COMMON STOCK PARAMOUNT GOLD AND SILVER CORP. UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
COMMON
STOCK
PARAMOUNT
GOLD AND SILVER CORP.
October
8, 2009
XXXXXXX
XXXX & COMPANY, LLC
BLACKMONT
CAPITAL INC.
c/o
Xxxxxxx Xxxx & Company, LLC
000 Xxxx
00xx
Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000
Ladies/Gentlemen:
Paramount
Gold and Silver Corp., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of
Delaware (the "Company"), proposes,
subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the
several underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the "Underwriters") an
aggregate of 16,000,000 shares (the "Firm Shares") of its
common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the "Common Stock"), and,
for the sole purpose of covering over-allotments in connection with the sale of
the Firm Shares, at the option of the Underwriters, up to an additional
2,400,000 shares
(the "Additional
Shares") of Common Stock. The Firm Shares and any Additional
Shares purchased by the Underwriters are referred to herein as the "Shares". Xxxxxxx
Xxxx & Company, LLC is acting as lead manager (the "Lead Manager") in
connection with the offering and sale of the Shares contemplated herein (the
"Offering").
The
Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of
the Shares in the United States and in the Province of Ontario, Canada, either
directly or through their respective U.S. or Canadian broker-dealer affiliates
upon the terms set forth in the Prospectuses (as defined below) as soon as the
Underwriters deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and
delivered.
1. Representations and
Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants
to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:
(a) The
Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") a shelf
registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-153104) relating to the offer and
sale, from time to time, of up to $80,000,000 of the Company's Common
Stock and Common Stock purchase warrants (the initial filing and all
pre-effective amendments thereto collectively being referred to as the "Initial Registration
Statement"); and such Initial Registration Statement, and any
post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form previously delivered to you,
have been declared effective by the Commission in such form (the base
prospectus filed as part of the Initial Registration Statement, in the form in
which it has been most recently filed with the Commission on or prior to the
date of this Agreement, the "U.S. Base
Prospectus"). All conditions for
use of Form S-3 to register the distribution of the Shares under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"),
have been satisfied. The various parts of the Initial Registration
Statement, including all exhibits thereto and including any information in a
prospectus or prospectus supplement relating to the Shares that is filed with
the Commission and deemed or retroactively deemed by virtue of Rule 430B under
the Securities Act to be a part of such registration statement, each as amended
at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective
under the Securities Act with respect to the Underwriters, are hereafter
collectively referred to as the "Registration
Statement." Any reference to any amendment to the Registration
Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the
Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), after
the effective date of the Initial Registration Statement that is incorporated by
reference therein. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Initial Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has been
issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by
the Commission. The prospectus supplement relating to the Shares, in
the form first filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the
Securities Act, which includes the pricing information omitted from the U.S.
Pricing Prospectus (as defined below), is hereafter referred to as the "U.S.
Prospectus". Any preliminary prospectus supplement relating to
the Shares filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities
Act is hereafter referred to as a "U.S. Preliminary Prospectus
Supplement"; and the U.S. Preliminary Prospectus Supplement relating to
the Shares, as amended or supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time
(as defined below), is hereafter referred to as the "U.S. Pricing
Prospectus".
(b) The
Company is qualified to file a MJDS (as defined below) shelf prospectus pursuant
to the MJDS and has prepared and filed a preliminary MJDS shelf prospectus dated
September 11, 2009 (the "Canadian Preliminary Base
Shelf Prospectus") and a final MJDS shelf prospectus dated September
28, 2009 (the "Canadian Final Base
Shelf
Prospectus") providing for the offer and sale, from time to time, of up
to $80,000,000 of the Company's Common Stock and Common Stock purchase
warrants with the Ontario Securities Commission (the "Canadian Qualifying
Authority"); and a prospectus
receipt (a "Receipt") has
been issued by the Canadian Qualifying Authority pursuant to the Securities Act (Ontario) for
each of the Canadian Preliminary Base Shelf Prospectus and the Canadian Final
Base Shelf Prospectus. The term "Canadian Base
Prospectus" means the Canadian Final Base Shelf Prospectus, including
documents incorporated therein by reference, filed in accordance with the
multi-jurisdictional disclosure system described in National Instrument 71-101 –
The Multijurisdictional Disclosure System of the Canadian Securities
Administrators, as amended (the "MJDS"), the rules and
procedures established under all applicable securities laws in the Province of
Ontario and the respective regulations and rules under such laws together with
applicable published policy statements and instruments of the Canadian
Qualifying Authority (collectively, "Canadian Securities
Laws"). Any preliminary prospectus filed with the Canadian
Qualifying Authority under the MJDS relating to the Offering is hereinafter
referred to as a "Canadian Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement". The term "Canadian Pricing
Prospectus" means the Canadian Preliminary Prospectus Supplement relating
to the Offering, which excluded certain pricing information, filed with the
Canadian Qualifying Authority in accordance with the MJDS on October 5, 2009,
together with the Canadian Base Prospectus, including all documents incorporated
therein by reference. The term "Canadian Prospectus"
means the prospectus supplement (the "Canadian Prospectus
Supplement") relating to the Offering, which includes the pricing
information omitted from the Canadian Pricing Prospectus, to be dated the date
hereof and filed with the Canadian Qualifying Authority in accordance with the
MJDS, together with the Canadian Base Prospectus, including all documents
incorporated therein by reference. No order suspending the
distribution of the Shares or any other securities of the Company or preventing
or suspending the use of the Canadian Base Prospectus or any Canadian
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement has been issued by the Canadian Qualifying
Authority and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are
pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Canadian
Qualifying Authority, and any request on the part of the Canadian Qualifying
Authority for additional information has been complied with.
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All
references in this Agreement to the Canadian Preliminary Base Shelf Prospectus,
the Canadian Final Base Shelf Prospectus, any Canadian Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement and the Canadian Prospectus Supplement, or any amendments
or supplements to any of the foregoing, shall be deemed to include any copy
thereof filed with the Canadian Qualifying Authority pursuant to the System for
Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR).
Any
"issuer free writing prospectus" (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities
Act) relating to the Shares is hereafter referred to as an "Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus"; and the U.S. Pricing Prospectus, as supplemented by the
Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, and the information listed in Annex V
hereto, taken together, are hereafter referred to collectively as the "Pricing Disclosure
Package". Any reference herein to any U.S. Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement, the U.S. Base Prospectus, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus or
the U.S. Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents
incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 that were
filed under the Exchange Act on or before the date of such U.S. Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement, U.S. Base Prospectus, U.S. Pricing Prospectus or the U.S.
Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference herein to any "amendment" or
"supplement" with respect to any U.S. Preliminary Prospectus Supplement or the
U.S. Base Prospectus, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus or the U.S. Prospectus shall
be deemed to refer to and include (i) the filing of any document under the
Exchange Act after the date of such U.S. Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, U.S.
Base Prospectus, U.S. Pricing Prospectus or the U.S. Prospectus, as the case may
be, which is incorporated therein by reference and (ii) any such document so
filed.
As used
herein, "Base
Prospectuses" shall mean, collectively, the Canadian Base Prospectus and
the U.S. Base Prospectus; "Pricing Prospectuses"
shall mean, collectively, the Canadian Pricing Prospectus and the U.S. Pricing
Prospectus; and "Prospectuses" shall
mean, collectively, the Canadian Prospectus and the U.S.
Prospectus.
The
Company was not an "ineligible issuer" (as defined in Rule 405 under the
Securities Act) as of the eligibility determination date for purposes of Rules
164 and 433 under the Securities Act with respect to the Offering contemplated
hereby.
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All
references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any U.S. Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement, the U.S. Base Prospectus, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus,
the U.S. Prospectus, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any amendments or
supplements to any of the foregoing, shall be deemed to include any copy thereof
filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis
and Retrieval System (XXXXX).
(c) The
Registration Statement complies, and the U.S. Prospectus and any further
amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the U.S. Prospectus
will comply, in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the
Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the
"Rules and
Regulations"); the Registration Statement does not and will not, as of
the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement and
any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; the U.S.
Prospectus and any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, as of the time of
filing thereof, as of the Closing Date (as defined below) and as of the
Additional Closing Date (as defined below), if any, will not contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided,
however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any
information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the U.S.
Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto in reliance upon and
in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on
behalf of any Underwriter through the Lead Manager specifically for use
therein. The parties hereto agree that such information provided by
or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Lead Manager consists solely of the
material referred to in Section 16 hereof.
(d) The
Canadian Base Prospectus and the Canadian Pricing Prospectus complied, and the
Canadian Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements thereto will
comply, in all material respects with the applicable requirements of Canadian
Securities Laws; the Canadian Pricing Prospectus, as of the time of filing
thereof, did not, and the Canadian Prospectus and any further amendments or
supplements thereto will not, as of the time of filing thereof and through the
Closing Date and the Additional Closing Date, if any, include any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact that is required
to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not false or misleading; and the
Canadian Pricing Prospectus, as of the time of filing thereof, constituted, and
the Canadian Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements thereto will,
as of the time of filing thereof and through the Closing Date and the Additional
Closing Date, if any, constitute, full, true and plain disclosure of all
material facts relating to the Shares and to the Company; provided, however,
that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any information
contained in or omitted from the Canadian Pricing Prospectus or the Canadian
Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto in reliance upon and
in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on
behalf of any Underwriter through the Lead Manager specifically for use
therein. The parties hereto agree that such information provided by
or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Lead Manager consists solely of the
material referred to in Section 16 hereof.
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(e) No
order preventing or suspending the use of any U.S. Preliminary Prospectus, the
U.S. Base Prospectus, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each U.S. Preliminary
Prospectus Supplement and the U.S. Pricing Prospectus, at the time of
filing thereof, complied in all material respects with the applicable provisions
of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations, and did 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, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however,
that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any information
contained in or omitted from any U.S. Preliminary Prospectus Supplement
or the U.S. Pricing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with
information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any
Underwriter through the Lead Manager specifically for use
therein. The parties hereto agree that such information provided by
or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Lead Manager consists solely of
the material referred to in Section 16 hereof.
(f) For
purposes of this Agreement, the "Applicable Time" is
5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on October 8, 2009. The Pricing
Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, did not, and from the Applicable
Time through the Closing Date and the Additional Closing Date, if any, will 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, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complies in all
material respects with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the
Rules and Regulations, and does not include information that conflicts with the
information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses or
the Prospectuses, and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and
taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time,
did 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, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading. No representation and warranty is made in this Section
1(f) with respect to any information contained in or omitted from the Pricing
Disclosure Package or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in
conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf
of any Underwriter through the Lead Manager specifically for use
therein. The parties hereto agree that such information provided by
or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Lead Manager consists solely of
the material referred to in Section 16 hereof.
