AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER by and among WINSTON HOTELS, INC., WINN LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, INLAND AMERICAN REAL ESTATE TRUST, INC. and INLAND AMERICAN ACQUISITION (WINSTON), LLC
Exhibit 2.1
by and among
WINSTON HOTELS, INC.,
XXXX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP,
INLAND AMERICAN REAL ESTATE TRUST, INC.
and INLAND AMERICAN ACQUISITION (WINSTON), LLC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | ||||
RECITALS |
1 | |||
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS |
2 | |||
ARTICLE II THE MERGER |
14 | |||
Section 2.1 General |
14 | |||
Section 2.2 Effective Time |
14 | |||
Section 2.3 Certificate of Formation; Limited Liability Company Agreement |
14 | |||
Section 2.4 Closing |
14 | |||
Section 2.5 Manager and Officers; General Partner and Limited Partners |
15 | |||
ARTICLE III EFFECTS OF THE MERGER |
15 | |||
Section 3.1 Effects on Shares |
15 | |||
Section 3.2 Effect on Partnership Units |
17 | |||
Section 3.3 Exchange Procedures; Stock Transfer Books |
17 | |||
Section 3.4 Withholding Rights |
20 | |||
Section 3.5 Termination of DRIP |
20 | |||
Section 3.6 Further Actions |
20 | |||
ARTICLE IV REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY PARTIES |
21 | |||
Section 4.1 Organization and Good Standing |
21 | |||
Section 4.2 Authority; No Conflict |
22 | |||
Section 4.3 Capitalization |
24 | |||
Section 4.4 SEC Reports |
25 | |||
Section 4.5 Financial Statements |
25 | |||
Section 4.6 Intellectual Property |
25 | |||
Section 4.7 Personal Property |
26 | |||
Section 4.8 Real Property; Leaseholds |
26 | |||
Section 4.9 Management Agreements |
28 | |||
Section 4.10 Unexpired Option Agreements |
28 | |||
Section 4.11 Taxes |
28 | |||
Section 4.12 Employee Benefits |
32 | |||
Section 4.13 Compliance with Legal Requirements; Governmental Authorizations; Permits |
35 | |||
Section 4.14 Internal Controls |
36 | |||
Section 4.15 Absence of Certain Changes and Events |
36 | |||
Section 4.16 Contracts; No Defaults |
37 | |||
Section 4.17 Insurance |
40 | |||
Section 4.18 Labor Matters |
40 | |||
Section 4.19 Environmental Laws and Regulations |
41 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
(continued)
Page | ||||
Section 4.20 Opinion of Financial Advisor |
42 | |||
Section 4.21 Brokers |
42 | |||
Section 4.22 Special Committee Approval; Board Recommendation |
43 | |||
Section 4.23 Proxy Statement |
43 | |||
Section 4.24 Related Party Transactions |
43 | |||
Section 4.25 Investment Company Act of 1940 |
44 | |||
Section 4.26 State Takeover Statutes |
44 | |||
Section 4.27 Absence of Litigation |
44 | |||
Section 4.28 No Undisclosed Liabilities |
44 | |||
Section 4.29 Third Party Loans |
44 | |||
Section 4.30 Ownership Limitation |
45 | |||
Section 4.31 Disclaimer of Other Representations and Warranties |
45 | |||
ARTICLE V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE BUYER PARTIES |
45 | |||
Section 5.1 Organization |
45 | |||
Section 5.2 Ownership of MergerCo; No Prior Activities |
46 | |||
Section 5.3 Authority |
46 | |||
Section 5.4 No Conflict; Required Filings and Consents |
46 | |||
Section 5.5 Information Supplied for Proxy Statement |
47 | |||
Section 5.6 Financing |
47 | |||
Section 5.7 Brokers |
47 | |||
Section 5.8 Disclaimer of Other Representations and Warranties |
47 | |||
ARTICLE VI CONDUCT OF BUSINESS PENDING THE MERGER |
48 | |||
Section 6.1 Access to Information |
48 | |||
Section 6.2 Operation of the Business; Certain Notices; Tax Returns |
49 | |||
Section 6.3 No Solicitation |
54 | |||
Section 6.4 Options |
56 | |||
Section 6.5 Common Units |
56 | |||
Section 6.6 Mailing Notice |
56 | |||
ARTICLE VII ADDITIONAL COVENANTS OF THE PARTIES HERETO |
57 | |||
Section 7.1 Proxy Statement |
57 | |||
Section 7.2 Company Shareholders Meeting |
58 | |||
Section 7.3 Regulatory Approvals; Consents |
58 | |||
Section 7.4 Employee Benefits |
60 | |||
Section 7.5 Indemnification of Officers and Directors |
60 | |||
Section 7.6 Public Announcements |
62 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
(continued)
Page | ||||
Section 7.7 Transfer Taxes |
62 | |||
Section 7.8 Intentionally Omitted |
62 | |||
Section 7.9 Takeover Statutes |
62 | |||
Section 7.10 Delisting and Deregistering of Securities |
62 | |||
Section 7.11 Shareholder and Limited Partner Litigation |
62 | |||
Section 7.12 Third Party Consents |
63 | |||
Section 7.13 Alternative Structure |
63 | |||
Section 7.14 2005 GE Loan Agreement |
64 | |||
Section 7.15 Xxxxxx Break-up Fee |
64 | |||
ARTICLE VIII CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF EACH PARTY HERETO |
64 | |||
Section 8.1 Shareholder Approval |
64 | |||
Section 8.2 HSR Act |
64 | |||
Section 8.3 No Restraints |
64 | |||
ARTICLE IX CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE BUYER PARTIES |
64 | |||
Section 9.1 Accuracy of Representations |
64 | |||
Section 9.2 Performance of Covenants |
65 | |||
Section 9.3 Company Officer’s Certificate |
65 | |||
Section 9.4 Tax Opinion |
65 | |||
Section 9.5 Options |
65 | |||
Section 9.6 Limited Partners of Operating Partnership |
65 | |||
Section 9.7 Common Units |
65 | |||
Section 9.8 Third Party Consents |
66 | |||
Section 9.9 Absence of Material Adverse Change |
66 | |||
Section 9.10 Repayment of Indebtedness; Release of Liens |
66 | |||
ARTICLE X CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY PARTIES |
66 | |||
Section 10.1 Accuracy of Representations |
66 | |||
