HOUSTON AMERICAN ENERGY CORP. 3,000,000 Shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT
HOUSTON
AMERICAN ENERGY CORP.
3,000,000
Shares of Common Stock,
$0.001
par value per share
PLACEMENT
AGENCY AGREEMENT
November
30, 2009
Global
Hunter Securities, LLC
as
Representative of the
several
Placement Agents
listed on
Schedule 1 hereto
c/o
Global Hunter Securities, LLC
000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxx
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
Dear Sir
or Madam:
Houston
American Energy Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue
and sell 3,000,000 shares (the “Shares”) of common stock, par value $0.001 per
share (the “Common Stock”), to certain investors that are “accredited investors”
within the meaning of Rule 501(a) of Regulation D promulgated under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) or “qualified institutional
buyers” within the meaning of Rule 144A (collectively, the
“Investors”). The Company desires to engage you as representative
(the “Representative”) of the several placement agents listed on Schedule 1 (the
“Placement Agents”) in connection with such issuance and sale. The
Shares are more fully described in the Registration Statement (as hereinafter
defined).
The
Company hereby confirms as follows its agreements with the Placement
Agents.
1.
Agreement
to Act as Placement Agents. On the basis of the
representations, warranties and agreements of the Company herein contained and
subject to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Placement Agents
agree to act as the Company’s exclusive placement agents in connection with the
issuance and sale, on a best efforts basis, by the Company of the Shares to the
Investors. The Company shall pay to the Placement Agents 5.0% of the
proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Shares, in the allotments
set forth opposite such Placement Agent’s name on Schedule 1, as set forth on
the cover page of the Prospectus (as hereinafter defined).
2.
Delivery and
Payment. Prior to or at the Closing Date (defined below), each
of the Investors will deposit an amount equal to the price per Share as shown on
the cover page of the Prospectus (as hereinafter defined) multiplied by the
number of Shares purchased by it in an escrow account established, at the
Company’s expense, for the benefit of the Investors (the “Escrow
Account”). At 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on December 4, 2009, or
at such other time on such other date as may be agreed upon by the Company and
the Representative (such date is hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date”),
the Company shall deliver the Shares to the Investors, which delivery may be
made through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company. The
closing (the “Closing”) shall take place at the office of Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx
L.L.P. at 0000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx
00000-0000. All actions taken at the Closing shall be deemed to have
occurred simultaneously.
1
Certificates
evidencing the Shares shall be in definitive form and shall be registered in
such names and in such denominations as the Representative shall request by
written notice to the Company. For the purpose of expediting the
checking and packaging of certificates for the Shares, the Company agrees to
make such certificates available for inspection at least 24 hours prior to
delivery to the Investors.
3.
Representations and
Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants
and covenants to the Placement Agents that:
(a) The
Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”)
a “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-161319),
which has become effective, relating to the Common Stock and certain other
securities of the Company, under the Act, and the rules and regulations
(collectively referred to as the “Rules and Regulations”) of the Commission
promulgated thereunder. As used in this Agreement:
(i)
“Applicable Time” means 6:00 a.m./p.m. New York City
time on the date of this Agreement;
(ii)
“Effective Date” means any date as of which any part of the
Registration Statement became, or is deemed to have become, effective under the
Act in accordance with the Rules and Regulations;
(iii) “Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus” means each “free writing prospectus” (as defined in
Rule 405 of the Rules and Regulations) prepared by or on behalf of the Company
or used or referred to by the Company in connection with the offering of the
Shares;
(iv) “Preliminary
Prospectus” means any preliminary prospectus relating to the Shares included in
the Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b)
of the Rules and Regulations, including any preliminary prospectus supplement
thereto relating to the Shares;
(v) “Pricing
Disclosure Materials” means, as of the Applicable Time, the most recent
Preliminary Prospectus, together with each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus filed
or used by the Company on or before the Applicable Time;
(vi) “Prospectus”
means the final prospectus relating to the Shares including any prospectus
supplement thereto relating to the Shares, as filed with the Commission pursuant
to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations; and
2
(vii) “Registration
Statement” means, collectively, the various parts of such registration
statement, each as amended as of the Effective Date for such part, including any
Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus and all exhibits to such registration
statement.
Any
reference to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to
refer to and include any documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by
reference therein pursuant to Form S-3 under the Act as of the date of such
Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. Any
reference herein to the terms “amend”, “amendment” or “supplement” with respect
to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
shall be deemed to refer to and include any document filed under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), after the effective date
of the Registration Statement, the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the
date of the Prospectus, as the case may be, which is incorporated therein by
reference.
(b) The
Registration Statement has heretofore become effective under the Act or, with
respect to any registration statement to be filed to register the offer and sale
of Shares pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act, will be filed with the
Commission and become effective under the Act no later than 10:00 p.m., New York
City time, on the date of determination of the public offering price for the
Shares; no stop order of the Commission preventing or suspending the use of any
Prospectus, or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, has been issued,
and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s
knowledge, are contemplated by the Commission.
(c) The
Company was not at the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement,
has not been since the date of such filing, and will not be on the applicable
Closing Date, an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the
Act). The Company has been since the time of initial filing of the
Registration Statement and continues to be eligible to use Form S-3 for the
offering of the Shares.
(d) The
Registration Statement, at the time it became effective, as of the date hereof,
and at the Closing Date conformed and will conform in all material respects to
the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations. The
Preliminary Prospectus conformed, and the Prospectus will conform, when filed
with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date to the
requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations. The documents
incorporated by reference in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
conformed, and any further documents so incorporated will conform, when filed
with the Commission, to the requirements of the Exchange Act or the Act, as
applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder.
(e) The
Registration Statement did not, as of the Effective Date, contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading.
(f)
The Prospectus will not, as of its date and on the Closing Date,
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; provided, however, that the
Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statement
contained in the Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information
concerning the Placement Agents and furnished in writing by the Representative
to the Company expressly for use in the Prospectus, as set forth in Section
8(b).
3
(g) The
documents incorporated by reference in any Preliminary Prospectus or the
Prospectus did not, and any further documents filed and incorporated by
reference therein will not, when filed with the Commission, 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.
