LONG TERM INCENTIVE PLAN UNIT VESTING AGREEMENT Under the American Residential Properties, Inc.
Exhibit 10.15
LONG TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
UNIT VESTING AGREEMENT
Under the American Residential Properties, Inc.
2012 Equity Incentive Plan
Name of Grantee: | Xxxx Xxxxxx | |
Number of LTIP Units: | 11,500 | |
Grant Date (Closing Date): | November 7, 2012 | |
Final Acceptance Date: | November 7, 2012 |
Pursuant to the American Residential Properties, Inc. 2012 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), as amended through the date hereof, and the Agreement of Limited Partnership, dated as of the Closing Date (as defined below) (the “Partnership Agreement”), of American Residential Properties OP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“ARP OP”), American Residential Properties, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”) and the sole member of American Residential GP, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, the general partner of ARP OP (the “General Partner”), and for the provision of services to or for the benefit of ARP OP in a partner capacity or in anticipation of being a partner, hereby grants to the Grantee named above an Other Equity-Based Award (as defined in the Plan) (an “Award”) in the form of, and by causing ARP OP to issue to the Grantee named above, the number of LTIP Units specified above having the rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption and conversion set forth herein and in the Partnership Agreement. Upon acceptance of this Long Term Incentive Plan Unit Vesting Agreement (this “Agreement”), the Grantee shall receive, effective as of the Closing Date, the number of LTIP Units specified above, subject to the restrictions and conditions set forth herein and in the Partnership Agreement. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Partnership Agreement, attached hereto as Annex A, or the Plan, as applicable, unless a different meaning is specified herein.
1. Acceptance of Agreement. The Grantee shall have no rights with respect to this Agreement unless he or she shall have accepted this Agreement prior to the close of business on the Final Acceptance Date specified above by (i) signing and delivering to ARP OP a copy of this Agreement and (ii) unless the Grantee is already a Limited Partner, signing, as a Limited Partner, and delivering to ARP OP a counterpart signature page to the Partnership Agreement. Upon acceptance of this Agreement by the Grantee, the Partnership Agreement shall be amended to reflect the issuance to the Grantee of the LTIP Units so accepted, effective as of the Closing Date. Thereupon, the Grantee shall have all the rights of a Limited Partner with respect to the number of LTIP Units specified above, as set forth in the Partnership Agreement, subject, however, to the restrictions and conditions specified in Section 2 below.
2. Restrictions and Conditions.
(a) The records of ARP OP evidencing the LTIP Units granted herein shall bear an appropriate legend, as determined by ARP OP in its sole discretion, to the effect that such LTIP Units are subject to restrictions as set forth herein and in the Partnership Agreement.
(b) LTIP Units granted herein may not be sold, transferred, pledged, exchanged, hypothecated or otherwise disposed of by the Grantee prior to vesting.
(c) Subject to the provisions of Section 4 below, any LTIP Units (and the proportionate amount of the Grantee’s Capital Account balance attributable to such LTIP Units) subject to this Award that have not become vested on or before the date that the Grantee’s employment with the Company and its Affiliates (as defined in the Plan) terminates shall be forfeited as of the date that such employment terminates.
3. Vesting of LTIP Units. The restrictions and conditions in Sections 2(b) and 2(c) of this Agreement shall lapse with respect to the LTIP Units granted herein in the amounts and on the Vesting Dates specified below:
Number of LTIP Units Vested |
Vesting Dates | |
3,833.34 | November 7, 2013 | |
3,833.34 | November 7, 2014 | |
3,833.32 | November 7, 2015 |
4. Acceleration of Vesting in Special Circumstances. All LTIP Units granted herein shall automatically become fully vested on the date specified below if the Grantee remains in the continuous employ of the Company or an Affiliate from the Closing Date until such date:
(a) the date that the Grantee’s employment with the Company and its Affiliates ends on account of the Grantee’s termination of employment by the Company without Cause (as defined below); provided that the Grantee signs the general release of claims in favor of the Company in the form set forth in Attachment A and the general release becomes irrevocably effective not later than 45 days after the date of the termination event;
(b) the date that the Grantee’s employment ends on account of the Grantee’s death or total and permanent disability (as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)); or
(c) on the date of a Change in Control (as defined in the Plan).
For purposes of the Award, the term “Cause” means the termination of the Grantee’s employment on account of (i) the Grantee’s conviction of (or pleading guilty or nolo contendere to) a felony or crime involving moral turpitude or (ii) an act or failure to act by the Grantee which in either case constitutes fraud involving assets of the Company, dishonesty involving assets of the Company or that is significantly detrimental to the business reputation of the Company.
