or
liability by reason of such settlement. Notwithstanding the foregoing
sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested the Manager
to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as
contemplated by the second sentence of this paragraph, then the Manager agrees
that it shall be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without
its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 business
days after receipt by the Manager of the aforesaid request, (ii) the
Manager shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such
request prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such indemnified party
shall have given the Manager at least 30 days’ prior notice of its intention to
settle. The Manager shall not, without the prior written consent of
the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened
Proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is a party and indemnity
could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such
settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all
liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding.
30
(c) If
the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is unavailable to an
indemnified party under subsections (a) or (b) of this Section 7 or
insufficient to hold an indemnified party harmless in respect of any losses,
damages, expenses, liabilities or claims referred to therein, then each
applicable indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by
such indemnified party as a result of such losses, damages, expenses,
liabilities or claims (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect
the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Manager,
on the other hand, from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the
allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law,
in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits
referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company,
on the one hand, and of the Manager, on the other, in connection with the
statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, damages, expenses,
liabilities or claims, as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the
one hand, and the Manager, on the other, shall be deemed to be in the same
respective proportions as the total proceeds from the offering (net of
underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting expenses) received
by the Company, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by
the Manager, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the
Shares. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and of
the Manager, on the other, shall be determined by reference to, among other
things, whether the untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material
fact or omission or alleged omission relates to information supplied by the
Company or by the Manager and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to
information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or
omission. The amount
paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, damages, expenses,
liabilities and claims referred to in this subsection shall be deemed to include
any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in
connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending any
Proceeding.
(d) The
Company and the Manager agree that it would not be just and equitable if
contributions pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata
allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of
the equitable considerations referred to in subsection (c)
above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, the
Manager shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of commissions
received by it under this Agreement. No person guilty of fraudulent
misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be
entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation.
(i) The
Company and the Manager agree promptly to notify each other of the commencement
of any Proceeding against it and, in the case of the Company, against any of the
Company’s officers or directors in connection with the issuance and sale of the
Shares, or in connection with the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus,
the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.
SECTION
8. Representations and
Agreements to Survive Delivery. The indemnity and contribution
agreements contained in Section 7 and the covenants, warranties and
representations of the Company contained in this Agreement or in certificates
delivered pursuant hereto shall remain in full force and effect regardless of
any investigation made by or on behalf of the Manager, its partners, directors
or officers or any person (including each partner, officer or director of such
person) who controls the Manager within the meaning of Section 15 of the
Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, or by or on behalf of the Company, its
directors or officers or any person who controls the Company within the meaning
of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and shall
survive any termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the
Shares.
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SECTION
9. Termination.
(a) The
Company shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified,
to terminate the provisions of this Agreement relating to the solicitation of
offers to purchase the Shares in its sole discretion at any time. Any
such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party
except that (i) if any of the Shares have been sold through the Manager for the
Company, then Section 4(aa) shall remain in full force and effect, (ii) with
respect to any pending sale, through the Manager for the Company, the
obligations of the Company, including in respect of compensation of the Manager,
shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the termination and (iii)
the provisions of Section 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16 and 18 of this Agreement
shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such
termination.
(b) The
Manager shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified,
to terminate the provisions of this Agreement relating to the solicitation of
offers to purchase the Shares in its sole discretion at any time. Any
such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party
except that the provisions of Section 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16 and 18 of this
Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such
termination.
(c) This
Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to
Sections 9(a) or (b) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties;
provided that any such
termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that
Section 5, Section 7 and Section 8 shall remain in full force and
effect.
(d) Any
termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such
notice of termination; provided that such
termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of
receipt of such notice by the Manager or the Company, as the case may
be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for
any sale of the Shares, such sale shall settle in accordance with the provisions
of Section 3(a)(vi) of this Agreement.
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SECTION
10. Notices. Except
as otherwise herein provided, all statements, requests, notices and agreements
under this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered by hand, overnight
courier, mail or facsimile and, if to the Manager, shall be sufficient in all
respects if delivered or sent to UBS Securities LLC, 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx
Xxxx, XX 00000-0000, Attention: Syndicate Department, Fax No. (000) 000-0000,
with a copy for information purposes to UBS Securities LLC, 000 Xxxxxxxxxx
Xxxx., Xxxxxxxx, XX, 00000, Attention: Legal and Compliance
Department, Fax No. (000) 000-0000 and, if to the Company, it shall be
sufficient in all respects if delivered or sent to the Company at the offices of
the Company at 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000. Each
party to this Agreement may change such address for notices by sending to the
parties to this Agreement written notice of a new address for such
purpose.
SECTION
11. Parties at
Interest. The Agreement herein set forth has been and is made
solely for the benefit of the Manager and the Company and to the extent provided
in Section 7 of this Agreement the controlling persons, directors and officers
referred to in such section, and their respective successors, assigns, heirs,
personal representatives and executors and administrators. No other
person, partnership, association or corporation (including a purchaser, as such
purchaser, from the Manager) shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue
of this Agreement.