(h) The
Pricing Disclosure Materials did not, as of the Applicable Time, 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, except that the price
of the Shares, number of Shares to be sold, and disclosures directly relating
thereto will be included on the cover page of the Prospectus; provided, however, that the
Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statement
contained in the Pricing Disclosure Materials in reliance upon and in conformity
with information concerning the Placement Agents and furnished in writing by the
Representative to the Company expressly for use in the Pricing Disclosure
Materials, as set forth in Section 8(b).
(i)
Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (including, without limitation, any
road show that is a free writing prospectus under Rule 433), when considered
together with the Pricing Disclosure Materials 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, except
that the price of the Shares, number of Shares to be sold, and disclosures
directly relating thereto will be included on the cover page of the
Prospectus.
(j)
Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conformed or will conform in all
material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations
on the date of first use, and the Company has complied with any filing
requirements applicable to such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus pursuant to the
Rules and Regulations. The Company has not made any offer relating to
the Shares that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus without the
prior written consent of the Representative, except as set forth on Schedule 2
hereto. The Company has retained in accordance with the Rules and
Regulations all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses that were not required to be
filed pursuant to the Rules and Regulations.
(k) The
Company is, and at the Closing Date will be, duly organized, validly existing
and in good standing under the laws of Delaware. The Company has, and
at the Closing Date will have, full power and authority to conduct all the
activities conducted by it, to own or lease all the assets owned or leased by it
and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus (or, if the Prospectus is not in existence, in the most recent
Preliminary Prospectus). The Company is, and at the Closing Date will
be, duly licensed or qualified to do business and in good standing as a foreign
organization in all jurisdictions in which the nature of the activities
conducted by it or the character of the assets owned or leased by it makes such
licensing or qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so
qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect or would
reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on or affecting the
business, prospects, properties, management, consolidated financial position,
stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its
Subsidiaries (as defined below) taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse
Effect”). Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the
Company does not own, and at the Closing Date will not own, directly or
indirectly, any shares of stock or any other equity or long-term debt securities
of any corporation or have any equity interest in any firm, partnership, joint
venture, association or other entity. Complete and correct copies of
the articles or certificate of incorporation and of the bylaws of the Company
and all amendments thereto have been delivered to the Representative, and no
changes therein will be made subsequent to the date hereof and prior to the
Closing Date.
4
(l)
The Company’s only subsidiaries (each a “Subsidiary” and collectively, the
“Subsidiaries”) are listed on Schedule 3(l) to this Agreement. Each
Subsidiary has been duly organized or formed and is validly existing as a
corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership, as the case may
be, in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation or
incorporation. Each Subsidiary is duly qualified and in good standing
as a foreign corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership, as
the case may be, 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 will not have a Material Adverse
Effect. All of the equity interests of each subsidiary of the Company
have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable
and are owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company are owned free and clear
of any lien, encumbrance, claim, security interest, restriction on transfer,
shareholders’ agreement, voting trust other defect of title
whatsoever.
(m) The
issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been validly
issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and, other than as set forth in the
Registration Statement, are not subject to any preemptive or similar
rights. The Company has an authorized, issued and outstanding
capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus as of the dates referred to
therein. The description of the securities of the Company in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus is, and at the Closing Date will be,
complete and accurate in all respects. Except as set forth in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company does not have outstanding
any options to purchase, or any rights or warrants to subscribe for, or any
securities or obligations convertible into, or exchangeable for, or any
contracts or commitments to issue or sell, any shares of capital stock or other
securities.
5
(n) The
Company has full legal right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement
and the proposed purchase agreements that may be executed by certain Investors
and the Company, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the
“Investor Purchase Agreements” and, together with this Agreement, the
“Transaction Documents”) and perform the transactions contemplated hereby and
thereby. The Transaction Documents have been duly authorized and
validly executed and delivered by the Company and are legal, valid and binding
agreements of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with
their respective terms, subject to the effect of applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and equitable
principles of general applicability.
(o) The
issuance and sale of the Shares have been duly authorized by the Company, and
the Shares, when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will be
duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and will not be subject to
preemptive or similar rights. The holders of the Shares will not be
subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders. The
Shares, when issued, will conform in all material respects to the description
thereof set forth in or incorporated into the Prospectus.
(p) The
consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material
respects, the financial condition of the Company and its consolidated
Subsidiaries as of the dates thereof and the results of its operations and cash
flows at the dates and for the periods covered thereby in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). No other financial
statements or schedules of the Company any Subsidiary or any other entity are
required by the Act or the Rules and Regulations to be included in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
(q) GBH
CPAs PC, Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx PC and Xxx, Xxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxx, L.L.P.
(collectively, the “Accountants”), who have reported on such financial
statements and schedules, are independent accountants with respect to the
Company within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission
and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as
required by the Act. The financial statements of the Company and the
related notes and schedules included in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus have been prepared in conformity with the requirements of the Act and
the Rules and Regulations and present fairly the information shown
therein.
(r)
Aluko & Associates, Inc. and Lonquist & Co. LLC
(together, the “Reserve Engineers”) who have audited certain reserve reports of
the Company and its Subsidiaries have represented to the Company that they are,
and the Company believes them to be independent reserve engineers with respect
to the Company and its Subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations
adopted by the Commission and as required by the Act for the periods set forth
in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(s) The
oil and gas reserve estimates of the Company and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal
years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 contained in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus fairly reflect, on the basis presented, the oil and
gas reserves of the Company and its Subsidiaries at the dates indicated therein
and are in accordance, in all material respects, with the Commission guidelines
applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved.
6
(t)
The Company is, and at the Closing Date will be, in compliance
with all provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 which are applicable to
it. The Company and each Subsidiary maintain a system of internal
accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i)
transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific
authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation
of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is
permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific
authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with
existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with
respect to any differences.