(g) The
documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, at the time they were or hereafter are filed
with the Commission or the Canadian Qualifying Authority, as applicable,
complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the Rules and Regulations and Canadian
Securities Laws, as applicable, and, when read together with the other
information in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, as applicable, do
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,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
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(h) HLB
Cinnamon Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx & Company, who have audited the consolidated
financial statements and supporting schedules and information of the Company and
its subsidiaries (each, a "Subsidiary" and,
collectively, the "Subsidiaries") that
are included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, and whose reports appear or are
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses are independent with respect to the
Company as required by Canadian Securities Laws and are independent registered
public accountants as required by the Securities Act, the Rules and Regulations,
and the Exchange Act.
(i) Subsequent
to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, except as disclosed in
the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, (i) the Company has not declared
or paid any dividends, or made any other distribution of any kind, on or in
respect of its capital stock, (ii) there has not been any material change in the
capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (iii)
neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has sustained any material loss or
interference with its business or properties from fire, explosion, flood,
hurricane, accident or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or
from any labor dispute or any legal or governmental proceeding, and (iv) there
has not been any material adverse change or any development reasonably likely to
result in a material adverse change, whether or not arising from transactions in
the ordinary course of business, in or affecting the business, management,
condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations, properties or
prospects of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a
whole. Since the date of the latest balance sheet included, or
incorporated by reference, in the Registration Statement, the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has
incurred or undertaken any liabilities or obligations, whether direct or
indirect, liquidated or contingent, matured or unmatured, or entered into any
transactions, including any acquisition or disposition of any business or asset,
which are material to the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except
for liabilities, obligations and transactions which are disclosed in the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses.
(j) 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.
(k) The
Company has an authorized and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, and all of the issued and outstanding
shares of capital stock of the Company are fully paid and non-assessable and
have been duly and validly authorized and issued, in compliance with all
applicable state, U.S. federal and Canadian securities laws and not in violation
of or subject to any preemptive or similar right that entitles any person to
acquire from the Company or any Subsidiary any Common Stock or other security of
the Company or any security convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable
for, Common Stock or any other such security (any "Relevant Security"),
except for such rights as may have been fully satisfied or waived prior to the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement. The Company's direct or
indirect percentage ownership of the shares of the Subsidiaries is accurately
disclosed in Exhibit A hereto. All of the issued shares of capital
stock of or other ownership interests in each Subsidiary have been duly and
validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and (except
for directors' qualifying shares and as otherwise set forth in the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses) are owned directly or indirectly by the
Company free and clear of any lien, charge, mortgage, pledge, security interest,
claim, equity, trust or other encumbrance, preferential arrangement, defect or
restriction of any kind whatsoever (any "Lien").
6
(l) The
Company has full power and authority (corporate or otherwise) to issue the
Shares and to perform its obligations hereunder. The Shares to be
delivered on the Closing Date and the Additional Closing Date, if any, have been
duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered in accordance with
this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and
non-assessable, will have been issued in
compliance with all applicable state, U.S. federal and Canadian securities laws
and will not have been issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive or
similar right that entitles any person to acquire any Relevant Security from the
Company. The Common Stock and the Shares conform to the descriptions
thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses. Except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses, the Company has no outstanding warrants, options to purchase,
or any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for or to purchase, or any
contracts or commitments to issue or sell, any Relevant
Security. Except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses, no holder of any Relevant Security has any rights to require
registration or qualification under the Securities Act or the Canadian
Securities Laws of any Relevant Security in connection with the offer and sale
of the Shares contemplated hereby, and any such rights so disclosed have either
been fully complied with by the Company or effectively waived by the holders
thereof.
(m) The Subsidiaries
listed in Exhibit A hereto are the only subsidiaries of the Company (within the
meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act). Each of the Company
and each Subsidiary has been duly organized and validly exists as a
corporation, partnership or limited liability company in good standing under the
laws of its jurisdiction of organization. Each of the Company and
each Subsidiary is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a
foreign corporation, partnership or limited liability company in each
jurisdiction in which the character or location of its properties (owned, leased
or licensed) or the nature or conduct of its business makes such qualification
necessary, except for those failures to be so qualified or in good standing
which (individually and in the aggregate) could not reasonably be expected to
have a material adverse effect on (i) the business, management, condition
(financial or otherwise), results of operations, properties or prospects of the
Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (ii) the ability of the
Company to consummate the Offering or any other transaction contemplated by this
Agreement (a "Material Adverse
Effect").
(n) The
Company and each Subsidiary has all requisite power and authority, and,
except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and
the Prospectuses, all necessary consents, approvals, authorizations, orders,
registrations, qualifications, licenses, filings and permits of, with and from
all judicial, regulatory and other legal or governmental agencies and bodies and
all third parties, U.S., Canadian or foreign (collectively, the "Consents"), to own,
lease and operate its properties and conduct its business as it is now being
conducted and as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, and each such Consent is valid and in full
force and effect, except in each case as could not reasonably be expected to
have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor
any Subsidiary has received notice of any investigation or proceedings
which, if decided adversely to the Company or any such Subsidiary, could
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect. The Company and the Subsidiaries are not aware of any pending
change or contemplated change to any applicable law or regulation or
governmental position that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect.
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(o) This
Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company.
(p) There
are no reports or information that in accordance with the requirements of
Canadian Securities Laws must be made publicly available in connection with the
Offering of the Shares that have not been made publicly available as required;
there are no documents required to be filed as of the date hereof with the
Canadian Qualifying Authority or with any other Canadian securities regulatory
authority in connection with the Offering of the Shares that have not been filed
as required; the Company has not filed any confidential material change reports
or similar confidential report with any Canadian securities regulatory authority
that is still maintained on a confidential basis.
(q) The
issue and sale of the Shares, the compliance by the Company with this Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated do not and will not
(i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and
provisions of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse
of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, or result in the creation
or imposition of any Lien upon any property or assets of the Company or any
Subsidiary pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement
or other agreement, instrument, franchise, license or permit to which the
Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which the Company or
any Subsidiary or their respective properties, operations or assets may be
bound or (ii) violate or conflict with any provision of the certificate or
articles of incorporation, by-laws, certificate of formation, limited liability
company agreement, partnership agreement or other organizational documents of
the Company or any Subsidiary, or (iii) violate or conflict with any statute,
law, rule, regulation, ordinance, directive, judgment, decree or order of any
judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body, domestic or
foreign, except (in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above) as could not
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(r) No
Consent of, with or from any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental
agency or body, domestic or foreign, is required for the execution, delivery and
performance of this Agreement or consummation of the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement, except the registration under the Securities Act of the
Shares and the qualification of the Shares for distribution in the Province of
Ontario as contemplated by this Agreement, necessary approvals of the Toronto
Stock Exchange (the "TSX") and the NYSE
Amex LLC ("NYSE
Amex") and any consents as may be required under state or foreign
securities or blue sky laws, or the by-laws and rules of the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA") in connection
with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the
Underwriters.
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(s) Except
as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses, there is no judicial, regulatory, arbitral or other legal or
governmental proceeding or other litigation or arbitration, U.S., Canadian or
foreign, pending to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or of which
any property, operations or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary is the
subject which, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the
Company or any Subsidiary, could reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect; to the Company's knowledge, no such proceeding, litigation or
arbitration is threatened or contemplated, which, individually or in the
aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any Subsidiary, could
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) The
consolidated financial statements, including the notes thereto, and the
supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses present fairly, in
all material respects, the financial position as of the dates indicated and the
cash flows and results of operations for the periods specified of the Company
and its consolidated Subsidiaries; except as otherwise stated in the
Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, said
consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United
States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis
throughout the periods involved and the supporting schedules included in the
Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses present
fairly, in all material respects, the information required to be stated
therein. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are
required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses by Canadian Securities Laws, the Securities
Act, the Exchange Act or the Rules and Regulations. The other
financial and statistical information included or incorporated by reference in
the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses,
including the selected consolidated financial data set forth under the captions
"Selected consolidated financial data" and "Capitalization" in the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, present fairly in all material respects the
information included therein and have been prepared on a basis consistent with
that of the financial statements that are included or incorporated by reference
in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses and
the books and records of the Company.
(u) There
has not been any reportable event (within the meaning of National Instrument
51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations of the Canadian Securities
Administrators) between the Company and its auditors.
(v) The
statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the
Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses is
based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith
believes are reliable and accurate in all material respects, and such data
agrees with the sources from which it is derived.
(w) The
Common Stock has been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange
Act. The Common Stock is listed on the TSX and the NYSE Amex, the
Company is not in default of any listing requirements of the TSX or the NYSE
Amex applicable to the Company, and the Company has taken no action designed to
terminate, or reasonably likely to have the effect of terminating, the
registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or designed to
de-list, or reasonably likely to have the effect of de-listing, the Common Stock
from the TSX or the NYSE Amex, nor has the Company received any notification
that the Commission, the Canadian Qualifying Authority, the TSX or the NYSE Amex
is contemplating terminating such registration or listing, as
applicable.
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(x) The
Company and its Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting and other
controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are
executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorizations,
(ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial
statements in conformity with United States 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 accounting for assets is compared with
existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with
respect to any differences. The books and records of the Company and
each of the Subsidiaries disclose all of their material financial transactions
and such transactions have been fairly and accurately recorded.
(y) The
Company maintains a system of internal control over financial reporting (as such
term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that complies with the
requirements of the Exchange Act and has been designed by the Company's
principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or under their
supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of
financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting
principles. The Company's and its Subsidiaries' internal control over financial
reporting is effective and the Company and its Subsidiaries are not aware of any
material weaknesses in their internal control over financial
reporting. Since the date of the latest audited consolidated financial
statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses there has been no change in the Company's internal control over
financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial
reporting.
(z) The
Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in
Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of
the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to
ensure that material information relating to the Company and its Subsidiaries is
made known to the Company's principal executive officer and principal financial
officer by others within those entities. Such disclosure controls and
procedures are effective.
(aa) There
is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of its directors or
officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects
with any provision of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 and the rules and
regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including, without limitation,
Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to
certifications. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is indebted
to any of its directors or officers, other than on account of directors fees or
expenses accrued but not paid, or to the best of its knowledge, to any of its
stockholders. The Company has not guaranteed or agreed to guarantee
any debt, liability or other obligation of any kind whatsoever of any person,
firm or corporation of any kind whatsoever other than of a
Subsidiary.
10
(bb) Neither
the Company nor any of its affiliates (within the meaning of Rule 144 under
the Securities Act) has taken, directly or indirectly, any action which
constitutes or is designed to cause or result in, or which could reasonably be
expected to constitute, cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of
the price of any security to facilitate the sale or resale of the
Shares.