SECTION
12. No Fiduciary
Relationship. The Company hereby acknowledges that the Manager
is acting solely as sales agent and/or principal in connection with the purchase
and sale of the Company’s securities. The Company further
acknowledges that the Manager is acting pursuant to a contractual relationship
created solely by this Agreement entered into on an arm’s length basis, and in
no event do the parties intend that the Manager act or be responsible as a
fiduciary to the Company, its management, stockholders or creditors or any other
person in connection with any activity that the Manager may undertake or have
undertaken in furtherance of the purchase and sale of the Company’s securities,
either before or after the date hereof. The Manager hereby expressly
disclaims any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters
leading up to such transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its
understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company and the
Manager agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent
judgments with respect to any such transactions and that any opinions or views
expressed by the Manager to the Company regarding such transactions, including,
but not limited to, any opinions or views with respect to the price or market
for the Company’s securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the
Company. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest
extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the
Manager with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary or similar
duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.
SECTION
13. Press Releases and
Disclosure. The Company may issue a press release in
compliance with Rule 134 under the Securities Act describing the material terms
of the transactions contemplated hereby as soon as practicable following the
date hereof, and may file with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K
describing the material terms of the transaction contemplated hereby, and the
Company shall consult with the Manager prior to making such disclosures, and the
parties shall use all reasonable efforts, acting in good faith, to agree upon a
text for such disclosures that is reasonably satisfactory to all
parties. No party hereto shall issue thereafter any press release or
like public statement (including, without limitation, any disclosure required in
reports filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act) related to this
Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby without the prior
written approval, except as may be necessary or appropriate in the opinion of
the party seeking to make disclosure to comply with the requirements of
applicable law or stock exchange rules. If any such press release or
like public statement is so required, the party making such disclosure shall
consult with the other party prior to making such disclosure, and the parties
shall use all reasonable efforts, acting in good faith, to agree upon a text for
such disclosure that is reasonably satisfactory to all parties.
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SECTION
14. Adjustments for Stock
Splits. The parties acknowledge and agree that all share
related numbers contained in this Agreement shall be adjusted to take into
account any stock split effected with respect to the Shares.
SECTION
15. Entire
Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and
supersedes all other prior and contemporaneous agreements and undertakings, both
written and oral, among the parties hereto with regard to the subject matter
hereof.
SECTION
16. Counterparts. This
Agreement may be signed by the parties in one or more counterparts which
together shall constitute one and the same agreement among the
parties.
SECTION
17. Law;
Construction. This Agreement and any claim, counterclaim or
dispute of any kind or nature whatsoever arising out of or in any way relating
to this Agreement (“Claim”), directly or
indirectly, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal
laws of the State of New York.
SECTION
18. Headings. The
Section headings in this Agreement have been inserted as a matter of convenience
of reference and are not a part of this Agreement.
SECTION
19. Submission to
Jurisdiction. Except as set forth below, no Claim may be
commenced, prosecuted or continued in any court other than the courts of the
State of New York located in the City and County of New York or in the United
States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which courts shall
have jurisdiction over the adjudication of such matters, and the Company
consents to the jurisdiction of such courts and personal service with respect
thereto. The Company hereby consents to personal jurisdiction,
service and venue in any court in which any Claim arising out of or in any way
relating to this Agreement is brought by any third party against the Manager or
any indemnified party. Each of the Manager and the Company (on its
behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its
stockholders and affiliates) waives all right to trial by jury in any action,
proceeding or counterclaim (whether based upon contract, tort or otherwise) in
any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The Company
agrees that a final judgment in any such action, proceeding or counterclaim
brought in any such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and
may be enforced in any other courts to the jurisdiction of which the Company is
or may be subject, by suit upon such judgment.
SECTION
20. Successors and
Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Manager and
the Company and their successors and assigns and any successor or assign of any
substantial portion of the Company’s and the Manager’s respective businesses
and/or assets.
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SECTION
21. Miscellaneous. The
Manager, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of UBS AG, is not a bank and is
separate from any affiliated bank, including any U.S. branch or agency of UBS
AG. Because the Manager is a separately incorporated entity, it is
solely responsible for its own contractual obligations and commitments,
including obligations with respect to sales and purchases of
securities. Securities sold, offered or recommended by the Manager
are not deposits, are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,
are not guaranteed by a branch or agency, and are not otherwise an obligation or
responsibility of a branch or agency.
Lending
affiliates of the Manager have or may in the future have lending relationships
with issuers of securities underwritten or privately placed by the
Manager. Prospectuses and other disclosure documents for securities
underwritten or privately placed by the Manager may disclose the existence of
any such lending relationships and whether the proceeds of the issue may be used
to repay debts owed to affiliates of the Manager.
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If the
foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and the
Manager, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose,
whereupon this Agreement and your acceptance shall constitute a binding
agreement between the Company and the Manager. Alternatively, the
execution of this Agreement by the Company and its acceptance by or on behalf of
the Manager may be evidenced by an exchange of telegraphic or other written
communications.
Very truly yours, | |||
By:
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Name:
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Title:
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ACCEPTED
as of the date
first
above written
UBS
SECURITIES LLC
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By:
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__________________________________ |
Name:
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Title:
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UBS
SECURITIES LLC
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By:
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__________________________________ |
Name:
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Title:
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