5. Merger-Related Action. In contemplation of and subject to the consummation of a consolidation or merger or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in which outstanding common stock are exchanged for securities, cash, or other property of an unrelated corporation or business entity or in the event of a liquidation of the Company (in each case, a “Transaction”), the Board of Directors of the Company, or the board of trustees or directors of any corporation assuming the obligations of the Company (the “Acquiror”), may, in its discretion, take any one or more of the following actions, as to the outstanding LTIP Units subject to this Award: (i) provide that such LTIP Units shall be assumed or equivalent awards shall be substituted, by the acquiring or succeeding entity (or an affiliate thereof), and/or (ii) upon prior written notice to the LTIP Unitholders (as defined in the Partnership Agreement) of not less than 30 days, provide that such LTIP Units shall terminate immediately prior to the consummation of the Transaction. The right to take such actions (each, a “Merger-Related Action”) shall be subject to the following limitations and qualifications:
(a) if all LTIP Units awarded to the Grantee hereunder are eligible, as of the time of the Merger-Related Action, for conversion into Common Units (as defined in and in accordance with the Partnership Agreement) and the Grantee is afforded the opportunity to effect such conversion and receive, in consideration for the Common Units into which his LTIP Units shall have been converted, the same kind and amount of consideration as other holders of Common Units in connection with the Transaction, then Merger-Related Action of the kind specified in (i) or (ii) above shall be permitted and available to the Company and the Acquiror;
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(b) if some or all of the LTIP Units awarded to the Grantee hereunder are not, as of the time of the Merger-Related Action, so eligible for conversion into Common Units (in accordance with the Partnership Agreement), and the acquiring or succeeding entity is itself, or has a subsidiary which is organized as a partnership or limited liability company (consisting of a so-called “UPREIT” or other structure substantially similar in purpose or effect to that of the Company and ARP OP), then Merger-Related Action of the kind specified in clause (i) of this Section 5 above must be taken by the Acquiror with respect to all LTIP Units subject to this Award which are not so convertible at the time, whereby all such LTIP Units covered by this Award shall be assumed by the acquiring or succeeding entity, or equivalent awards shall be substituted by the acquiring or succeeding entity, and the acquiring or succeeding entity shall preserve with respect to the assumed LTIP Units or any securities to be substituted for such LTIP Units, as far as reasonably possible under the circumstances, the distribution, special allocation, conversion and other rights set forth in the Partnership Agreement for the benefit of the LTIP Unitholders; and
(c) if some or all of the LTIP Units awarded to the Grantee hereunder are not, as of the time of the Merger-Related Action, so eligible for conversion into Common Units (in accordance with the Partnership Agreement), and after exercise of reasonable commercial efforts the Company or the Acquiror is unable to treat the LTIP Units in accordance with Section 5(b), then Merger-Related Action of the kind specified in clause (ii) of this Section 5 above must be taken by the Company or the Acquiror, in which case such action shall be subject to a provision that the settlement of the terminated award of LTIP Units which are not convertible into Common Units requires a payment of the same kind and amount of consideration payable in connection with the Transaction to a holder of the number of Common Units into which the LTIP Units to be terminated could be converted or, if greater, the consideration payable to holders of the number of common shares into which such Common Units could be exchanged (including the right to make elections as to the type of consideration) if the Transaction were of a nature that permitted a revaluation of the Grantee’s capital account balance under the terms of the Partnership Agreement, as determined by the Committee in good faith in accordance with the Plan.
6. Distributions. Distributions on the LTIP Units shall be paid currently to the Grantee in accordance with the terms of the Partnership Agreement. The right to distributions set forth in this Section 6 shall be deemed a Dividend Equivalent Right for purposes of the Plan.
7. Incorporation of Plan. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Award shall be subject to all of the terms and conditions of the Plan and the Partnership Agreement.
8. Covenants. The Grantee hereby covenants as follows:
(a) So long as the Grantee holds any LTIP Units, the Grantee shall disclose to ARP OP in writing such information as may be reasonably requested with respect to ownership of LTIP Units as ARP OP may deem reasonably necessary to ascertain and to establish compliance with provisions of the Code applicable to ARP OP or to comply with requirements of any other appropriate taxing authority.
(b) The Grantee hereby agrees to make an election under Section 83(b) of the Code with respect to the LTIP Units awarded hereunder, and the Company hereby consents thereto. The Grantee has delivered with this Agreement a completed, executed copy of the election form attached hereto as Annex B. The Grantee agrees to file the election (or to permit ARP OP to file such election on the Grantee’s behalf) within thirty (30) days after the Closing Date with the IRS Service Center at which such Grantee files his personal income tax returns, and to file a copy of such election with the Grantee’s U.S. federal income tax return for the taxable year in which the LTIP Units are awarded to the Grantee.