(u) Except
as set forth in or otherwise contemplated by the Registration Statement
(exclusive of any amendment thereof) or the Prospectus (exclusive of any
supplement thereto), since the date of the most recent financial statements of
the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus and prior to Closing, (i) there has not been and will not
have been any change in the capital stock of the Company or long-term debt of
the Company or any Subsidiary or any dividend or distribution of any kind
declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any class of
capital stock, or any material adverse change, or any development that would
reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in or affecting
the business, prospects, properties, management, consolidated financial
position, stockholders’ equity, or results of operations of the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Change”); (ii) neither the
Company nor any Subsidiary has entered or will enter into any transaction or
agreement, not in the ordinary course of business, that is material to the
Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole, or incurred or will incur any
liability or obligation, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of
business, that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole,
or incurred or will incur any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, not
in the ordinary course of business, that is material to the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole; and (iii) neither the Company nor any Subsidiary
has sustained or will sustain any material loss or interference with its
business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered
by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or
decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority,
except in each case as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus.
(v) The
Company and its Subsidiaries have legal, valid and defensible title to all of
their interests in oil and gas properties and to all other real and personal
property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all mortgages, pledges,
security interests, claims, liens, encumbrances, restrictions and defects of any
kind, except (1) such as are described in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, (2) liens and encumbrances under operating agreements, unitization
and pooling agreements, production sales contracts, farm-out agreements and
other oil and gas exploration and production agreements, in each case that
secure payment of amounts not yet due and payable for the performance of other
inchoate obligations and are of a scope and nature customary in connection with
similar drilling and producing operations, or (3) those that do not materially
affect or interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such properties
taken as a whole; and any property held under lease or sublease by the Company
or any of its subsidiaries is held under valid, subsisting and enforceable
leases or subleases with such exceptions as are not material and do not
interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such properties taken as
a whole by the Company and its Subsidiaries or except such as are described in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; and neither the Company nor any
of its Subsidiaries has any notice or knowledge of any material claim of any
sort that has been, or may be, asserted by anyone adverse to the Company’s or
any of its Subsidiaries rights as lessee or sublessee under any lease or
sublease described above, or affecting or questioning the Company’s or any of
its Subsidiaries’ rights to the continued possession of the leased or subleased
premises under any such lease or sublease in conflict with the terms
thereof.
7
(w) The
Company is not, nor upon completion of the transactions contemplated herein will
it be, an “investment company” or an “affiliated person” of, or “promoter” or
“principal underwriter” for, an “investment company,” as such terms are defined
in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company
Act”).
(x)
There are no legal, governmental or regulatory actions, suits
or proceedings pending, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any legal, governmental
or regulatory investigations, to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party
or to which any property of the Company or any Subsidiary is the subject that,
individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or such
Subsidiary, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or
materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to perform its
obligations under the Transaction Documents; to the Company’s knowledge, no such
actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or contemplated by any governmental
or regulatory authority or threatened by others; and to the Company’s knowledge,
there are no current or pending legal, governmental or regulatory
investigations, actions, suits or proceedings that are required under the Act to
be described in the Prospectus that are not so described.
(y) The
Company and each Subsidiary has, and at the Closing Date will have, (i) all
governmental licenses, permits, consents, orders, approvals and other
authorizations necessary to carry on its business as presently conducted except
where the failure to have such governmental licenses, permits, consents, orders,
approvals and other authorizations would not have a Material Adverse Effect,
(ii) complied with all laws, regulations and orders applicable to either it or
its business, except where the failure to so comply would not have a Material
Adverse Effect, and (iii) performed all its obligations required to be
performed, and is not, and at the Closing Date will not be, to the Company’s
best knowledge, in default, under any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, voting
trust agreement, loan agreement, bond, debenture, note agreement, lease,
contract or other agreement or instrument (collectively, a “contract or other
agreement”) to which it is a party or by which its property is bound or
affected, except as otherwise set forth in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus and except where such default would not have a Material Adverse
Effect, and, to the Company’s best knowledge, no other party under any material
contract or other agreement to which it is a party is in default in any respect
thereunder. The Company is not and its Subsidiaries are not in
violation of any provision of their respective organizational or governing
documents.
8
(z)
The Company has all corporate power and authority to enter into the Transaction
Documents, and to carry out the provisions and conditions hereof and thereof,
and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection
herewith and therewith have been obtained, except such as have been obtained,
such as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky Laws or the by-laws
and rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) or the
Nasdaq Global Market (the “NASDAQ”) in connection with the purchase and
distribution of the Shares by the Placement Agents.
(aa)
Neither (i) the issuance, offering and sale of the
Shares pursuant hereto, nor (ii) the compliance by the Company with the other
provisions hereof require the consent, approval, authorization, registration or
qualification of or with any governmental authority, except such as have been
obtained, such as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws or the
bylaws and rules of FINRA and, if the Registration Statement is not effective
under the Act as of the time of execution hereof, such as may be required (and
shall be obtained as provided in this Agreement) under the Act.
(bb) Neither
the execution of the Transaction Documents, nor the issuance, offering or sale
of the Shares, nor the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated
herein, nor the compliance by the Company with the terms and provisions hereof
or thereof will conflict with, or will result in a breach of, any of the terms
and provisions of, or has constituted or will constitute a default under, or has
resulted in or will result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or
encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary
pursuant to the terms of any contract or other agreement to which the Company or
its Subsidiaries may be bound or to which any of the property or assets of the
Company or its Subsidiaries is subject, except such conflicts, breaches or
defaults as may have been waived; nor will such action result in any violation
of the provisions of the organizational or governing documents of the Company or
any Subsidiary, or any statute or any order, rule or regulation applicable to
the Company or any Subsidiary or of any court or of any federal, state or other
regulatory authority or other government body having jurisdiction over the
Company or any Subsidiary.
(cc) There
is no document or contract of a character required to be described in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement which is not described or filed as
required. All such contracts to which the Company is a party have
been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, constitute valid
and binding agreements of the Company, and are enforceable against the Company
in accordance with the terms thereof, subject to the effect of applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and
equitable principles of general applicability.
9
(dd) No
statement, representation or warranty made by the Company in this Agreement or
made in any certificate or document required by the Transaction Documents to be
delivered to the Placement Agents or the Investors was or will be, when made,
inaccurate, untrue or incorrect in any material respect.