(cc) Neither
the Company nor any of its affiliates (within the meaning of Rule 144 under
the Securities Act) has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any
securities which could be "integrated" (within the meaning of the Securities Act
and the Rules and Regulations) with the offer and sale of the Shares pursuant to
the Registration Statement.
(dd) The
statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses under the
caption "Description of Common Stock",
insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Common
Stock, under the caption "Underwriting", insofar as they purport to constitute a
summary of the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, and under the caption
"Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders",
insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws referred to
therein, and in the Canadian Pricing Prospectus and the Canadian Prospectus
under "Purchasers' Statutory Rights", insofar as they purport to describe the
provisions of the laws referred to therein, are accurate and fair in all
material respects.
(ee) The
Company is not registered and, upon consummation of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, and after giving effect to application of the
net proceeds of the Offering as described in the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses, will not be required to register as an "investment company" under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and is not and will not be an
entity "controlled" by an "investment company" within the meaning of such
act.
(ff) Except
as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, there are no
contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person that
would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for
a brokerage commission, finder's fee or other like payment in connection with
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(gg) Except
as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, neither the
Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) has any material lending or other
relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any of the Underwriters or
(ii) intends to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares hereunder to
repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any of the
Underwriters.
(hh) The
Company and each Subsidiary owns or leases all such properties as are
necessary to the conduct of its business as presently operated and as proposed
to be operated as described in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses. The Company
and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property and
good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them, in each case
free and clear of any and all Liens except such as are described in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses or such as do
not (individually or in the aggregate) materially affect the value of such
property or materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of
such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries; and any real property and
buildings held under lease or sublease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are
held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions
as are not material to, and do not materially interfere with, the use made and
proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and
the Subsidiaries. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received
any notice of any claim materially adverse to its ownership of any real or
personal property or of any claim against the continued possession of any real
property, whether owned or held under lease or sublease by the Company or
any Subsidiary.
11
(ii) All
interests in material mining claims, concessions, exploitation or extraction
rights or similar rights ("Mining Claims") that
are held by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are completely and
accurately described in all material respects in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses and are in good standing, are valid and enforceable, are free
and clear of any material liens or charges, and no material royalty is payable
in respect of any of them, except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses. Except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses, no other material property rights are necessary for the
conduct of the Company's business as described therein, and there are no
material restrictions on the ability of the Company and its Subsidiaries to use,
transfer or otherwise exploit any such property rights except as required by
applicable law and the Company does not know of any claim or basis for a claim
that may adversely affect the Company's or any Subsidiary's rights in any
material respect. Except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses, the Mining Claims held by the Company or its Subsidiaries
cover the properties required by the Company for the purposes described in the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses.
(jj) Except
as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, the information
relating to estimates by the Company of the measured, indicated and
inferred resources associated with its mineral property projects contained in
the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses has been prepared in all material
respects in accordance with National Instrument 43-101- Standards of Disclosure
for Mineral Projects ("NI
43-101"). The Company believes that all of the assumptions
underlying such resource estimates are reasonable and appropriate, and that
the projected results relating to its projects and summarized in the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses are achievable by the
Company. The Company has duly filed with the applicable regulatory
authorities all reports required by NI 43-101, and all such reports comply with
the requirements of such instrument in all material respects.
(kk) The
Company and the Subsidiaries maintain insurance in such amounts and
covering such risks as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses
in similar industries, all of which insurance is in full force and effect,
except where the failure to maintain such insurance could not reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. There are no material
claims by the Company or any Subsidiary under any such policy or instrument
as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a
reservation of rights clause. The Company reasonably believes that it
will be able to renew its existing insurance as and when such coverage expires
or will be able to obtain replacement insurance adequate for the conduct of the
business and the value of its properties at a cost that would not have a
Material Adverse Effect.
12
(ll) The
Company and each of its Subsidiaries has filed all applicable foreign, federal,
state and local tax returns that are required to be filed or has requested
extensions thereof (except in any case in which the failure so to file would not
have a Material Adverse Effect), and has paid all taxes required to be paid by
it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent
that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such assessment,
fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith or as would not
have a Material Adverse Effect.
(mm) There
are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under Canadian or U.S.
federal law or the laws of any state, province or any political subdivision
thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of
this Agreement or the issuance by the Company or sale by the Company of the
Shares.
(nn)
No dispute between the Company and any local, native or indigenous group exists
or, to the Company's knowledge, is threatened or imminent with respect to any of
the Company's properties or exploration activities that could reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(oo)
No labor disturbance by the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary
exists or, to the Company's knowledge, is imminent and the Company is not aware
of any existing or imminent labor disturbances by the employees of any of its or
any Subsidiary's principal suppliers, manufacturers, customers or contractors,
which, in either case (individually or in the aggregate), could reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(pp)
No "prohibited transaction" (as defined in either Section 406 of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations
and published interpretations thereunder ("ERISA"), or Section
4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time (the
"Code")), or
"accumulated funding deficiency" (as defined in Section 302 of ERISA) or other
event covered by Section 4043(b) of ERISA (other than events with respect to
which the 30-day notice requirement under Section 4043 of ERISA has been waived)
has occurred with respect to any employee benefit plan subject to ERISA or the
Code for which the Company or any Subsidiary would have any liability which
could (individually or in the aggregate) reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect; each employee benefit plan for which the Company or any
Subsidiary would have any liability is in compliance in all material respects
with applicable law, including (without limitation) ERISA and the Code; the
Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under Title IV
of ERISA with respect to the termination of, or withdrawal from, any "pension
plan" within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA; and each plan for which the
Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section
401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action
or by failure to act, which could cause the loss of such
qualification.
13
(qq) There
has been no storage, generation, transportation, handling, use, treatment,
disposal, discharge, emission, contamination, release or other activity
involving any kind of hazardous, toxic or other wastes, pollutants,
contaminants, petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances,
chemicals or materials ("Hazardous
Substances") by or on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary (or, to the
Company's knowledge, any other entity for whose acts or omissions the Company is
or may be liable) upon any property now or previously owned, operated, used or
leased by the Company or any Subsidiary which would be a violation of or give
rise to any liability under any applicable law, rule, regulation, order,
judgment, decree or permit, common law provision or other legally binding
standard relating to pollution or protection of human health and the environment
("Environmental
Law"), except for violations and liabilities which, individually or in
the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has agreed to assume,
undertake or provide indemnification for any liability of any other person under
any Environmental Law, including any obligation for cleanup or remedial action,
except as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to
have a Material Adverse Effect. There is no pending or, to the Company's
knowledge, threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial action, claim or
notice of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to
any Environmental Law against the Company or any Subsidiary which, individually
or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any Subsidiary,
could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is subject to any
order, decree, agreement or other individualized legal requirement related to
any Environmental Law, which, in any case (individually or in the aggregate),
could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(rr) In
the ordinary course of its business, the Company periodically reviews the effect
of Environmental Laws on the business, operations and properties of the Company
and its Subsidiaries, in the course of which it identifies and evaluates
associated costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or
operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure or remediation of
properties or compliance with Environmental Laws, or any permit, license or
approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential
liabilities to third parties). On the basis of such review, the
Company has reasonably concluded that such associated costs and liabilities so
far as they relate to matters known to the Company as of the date of this
Agreement would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(ss) None
of the Company, any Subsidiary or, to the Company's knowledge, any of its
employees or agents, has at any time during the last five years (i) made any
unlawful contribution to any candidate for non-United States office, or failed
to disclose fully any such contribution in violation of law, or (ii) made any
payment to any federal or state governmental officer or official, or other
person charged with similar public or quasi-public duties, other than payments
required or permitted by the laws of the United States of any jurisdiction
thereof. The operations of the Company and each Subsidiary are and
have been conducted at all times in material compliance with applicable
financial record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign
Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of
all applicable 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 involving the Company
or any Subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to
the best knowledge of the Company, threatened. Neither the Company
nor any Subsidiary nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer,
agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary 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, 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.
14
(tt) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary (i) is in violation of its certificate or
articles of incorporation, by-laws, certificate of formation, limited liability
company agreement, partnership agreement or other organizational documents, (ii)
is in default under, and no event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of
time or both, would constitute a default under or result in the creation or
imposition of any Lien upon any property or assets of the Company or
any Subsidiary pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan
agreement or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it
is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject, or (iii) is in
violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, directive, judgment,
decree or order of any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental
agency or body, U.S., Canadian or foreign, except (in the case of clauses (ii)
and (iii) above) for violations or defaults that could not (individually or in
the aggregate) reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(uu) The Company has
complied in all material respects with the requirements of Rule 433 under the
Securities Act with respect to each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus including,
without limitation, all prospectus delivery, filing, record retention and
legending requirements applicable to any such Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus. The Company has not (i) distributed any offering material
in connection with the Offering other than the Pricing Prospectuses, the
Prospectuses and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus set forth on Annex V hereto,
or (ii) filed, referred to, approved, used or authorized the use of any "free
writing prospectus" as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act with respect
to the Offering or the Shares, except for any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus set
forth in Annex V hereto and any electronic road
show previously approved by the Lead Manager.
(vv) The
Company is a reporting issuer in the Province of Ontario and is not in
default of any requirements of Canadian Securities Law.
(ww) Mellon
Investor Services LLC at its principal offices in the City of Denver, Colorado
is the duly appointed registrar and transfer agent of the Company with respect
to the Common Stock, and CIBC Mellon at its principal offices in the City of
Toronto, Ontario is the duly appointed co-transfer agent of the Company with
respect to the Common Stock.
(xx) The
minute books and corporate records of the Company and its Subsidiaries
contain true and correct copies of all minutes of all meetings and all
resolutions of the directors (and any committees of such directors) and
stockholders of the Company and its Subsidiaries as at the date hereof and
at the Closing Date will contain the minutes of all meetings and all resolutions
of the directors (and any committees of such directors) and stockholders of the
Company and its Subsidiaries.
15
(yy) Each
stock option granted under any stock option plan of the Company or any
Subsidiary (each, a "Stock Plan") was
granted with a per share exercise price no less than the fair market value per
share of Common Stock on the grant date of such option, and no such grant
involved any "back-dating," "forward-dating" or similar practice with
respect to the effective date of such grant; each such option (i) was granted in
material compliance with applicable law and with the applicable Stock Plan(s),
(ii) was duly approved by the board of directors (or a duly authorized committee
thereof) of the Company or such Subsidiary, as applicable, and (iii) has been
properly accounted for in the Company's financial statements and disclosed, to
the extent required, in the Company's filings or submissions with the Commission
and the Canadian Qualifying Authority.