Section 10.2 Performance of Covenants |
66 | |||
Section 10.3 Parent Officer’s Certificate |
67 | |||
ARTICLE XX XXXXXXXXXXX |
00 | |||
Section 11.1 Termination |
67 | |||
Section 11.2 Effect of Termination |
68 | |||
Section 11.3 Expenses; Termination Fees |
69 | |||
ARTICLE XII MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS |
73 | |||
Section 12.1 Amendment |
73 | |||
Section 12.2 Waiver |
73 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
(continued)
Page | ||||
Section 12.3 No Survival |
74 | |||
Section 12.4 Entire Agreement |
74 | |||
Section 12.5 Execution of Agreement; Counterparts |
74 | |||
Section 12.6 Governing Law |
74 | |||
Section 12.7 Jurisdiction; Service of Process |
74 | |||
Section 12.8 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL |
75 | |||
Section 12.9 Remedies; Specific Performance |
75 | |||
Section 12.10 Disclosure Letter |
75 | |||
Section 12.11 Assignments and Successors |
75 | |||
Section 12.12 No Third Party Rights |
76 | |||
Section 12.13 Notices |
76 | |||
Section 12.14 Cooperation |
77 | |||
Section 12.15 Legal Representation of the Parties |
78 | |||
Section 12.16 Headings |
78 | |||
Section 12.17 Severability |
78 | |||
Section 12.18 Interpretation |
78 | |||
Exhibit A – JV Entities |
||||
Exhibit B – Form of Tax Opinion |
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This AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of
April 2, 2007, by and among Winston Hotels, Inc., a North Carolina corporation operating so as to
qualify as a real estate investment trust (the “Company”), XXXX Limited Partnership, a
North Carolina limited partnership whose sole general partner is the Company (the “Operating
Partnership” and together with the Company the “Company Parties ”), Inland American
Real Estate Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Parent”), Inland American Acquisition
(Winston), LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned Subsidiary of Parent
(“MergerCo” and together with Parent, the “Buyer Parties”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the parties hereto wish to effect a business combination through a merger of the
Company with and into MergerCo, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this
Agreement and in accordance with the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “DLLCA”)
and the North Carolina Business Corporation Act (the “NCBCA”), pursuant to which the
separate corporate existence of the Company shall thereupon cease (the “Merger”);
WHEREAS, the Special Committee has (a) determined that this Agreement, the Merger and the
other transactions contemplated by this Agreement (the “Contemplated Transactions” and,
together with the Merger, the “Merger Transactions”) are advisable and fair to, and in the
best interests of, the Company and its shareholders on the terms and subject to the conditions set
forth herein and (b) recommended the adoption and approval of this Agreement and the Merger
Transactions by the board of directors of the Company (the “Company Board”);
WHEREAS, the Company Board, based on the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee,
has (a) approved this Agreement and the Merger Transactions, (b) determined that this Agreement and
the Merger Transactions are advisable and fair to, and in the best interests of, the Company and
its shareholders on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, (c) directed that
this Agreement and the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions be submitted for consideration at a
meeting of the Company’s shareholders (the “Company Shareholders Meeting”) and (d)
recommended the adoption and approval of this Agreement and the Merger and the Contemplated
Transactions by the Company’s shareholders;
WHEREAS, the Company, as the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, has approved
this Agreement and deemed it advisable and in the best interests of the Operating Partnership to
enter into this Agreement and to consummate the Merger Transactions on the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth herein;
WHEREAS, the board of directors of Parent have approved this Agreement, the Merger and the
Contemplated Transactions and declared that this Agreement, the Merger and the Contemplated
Transactions are advisable and in the best interests of Parent and its shareholders on the terms
and subject to the conditions set forth herein;
WHEREAS, Parent, as the manager and sole member of MergerCo, has approved this Agreement, the
Merger and the Contemplated Transactions and declared that this Agreement, the Merger and the
Contemplated Transactions are advisable and in the best interests of MergerCo and its sole member
on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein;
WHEREAS, the parties hereto desire to make certain representations, warranties, covenants and
agreements in connection with the Merger Transactions as set forth herein and to prescribe various
conditions thereto as set forth herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the representations, warranties,
covenants and agreements set forth herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt
and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the
parties hereto hereby agree as follows.
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1 Definitions. Each of the following terms is defined as follows:
“2005 GE Loan Agreement” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.14.