(ee) The
Company and its directors, officers or controlling persons have not taken,
directly or indirectly, any action intended, or which might reasonably be
expected, to cause or result, under the Act or otherwise, in, or which has
constituted, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the
Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Common Stock.
(ff) The
Common Stock is currently listed on the NASDAQ. The Company has not,
in the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received notice from the New York
Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Global Market or the NYSE Amex (each a “Trading
Market”) on which the Common Stock is or has been listed or quoted to the effect
that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance
requirements of such Trading Market. The Company is, and has no
reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in
compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements.
(gg) The
Company is not involved in any material labor dispute nor is any such dispute
known by the Company to be threatened.
(hh) The
business and operations of the Company have been and are being conducted in
compliance with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, licenses,
permits, approvals, plans, authorizations or requirements relating to
occupational safety and health, or pollution, or protection of health or the
environment (including, without limitation, those relating to emissions,
discharges, releases or threatened releases of pollutants, contaminants or
hazardous or toxic substances, materials or wastes into ambient air, surface
water, groundwater or land, or relating to the manufacture, processing,
distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of
chemical substances, pollutants, contaminants or hazardous or toxic substances,
materials or wastes, whether solid, gaseous or liquid in nature) of any
governmental department, commission, board, bureau, agency or instrumentality of
the United States, any state or political subdivision thereof, or any foreign
jurisdiction, and all applicable judicial or administrative agency or regulatory
decrees, awards, judgments and orders relating thereto, except where the failure
to be in such compliance will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a
Material Adverse Effect; and the Company has not received any notice from any
governmental instrumentality or any third party alleging any material violation
thereof or liability thereunder (including, without limitation, liability for
costs of investigating or remediating sites containing hazardous substances
and/or damages to natural resources).
10
(ii)
The Company and each Subsidiary owns, is licensed or otherwise
possesses all rights to use, all patents, patent rights, inventions, know-how
(including trade secrets and other unpatented or unpatentable or confidential
information, systems, or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names,
copyrights and other intellectual property rights (collectively, the
“Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of its business as described
in the Registration Statement. No claims have been asserted against
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by any person with respect to the use of
any such Intellectual Property or challenging or questioning the validity or
effectiveness of any such Intellectual Property.
(jj)
The Company and each Subsidiary has filed all necessary federal,
state and foreign income and franchise tax returns and has paid or accrued all
taxes shown as due thereon, and the Company has no knowledge of any tax
deficiency which has been or might be asserted or threatened against it or any
Subsidiary which could have a Material Adverse Effect.
(kk) On
the Closing Date, all stock transfer or other taxes (other than income taxes)
which are required to be paid in connection with the sale and transfer of the
Shares to be sold hereunder will be, or will have been, fully paid or provided
for by the Company and all laws imposing such taxes will be or will have been
fully complied with.
(ll)
The Company and each Subsidiary maintains insurance of the types and
in the amounts that the Company reasonably believes is adequate for their
respective businesses, including, but not limited to, insurance covering all
real and personal property owned or leased by the Company or any Subsidiary
against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and all other risks
customarily insured against by similarly situated companies, all of which
insurance is in full force and effect.
(mm) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any
director, officer, agent or employee has directly or indirectly, (i) made any
unlawful contribution to any candidate for public office, or failed to disclose
fully any 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 or any jurisdiction thereof, (iii) violated or
is in violation of any provisions of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of
1977, or (iv) made any bribe, rebate, influence payment, kickback or other
unlawful payment.
(nn) The
operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at
all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting
requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as
amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and
regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or
guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency
(collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by
or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator
involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Money
Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company,
threatened.
11
(oo) None of the Company,
any of its Subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director,
officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign
Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”); and the Company
will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares
hereunder, 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.
(pp) The
Company has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of the Closing Date
and completion of the distribution of the Shares, will not distribute any
offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares other
than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus to which the Representative has consented and any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus set forth on Schedule 2.
(qq) Each
material employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), that is
maintained, administered or contributed to by the Company or any of its
affiliates for employees or former employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries
has been maintained in material compliance with its terms and the requirements
of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not
limited to ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”);
no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section
4975 of the Code, has occurred which would result in a material liability to the
Company with respect to any such plan excluding transactions effected pursuant
to a statutory or administrative exemption; and for each such plan that is
subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA,
no “accumulated funding deficiency” as defined in Section 412 of the Code has
been incurred, whether or not waived, and the fair market value of the assets of
each such plan (excluding for these purposes accrued but unpaid contributions)
exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such plan determined
using reasonable actuarial assumptions.
(rr)
No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or
among the Company or any Subsidiary, on the one hand, and the directors,
officers, stockholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any Subsidiary,
on the other, which is required by the Act to be disclosed in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus and is not so disclosed.
(ss)
No person has the right to require the Company to
register any securities for sale under the Act by reason of the filing of the
Registration Statement with the Commission or by reason of the issuance and sale
of the Shares, except for rights which have been waived.
12
(tt) The
Company has not sold or issued any securities that would be integrated with the
offering of the Shares contemplated by this Agreement pursuant to the Act, the
Rules and Regulations or the interpretations thereof by the
Commission.
(uu) No
forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities
Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) (a “Forward Looking Statement”)
contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus has been made or
reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good
faith. The Forward Looking Statements incorporated by reference in
the Registration Statement and the Prospectus from the Company’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q for the periods ending March 31, 2009, June 30, 2009 and September 30, 2009
(in each case under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations”) (i) are within the coverage of
the safe harbor for forward looking statements set forth in Section 27A of the
Act, Rule 175(b) under the Act or Rule 3b-6 under the Exchange Act, as
applicable, (ii) were made by the Company with a reasonable basis and in good
faith and reflect the Company’s good faith reasonable best estimate of the
matters described therein, and (iii) have been prepared in accordance with Item
10 of Regulation S-K under the Act.
4.
Agreements of
the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with the
Placement Agents as follows:
(a) The
Registration Statement has become effective, and if Rule 430A is used or the
filing of the Prospectus is otherwise required under Rule 424(b), the Company
will file the Prospectus (properly completed if Rule 430A has been used)
pursuant to Rule 424(b) within the prescribed time period and will provide a
copy of such filing to the Placement Agent promptly following such
filing.