(c) The Grantee hereby agrees that it does not have the intention to dispose of the LTIP Units subject to this Award within two years of receipt of such LTIP Units. ARP OP and the Grantee hereby agree to treat the Grantee as the owner of the LTIP Units from the Grant Date. The Grantee hereby agrees to take into account the distributive share of ARP OP income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit associated with the LTIP Units in computing the Grantee’s income tax liability for the entire period during which the Grantee has the LTIP Units.
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(d) The Grantee hereby recognizes that the IRS has proposed regulations under Sections 83 and 704 of the Code that may affect the proper treatment of the LTIP Units for federal tax purposes. In the event that those proposed regulations are finalized, the Grantee hereby agrees to cooperate with ARP OP in amending this Agreement and the Partnership Agreement, and to take such other action as may be required, to conform to such regulations.
(e) The Grantee hereby recognizes that the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that would change the federal tax consequences of owning and disposing of LTIP Units.
9. Transferability. This Agreement is personal to the Grantee, is non-assignable and is not transferable in any manner, by operation of law or otherwise, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, without the prior written consent of the Company.
10. Amendment. The Grantee acknowledges that the Plan may be amended or canceled or terminated in accordance with Article XVI thereof and that this Agreement may be amended or cancelled by the Committee, on behalf of ARP OP, for the purpose of satisfying changes in law or for any other lawful purpose, provided that no such action shall adversely affect the Grantee’s rights under this Agreement without the Grantee’s written consent. The provisions of Section 5 of this Agreement applicable to the termination of the LTIP Units covered by this Award in connection with a Transaction (as defined in Section 5 of this Agreement) shall apply, mutatis mutandi to amendments, discontinuance or cancellation pursuant to this Section 10 or the Plan.
11. No Obligation to Continue Employment. Neither the Company nor any affiliate of the Company is obligated by or as a result of the Plan or this Agreement to continue the Grantee in employment and neither the Plan nor this Agreement shall interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to terminate the employment of the Grantee at any time.
12. Notices. Notices hereunder shall be mailed or delivered to ARP OP at its principal place of business and shall be mailed or delivered to the Grantee at the address on file with ARP OP or, in either case, at such other address as one party may subsequently furnish to the other party in writing.
13. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, applied without regard to conflict of law principles. The parties agree that any action or proceeding arising directly, indirectly or otherwise in connection with, out of , related to or from this Agreement, any breach hereof or any action covered hereby, shall be resolved within the State of Delaware and the parties hereto consent and submit to the jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located within the City of Phoenix, Arizona. The parties hereto further agree that any such action or proceeding brought by either party to enforce any right, assert any claim, obtain any relief whatsoever in connection with this Agreement shall be brought by such party exclusively in federal or state courts located within the City of Phoenix, Arizona.
14. Closing Date. As used herein, “Closing Date” shall mean the date of the closing of issuance of common stock of the Company pursuant to the initial offering and placement transaction between the Company and FBR Capital Markets & Co.
[Signatures appear on following page.]
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AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES, INC. | ||||
a Maryland corporation | ||||
/s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx | ||||
Name: | Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |||
Title: | CEO and Chairman | |||
Date: | November 7, 2012 | |||
AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES OP, L.P. | ||||
a Delaware limited partnership | ||||
By: | AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL GP, LLC | |||
its general partner | ||||
By: | AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES, INC. | |||
its sole member | ||||
/s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx | ||||
Name: | Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |||
Title: | CEO and Chairman | |||
Date: | November 7, 2012 |
The foregoing agreement is hereby accepted and the terms and conditions thereof hereby agreed to by the Grantee.
Date: November 7, 2012 | /s/ Xxxx Xxxxxx | |
Grantee’s Signature | ||
Grantee’s name and address: | ||
Name: Xxxx Xxxxxx | ||
Address: | ||
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[Signature page to LTIP Unit Vesting Agreement – key employees]
ANNEX A
FORM OF LIMITED PARTNER SIGNATURE PAGE
The Grantee desiring to become one of the within named Partners of American Residential Properties OP, L.P. (“ARP OP”), hereby becomes a party to the Agreement of Limited Partnership (the “Partnership Agreement”) of ARP OP, by and among American Residential GP, LLC, as general partner (the “General Partner”), and the Limited Partners, effective as of the Closing Date (as defined in the Long Term Incentive Plan Unit Vesting Agreement, dated November 7, 2012, among the Grantee, ARP OP and the General Partner). The Grantee agrees to be bound by the Partnership Agreement. The Grantee also agrees that this signature page may be attached to, and hereby authorizes the General Partner to attach this signature page to, any counterpart of the Partnership Agreement.