“Acquired Company” means each of the Company and each Subsidiary of the Company, and
“Acquired Companies” means the Company and the Subsidiaries of the Company, collectively.
“Acquisition Agreement” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.3(c).
“Acquisition Proposal” means any offer, proposal, inquiry or indication of interest
(other than an offer, proposal, inquiry or indication of interest by Parent or its Affiliates)
contemplating or otherwise relating to any Acquisition Transaction.
“Acquisition Transaction” means, other than any of the Merger Transactions, any
transaction or series of related transactions involving any (i) reorganization, dissolution,
liquidation or recapitalization of any of the Acquired Companies, (ii) merger, consolidation, share
exchange, business combination, tender offer, exchange offer or other similar acquisition of any of
the Acquired Companies, (iii) sale, lease, exchange, transfer, license, acquisition or disposition
of more than twenty percent (20%) of the assets of the Acquired Companies, taken as a whole, (iv)
direct or indirect acquisition or purchase of more than twenty percent (20%) of the shares of
capital stock, partnership interests or other equity interests of the Acquired Companies, taken as
a whole, except for any purchase by the Company of Company Common Stock, (v) similar transaction or
business combination involving any Acquired Company or any of their businesses, shares of capital
stock, partnership interests, other equity interests or assets, (vi) public announcement of a
proposal, plan or intention to do any of the foregoing or any agreement to engage in any of the
foregoing or (vii) any combination of any of the foregoing.
2
“Affiliate” means, as to any specified Person, (i) any trust, shareholder, equity
owner, officer or director of such Person and their associates (as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the
Exchange Act) or (ii) any other Person which, directly or indirectly, through one or more
intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, employed by or is under common control with, the
specified Person. For the purposes of this definition and the definition of Subsidiary,
“control ” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause
the direction of the management and policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of
voting securities, by Contract or otherwise.
“Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the preamble hereto.
“Articles of Merger” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2.
“Balance Sheet” means the balance sheet of the Acquired Companies included in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2006.
“Balance Sheet Date” means December 31, 2006.
“Buyer Parties” means Parent and MergerCo.
“CERCLA” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.19(c).
“Certificate of Formation” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.3(a).
“Closing” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.4.
“Closing Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.4.
“Code” means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Common Unit Consideration” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.2(b).
“Common Unit Holders” means the holders of Common Units (other than the Company and
Parent) immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time.
“Common Units” means all partnership interests in the Operating Partnership that are
not specifically designated as Series B Preferred Units in the Operating Partnership Agreement.
“Company” means Winston Hotels, Inc., a North Carolina corporation operating so as to
qualify as a real estate investment trust.
“Company Board” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals hereto.
“Company Board Recommendation” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.2(b).
“Company Common Share Merger Consideration” has the meaning set forth in Section
3.1(c).
3
“Company Common Stock” means the Company’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share.
“Company Expenses” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.3(a)(v).
“Company Intellectual Property” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.6.
“Company Parties” means the Company and Operating Partnership.
“Company Plan” means the Winston Hotels, Inc. Stock Incentive Plan.
“Company Series A Preferred Stock” means the Company’s 9.25% Series A Cumulative
Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.
“Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration” has the meaning set forth in Section
3.1(g).
“Company Series B Preferred Stock” means the Company’s 8.00% Series B Cumulative
Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.
“Company SEC Reports” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.4.
“Company Shareholders Meeting” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals hereto.
“Company Termination Fee” means an amount equal to $11,000,000 in cash.
“Company Triggering Event” means (i) (x) the failure of the Company Board to recommend
that the Company’s shareholders vote to adopt this Agreement, (y) a Recommendation Withdrawal or
(z) any statement by the Company Board, the Special Committee or the Company, in any written
material filed with the SEC, that the Company Board or the Special Committee does not believe that
this Agreement and the Merger Transactions are in the best interests of the Company’s shareholders;
(ii) the failure of the Company to include in the Proxy Statement the Company Board Recommendation
or a statement to the effect that the Company Board and the Special Committee has determined and
believes that this Agreement and the Merger Transactions are in the best interests of the Company’s
shareholders; (iii) the approval, endorsement or recommendation of the Company Board and the
Special Committee of, or the public announcement of its intent to approve, endorse or recommend,
any Acquisition Proposal; (iv) the entry into a Contract (other than a confidentiality agreement
entered into in compliance with Section 6.3(a)) by any of the Acquired Companies relating to an
Acquisition Proposal, or the public announcement of its intent to do so; (v) the failure of the
Company to comply with Section 6.3(a); or (vi) a tender or exchange offer relating to securities of
any of the Acquired Companies shall have been commenced by someone other than Parent or its
Affiliates and the Company shall not have sent to its security holders, within ten (10) business
days after the commencement of such tender or exchange offer, a statement disclosing that the
Company Board recommends rejection of such tender or exchange offer.
“Confidentiality Agreement” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.1(b).
4
“Consent” means any approval, consent, ratification, permission, waiver or
authorization by, filing with or notification to, any Person (including any Governmental
Authorization).
“Contemplated Transactions” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals hereto.
“Continuing Employees” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.4.
“Contract” means any written, oral or other agreement, contract, subcontract, lease,
understanding, arrangement, instrument, note, option, warranty, purchase order, license,
sublicense, insurance policy, benefit plan or legally binding commitment or undertaking of any
nature, including, in each case, any amendments, supplements or modifications thereto.