(b) The
Company will not, during such period as the Prospectus would be required by law
to be delivered in connection with sales of the Shares by an underwriter or
dealer in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement, file any
amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, except
as required by law, unless a copy thereof shall first have been submitted to the
Representative within a reasonable period of time prior to the filing thereof
and the Representative shall not have reasonably objected thereto in good
faith.
(c) The
Company will notify the Representative promptly, and will, if requested, confirm
such notification in writing, (1) when any post-effective amendment to the
Registration Statement becomes effective, but only during the period mentioned
in Section 4(b); (2) of any request by the Commission for any amendments to the
Registration Statement or any amendment or supplements to the Prospectus or any
Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses or for additional information, but only during
the period mentioned in Section 4(b); (3) of the issuance by the Commission of
any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or the initiation of any
proceedings for that purpose or the threat thereof, but only during the period
mentioned in Section 4(b); (4) of becoming aware of the occurrence of any event
during the period mentioned in Section 4(b) that in the judgment of the Company
makes any statement made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue
in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances in which they are made, not misleading;
and (5) of receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to any
suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale in any
jurisdiction. If at any time the Commission shall issue any order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement in connection with
the offering contemplated hereby, the Company will make every reasonable effort
to obtain the withdrawal of any such order at the earliest possible
moment. If the Company has omitted any information from the
Registration Statement, pursuant to Rule 430A, it will use its best efforts to
comply with the provisions of and make all requisite filings with the Commission
pursuant to said Rule 430A and to notify the Representative promptly of all such
filings.
13
(d) If,
at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Shares is required to be delivered
under the Act, the Company becomes aware of the occurrence of any event as a
result of which the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, would, in the
reasonable judgment of counsel to the Company or counsel to the Representative,
include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or the Registration
Statement, as then amended or supplemented, would, in the reasonable judgment of
counsel to the Company or counsel to the Representative, include any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading, or if for any other reason it is
necessary, in the reasonable judgment of counsel to the Company or counsel to
the Representative, at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus or the
Registration Statement to comply with the Act or the Rules and Regulations, the
Company will promptly notify the Representative and, subject to Section 4(b)
hereof, will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, at the Company’s
expense, an amendment to the Registration Statement or an amendment or
supplement to the Prospectus that corrects such statement or omission or effects
such compliance and will deliver to the Representative, without charge, such
number of copies thereof as the Representative may reasonably
request. The Company consents to the use of the Prospectus or any
amendment or supplement thereto by the Placement Agents, and the Placement
Agents agree to provide to each Investor, prior to the Closing, a copy of the
Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto.
(e) The
Company will furnish to the Representative and its counsel, without charge (i)
one copy of the Registration Statement, including financial statements and
schedules, and all exhibits thereto and (ii) so long as a prospectus relating to
the Shares is required to be delivered under the Act, as many copies of each
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any
amendment or supplement thereto as the Representative may reasonably
request.
(f)
The Company will comply with all the undertakings
contained in the Registration Statement.
14
(g) The
Company will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute an
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus without the prior written consent of the
Representative.
(h) The
Company will retain in accordance with the Rules and Regulations all Issuer Free
Writing Prospectuses not required to be filed pursuant to the Rules and
Regulations.
(i)
Prior to the sale of the Shares to the Investors, the Company will
cooperate with the Representative and its counsel in connection with the
registration or qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under the state
securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representative may
reasonably request; provided, that in no event shall the Company be obligated to
qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or
to take any action which would subject it to general service of process in any
jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
(j)
The Company will apply the net proceeds from the offering and
sale of the Shares in the manner set forth in the Prospectus under the caption
“Use of Proceeds.”
(k) The
Company will use its best efforts to ensure that the Shares are listed on the
NASDAQ at the time of the Closing.
(l)
The Company will not at any time, directly or indirectly, take any action
intended, or which might reasonably be expected, to cause or result in, or which
will constitute, stabilization of the price of the Shares to facilitate the sale
or resale of any of the Shares.
5.
Agreements of the Placement
Agents. The Representative does, and each other Placement
Agent will upon its execution and delivery of the Agreement Among Placement
Agents, represent and warrant to and agree with the Company, severally (and not
jointly or jointly and severally), that they shall not
include any “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Act) in any
“free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Act) used or
referred to by the Placement Agents without the prior consent of the Company
(any such issuer information with respect to whose use the Company has given its
consent, “Permitted Issuer Information”); provided that (i) no such consent
shall be required with respect to any such issuer information contained in any
document filed by the Company with the Commission prior to the use of such free
writing prospectus and (ii) “issuer information,” as used in this Section 5
shall not be deemed to include information prepared by the Representative on the
basis of or derived from issuer information.
6.
Expenses. Whether
or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this
Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay all costs and expenses incident to
the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement,
including but not limited to costs and expenses of or relating to (1) the
preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including each
pre- and post-effective amendment thereto) and exhibits thereto, any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and any
amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, including all fees, disbursements and
other charges of counsel to the Company, (2) the preparation and delivery of
certificates representing the Shares, (3) furnishing (including costs of
shipping and mailing) such copies of the Registration Statement (including all
pre- and post-effective amendments thereto), the Prospectus, any Preliminary
Prospectus and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and all amendments and
supplements to the Prospectus, as may be requested for use in connection with
the direct placement of the Shares, (4) the listing of the Common Stock on the
NASDAQ, (5) any filings required to be made by the Representative with FINRA,
and the fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel for the Representative
in connection therewith, (6) the registration or qualification of the Shares for
offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions
designated pursuant to Section 4(g), including the reasonable fees,
disbursements and other charges of counsel to the Representative in connection
therewith and the preparation and printing of preliminary, supplemental and
final Blue Sky memoranda, (7) fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel
to the Company, (8) fees and disbursements of the Accountants or Reserve
Engineers incurred in delivering the letter(s) described in 7(f) and 7(g) of
this Agreement. Subject to compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(f)(2)(D),
the Company also agrees to reimburse the Representative’s out-of-pocket
accountable expenses actually incurred by the Representative or persons
associated with the Representative (with supporting invoices/receipts) up to a
maximum of 1% of the aggregate gross proceeds raised in the placement of the
Shares, but in no event more than $75,000. Such reimbursement shall be payable
immediately upon (but only in the event of) the Closing.