Any
certificate signed by or on behalf of the Company and delivered to the Lead
Manager or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a
representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters
covered thereby.
2.
Purchase, Sale
and Delivery of the Shares.
(a) On
the basis of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements herein
contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company
agrees to sell to each Underwriter and each Underwriter, severally and not
jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, at a price of $1.25 per share, the
number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule I
hereto together with any additional number of Shares which such Underwriter may
become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 9 hereof. As
compensation for the services rendered to the Company by the Underwriters in
respect of the Offering, the Company will pay to the Underwriters a fee of
$0.08125 per share for Shares sold to the Underwriters under this Agreement,
payable on the Closing Date (as defined below), which may be netted against
payment from the Underwriters to the Company for the Firm Shares; provided that
no fee shall be payable by the Company to the Underwriters in connection with
any Shares purchased by FCMI Financial Corporation and its affiliates ("FCMI") in the
Offering.
(b) Payment
of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates representing, the Firm
Shares shall be made at the offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Xxxxxxx and
Xxxx LLP or at such
other place as shall be agreed upon by the Lead Manager and the Company, at 8:30
A.M., New York City time, on October 15, 2009, or such other time and date as
the Lead Manager and the Company may agree upon in writing (such time and date
of payment and delivery being herein called the "Closing
Date"). Delivery of certificates for the Firm Shares shall be
made to the Lead Manager through the facilities of The Depository Trust
Company for the
respective accounts of the several Underwriters against payment of the purchase
price for the Firm Shares by wire transfer in same day funds to or as directed
in writing by the Company. Certificates for the Firm Shares shall be
registered in such name or names and shall be in such denominations as the Lead
Manager may request.
16
(c) In
addition, on the basis of the representations, warranties, covenants and
agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set
forth, the Company hereby grants to the Underwriters, acting severally and not
jointly, the option to purchase up to 2,400,000 Additional Shares at the
same purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters for the Firm
Shares and at the same discount per share to be received by the
Underwriters as set forth in Section 2(a) above, for the sole purpose of
covering over-allotments in the sale of Firm Shares by the
Underwriters. This option may be exercised at any time and from time
to time, in whole or in part on one or more occasions, on or before the
thirtieth day following the date of this Agreement by written notice from the
Lead Manager to the Company. Such notice shall set forth the
aggregate number of Additional Shares as to which the option is being exercised
and the date and time, as reasonably determined by the Lead Manager, when the
Additional Shares are to be delivered (any such date and time being herein
sometimes referred to as the "Additional Closing
Date"); provided, however, that no Additional
Closing Date shall occur earlier than the Closing Date or earlier than the
second full business day after the date on which the option shall have been
exercised nor later than the eighth full business day after the date on which
the option shall have been exercised. Upon any exercise of the option
as to all or any portion of the Additional Shares, each Underwriter, acting
severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company the number of
Additional Shares that bears the same proportion of the total number of
Additional Shares then being purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth
opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto (or such number
increased as set forth in Section 9 hereof) bears to the total number of Firm
Shares that the Underwriters have agreed to purchase hereunder, subject,
however, to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Lead Manager
in its sole discretion shall make.
(d) Payment
of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates representing, the
Additional Shares shall be made at the office of Skadden, Arps, Slate,
Xxxxxxx and Xxxx LLP, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Lead
Manager and the Company, at 8:30 A.M., New York City time, on the Additional
Closing Date, or such other time as shall be agreed upon by the Lead Manager and
the Company. Delivery of certificates for the Additional Shares shall
be made to the Lead Manager through the facilities of The Depository Trust
Company for the
respective accounts of the several Underwriters against payment of the purchase
price for the Additional Shares by wire transfer in same day funds to or as
directed in writing by the Company. Certificates for the Additional
Shares shall be registered in such name or names and shall be in such
denominations as the Lead Manager may request.
3. Offering and Covenants of the
Underwriters. Upon authorization of the release of the Firm
Shares by the Lead Manager, the Underwriters propose to offer the Shares
for sale to the public upon the terms and conditions set forth in the
Prospectuses. Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, covenants and
agrees with the Company that such Underwriter will not use or refer to any "free
writing prospectus" (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) without
the prior written consent of the Company, except for any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus set forth in Annex V hereto and any electronic road show previously
approved by the Company. The Company and each Underwriter, severally
and not jointly, agrees that any such free writing prospectus, the use of which
has been consented to by the Company and the Underwriters, is listed in Annex V
hereto.
17
4. Covenants of the
Company. In addition to the other covenants and agreements of
the Company contained herein, the Company further covenants and agrees with each
of the Underwriters that:
(a) Prior
to the later of the last date on which an Additional Closing Date, if any,
may occur, and the termination of the Offering of the Shares, the Company will
not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement or amendment
to the Prospectuses unless the Company has furnished a copy to the Lead Manager
and its legal counsel for their review prior to filing and will not file
any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Lead Manager reasonably
objects. The Company will cause the Prospectuses, properly completed,
and any supplement thereto to be filed, each in a form reasonably acceptable to
the Lead Manager with the Canadian Qualifying Authority in accordance with the
MJDS (in the case of the Canadian Prospectus) and with the Commission (in
the case of the U.S. Prospectus) within the time period prescribed and will
provide evidence satisfactory to the Lead Manager of such timely filings. The
Company will promptly advise the Lead Manager (1) when the U.S. Prospectus and
any supplement thereto shall have been filed with the Commission, (2) when the
Canadian Prospectus shall have been filed with the Canadian Qualifying Authority
pursuant to the MJDS, (3) when, prior to termination of the Offering of the
Shares, any amendment to the Registration Statement or the Canadian Prospectus
shall have been filed or become effective or a Receipt in respect of any such
amendment has been issued, as the case may be, (4) of any request by the
Canadian Qualifying Authority or the Commission for any amendment of or
supplement to the Canadian Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the U.S.
Prospectus, as applicable, or for any additional information, (5) of the
Company's intention to file, or prepare any supplement or amendment to, the
Registration Statement, the Prospectuses or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus,
(6) of the time when any amendment to the Canadian Prospectus has been filed
with or receipted by the Canadian Qualifying Authority, or of the filing with or
mailing or the delivery to the Commission for filing of any amendment of or
supplement to the Registration Statement or the U.S. Prospectus, (7) of the
issuance by the Canadian Qualifying Authority or the Commission of any cease
trade order or any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Canadian
Prospectus or the Registration Statement, as applicable, or any post-effective
amendment thereto, or suspending the use of any Prospectuses or any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus or, in each case, of the initiation or, to the Company's
knowledge, threatening of any proceedings therefor, (8) of the receipt of any
comments or communications from the Canadian Qualifying Authority, the
Commission or any other regulatory authority relating to the Prospectuses, the
Registration Statement, or the listing of the Shares on the TSX or the NYSE
Amex, and (9) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to
the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for sale in any jurisdiction
or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for that
purpose. If the Canadian Qualifying Authority or the Commission shall
propose or enter a cease trade order or a stop order at any time, the Company
will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such cease trade order
or stop order and, if issued, to obtain the lifting of such order as soon as
possible.
(b) The
Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly after the date of
this Agreement, and in any event no later than 9:00 a.m. (New York City
time) on October 9, 2009, the U.S. Prospectus.
18
(c) The
Company will prepare and file with the Canadian Qualifying Authority, promptly
after the date of this Agreement, and in any event no later than 10:00
a.m. (New York City time) on October 9, 2009, and in conformity in all
material respects with applicable Canadian Securities Laws, the Canadian
Prospectus.
(d) If
at any time when a prospectus relating to the Shares (or, in lieu thereof, the
notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is required to be
delivered under the Securities Act, any event shall have occurred as a result of
which the Pricing Disclosure Package (prior to the availability of the U.S.
Prospectus) or the U.S. Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would, in the
judgment of the Underwriters or the Company, include an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances
existing at the time of delivery of such Pricing Disclosure Package or U.S.
Prospectus (or, in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the
Securities Act) to the purchaser, not misleading, or if to comply with the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the Rules and Regulations or Canadian
Securities Laws it shall be necessary at any time to amend or supplement the
Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectuses, the Registration Statement or the
Canadian Base Prospectus, or to file any document incorporated by reference in
the Registration Statement or the Prospectuses or in any amendment thereof or
supplement thereto, the Company will notify the Lead Manager promptly and
prepare and file with the Commission and the Canadian Qualifying Authority an
appropriate amendment, supplement or document (in form and substance
satisfactory to the Lead Manager) that will correct such statement or omission
or effect such compliance, and will use its best efforts to have any amendment
to the Registration Statement declared effective as soon as possible and/or
obtain a Receipt therefore as soon as possible. The Company, during
the period when a prospectus (or, in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in
Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is required to be delivered under the
Securities Act in connection with the offer or sale of the Shares, will file all
reports and other documents required to be filed by the Company with the
Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and
the rules and regulations thereunder, and with the Canadian Qualifying Authority
pursuant to Canadian Securities Laws, within the time periods required
thereby.
(e) The
Company will not, without the prior consent of the Lead Manager, (i) make any
offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a "free writing prospectus"
as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, except for any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus set forth in Annex V hereto and any electronic road
show previously approved by the Lead Manager, or (ii) file, refer to, approve,
use or authorize the use of any "free writing prospectus" as defined in Rule 405
under the Securities Act with respect to the Offering or the
Shares. If at any time any event shall have occurred as a result of
which any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would,
in the judgment of the Underwriters or the Company, conflict with the
information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses or the
Prospectuses as then amended or supplemented or would, in the judgment of the
Underwriters or the Company, include an untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances existing at the time
of delivery to the purchaser, not misleading, or if to comply with the
Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations it shall be necessary at any time to
amend or supplement any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Company will notify
the Lead Manager promptly and, if requested by the Lead Manager, prepare and
furnish without charge to each Underwriter an appropriate amendment or
supplement (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Lead Manager)
that will correct such statement, omission or conflict or effect such
compliance.
19
(f) The
Company will comply in all material respects with the requirements of Rule 433
with respect to each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus including, without
limitation, all prospectus delivery, filing, record retention and legending
requirements applicable to each such Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus.
(g) The
Company will promptly deliver to each of the Underwriters copies of the Canadian
Base Prospectus, the Canadian Pricing Prospectus and the Canadian Prospectus and
any amendment or supplement thereto, signed and certified as required by
Canadian Securities Laws, a copy of any other document required to be filed by
the Company in compliance with Canadian Securities Laws in connection with the
Offering, and a conformed copy of the Registration Statement, as initially filed
and all amendments thereto, including all consents and exhibits filed
therewith. The Company will promptly deliver to each of the
Underwriters such number of copies of the Pricing Prospectuses and all
amendments of and supplements to such documents, if any, as the Underwriters may
reasonably request. Prior to 10:00 A.M., New York time, on the
business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time
thereafter, the Company will furnish the Underwriters with copies of the
Final Prospectuses in New York City and in such other cities as the Underwriters
may reasonably request, in such quantities as the Underwriters may reasonably
request.