Date: November 7, 2012 | /s/ Xxxx Xxxxxx | |
Signature of Limited Partner | ||
Limited Partner’s name and address: | ||
Name: Xxxx Xxxxxx | ||
Address: | ||
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ATTACHMENT “A”
to
AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES, INC.
LONG TERM INCENTIVE PLAN UNIT VESTING AGREEMENT
Xxxx Xxxxxx
General Release of Claims
Consistent with Section 4 of the Long Term Incentive Plan Unit Vesting Agreement dated November 7, 2012, among AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES, INC. (the “Company”), AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES OP, L.P. and me (the “LTIP Unit Vesting Agreement”) and in consideration for and contingent upon my receipt of the accelerated vesting of LTIP Units set forth in Section 4(a) of the LTIP Unit Vesting Agreement, I, for myself, my attorneys, heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns, do hereby fully and forever release and discharge the Company and its Affiliates (as defined in the American Residential Properties, Inc. 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended through the date hereof (the “Plan”)), as well as their predecessors, successors, assigns, and their current or former directors, officers, partners, agents, employees, attorneys, and administrators from all suits, causes of action, and/or claims, demands or entitlements of any nature whatsoever, whether known, unknown, or unforeseen, which I have or may have against any of them arising out of or in connection with my employment by the Company, the LTIP Unit Vesting Agreement, the termination of my employment with the Company, or any event, transaction, or matter occurring or existing on or before the date of my signing of this General Release, except that I am not releasing any (a) right to indemnification that I may otherwise have, (b) right to salary and benefits under applicable benefit plans that are earned and accrued but unpaid as of the date of my signing this General Release, (c) right to reimbursement for business expenses incurred and not reimbursed as of the date of my signing this General Release, (d) right to any bonus payment(s) or other compensation due to me under the Plan or any subsequent equity incentive plan approved by the Board that is earned and accrued for the most recent completed calendar year for which a bonus payment has not then been paid as of the date of my signing this General Release, or (e) claims arising after the date of my signing this General Release. I agree not to file or otherwise institute any claim, demand or lawsuit seeking damages or other relief and not to otherwise assert any claims, demands or entitlements that are lawfully released herein. I further hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waive any and all rights to recover any relief or damages concerning the claims, demands or entitlements that are lawfully released herein. I represent and warrant that I have not previously filed or joined in any such claims, demands or entitlements against the Company or the other persons released herein and that I will indemnify and hold them harmless from all liabilities, claims, demands, costs, expenses and/or attorneys’ fees incurred as a result of any such claims, demands or lawsuits.
Except as otherwise expressly provided above, this General Release specifically includes, but is not limited to, all claims of breach of contract, employment discrimination (including any claims coming within the scope of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and any comparable Arizona law, all as amended, or any other applicable federal, state, or local law), claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, as amended, claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended (or any other applicable federal, state or local statute relating to payment of wages), claims concerning recruitment, hiring, termination, salary rate, severance pay, stock options, wages or benefits due, sick leave, holiday pay, vacation pay, life insurance, group medical insurance, any other fringe benefits, worker’s compensation, termination, employment status, libel, slander, defamation, intentional or negligent misrepresentation and/or infliction of emotional distress, together with any and all tort, contract, or other claims which might have been asserted by me or on my behalf in any suit, charge of discrimination, or claim against the Company or the persons released herein.
I acknowledge that I have been given an opportunity of twenty-one (21) days to consider this General Release and that I have been encouraged by the Company to discuss fully the terms of this General Release with legal counsel of my own choosing. Moreover, for a period of seven (7) days following my execution of this General Release, I shall have the right to revoke the waiver of claims arising under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, a federal statute that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees who are age 40 or over. If I elect to revoke this General Release within this seven-day period, I must inform the Company by delivering a written notice of revocation to the Company’s Director of Human Resources or employee of the Company authorized to perform such function, no later than 11:59 p.m. on the seventh calendar day after I sign this General Release. I understand that, if I elect to exercise this revocation right, this General Release shall be voided in its entirety and the Company shall be relieved of all obligations to permit the acceleration of vesting of LTIP Units pursuant to Section 4(a) of the LTIP Unit Vesting Agreement. I may, if I wish, elect to sign this General Release prior to the expiration of the 21-day consideration period, and I agree that if I elect to do so, my election is made freely and voluntarily and after having an opportunity to consult counsel.
AGREED:
[Form of Agreement Only – Do Not Execute]
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