15
7.
Conditions of the
Obligations of the Placement Agents. The obligations of the
Placement Agents hereunder are subject to the following conditions:
(a) (i)
No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall
have been issued, and no proceedings for that purpose shall be pending or
threatened by any securities or other governmental authority (including, without
limitation, the Commission), (ii) no order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement or the qualification or registration of the Shares under
the securities or Blue Sky laws of any jurisdiction shall be in effect and no
proceeding for such purpose shall be pending before or threatened or
contemplated by any securities or other governmental authority (including,
without limitation, the Commission), (iii) any request for additional
information on the part of the staff of any securities or other governmental
authority (including, without limitation, the Commission) shall have been
complied with to the satisfaction of the staff of the Commission or such
authorities and (iv) after the date hereof no amendment or supplement to the
Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus
shall have been filed unless a copy thereof was first submitted to the
Representative and the Representative did not object thereto in good faith, and
the Representative shall have received certificates of the Company, dated the
Closing Date and signed by the President and Chief Executive Officer or the
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, and the Chief Financial
Officer of the Company, to the effect of clauses (i), (ii) and
(iii).
(b) Since
the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, (i) there shall not have been a Material Adverse
Change, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of
business, in each case other than as set forth in or contemplated by the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus and (ii) the Company shall not have
sustained any material loss or interference with its business or properties from
fire, explosion, flood or other casualty, whether or not covered by insurance,
or from any labor dispute or any court or legislative or other governmental
action, order or decree, which is not set forth in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus, if in the judgment of the Representative any such
development makes it impracticable or inadvisable to consummate the sale and
delivery of the Shares to Investors at the public offering
price.
16
(c) Since
the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, there shall have been no litigation or other
proceeding instituted against the Company or any of its officers or directors in
their capacities as such, before or by any Federal, state or local court,
commission, regulatory body, administrative agency or other governmental body,
domestic or foreign, which litigation or proceeding is reasonably expected by
management to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(d) Each
of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be
true and correct in all material respects at the Closing Date, as if made on
such date, and all covenants and agreements herein contained to be performed on
the part of the Company and all conditions herein contained to be fulfilled or
complied with by the Company at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been
duly performed, fulfilled or complied with in all material
respects.
(e) The
Representative shall have received an opinion, dated the Closing Date (or such
other date as may be set forth in a representation or warranty), of Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxx, as counsel to the Company, in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to the Representative.
(f) At
the Closing Date, GBH CPAs PC shall have furnished to the Representative a
letter, dated the date of its delivery (the “Comfort Letter”), addressed to the
Representative and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative,
confirming that (i) they are independent public accountants with respect to the
Company within the meaning of the Act and the Rules and Regulations; (ii) in
their opinion, the financial statements and any supplementary financial
information included in the Registration Statement and examined by them comply
as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements
of the Act and the Rules and Regulations; (iii) on the basis of procedures, not
constituting an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards, set forth in detail in the Comfort Letter, a reading of the latest
available interim financial statements of the Company, inspections of the minute
books of the Company since the latest audited financial statements included in
the Prospectus, inquiries of officials of the Company responsible for financial
and accounting matters and such other inquiries and procedures as may be
specified in the Comfort Letter to a date not more than five days prior to the
date of the Comfort Letter, nothing came to their attention that caused them to
believe that: (A) as of a specified date not more than three days prior to the
date of the Comfort Letter, there have been any changes in the capital stock of
the Company or any increase in the long-term debt of the Company, or any
decreases in net current assets or net assets or other items specified by the
Representative, or any increases in any items specified by the Representative,
in each case as compared with amounts shown in the latest balance sheet included
in the Prospectus, except in each case for changes, increases or decreases which
the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or which are described in
the Comfort Letter; and (B) for the period from the date of the latest financial
statements included in the Prospectus to the specified date referred to in
Clause (A), there were any decreases in revenues or the total or per share
amounts of net income or other items specified by the Representative, or any
increases in any items specified by the Representative, in each case as compared
with the comparable period of the preceding year and with any other period of
corresponding length specified by the Representative, except in each case for
decreases or increases which the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur
or which are described in the Comfort Letter; and (iv) in addition to the
examination referred to in their reports included in the Prospectus and the
procedures referred to in clause (iii) above, they have carried out certain
specified procedures, not constituting an examination in accordance with
generally accepted auditing standards, with respect to certain amounts,
percentages and financial information specified by the Representative, which are
derived from the general accounting, financial or other records of the Company,
as the case may be, which appear in the Prospectus or in Part II of, or in
exhibits or schedules to, the Registration Statement, and have compared such
amounts, percentages and financial information with such accounting, financial
and other records and have found them to be in agreement.
17
(g) Lonquist &
Co. LLC shall have furnished to the Representative a letter, dated the Closing
Date, addressed to the Representative and in form and substance satisfactory to
the Representative.
(h) At
the Closing Date, there shall be furnished to the Representative a certificate,
dated the date of its delivery, signed by each of the Chief Executive Officer
and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Representative to the effect that each signer has carefully
examined the Registration Statement and that to each of such person’s
knowledge:
(viii)
(A) As of the date of such certificate, (x) the Registration Statement does not
contain any 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 and (y) neither the Prospectus nor the Pricing Disclosure
Materials contains any 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 light of the circumstances under which they were made,
not misleading and (B) no event has occurred as a result of which it is
necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements
therein not untrue or misleading in any material respect.
(i)
Each of the representations and warranties of the Company contained
in this Agreement were, when originally made, and are, at the time such
certificate is delivered, true and correct in all material
respects.
18
(ii) Each
of the covenants required herein to be performed by the Company on or prior to
the date of such certificate has been duly, timely and fully performed and each
condition herein required to be complied with by the Company on or prior to the
delivery of such certificate has been duly, timely and fully complied
with.
(iii) No
stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any
part thereof has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been
instituted or are contemplated by the Commission.