(h) Promptly
from time to time, the Company will use its reasonable best efforts, in
cooperation with the Lead Manager, to qualify the Shares for offering and sale
under the securities laws relating to the offering or sale of the Shares of such
jurisdictions, domestic or foreign, as the Lead Manager may designate and to
maintain such qualification in effect for so long as required for the
distribution thereof; except that in no event shall the Company be obligated in
connection therewith to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is
not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of
process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the
Shares, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject or require
registration of the Shares or require the Company to file a prospectus in such
jurisdiction or subject the Company to ongoing reporting requirements in such
jurisdiction.
(i) The
Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as
practicable, but in any event not later than twelve months after the effective
date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the
Securities Act), an earnings statement of the Company and the Subsidiaries
(which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act
and the Rules and Regulations.
20
(j) During
the period of 90 days from the date of the Prospectuses (the "Lock-Up Period"),
without the prior written consent of the Lead Manager, the Company (i) will not,
directly or indirectly, issue, offer, sell, agree to issue, offer or sell,
solicit offers to purchase, grant any call option, warrant or other right to
purchase, purchase any put option or other right to sell, pledge, borrow or
otherwise dispose of any Relevant Security, or make any public announcement of
any of the foregoing, (ii) will not establish or increase any "put equivalent
position" or liquidate or decrease any "call equivalent position" (in each case
within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the Rules and
Regulations) with respect to any Relevant Security, and (iii) will not otherwise
enter into any swap, derivative or other transaction or arrangement that
transfers to another, in whole or in part, any economic consequence of ownership
of a Relevant Security, whether or not such transaction is to be settled by
delivery of Relevant Securities, other securities, cash or other consideration;
and the Company will obtain an undertaking in substantially the form
of Annex IV hereto of each of
its officers and directors and FCMI, not to engage in any of the aforementioned
transactions on their own behalf, other than the sale of Shares as contemplated
by this Agreement and (i) the Company's issuance of Common Stock upon the
conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding on
the date hereof; (ii) the Company's issuance of Common Stock upon the exercise
of currently outstanding options; (iii) the Company's issuance of Common Stock
upon the exercise of currently outstanding warrants; (iv) the grant and
exercise of options under, or the issuance and sale of shares pursuant to,
employee stock option plans in effect on the date hereof, each as described in
the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses; and
(v) the Company's issuance of Common Stock to a seller in connection with the
acquisition by the Company of mineral properties or other entities engaged in
the mining business (including, without limitation, pursuant to an option
agreement, joint venture or asset purchase), provided that the aggregate number
of shares of Common Stock issued in connection with such transactions shall not
exceed 20% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding as of the Closing
Date. The Company will not file a prospectus under Canadian
Securities Laws or file a registration statement under the Securities Act in
connection with any transaction by the Company or any person that is prohibited
pursuant to the foregoing, except for registration statements on Form S-8
relating to employee benefit plans.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1)
during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period the Company issues an earnings
release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs; or
(2) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period the Company announces that it
will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day
of the Lock-Up Period, the restrictions imposed by the immediately preceding
paragraph shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period
beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the
material news or material event, as applicable, unless the Lead Manager waive,
in writing, such extension. The Company will provide the Lead
Manager, each officer and director of the Company and FCMI with prior notice of
any such announcement that gives rise to an extension of the Lock-Up
Period.
(k) The
Company will use its reasonable best efforts to maintain its status as a
reporting issuer not in default under Canadian Securities Laws.
(l) The
Company will use its reasonable best efforts to effect and maintain the listing
of the Shares on the TSX and the NYSE Amex.
(m) The
Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares as set forth
under the caption "Use of Proceeds" in the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses.
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(n) The
Company will not take, and will cause its affiliates (within the meaning of Rule
144 under the Securities Act) not to take, directly or indirectly, any action
which constitutes or is designed to cause or result in, or which could
reasonably be expected to constitute, cause or result in, the stabilization or
manipulation of the price of any security to facilitate the sale or resale of
the Shares.
(o) The
Company shall provide the Lead Manager with a draft of any press release to be
issued in connection with the Offering, and will provide the Lead Manager and
its counsel sufficient time to comment thereon and will issue such press
release in a form reasonably acceptable to the Lead Manager and its
counsel.
5. Payment of
Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectuses are consummated or
this Agreement is terminated, the Company hereby agrees to pay all costs and
expenses incident to the performance of its obligations
hereunder, including the following: (i) all expenses in connection with the
preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary
Prospectuses, the Base Prospectuses, the Pricing Prospectuses, the
Prospectuses, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any and all amendments and
supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the
Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the
Company's counsel and accountants in connection with the qualification of the
Shares under Canadian Securities Laws, the registration of the distribution of
the Shares under the Securities Act and the Offering; (iii) the cost of
producing this Agreement and any agreement among Underwriters, blue sky survey,
closing documents and other instruments, agreements or documents (including any
compilations thereof) in connection with the Offering; (iv) all expenses in
connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under
state or foreign securities, or "blue sky", laws as provided in Section 4(h)
hereof, including the filing fees and disbursements of counsel for the
Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with any
blue sky survey; (v) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements
of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with compliance with the rules and
regulations of FINRA in connection with the Offering; (vi) all fees and
expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the TSX and the NYSE Amex;
(vii) all travel expenses of the Company's officers and employees and any
other expense of the Company incurred in connection with attending or hosting
meetings with prospective purchasers of the Shares; and (viii) any transfer
taxes incurred in connection with this Agreement or the Offering. The
Company also will pay or cause to be paid: (a) the cost of preparing
certificates representing the Shares; (b) the cost and charges of any transfer
agent or registrar for the Shares; (c) the reasonable costs and expenses
incurred by the Underwriters, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of
their counsel (which shall not exceed, including applicable taxes,
$100,000 in the aggregate) and other out of pocket expenses incurred by
them in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and (d)
except as limited by Section 5(c) above, all other costs and expenses incident
to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise
specifically provided for in this Section 5. It is understood, however,
that except as provided in this Section 5 and in Sections 7, 8 and 11 hereof,
the Underwriters will pay their own costs and expenses, and transfer taxes on
the resale of any of the Shares by them, in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
22
6. Conditions of
Underwriters'
Obligations. The several obligations of the Underwriters to
purchase and pay for the Firm Shares and the Additional Shares, as provided
herein, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties
of the Company herein contained, as of the date hereof and as of the Closing
Date (for purposes of this Section 6, "Closing Date" shall refer to the Closing
Date for the Firm Shares and any Additional Closing Date, if different, for the
Additional Shares), to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations
hereunder, and to each of the following additional conditions:
(a) The
Canadian Prospectus shall have been filed with the Canadian Qualifying Authority
and the U.S. Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in a timely
fashion in accordance with Section 4 hereof; no order of any securities
commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in Canada to cease
distribution of the Shares under the Canadian Prospectus, as amended or
supplemented, shall have been issued, and no proceedings for such purpose shall
have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened; no stop
order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any
post-effective amendment thereto, and no stop order suspending or preventing the
use of any U.S. Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus,
the U.S. Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Canadian
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, the Canadian Pricing Prospectus or the
Canadian Prospectus shall have been issued by the Commission or the Canadian
Qualifying Authority, as applicable, and no proceedings therefor shall have been
initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission or
the Canadian Qualifying Authority, as applicable; all requests for additional
information on the part of the Canadian Qualifying Authority or the Commission
shall have been complied with to the Underwriters' reasonable satisfaction; and
all required regulatory approvals shall have been received.
(b) At
the Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of Gowling Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx LLP, Canadian counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date and
addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to
the Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto.
(c) At
the Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxx, Esq., United States counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date and
addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to
you, to the effect set forth in Annex II hereto.
(d) At
the Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx LLP, special United States counsel for the Company, dated the Closing
Date and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to you, to the effect set forth in Annex III hereto.
(e) At
the Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of Xxxxx, Xxxxxx x
Xxxxxxx S.C., dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters, in form
and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, as to the ownership and title of
the Company and its Subsidiaries to the Company's material mineral
properties in Mexico, and with respect to such matters related to the
transactions contemplated hereby reasonably requested by the
Underwriters.
23
(f) At
the Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of local counsel
in the jurisdictions of incorporation of the Company's Subsidiaries, dated the
Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Underwriters, as to ownership of the Subsidiaries, due
incorporation or organization, valid existence and good standing (if such
concept is recognized in such jurisdiction) and such other matters as may
reasonably be requested by the Underwriters.
(g) At
the Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinions of Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Xxxxxxx and Xxxx LLP, the Underwriters' United States counsel, and Fraser
Xxxxxx Casgrain LLP, the Underwriters' Canadian counsel (together, "Underwriters' Counsel"), dated the
Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters, with respect to such matters as
you may require, and the Company shall have furnished to Underwriters' Counsel
such documents as they may reasonably request for the purpose of enabling them
to pass upon such matters.
(h) At
the Closing Date, you shall have received a certificate of the Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated the Closing Date, in
form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, as to the accuracy of the
representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 1 hereof as
of the Closing Date, as to the performance by the Company of all of its
obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to the Closing Date, and as to
the matters set forth in subsections (a) and (j) of this Section 6, and as to
such other matters as you may reasonably request.
(i) At
the time this Agreement is executed and at the Closing Date, you shall have
received comfort letters, from HLB Cinnamon Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx & Company,
independent registered public accountants for the Company, dated as of the date
of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date, respectively, and addressed to the
Underwriters, and in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters and
Underwriters' Counsel.
(j) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary shall have sustained, since the date of the
latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, any material loss or interference
with its business or properties from fire, explosion, flood, hurricane, accident
or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor
dispute or any legal or governmental proceeding, other than as set forth in the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses (exclusive of any amendment or
supplement thereto); and subsequent to the dates as of which information is
given in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses (exclusive of any
amendment or supplement thereto), there shall not have been any change in the
capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any Subsidiary or any change
or any development involving a change, whether or not arising from transactions
in the ordinary course of business, in the business, management, condition
(financial or otherwise), results of operations, properties or prospects of the
Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the effect of which, in any such
case described above, is, in the reasonable judgment of the Lead Manager, so
material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with
the Offering on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses (exclusive of any amendment or supplement
thereto).
24
(k) You
shall have received a duly executed lock-up agreement from each person who is a
director or officer of the Company and FCMI, in each case substantially in the
form attached hereto as Annex IV.
(l) At
the Closing Date, the Shares shall have been conditionally approved for listing
on the TSX and shall be approved for listing, subject to official notice of
issuance, on the NYSE Amex.