“Covered Parties” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.5(a).
“Current Policy” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.5(c).
“DLLCA” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals hereto.
“Debt” means, as to any Person, at a particular time, (i) indebtedness for borrowed
money or for the deferred purchase price of property (which shall not include accounts payable
incurred in the ordinary course of business) in respect of which such Person is liable,
contingently or otherwise, as obligor, guarantor or otherwise, or in respect of which such Person
otherwise assures a creditor against loss, (ii) obligations under leases which shall have been or
should be, in accordance with GAAP, recorded as capital leases in respect of which obligations such
Person is liable, contingently or otherwise, as obligor, guarantor or otherwise, or in respect of
which obligations such Person assures a creditor against loss, (iii) obligations of such Person to
purchase or repurchase accounts receivable, chattel paper or other payment rights sold or assigned
by such Person, (iv) obligations secured by a purchase money mortgage or other Encumbrance to
secure all or part of the purchase price of the property or services subject to such mortgage or
Encumbrance, (v) obligations for any amounts under any deferred compensation programs, (vi)
indebtedness or obligations of such Person under or with respect to letters of credit, notes,
bonds, debentures or other debt instruments, (vii) obligations of such Person under any interest
rate swap, cap or collar agreement, currency or hedging arrangements or other similar agreement or
arrangement designed to alter the risks of that Person arising from fluctuations in interest rates,
in each case whether contingent or matured and including all breakage, termination or prepayment
fees and (viii) obligations for penalty payments, redemption premiums, charges, breakage costs,
yield maintenance amounts and other expenses relating to the prepayment of any obligations of the
types referred to in this definition of Debt.
“Disclosure Letter” means the disclosure letter in respect of the Acquired Companies
as delivered by the Company to Parent on the date hereof simultaneously with the execution and
delivery of this Agreement.
“DRIP” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.5.
“Employee Benefit Plans” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.12(a).
5
“Encumbrance” means any lien, pledge, hypothecation, charge, mortgage, easement,
security interest, encumbrance, claim, infringement, interference, option, right of first refusal,
preemptive right, community property interest or restriction of any kind or nature (including any
restriction on the voting of any security, any restriction on the transfer of any security or other
asset, any restriction on the receipt of any income derived from any asset, any restriction on the
use of any asset and any restriction on the possession, exercise, transfer or pledge of any other
attribute of ownership of any asset).
“End Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.1(b).
“Environmental Claim” means any claim, action, cause of action, investigation or
notice (written or oral) by any Person alleging potential liability (including potential liability
for investigatory costs, cleanup costs, governmental response costs, natural resources damages,
property damages, personal injuries, or penalties) arising out of, based on or resulting from (a)
the presence, or release into the environment, of any Hazardous Substance at any location, whether
or not owned or operated by any of the Acquired Companies or JV Entities or (b) any violation, or
alleged violation, of any Environmental Law.
“Environmental Laws” means all applicable Legal Requirements relating to pollution or
protection of human health or the environment, including ambient air, surface water, ground water,
land surface or subsurface strata, including laws and regulations relating to emissions,
discharges, releases or threatened releases of Hazardous Substances, or otherwise relating to the
manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of
Hazardous Substances.
“Environmental Permits” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.19(a).
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the
rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to any entity, trade or business, any other
entity, trade or business that is a member of a group described in Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o)
of the Code or Section 4001(b)(1) of ERISA that includes the first entity, trade or business, or
that is a member of the same “controlled group” as the first entity, trade or business pursuant to
Section 4001(a)(14) of ERISA.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules
and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Exchange Fund” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.3(a).
“Facilities” means any real property, including the Properties, leaseholds or other
interests currently or formerly owned in fee simple or pursuant to a ground leasehold interest or
operated by any Acquired Company, together with any buildings, plants, structures or equipment
located thereon, including hotels, parking lots and structures, convention centers, meeting
facilities, restaurant, bar and lounge facilities, and all furnishings, fixtures and equipment
located therein or thereon.
6
“Franchise Agreements” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.8(f).
“GAAP” means the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of
America.
“Governmental Authorization” means any (i) permit, license, certificate, franchise,
approval, consent, ratification, waiver, certification, decree, decision, permission, variance,
clearance, registration, qualification or authorization issued, granted, given or otherwise made
available or the expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period by or under the
authority of any Governmental Body or pursuant to any Legal Requirement or (ii) right under any
Contract with any Governmental Body.
“Governmental Body” means any (i) nation, state, commonwealth, province, territory,
county, municipality, district or other jurisdiction of any nature, (ii) federal, state, local,
municipal, foreign or other government or (iii) governmental or quasi-governmental regulatory or
administrative authority of any nature (including any governmental division, department, agency,
commission, instrumentality, official, organization, unit, body or other Person and any court,
arbitral body, self-regulated entity or other tribunal).
“Ground Leased Properties” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.8(a).
“Ground Leases” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.8(a).
“H&W” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.4.
“Hazardous Substances” means chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic
substances, hazardous substances, radioactive materials, asbestos, petroleum and petroleum
products.
“HSR Act” means the Xxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.
“Indemnification Event” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.5(a).
“Insurance Amount” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.5(c).