(iv)
Subsequent to the date of the most recent financial
statements in the Prospectus, there has been no Material Adverse
Change.
(i)
The Shares shall be qualified for sale in such states as the
Representative may reasonably request, and each such qualification
shall be in effect and not subject to any stop order or other proceeding on the
Closing Date; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to
qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or
to take any action which would subject it to taxation or general service of
process in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
(j)
The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the
Representative such certificates, in addition to those specifically
mentioned herein, as the Representative may have reasonably requested
as to the accuracy and completeness at the Closing Date of any statement in the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as to the accuracy at the Closing Date
of the representations and warranties of the Company as to the performance by
the Company of its obligations hereunder, or as to the fulfillment of the
conditions concurrent and precedent to the obligations hereunder of the
Representative .
8. Indemnification.
(a) The
Company shall indemnify and hold harmless the Placement Agents, the directors,
officers, employees and agents of each Placement Agent and each person, if any,
who controls a Placement Agent within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or
Section 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”), from and against any and all losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and
damages, joint or several, (including any and all investigative, legal and other
expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in
settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted), to which
it, or any of them, may become subject under the Act or other Federal or state
statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses,
claims, liabilities, expenses or damages arise out of or are based on (i) any
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement made by the Company in Section 3 of
this Agreement, (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any
material fact contained in (A) any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus, (B) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any
amendment of supplement thereto, or (C) any Permitted Issuer Information used or
referred to in any “free writing prospectus” (as defined under Rule
405 under the Act) used or referred to by the Placement Agent and (D) any
application or other document, or any amendment or supplement thereto, executed
by the Company based upon written information furnished by or on behalf of the
Company filed in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Shares under the
securities or Blue Sky laws thereof or filed with the Commission or any
securities association or securities exchange (each, an “Application”), or (iii)
the omission or alleged omission to state in any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or
any amendment or supplement thereto, or in any Permitted Issuer Information or
any Application a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were
made, not misleading; provided, however, that the
Company will not be liable to the extent that such loss, claim, liability,
expense or damage arises from the sale of the Shares in the public offering to
any person and is based solely on an untrue statement or omission or alleged
untrue statement or omission made in reliance on and in conformity with
information relating to the Placement Agents furnished in writing to the Company
by the Representative expressly for inclusion in the Registration Statement, any
Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or in
any amendment or supplement thereto or in any Permitted Issuer Information or
any Application. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any
liability which the Company may otherwise have. The Company will not,
without the prior written consent of the Representative (which will not be
unreasonably withheld), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any
judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in
respect of which indemnification may be sought hereunder (whether or not such
Placement Agent or any person who controls such Placement Agent within the
meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act is a party to
each claim, action, suit or proceeding), unless such settlement, compromise or
consent includes an unconditional release of such Placement Agent and each such
controlling person from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or
proceeding.
19
(b) The
Placement Agents will indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each person, if
any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or
Section 20 of the Exchange Act, each director of the Company and each officer of
the Company who signs the Registration Statement to the same extent as the
foregoing indemnity from the Company to the Placement Agents, but only insofar
as losses, claims, liabilities, expenses or damages arise out of or are based on
any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in
reliance on and in conformity with information relating to the Placement Agents
furnished in writing to the Company by the Representative expressly for use in
the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. This indemnity agreement will be in
addition to any liability that the Placement Agents might otherwise
have. The Company acknowledges that, for all purposes under this
Agreement, the statements set forth under paragraph 3 under the heading “Plan of
Distribution” in any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus constitute the
only information relating to the Placement Agents furnished in writing to the
Company by the Representative expressly for inclusion in the Registration
Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus.
20
(c) Any
party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section 8
will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against
such party in respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying
party or parties under this Section 8, notify each such indemnifying party of
the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the
omission so to notify such indemnifying party will not relieve it from any
liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the foregoing
provisions of this Section 8 unless, and only to the extent that, such omission
results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying
party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party
and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying
party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by
delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving
notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly
with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of
the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and
after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its
election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the
indemnified party for any legal or other expenses except as provided below and
except for the reasonable costs of investigation subsequently incurred by the
indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified
party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the
fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such
indemnified party unless (1) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party
has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (2) the indemnified
party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that a conflict
exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) between the
indemnified party and the indemnifying party that would prevent the counsel
selected by the indemnifying party from representing the indemnified party (in
which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense
of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (3) the indemnifying party
has not in fact employed counsel to assume the defense of such action within a
reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action, in
each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of
counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or
parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties
shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same
jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges
of more than one separate firm admitted to practice in such jurisdiction at any
one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees,
disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party
promptly as they are incurred. The Company will not, without the
prior written consent of the Representative (which consent will not be
unreasonably withheld), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any
judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in
respect of which indemnification has been sought hereunder (whether or not such
Placement Agent or any person who controls the Placement Agent within the
meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act is a party to
such claim, action, suit or proceeding), unless such settlement, compromise or
consent includes an unconditional release of such Placement Agent and each such
controlling person from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or
proceeding. An indemnifying party will not be liable for any
settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent (which
consent will not be unreasonably withheld).
21
(d) In
order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which
the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of this Section 8
is applicable in accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be
unavailable from the Company or the Placement Agents, the Company and the
Placement Agents will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities,
expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other expenses
reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of,
any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted, but after deducting any
contribution received by the Company from persons other than the Placement
Agents such as persons who control the Company within the meaning of the Act or
the Exchange Act, officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement
and directors of the Company, who also may be liable for contribution) to which
the Company and the Placement Agents may be subject in such proportion as shall
be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the
one hand and the Placement Agents on the other. The relative benefits
received by the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agents on the other
shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the
offering (before deducting Company expenses) received by the Company as set
forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus bear to the fee received
by the Placement Agents hereunder. If, but only if, the allocation
provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the
allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to
reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the foregoing sentence but
also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Placement
Agents on the other, with respect to the statements or omissions which resulted
in such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof,
as well as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such
offering. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to
whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or
alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the
Company or the Placement Agents, the intent of the parties and their relative
knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such
statement or omission. The Company and the Placement Agents agree
that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this
Section 8(d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method
of allocation which does not take into account the equitable considerations
referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified
party as a result of the loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in
respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 8(d) shall be deemed to
include, for purpose of this Section 8(d), any legal or other expenses
reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating
or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions
of this Section 8(d), the Placement Agents shall not be required to contribute
any amount in excess of the fee received by it, and no person found guilty of
fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act)
will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such
fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8(d), any
person who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of the Act or
the Exchange Act will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and
each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement will have the
same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the
provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after
receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of
which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 8(d), will notify
any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission
so to notify will not relieve the party or parties from whom contribution may be
sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section
8(d). No party will be liable for contribution with respect to any
action or claim settled without its written consent (which consent will not be
unreasonably withheld).