(m) At
the Closing Date, FINRA shall have confirmed orally or in writing that it has
not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the
underwriting terms and arrangements for the Offering.
(n) The
Company shall have furnished the Underwriters and Underwriters' Counsel with
such other certificates, opinions or other documents as they may have reasonably
requested.
If any of
the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when
and as required by this Agreement, or if any of the certificates, opinions,
written statements or letters furnished to the Underwriters or to Underwriters'
Counsel pursuant to this Section 6 shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form
and substance to the Lead Manager and to Underwriters' Counsel, all obligations
of the Underwriters hereunder may be cancelled by the Lead Manager at, or at any
time prior to, the Closing Date and the obligations of the Underwriters to
purchase the Additional Shares may be cancelled by the Lead Manager at, or at
any time prior to, the Additional Closing Date. Notice of such
cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by
telephone. Any such telephone notice shall be confirmed promptly
thereafter in writing.
25
7.
Indemnification.
(a) The
Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each of the officers
and directors of each Underwriter and each other person, if any, who
controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act
or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any and all losses, liabilities,
claims, damages and expenses whatsoever as incurred (including but not limited
to attorneys' fees and any and all expenses whatsoever incurred in
investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, commenced or
threatened, or any claim whatsoever, and any and all amounts paid in settlement
of any claim or litigation), joint or several, to which they or any of them may
become subject under Canadian Securities Laws, the Securities Act, the Exchange
Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or
expenses (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (i) any
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained (A) in
the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, as originally filed or in any
supplement thereto or amendment thereof, in the Registration Statement, as
originally filed or any amendment thereof, or in any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus, or in any "issuer information" (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under
the Securities Act) filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under
the Securities Act, or (B) in any other materials or information provided to
investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with any "road
show" (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) for the Offering ("Marketing
Materials"), or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in the
Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, as originally filed or in any supplement
thereto or amendment thereof, in the Registration Statement, as originally filed
or any amendment thereof, or in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or in any
"issuer information" (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act)
filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act,
or in any Marketing Materials, a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein (in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, in the case of any prospectus) not misleading; provided,
however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent but
only to the extent that any such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense
arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of
any Underwriter through the Lead Manager expressly for use
therein. The parties agree that such information provided by or on
behalf of any Underwriter through the Lead Manager consists solely of the
material referred to in Section 16 hereof. This indemnity agreement
will be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have,
including but not limited to other liability under this Agreement.
(b) Each
Underwriter, severally and not jointly, shall indemnify and hold harmless
the Company, each of the directors of the Company, each of the officers of the
Company who shall have signed the Canadian Prospectuses and the Registration
Statement and each other person, if any, who controls the Company within the
meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act,
against any losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses whatsoever as
incurred (including but not limited to attorneys' fees and any and all expenses
whatsoever incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any
litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever, and any and all
amounts paid in settlement of any claim or litigation), joint or several, to
which they or any of them may become subject under Canadian Securities Laws, the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses,
liabilities, claims, damages or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) arise
out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, as
originally filed or any amendment thereof or amendment thereto, or in the
Registration Statement, as originally filed or any amendment thereof, or arise
out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that
any such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense arises out of or is based
upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or
alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with
information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any
Underwriter through the Lead Manager specifically for use therein;
provided, however, that in no case shall any Underwriter be liable or
responsible for any amount in excess of the underwriting commission applicable
to the Shares to be purchased by such Underwriter hereunder. The
parties agree that such information provided by or on behalf of any
Underwriter through the Lead Manager consists solely of the material
referred to in Section 16 hereof.
26
(c) Promptly
after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of
notice of any claims or the commencement of any action, such indemnified party
shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying
party under such subsection, notify each party against whom indemnification is
to be sought in writing of the claim or the commencement thereof (but the
failure so to notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve the indemnifying
party from any liability which it may have under this Section 7 to the extent
that it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof or otherwise has notice
of any such action, and in any event shall not retrieve it from any liability
that such indemnifying party may have otherwise than on account of the indemnity
agreement hereunder). In case any such claim or action is brought against any
indemnified party, and it notifies an indemnifying party of the commencement
thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate, at its own
expense in the defense of such action, and to the extent it may elect by written
notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid
notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel
reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided however, that
counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the written consent of
the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified
party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the indemnified party or
parties shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case
(including one local counsel in each relevant jurisdiction), but the fees and
expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party or
parties unless (i) the employment of such counsel shall have been authorized in
writing by one of the indemnifying parties in connection with the defense of
such action, (ii) the indemnifying parties shall not have employed counsel to
have charge of the defense of such action within a reasonable time after notice
of commencement of the action, (iii) the indemnifying party does not, in
the reasonable opinion of the indemnified party, diligently defend the action
after assumption of the defense, or (iv) such indemnified party or parties shall
have reasonably concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them
which are different from or in addition to those available to one or all of the
indemnifying parties (in which case the indemnifying parties shall not have the
right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party or
parties), in any of which events such fees and expenses shall be borne by the
indemnifying parties. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior
written consent of the indemnified parties, effect any settlement or compromise
of, or consent to the entry of judgment with respect to, any pending or
threatened claim, investigation, action or proceeding in respect of which
indemnity or contribution may be or could have been sought by an indemnified
party under this Section 7 or Section 8 hereof (whether or not the indemnified
party is an actual or potential party thereto), unless such settlement,
compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified
party from all liability arising out of such claim, investigation, action or
proceeding and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault,
culpability or any failure to act, by or on behalf of the indemnified
party.
27
8. Contribution. In
order to provide for contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification
provided for in Section 7 hereof is for any reason held to be unavailable from
any indemnifying party or is insufficient to hold harmless a party indemnified
thereunder, the Company and the Underwriters shall contribute to the
aggregate losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses of the nature
contemplated by such indemnification provision (including any investigation,
legal and other expenses incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in
settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claims asserted, but after
deducting in the case of losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses
suffered by the Company, any contribution received by the Company from persons,
other than the Underwriters, who may also be liable for contribution, including
persons who control the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the
Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, officers of the Company who
signed the Canadian Prospectuses and the Registration Statement and each
director of the Company) as incurred to which the Company and one or more of the
Underwriters may be subject, in such proportions as is appropriate to
reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the
Underwriters from the Offering or, if such allocation is not permitted by
applicable law, in such proportions as are appropriate to reflect not only the
relative benefits referred to above but also the relative fault of the Company
and the Underwriters in connection with the statements or omissions which
resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as
any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits
received by the Company and the Underwriters shall be deemed to be in the
same proportion as (x) the total proceeds from the Offering (net of underwriting
discounts and commissions but before deducting expenses) received by the Company
bears to (y) the underwriting discount or commissions received by the
Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the
U.S. Prospectus. The relative fault of each of the Company and of the
Underwriters shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether
the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or
alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the
Company or the Underwriters and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access
to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or
omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be
just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by
pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for
such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account
of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section
8. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and
expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section
8 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by
such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any
litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any judicial, regulatory or
other legal or governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any
claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or
omission or alleged omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this
Section 8, (i) no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in
excess of the amount by which the discounts and commissions applicable to the
Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public exceeds the amount of
any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason
of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission and
(ii) no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of
Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any
person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For
purposes of this Section 8, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter
within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the
Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and
each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15
of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and each officer and
director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the
Company subject in each case to clauses (i) and (ii) of the immediately
preceding sentence. Any party entitled to contribution will, promptly
after receipt of notice of commencement of any action, suit or proceeding
against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made
against another party or parties, notify each party or parties from whom
contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify such party or parties
shall not relieve the party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from
any obligation it or they may have under this Section 8 or
otherwise. The obligations of the Underwriters to contribute pursuant
to this Section 8 are several in proportion to the respective number of Shares
to be purchased by each of the Underwriters hereunder and not
joint.
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9. Underwriter
Default.
(a) If
any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligation to
purchase Firm Shares or Additional Shares hereunder, and if the Firm Shares or
Additional Shares with respect to which such default relates (the "Default Shares") do
not (after giving effect to arrangements, if any, made by the Lead Manager
pursuant to subsection (b) below) exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of
Firm Shares or Additional Shares, as the case may be, each non-defaulting
Underwriter, acting severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the
Company that number of Default Shares that bears the same proportion of the
total number of Default Shares then being purchased as the number of Firm Shares
set forth opposite the name of such non-defaulting Underwriter in Schedule I
hereto bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names
of the non-defaulting Underwriters, subject, however, to such adjustments to
eliminate fractional shares as the Lead Manager in its sole discretion shall
make.
(b) In
the event that the aggregate number of Default Shares exceeds 10% of the number
of Firm Shares or Additional Shares, as the case may be, the Lead Manager may in
its discretion arrange for itself or for another party or parties (including any
non-defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters who so agree) to purchase the Default
Shares on the terms contained herein. In the event that within five
calendar days after such a default the Lead Manager does not arrange for the
purchase of the Default Shares as provided in this Section 9, this Agreement or,
in the case of a default with respect to the Additional Shares, the obligations
of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Additional
Shares, shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of the Company
with respect thereto (except in each case as provided in Sections 5, 7, 8, 10
and 11(d)) or the non-defaulting Underwriters, but nothing in this
Agreement shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters of its or their
liability, if any, to the other Underwriters and the Company for damages
occasioned by its or their default hereunder.
(c) In
the event that any Default Shares are to be purchased by the non-defaulting
Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties as aforesaid,
the Lead Manager or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing
Date or Additional Closing Date, as the case may be for a period, not exceeding
five business days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made
necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectuses or in any other
documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any
amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectuses which,
in the opinion of Underwriters' Counsel, may thereby be made necessary or
advisable. The term "Underwriter" as used in this Agreement shall
include any party substituted under this Section 9 with like effect as if it had
originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Firm Shares and
Additional Shares.
29
10. Survival of Representations
and Agreements. All representations and warranties, covenants
and agreements of the Underwriters and the Company contained in this
Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any Subsidiary
submitted pursuant hereto, including the agreements contained in Section 5, the
indemnity agreements contained in Section 7 and the contribution agreements
contained in Section 8, shall remain operative and in full force and effect
regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or
any controlling person thereof or by or on behalf of the Company, any of its
officers and directors or any controlling person thereof, and shall survive
delivery of and payment for the Shares to and by the Underwriters. The
representations and warranties contained in Section 1 and the agreements
contained in Sections 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11 hereof shall survive any termination of
this Agreement, including termination pursuant to Section 9 or 11
hereof.
11. Effective Date of Agreement;
Termination.
(a) This
Agreement shall become effective when the parties hereto have executed and
delivered this Agreement.