“Intellectual Property” means (i) trademarks, service marks, trade names and Internet
domain names, together with all goodwill connected therewith or symbolized thereby, (ii) patents
(including any continuations and continuations in part), (iii) copyrights, (iv) trade secrets and
know-how, (v) copyrightable works and copyrights and (vi) registrations and applications for
registration of any of the foregoing.
“IRS” means the Internal Revenue Service of the United States federal government.
“JV Entities” means the joint venture entities of the Company set forth on Exhibit
A attached hereto, including the Minority JV Entities as specified on Exhibit A
attached hereto.
“knowledge”: An individual will be deemed to have “knowledge” of a particular fact or
7
other matter if such individual is actually aware of such fact or other matter, following
reasonable inquiry. A Person (other than an individual) will be deemed to have “knowledge” of a
particular fact or other matter if any individual who is currently serving as an executive officer
(as defined in Rule 3b-7 promulgated under the Exchange Act and in the case of the Company Parties,
limited to such Persons listed as such in the Company’s proxy statement for its 2006 annual meeting
of shareholders filed with the SEC on March 17, 2006) of such Person is actually aware of such fact
or other matter, following reasonable inquiry. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any
Person’s knowledge concerning circumstances pertaining to or affecting the Minority JV Entities,
the parties hereto hereby acknowledge and agree that such Person’s duty of reasonable inquiry shall
not include a duty to make inquiries of the Minority JV Entities.
“Legal Proceeding” means any action, suit, litigation, claim, arbitration, proceeding
(including any civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or appellate proceeding), hearing,
inquiry, audit, examination or investigation commenced, brought, conducted or heard by or before,
or otherwise involving, any court or other Governmental Body or any arbitrator or arbitration
panel.
“Legal Requirement” means any federal, state, local, municipal, foreign or other law,
statute, constitution, principle of common law, resolution, ordinance, code, edict, decree,
executive order, rule, regulation, ruling or requirement issued, enacted, adopted, promulgated,
applied, implemented or otherwise put into effect by or under the authority of any Governmental
Body (or under the authority of NYSE or any other stock exchange, if applicable).
“Liabilities” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.28.
“Limited Liability Company Agreement” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.3(b).
“Loan Documents” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.29.
“Loans” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.29.
“Mailing Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.6.
“Management Agreement Documents” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.9.
“Material Adverse Effect”: An event, change, effect or development will be deemed to
have a “Material Adverse Effect” on the Acquired Companies if such event, change, effect,
development or other matter (a) has had, or would reasonably be expected to have, a material
adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on the business, financial condition,
capitalization, assets, liabilities, operations or financial performance of the Acquired Companies,
taken as a whole, excluding any effects arising out of or resulting from any adverse change
following the date of this Agreement in the financial credit or real estate markets, or other
change following the date of this Agreement in general economic conditions, or an outbreak or
escalation of hostilities, a national emergency or war, or the occurrence of any act of terrorism,
in each case, except if the Acquired Companies, taken as a whole, are materially and
disproportionately affected thereby, (b) has had, or would reasonably be expected to have, a
material adverse effect on the ability of the Company Parties to timely consummate the Merger
8
Transactions or to timely perform any of their respective obligations under this Agreement, or
(c) has prevented or materially delayed, or would reasonably be expected to prevent or materially
delay, the consummation of the Merger Transactions. An event, change, effect, development or other
matter will be deemed to have a “Material Adverse Effect” on Parent if such event, change, effect,
development or other matter (i) has had, or would reasonably be expected to have, a material
adverse effect on the ability of the Buyer Parties to timely consummate the Merger Transactions or
to timely perform any of their respective obligations under this Agreement, or (ii) has prevented
or materially delayed, or would reasonably be expected to prevent or materially delay, the
consummation of the Merger Transactions. For purposes of clarification, no event, change, effect,
development or other matter attributable to compliance with the terms of, or the taking of any
action expressly required by, this Agreement or any of the Merger Transactions, including the
payment of the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee and the loss by the Acquired Companies of certain customers,
suppliers, franchisors or employees solely as a result of the performance of this Agreement or the
announcement of the Merger Transactions, solely to the extent that such losses are reasonably
consistent in scope and magnitude with the average losses experienced by companies operating in the
industry in which the Company Parties operate in connection with change-of-control transactions,
shall be deemed in itself, or in any combination, to constitute, and shall not be taken into
account in determining whether there has been or will be, a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired
Companies; provided, however, that with respect to the representations and warranties set
forth in Sections 4.2(d) and 5.4(b), only the language in the first two (2) sentences of this
paragraph shall be applied in determining whether a “Material Adverse Effect” has occurred with
respect to such Sections 4.2(d) and 5.4(b).
“Material Contract” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.16(a).
“Merger” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals hereto.
“Merger Effective Time” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2.
“Merger Transactions” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals hereto.
“MergerCo” means Inland American Acquisition (Winston), LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company and wholly-owned Subsidiary of Parent.
“MergerCo Common Units” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(a).
“Minority JV Entity” means any JV Entity that does not qualify as a Subsidiary of the
Company per the first sentence of the definition of “Subsidiary” and is therefore not a Subsidiary
of the Company. The term “Minority JV Entity” shall include all Subsidiaries of such Minority JV
Entity, and shall include each of the JV Entities specified as a Minority JV Entity on Exhibit
A attached hereto.
“Multiemployer Plan” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.12(g).
“NCBCA” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals hereto.