22
9. Termination.
(a) The
obligations of the Placement Agents under this Agreement may be terminated at
any time prior to the Closing Date, by notice to the Company from the
Representative , without liability on the part of the Placement Agents to the
Company if, prior to delivery and payment for the Shares, in the sole judgment
of the Representative (i) trading in the Common Stock of the Company shall have
been suspended by the Commission or by the NASDAQ, (ii) trading in securities
generally on the NASDAQ shall have been suspended or limited or minimum or
maximum prices shall have been generally established on any of such exchanges,
or additional material governmental restrictions, not in force on the date of
this Agreement, shall have been imposed upon trading in securities generally by
any of such exchanges or by order of the Commission or any court or other
governmental authority, (iii) a general banking moratorium shall have been
declared by Federal or New York State authorities, or (iv) any material adverse
change in the financial or securities markets in the United States or any
outbreak or material escalation of hostilities or declaration by the United
States of a national emergency or war or other calamity or crisis shall have
occurred, the effect of any of which is such as to make it, in the sole judgment
of the Representative , impracticable or inadvisable to market the Shares on the
terms and in the manner contemplated by the Prospectus.
10. No Fiduciary
Duty. The Company acknowledges and agrees that in connection
with this offering, sale of the Shares or any other services the Placement
Agents may be deemed to be providing hereunder, notwithstanding any preexisting
relationship, advisory or otherwise, between the parties or any oral
representations or assurances previously or subsequently made by the Placement
Agents: (i) no fiduciary or agency relationship between the Company and any
other person, on the one hand, and the Placement Agents, on the other, exists;
(ii) the Placement Agents are not acting as an advisor, expert or otherwise, to
the Company, including, without limitation, with respect to the determination of
the offering price of the Shares, and such relationship between the Company, on
the one hand, and the Placement Agents, on the other, is entirely and solely
commercial, based on arms-length negotiations; (iii) any duties and obligations
that the Placement Agents may have to the Company shall be limited to those
duties and obligations specifically stated herein; and (iv) the Placement Agents
and their respective affiliates may have interests that differ from those of the
Company. The Company hereby waives any claims that the Company may
have against the Placement Agents with respect to any breach of fiduciary duty
in connection with this offering.
23
11. Notices. Notice
given pursuant to any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing
and, unless otherwise specified, shall be mailed or delivered (a) if to the
Company, at the office of the Company, Houston American Energy Corp., 000 Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, XX 00000, Attention: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx or (b) if
to the Representative, at the office of Global Hunter Securities LLC, 000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxx Xxxxxxx, XX 00000, Attention: Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx. Any such notice shall be effective only upon
receipt. Any notice under Section 8 may be made by facsimile or
telephone, but if so made shall be subsequently confirmed in
writing.
12. Survival. The
respective representations, warranties, agreements, covenants, indemnities and
other statements of the Company and the Placement Agents set forth in this
Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this
Agreement shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of (i) any
investigation made by or on behalf of the Company, any of its officers or
directors, the Placement Agents or any controlling person referred to in Section
8 hereof and (ii) delivery of and payment for the Shares. The
respective agreements, covenants, indemnities and other statements set forth in
Sections 6 and 8 hereof shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any
termination or cancellation of this Agreement.
13. Authority of the
Representative. Any action by the Placement Agents hereunder
may be taken by Global Hunter Securities LLC on behalf of the Placement Agents,
and any such action taken by Global Hunter Securities LLC shall be binding upon
the Placement Agents.
14. Successors. This
Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Placement
Agents, the Company and their respective successors and legal representatives,
and nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be
construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim
under or in respect of this Agreement, or any provisions herein contained, this
Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof being intended to be and
being for the sole and exclusive benefit of such persons and for the benefit of
no other person except that (i) the indemnification and contribution contained
in Sections 7(a) and (d) of this Agreement shall also be for the benefit of the
directors, officers, employees and agents of the Placement Agents and any person
or persons who control the Placement Agents within the meaning of Section 15 of
the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and (ii) the indemnification and
contribution contained in Sections 7(b) and (d) of this Agreement shall also be
for the benefit of the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who
have signed the Registration Statement and any person or persons who control the
Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the
Exchange Act. No Investor shall be deemed a successor because of such
purchase.
15. Applicable
Law. The validity and interpretations of this Agreement, and
the terms and conditions set forth herein, shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any
provisions relating to conflicts of laws.
16. Counterparts. This
Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same
instrument.
24
17. Entire
Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding
between the parties hereto as to the matters covered hereby and supersedes all
prior understandings, written or oral, relating to such subject
matter.
25
Please
confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth the agreement between the
Company and the Representative.
Very
truly yours,
|
|||
HOUSTON
AMERICAN ENERGY CORP.
|
|||
By:
|
|||
Name:
|
Xxxxx
X. Xxxxxx
|
||
Title:
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
Confirmed
as of the date first
above
mentioned:
GLOBAL
HUNTER SECURITIES, LLC
By:
|
||
Name:
|
||
Title:
|
26
SCHEDULE
1
Placement Agent
|
Number of Shares
|
Global
Hunter Securities LLC
|
1,500,000
|
Knight
Capital Markets LLC
|
1,050,000
|
Pali
Capital, Inc.
|
300,000
|
Source
Capital Group Inc.
|
150,000
|
Total
|
3,000,000
|
SCHEDULE
2
FREE
WRITING PROSPECTUS
None.
Exhibit
A
Form
of Subscription Agreement