(b) The
Underwriters shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior
to the Closing Date or to terminate the obligations of the Underwriters to
purchase the Additional Shares at any time prior to the Additional Closing Date,
as the case may be, if, at or after the Applicable Time, (i) any domestic or
international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted the market for
the Company's securities or securities in general; or (ii) trading in the
Company's Common Stock shall have been suspended by the Commission, the Canadian
Qualifying Authority, the TSX or the NYSE Amex or trading in securities
generally on the NYSE Amex or on the TSX shall have been suspended or been made
subject to material limitations, or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall
have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been
required, on the NYSE Amex or TSX or by order of the Commission or any other
governmental authority having jurisdiction; or (iii) a banking moratorium has
been declared by any U.S. state or U.S. or Canadian federal authority or any
material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance
services shall have occurred; or (iv) any downgrading shall have occurred in the
Company's corporate credit rating or the rating accorded the Company's debt
securities by any "nationally recognized statistical rating organization" (as
defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) under the Securities Act) or any such
organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or
review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company's
debt securities or any notice or announcement shall have been given or made
of any watch, review or possible change that does not indicate an
affirmation or improvement in the rating accorded; or (v) (A) there shall have
occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism
involving the United States or Canada or there is a declaration of a national
emergency or war by the United States or Canada or (B) there shall have been any
other calamity or crisis or any change in political, financial or economic
conditions if the effect of any such event in (A) or (B), in the reasonable
judgment of the Underwriters, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed
with the offering, sale and delivery of the Firm Shares or the Additional
Shares, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by the
Prospectuses.
30
(c) Any
notice of termination pursuant to this Section 11 shall be in
writing.
(d) If
this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to any of the provisions hereof
(other than pursuant to Section 9(b) hereof), or if the sale of the Shares
provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations
of the Underwriters set forth herein is not satisfied or because of any
refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any
agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof, the Company will, subject
to demand by the Underwriters, reimburse the Underwriters for all reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and expenses of their counsel, which
shall in no event exceed $100,000 in the aggregate), incurred by the
Underwriters in connection herewith.
12. Notices. All
communications hereunder, except as may be otherwise specifically provided
herein, shall be in writing, and:
(a) if
sent to any Underwriter, shall be delivered, or faxed and confirmed in writing,
to such Underwriter c/o Xxxxxxx Xxxx & Company, LLC, 000 Xxxx 00xx Xxxxxx,
00xx
Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: Syndicate Department, with a copy to
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Xxxxxxx & Xxxx LLP at 000 Xxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000,
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, X0X 0X0, Attention: Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Esq. and to Fraser
Xxxxxx Casgrain LLP at 0 Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, 00xx Floor, 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxx,
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, X0X 0X0, Attention: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Esq.;
(b) if
sent to the Company, shall be delivered, or faxed and confirmed in writing to
the Company and its counsel at the addresses set forth in the Registration
Statement;
provided, however, that any
notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 7 shall be delivered or sent by
facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its
acceptance facsimile to the Lead Manager, which address will be supplied to any
other party hereto by the Lead Manager upon request. Any such notices
and other communications shall take effect at the time of receipt
thereof.
13. Parties. This
Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of, and shall be binding upon, the
Underwriters and the Company and the controlling persons, directors,
officers, employees and agents referred to in Sections 7 and 8 hereof, and their
respective successors and assigns, and no other person shall have or be
construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in
respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provision herein
contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof
are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and
said controlling persons and their respective successors, officers, directors,
heirs and legal representatives, and it is not for the benefit of any other
person, firm or corporation. The term "successors and assigns" shall
not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of Shares from any of the
Underwriters.
31
14. Governing Law and
Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial. This Agreement shall be governed by
and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New
York. The Company irrevocably (a) submits to the jurisdiction
of any court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for
the Southern District of the State of New York (each a "New York Court") for
the purpose of any suit, action, or other proceeding arising out of this
Agreement, or any of the agreements or transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectuses (each, a "Proceeding"), (b)
agrees that all claims in respect of any Proceeding may be heard and determined
in any New York Court, (c) waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any
immunity from jurisdiction of any New York Court or from any legal process
therein, (d) agrees not to commence any Proceeding other than in a New York
Court, and (e) waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claim that
such Proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum. THE COMPANY (ON BEHALF
OF ITSELF AND, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ON BEHALF OF ITS
RESPECTIVE EQUITY HOLDERS AND CREDITORS) HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO
A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY CLAIM BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR IN
CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT AND THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS
AGREEMENT, THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROSPECTUSES.
15. [Reserved.]
16. Underwriter
Information. The parties acknowledge and agree that, for
purposes of Sections 1(c), 1(d), 1(e), 1(f) and 7 hereof, the information
provided by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists solely of (i) the
information included in the first and second sentences of the sixth full
paragraph under the caption "Underwriting" in the Prospectuses relating to the
price at which the Shares will be offered, (ii) the information included in the
eleventh and twelfth full paragraphs in each case under the caption
"Underwriting" in the Prospectuses relating to stabilization activities that may
be undertaken by the Underwriters, and (iii) the information included in first
sentence of the thirteenth full paragraph under the caption "Underwriting" in
the Prospectuses relating to the provision of the Prospectuses in electronic
format.
17. No Fiduciary
Relationship. The Company hereby acknowledges that the
Underwriters are acting solely as underwriters in connection with the purchase
and sale of the Company's securities contemplated hereby. The Company
further acknowledges that the Underwriters are 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 Underwriters act or be
responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, shareholders or
creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the
Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of such purchase
and sale of the Company's securities, either before or after the date
hereof. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim 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 Underwriters 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 Underwriters 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
and the Underwriters agree that the Underwriters are acting as principal and not
the agent or fiduciary of the Company and no Underwriter has assumed, and no
Underwriter will assume, any advisory responsibility in favor of the Company
with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading
thereto (irrespective of whether any Underwriter has advised or is currently
advising the Company on other matters). The Company hereby waives and
releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company
may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach
of any fiduciary, advisory or similar duty to the Company in connection with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such
transactions.
32
18. Counterparts. This
Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute
one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement
by facsimile transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery
thereof.
19. Headings. The
headings herein are inserted for convenience of reference only and are not
intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this
Agreement.
20. Time is of the
Essence. Time shall be of the essence of this
Agreement. As used herein, the term "business day" shall mean any day
when the Commission's office in Washington, D.C. and the Canadian Qualifying
Authority's office in Toronto, Ontario are open for business.
[signature
page follows]
33
If the
foregoing correctly sets forth your understanding, please so indicate in the
space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a
binding agreement among us.
Very
truly yours,
|
|||
PARAMOUNT
GOLD AND SILVER CORP.
|
|||
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxx
|
||
Name:
|
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxx
|
||
Title:
|
Chief
Executive
Officer
|
Accepted
as of the date first above written
XXXXXXX
XXXX & COMPANY, LLC
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx
|
|
Name:
|
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx
|
|
Title:
|
Chief
Operating
Officer
|
BLACKMONT
CAPITAL INC.
By:
|
/s/ Xxxx Xxxxxx
|
|
Name:
|
Xxxx
Xxxxxx
|
|
Title:
|
Managing
Director
|
SCHEDULE
I
Underwriter
|
Total Number of Firm
Shares to be Purchased
|
Number of Additional
Shares to be Purchased if
Option is Fully Exercised
|
||||||
Xxxxxxx
Xxxx & Company, LLC
|
10,400,000 | 1,560,000 | ||||||
Blackmont
Capital Inc.
|
5,600,000 | 840,000 | ||||||
Total
|
16,000,000 | 2,400,000 |
EXHIBIT
A
Subsidiaries
Name of Subsidiary
|
Jurisdiction
|
Ownership (%)
|
|||
Paramount
Gold de Mexico S.A. de C.V.
|
Mexico
(federal)
|
99.99%(1)
|
|||
Minera
Xxxx X.X. de C.V.
|
Mexico
(federal)
|
99.99%(2)
|
|||
Magnetic
Resources Ltd.
|
British
Columbia
|
100%
|
(1)
|
One
share of Paramount Gold de Mexico S.A. de C.V. is held by Xxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxx.
|
(2)
|
Two
shares of Minera Xxxx X.X. de C.V. are held by Xxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxx.
|
ANNEX
I
Form of Opinion of
Gowling Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
LLP
1.
|
The
Company is duly licensed or is otherwise qualified to carry on business in
the Province of Ontario as an extra-provincial corporation under the Extra-Provincial Corporations
Act (Ontario).
|
2.
|
The
Common Stock currently outstanding is listed on the TSX and the Shares
have been conditionally approved for listing on the TSX, subject to the
fulfillment of the conditions set out in the letter dated October 8, 2009
from the TSX granting conditional approval of the listing on the TSX of
the Shares.
|
3.
|
The
execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement and
consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting
Agreement and the Prospectuses do not and will not (A) conflict with or
result in a breach of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a
default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time, or both, would
constitute a default) under, or result in the creation or imposition of
any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to, any agreement set forth in
Schedule A to such counsel's opinion (which schedule shall be limited to
those agreements governed by laws of any Canadian jurisdiction), or (B) or
conflict with any Ontario corporate or securities law statute, rule or
regulation.
|
4.
|
The
Company is a "reporting issuer" under the securities legislation of the
Province of Ontario and is not on the list of defaulting issuers
maintained thereunder.
|
5.
|
The
statements under the caption "Purchasers'
Statutory Rights" in the Canadian
Pricing Prospectus and the Canadian Prospectus are the statements required
by Canadian Securities Laws.
|
6.
|
All
necessary documents have been filed, all requisite proceedings have been
taken and all approvals, permits, consents and authorizations of the
securities regulatory authorities under Canadian Securities Laws have been
obtained by the Company to qualify the distribution of the Shares in the
Province of Ontario through registrants duly registered under Canadian
Securities Laws who have complied with the relevant provisions of such
laws and the terms of such
registration.
|
ANNEX
II
Form of Opinion of
Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxx, Esq.
1.
|
The
Company has been duly organized and validly exists as a corporation in
good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, with
corporate power and authority to own, lease or license, as the case may
be, its properties and conduct its business as described in the U.S.
Pricing Prospectus and the U.S.
Prospectus.
|
2.
|
The
Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the U.S. Pricing
Prospectus and the U.S. Prospectus. All of the issued shares of
capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and
issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are not in violation of or
subject to any preemptive or, to the best of such counsel's knowledge,
similar rights that entitle or will entitle any person to acquire any
Shares from the Company upon issuance or sale thereof. The
Shares to be delivered on the Closing Date and the Additional Closing
Date, if any, have been duly and validly authorized and, when delivered in
accordance with the Underwriting Agreement, will be duly and validly
issued, fully paid and non-assessable and will not have been issued in
violation of or subject to preemptive or, to the best of such counsel's
knowledge, similar rights that entitle or will entitle any person to
acquire any Shares from the Company upon issuance or sale
thereof. The Common Stock, the Firm Shares and the Additional
Shares conform to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration
Statement, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus and the U.S.