“New Employee Benefit Plans” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.4.
9
“NYSE” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.1.
“Operating Partnership” means XXXX Limited Partnership, a North Carolina limited
partnership whose sole general partner is the Company.
“Operating Partnership Agreement” means that certain Second Amended and Restated
Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Operating Partnership, dated July 11, 1997, as amended from
time to time.
“Option Holder Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(d).
“Option Merger Consideration” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(d).
“Options” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(d).
“Organizational Documents” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.1(b).
“Owned Real Properties” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.8(a).
“Ownership Limitation” has the meaning set forth in the Articles of Incorporation of
the Company, as amended from time to time, as in effect on the date hereof.
“Parent” means Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation.
“Parent Expenses” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.3(a)(ii).
“Parent Termination Fee” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.3(a)(v).
“Paying Agent” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.3(a).
“Permits” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.13(b).
“Permitted Encumbrances” means (i) Encumbrances for Taxes, assessments, governmental
charges or levies or mechanics and other statutory liens (A) that are not material in amount
relative to the property affected and (B) that are not yet delinquent or are being contested in
good faith and by appropriate proceedings in respect thereof during which collection or enforcement
is stayed, (ii) inchoate mechanics’ and materialmen’s liens for construction in progress and
arising in the ordinary course of business of the Acquired Companies, (iii) inchoate workmen’s,
repairmen’s, warehousemen’s and carriers’ liens arising in the ordinary course of business of the
Acquired Companies, (iv) with respect to real property, zoning restrictions, survey exceptions,
utility easements, rights of way and similar Encumbrances that are imposed by any Governmental Body
having jurisdiction thereon or that otherwise are typical for the applicable property type and
locality and that, individually or in the aggregate, do not interfere materially, or would not
reasonably be expected to interfere materially, with the current use and operation of such property
(assuming its continued use in the manner in which it is currently used) or, with respect to
unimproved or vacant real property, interfere materially with the intended use of such property,
(v) with respect to real property, any title exception (whether material or immaterial) disclosed
in any Title Policy provided or made available to Parent prior
10
to the date hereof, Encumbrances and obligations arising under the Material Contracts
(including any Encumbrance securing mortgage debt disclosed in the Disclosure Letter), the Ground
Leases and any other Encumbrance that does not interfere materially with the current use of such
property (assuming its continued use in the manner in which it is currently used) or materially
adversely affect the value or marketability of such property and/or (vi) other Encumbrances being
contested in the ordinary course of business in good faith and which, individually or in the
aggregate, do not materially impair, or would not reasonably be expected to impair, the continued
use and operation of the assets to which they relate in the conduct of the business of any Acquired
Company.
“Person” means any individual, corporation (including any non-profit corporation),
general or limited partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, estate, trust,
association, organization, labor union or other entity or Governmental Body.
“Pre-Closing Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.1(a).
“Properties” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.8(a).
“Proxy Statement” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.23.
“Qualified Plans” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.12(d).
“Qualifying Income” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.3(b).
“Recommendation Withdrawal” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.2(b).
“REIT” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.11(b).
“Representatives” means, with respect to any Person, the equity holders, partners,
employees, consultants, officers, directors, agents, attorneys, accountants, advisors, debt and
equity financing sources and representatives of such Person.
“Required Company Shareholder Vote” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2(b).
“Restricted Shares” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(e).
“Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.14(a).
“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Series B Preferred Units” means all partnership interests in the Operating
Partnership specifically designated as Series B Preferred Units in the Operating Partnership
Agreement.
“Space Leases” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.8(c).
11
“Special Committee” means the special committee of the Company Board appointed to
evaluate, negotiate and recommend actions with respect to Acquisition Transactions involving the
Company, including the Merger Transactions, and to represent the Company in connection therewith.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, any corporation, limited liability
company, partnership, association, joint venture or other business entity of which (i) if a
corporation, (x) a majority of the total voting power of shares of stock entitled (without regard
to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees
thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more
of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof or (y) that Person otherwise has
direct or indirect control thereof, by Contract or otherwise or (ii) if a limited liability
company, partnership, association, joint venture or other business entity (other than a
corporation), (x) a majority of the partnership or other similar ownership interests thereof is at
the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more Subsidiaries of
that Person or a combination thereof, and for this purpose, a Person or Persons own a majority
ownership interest in such a business entity (other than a corporation) if such Person or Persons
shall be allocated a majority of such business entity’s gains or losses, (y) that Person shall be
or control any managing director or general partner of such business entity (other than a
corporation) or (z) that Person otherwise has direct or indirect control thereof, by Contract or
otherwise. The term “Subsidiary” shall include all Subsidiaries of such Subsidiary, and, when used
with respect to the Company, shall include each of the Acquired Companies listed on Section 4.1(b)
of the Disclosure Letter, including each of the JV Entities (except for the Minority JV Entities),
in each case, as specified and listed on Exhibit A attached hereto.
“Superior Proposal” means an unsolicited, bona fide written Acquisition Proposal
(except that references to twenty percent (20%) within the definition of “Acquisition Proposal”
will be deemed to be references to “more than fifty percent (50%)”) made by a third party on terms
that the Company Board (acting through the Special Committee) determines, in its good faith
judgment, after consultation with its or the Special Committee’s, as applicable, financial advisors
and outside legal counsel, taking into account, among other things, all of the terms, conditions
and circumstances of the Acquisition Proposal, to be more favorable to the Company’s shareholders
from a financial point of view than the terms of the Merger Transactions (after giving effect to
any modification to this Agreement proposed by the Buyer Parties) and to be reasonably capable of
being consummated.
“Superior Proposal Notice” means the at least three (3) business days’ written notice
from the Company to Parent that the Company or its Special Committee is in receipt of an
unsolicited Superior Proposal and is prepared to approve, authorize or recommend such Superior
Proposal or the applicable amendment to a Superior Proposal, specifying the material terms and
conditions of such Superior Proposal or amendment thereto (and a copy thereof, if available) and
identifying the third party making such Superior Proposal or amendment thereto.
“Superior Proposal Termination Procedures” has the meaning set forth in Section
11.1(f).
“Surviving Entity” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1(a).
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“Tax” means (i) any tax (including any income tax, franchise tax, capital gains tax,
gross receipts tax, value-added tax, surtax, excise tax, ad valorem tax, transfer tax, stamp tax,
sales tax, use tax, property tax, business tax, withholding tax or payroll tax), levy, assessment,
tariff, duty (including any customs duty), (ii) any related charge or amount (including any fine,
penalty or interest), imposed, assessed or collected by or under the authority of any Taxing
Authority and (iii) any liability pursuant to any statute or agreement for an amount described in
clauses (i) or (ii) above owed by another party.
“Tax Protection Agreement” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.11(t).
“Tax Return” means any return (including any information return), report, statement,
estimate, schedule, notice, notification, form, election, certificate or other document filed with,
or required to be filed with, any Taxing Authority in connection with the determination,
assessment, collection or payment of any Tax or in connection with the administration,
implementation or enforcement of or compliance with any Legal Requirement relating to any Tax.
“Taxing Authority” means a Governmental Body responsible for the imposition,
administration or collection of any Tax.
“Title Policies” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.8(b).
“Transfer Taxes” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.7.
“Treasury Regulations” means the final and temporary income tax regulations
promulgated under the Code, as such regulations may be amended from time to time. References to
specific provisions of the Treasury Regulations shall be deemed to include the corresponding
provisions of succeeding provisions of the Treasury Regulations.
“Tribeca Contract” means the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, dated as of February 13,
2006 and amended as of May 2, 2006 and October 4, 2006, by and between the Operating Partnership
and York Street, LLC, as amended as of February 21, 2007.
“Xxxxxx Break-up Fee” means the Company Termination Fee and Parent Expenses, each as
defined in the Xxxxxx Merger Agreement, that is to be paid to Xxxxxx Acquisition Holding Company,
LLC at or prior to the time of the effectiveness of the termination of the Xxxxxx Merger Agreement.
“Xxxxxx Break-up Fee Reimbursement” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.3(b).
“Xxxxxx Merger Agreement” means the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of February
21, 2007 by and among the Company, the Operating Partnership, Xxxxxx Acquisition Holding Company,
LLC and Xxxxxx Acquisition, Inc.
13
ARTICLE II
THE MERGER
THE MERGER
Section 2.1 General.
(a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and in accordance with the DLLCA
and the NCBCA, at the Merger Effective Time, MergerCo and the Company shall consummate the Merger
pursuant to which (i) the Company shall be merged with and into MergerCo and the separate existence
of the Company shall thereupon cease and (ii) MergerCo shall be the surviving entity in the Merger
(the “Surviving Entity”). The Merger shall have the effects specified in the DLLCA and the
NCBCA.
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, at the Merger Effective Time,
Parent shall purchase one hundred (100) Common Units of the Operating Partnership for a cash
purchase price of one hundred dollars ($100.00) and Parent shall become a limited partner of the
Operating Partnership.
Section 2.2 Effective Time. At the Closing and immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time, MergerCo and the Company shall duly execute and file a certificate of merger and
articles of merger with respect to the Merger in a form that complies with the DLLCA and the NCBCA,
respectively (collectively, the “Articles of Merger”) with the Secretary of State of the
State of Delaware and the Secretary of State of the State of North Carolina, respectively, in
accordance with the DLLCA and the NCBCA, respectively. The Merger shall become effective upon such
time as the Articles of Merger have been accepted for record by the Secretary of State of the State
of Delaware and the Secretary of State of the State of North Carolina, respectively, or such later
time which the parties hereto shall have agreed upon and designated in such filing in accordance
with the DLLCA and the NCBCA as the effective time of the Merger but not to exceed thirty (30) days
after the Articles of Merger are accepted for record by the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware and the Secretary of State of the State of North Carolina, respectively (the “Merger
Effective Time”).
Section 2.3 Certificate of Formation; Limited Liability Company Agreement.
(a) At the Merger Effective Time, the Certificate of Formation of MergerCo, as in effect
immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time, shall be the Certificate of Formation of the
Surviving Entity until thereafter amended as provided therein or by applicable law (the
“Certificate of Formation”).
(b) The limited liability company agreement of the Company, as in effect immediately prior to
the Merger Effective Time, shall be the limited liability company agreement of the Surviving Entity
until thereafter amended as provided therein or by applicable law (the “Limited Liability
Company Agreement”).