Prospectus.
|
3.
|
The Common
Stock currently outstanding is listed on the NYSE Amex, and the Shares are
duly authorized for listing on the NYSE
Amex.
|
4.
|
The
Underwriting Agreement has been duly and validly authorized by the
Company.
|
5.
|
To
the best of such counsel's knowledge and other than as set forth in the
U.S Pricing Prospectus and the U.S. Prospectus, there are no judicial,
regulatory or other legal or governmental proceedings pending by or before
any court or governmental agency, authority or body to which the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined
adversely to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, would individually or
in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the best of such
counsel's knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or
contemplated.
|
6.
|
The
execution, delivery, and performance of the Underwriting Agreement and
consummation of the transactions contemplated by Underwriting Agreement do
not and will not (A) conflict with or result in a breach of any of the
terms and provisions of, or constitute a default (or an event which with
notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, or
result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance
upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
pursuant to any agreement set forth in Schedule A to such counsel's
opinion (which schedule shall be limited to those documents described in
the Registration Statement, the Prospectuses or the documents incorporated
therein by reference) or (B) violate or conflict with any provision of the
certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, or, to the best knowledge of such counsel, any judgment,
decree, order, statute, rule or regulation of any court or any judicial,
regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or
body.
|
7.
|
The
documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto (other than the
financial statements and schedules, other financial data (including
financial forecasts or projections), and any mineral reserve or resource
estimates, in each case included or incorporated by reference therein, as
to which such counsel shall not express any opinion) when they became
effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, complied
as to form in all material respects with the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act, as applicable, and the Rules and
Regulations.
|
8.
|
The
statements under the caption "Description of Common Stock" in the U.S.
Pricing Prospectus and the U.S. Prospectus, and the statements under Item
15 of Part II of the Registration Statement, insofar as such statements
constitute a summary of the legal matters, documents or proceedings
referred to therein, fairly present the information called for with
respect to such legal matters, documents and
proceedings.
|
9.
|
To
the best knowledge of such counsel, no contract or agreement is required
to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement that is not so
filed.
|
10.
|
The
Company is not in violation of its charter or by-laws and, to such
counsel's knowledge after due inquiry, the Company is not in default in
the performance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition
contained in any agreement set forth in Schedule A to such counsel's
opinion (which schedule shall be limited to those documents described in
the Registration Statement, the Prospectuses or the documents incorporated
therein by reference).
|
2
ANNEX
III
Form of Opinion of
Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx LLP
1.
|
The
Underwriting Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by
the Company.
|
2.
|
No
consent, approval, authorization, order, registration, filing or
qualification of or with any regulatory or other legal or governmental
agency or body, or, to such counsel's knowledge, any court, is required
for the execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement
or consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting
Agreement, except for (1) such as may be required under state securities
or blue sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the
Shares by the Underwriters (as to which such counsel need express no
opinion), (2) such as have been made or obtained under the Securities Act
and (3) such as are required by
FINRA.
|
3.
|
The
Registration Statement and the U.S. Prospectus and any amendments thereof
or supplements thereto (other than the financial statements and schedules,
other financial and statistical data (including financial forecasts or
projections), and any mineral reserve or resource estimates or other data
derived therefrom, in each case included or incorporated by reference
therein, as to which such counsel shall not express any opinion) comply as
to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities
Act and the Rules and Regulations.
|
4.
|
The
statements under the caption "Material United States Federal Income Tax
Considerations for Non-U.S. Holders" in the U.S. Pricing Prospectus and
the U.S. Prospectus, insofar as such statements constitute a summary of
the legal matters referred to therein, fairly present the information
called for with respect to such legal
matters.
|
5.
|
The
statements under the caption "Underwriting" in the U.S. Pricing Prospectus
and the U.S. Prospectus, insofar as such statements purport to summarize
certain provisions of the Underwriting Agreement, fairly summarize such
provisions in all material
respects.
|
6.
|
The
Company is not registered and, after giving effect to the offering and
sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as
described in the U.S. Prospectus, will not be, required to register as an
"investment company," as such term is defined in the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended, under such
Act.
|
7.
|
The
Registration Statement is effective under the Securities Act, and, to the
knowledge of such counsel, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of
the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has
been issued and no proceedings therefor have been initiated or threatened
by the Commission and all filings required by Rule 424(b), Rule 430B and
Rule 433 under the Securities Act have been made in the manner and in the
time period required therein.
|
3
In
addition, such opinion shall also contain a statement that such counsel has
participated in conferences with officers and representatives of the Company,
representatives of the independent public accountants for the Company and the
Underwriters at which the contents of the Registration Statement, the U.S.
Pricing Prospectus and the U.S. Prospectus and related matters were discussed
and, although such counsel is not passing upon and does not assume any
responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements
contained in the Registration Statement, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus or the U.S.
Prospectus (except to the extent expressly set forth in paragraph (4) of such
counsel's opinion), on the basis of the foregoing and such counsel's review of
the Registration Statement, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus and the U.S. Prospectus,
no facts have come to the attention of such counsel which cause such counsel to
believe that (A) the Registration Statement, as of the Applicable Time and as of
the Closing Date, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted
to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading (in all cases, excepting the financial
statements and schedules, other financial and statistical data (including
financial forecasts or projections), and mineral reserve or resource estimates
or any other data derived therefrom, in each case included or incorporated by
reference therein), or (B) the U.S. Prospectus, as of its date (or any amendment
thereof or supplement thereto made prior to the Closing Date as of the date of
such amendment or supplement) and as of the Closing Date, contained or contains
an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state any material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein,
in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (in all
cases, excepting the financial statements and schedules, other financial and
statistical data (including financial forecasts or projections), and mineral
reserve or resource estimates or any other data derived therefrom, in each case
included or incorporated by reference therein); or (C) the Pricing Disclosure
Package, as of the Applicable Time and as of the Closing Date, contained or
contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state any
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading (in all cases, excepting the financial statements and schedules,
other financial and statistical data (including financial forecasts or
projections), and mineral reserve or resource estimates or any other data
derived therefrom, in each case included or incorporated by reference
therein).
4
ANNEX
IV
Form of Lock-Up
Agreement
______________,
2009
Xxxxxxx
Xxxx & Company, LLC
As
Representative of the several
Underwriters
referred to below
Paramount Gold and Silver
Corp. Lock-Up
Agreement
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
This
letter agreement (this "Agreement") relates
to the proposed public offering (the "Offering") by
Paramount Gold and Silver Corp., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), of its
common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the "Stock").
In order
to induce you and the other underwriters for which you act as representative
(the "Underwriters") to
underwrite the Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior
written consent of Xxxxxxx Xxxx & Company, LLC (the "Lead Manager"),
during the period from the date hereof until ninety (90) days from the date of
the final prospectus for the Offering (the "Lock-Up Period"), the
undersigned (a) will not, directly or indirectly, offer, sell, agree to offer or
sell, solicit offers to purchase, grant any call option or purchase any put
option with respect to, pledge, borrow or otherwise dispose of any Relevant
Security (as defined below), and (b) will not establish or increase any "put
equivalent position" or liquidate or decrease any "call equivalent position"
with respect to any Relevant Security (in each case within the meaning of
Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder), or otherwise enter into any swap,
derivative or other transaction or arrangement that transfers to another, in
whole or in part, any economic consequence of ownership of a Relevant Security,
whether or not such transaction is to be settled by delivery of Relevant
Securities, other securities, cash or other consideration. As used herein "Relevant Security"
means the Stock, any other equity security of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries and any security convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable
for, any Stock or other such equity security. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
undersigned may transfer Relevant Securities by bona fide gift, will or
intestate succession, provided, each resulting transferee of Relevant Securities
executes and delivers to you an agreement satisfactory to you certifying that
such transferee is bound by the terms of this Agreement and has been in
compliance with the terms hereof since the date first above written as if it had
been an original party hereto.
Notwithstanding
the preceding paragraph, if (1) during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period
the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event
relating to the Company occurs; or (2) prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up
Period the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the
16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period, the restrictions
imposed by the immediately preceding paragraph shall continue to apply until the
expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings
release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, as applicable,
unless the Lead Manager waives, in writing, such extension. The
undersigned acknowledges that the Company has agreed in the underwriting
agreement for the Offering to provide notice to the undersigned of any event
that would result in an extension of the Lock-Up Period pursuant to this
paragraph, and the undersigned agrees that any such notice properly delivered
will be deemed to have been given to, and received by, the
undersigned.
The
undersigned hereby authorizes the Company during the Lock-Up Period to cause any
transfer agent for the Relevant Securities to decline to transfer, and to note
stop transfer restrictions on the stock register and other records relating to,
Relevant Securities for which the undersigned is the record holder and, in the
case of Relevant Securities for which the undersigned is the beneficial but not
the record holder, agrees during the Lock-Up Period to cause the record holder
to cause the relevant transfer agent to decline to transfer, and to note stop
transfer restrictions on the stock register and other records relating to, such
Relevant Securities. The undersigned hereby further agrees that,
without the prior written consent of the Lead Manager, during the Lock-up Period
the undersigned (x) will not file or participate in the filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission of any registration statement, or circulate
or participate in the circulation of any preliminary or final prospectus or
other disclosure document with respect to any proposed offering or sale of a
Relevant Security and (y) will not exercise any rights the undersigned may have
to require registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission of any
proposed offering or sale of a Relevant Security.
The
undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power
and authority to enter into this Agreement and that this Agreement constitutes
the legal, valid and binding obligation of the undersigned, enforceable in
accordance with its terms. Upon request, the undersigned will execute
any additional documents necessary in connection with enforcement
hereof. Any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the
successors and assigns of the undersigned from the date first above
written.
This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the
State of New York. Delivery of a signed copy of this letter by
facsimile transmission shall be effective as delivery of the original
hereof.
[signature
page follows]
Very
truly yours,
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By:
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Print Name:
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ANNEX
V
Pricing Terms included in
the Disclosure Package
Number of
Firm Shares Offered: 16,000,000
Number of
Additional Shares Offered: 2,400,000
Public
Offering Price per Share: $1.25
Underwriting
Fee per Share: $0.08125 (other than in respect of Shares
purchased in the Offering by FCMI, for which the Underwriters will not receive
any fee)
Date of
Delivery of Firm Shares: October 15, 2009
Issuer Free Writing
Prospectuses
None