Section 2.4 Closing. Unless this Agreement shall have been terminated in accordance
with Article XI, the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”) shall occur as promptly as
practicable (but in no event later than the third business day) after all of the conditions set
forth in Articles VIII, IX and X (other than conditions which by their terms are required to be
satisfied or waived
14
at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver thereof) shall have been
satisfied or waived by the party hereto entitled to the benefit of the same, or at such other time
and on a date as agreed to by the parties hereto (the “Closing Date”). The Closing shall
take place at the offices of DLA Piper US LLP, Raleigh, North Carolina, or at such other place as
agreed to by the parties hereto.
Section 2.5 Manager and Officers; General Partner and Limited Partners.
(a) (i) The manager of MergerCo immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time shall be the
manager of the Surviving Entity, and (ii) the officers of MergerCo immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time shall be the officers of the Surviving Entity, in each case, to hold such position
in accordance with the Certificate of Formation and Limited Liability Company Agreement.
(b) The general partner of the Operating Partnership immediately after the Merger Effective
Time shall be the Surviving Entity and the limited partner of the Operating Partnership immediately
after the Merger Effective Time shall be Parent.
ARTICLE III
EFFECTS OF THE MERGER
EFFECTS OF THE MERGER
Section 3.1 Effects on Shares. At the Merger Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger
and without any action on the part of Parent, MergerCo, the Company or any of their respective
shareholders or unitholders:
(a) Each common unit of MergerCo (the “MergerCo Common Units”), shall be converted
into one validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable common unit of the Surviving Entity.
(b) Except for each share of Company Common Stock as of the Merger Effective Time held in the
name of the Company, as trustee, for the benefit of the individual participants in the Winston
Hotels, Inc. Executive Deferred Compensation Plan, each share of Company Common Stock and Company
Series B Preferred Stock that is owned by any of the Acquired Companies or by Parent, MergerCo or
any other Subsidiary of Parent immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time shall automatically
be canceled and retired and shall cease to exist, and no payment shall be made with respect
thereto.
(c) Each share of Company Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time (other than shares to be canceled in accordance with Section 3.1(b)) shall
automatically be converted into, and canceled in exchange for, the right to receive an amount in
cash to be paid by Parent equal to $15.00 without interest (the “Company Common Share Merger
Consideration”).
(d) Not later than the earlier of the time at which the Company gives notice of the
Contemplated Transactions to its shareholders and the date that is thirty (30) days prior to the
Merger Effective Time, the Company shall notify each holder of the options granted pursuant to the
Company Plan (“Options”), in writing, of the Contemplated Transactions in accordance with
the Company Plan (the “Option Holder Notice”). Immediately prior to the Merger Effective
15
Time, all such Options that remain unvested automatically shall become fully vested. The
Option Holder Notice shall (i) apprise the holders of outstanding Options of their ability to
exercise the Options in accordance with the Company Plan prior to the Merger Effective Time, (ii)
disclose that, if not exercised, such Options will terminate at the Merger Effective Time and (iii)
disclose that if any Options are not exercised prior to the Merger Effective Time and terminate as
contemplated in clause (ii), the holders of such Options will be entitled to receive the Option
Merger Consideration in respect of such Options. As of the Merger Effective Time, each outstanding
Option shall be terminated by virtue of the Merger and each holder of an Option shall cease to have
any rights with respect thereto, other than the right to receive, in respect of each such
terminated Option, a single lump sum payment (without interest and subject to the deduction and
withholding of such amounts as Parent, the Surviving Entity or the Paying Agent, as applicable, is
required to deduct and withhold with respect to the making of such payment under the Code, or any
provision of state, local or foreign tax law) in cash an amount equal to the Company Common Share
Merger Consideration, minus the exercise price for such Option (the “Option Merger
Consideration”). Payment of the Option Merger Consideration to each of the holders of Options
entitled thereto shall be made as soon as practicable after the Merger Effective Time, subject to
the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Any amounts withheld and paid over to the appropriate
taxing authority by Parent, the Surviving Entity or the Paying Agent will be treated for all
purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the holder of the Option in respect of whom such
deduction and withholding was made. If the exercise price per share of any such Option is equal to
or greater than the Company Common Share Merger Consideration, such Option shall be canceled
without any cash payment being made in respect thereof. Prior to the Merger Effective Time, the
Company shall take all actions required by the Company Plan under which such Options were granted
to cause such Company Plan and all Options granted thereunder to terminate at the Merger Effective
Time, including adopting any plan amendments and resolutions and obtaining any required Consents,
without paying any consideration or incurring any debts or obligations on behalf of the Company or
the Surviving Entity.
(e) Immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time, all restricted share awards
(“Restricted Shares”) granted pursuant to the Company Plan or otherwise that remain
unvested automatically shall become fully vested and free of any forfeiture restrictions and each
Restricted Share shall be considered an outstanding share of Company Common Stock for all purposes
of this Agreement, including the right to receive the Company Common Share Merger Consideration.
Prior to the Merger Effective Time, the Company will adopt such resolutions and will take such
other actions, including adopting any plan amendments and obtaining any required Consents, as shall
be required to effectuate the actions contemplated by this Section 3.1(e), without paying any
consideration or incurring any debts or obligations on behalf of the Company or the Surviving
Entity.
(f) If, subsequent to the date of this Agreement but prior to the Merger Effective Time, the
outstanding shares of Company Common Stock shall have been changed into a different number of
shares as a result of a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, subdivision,
reclassification, split, combination, exchange, recapitalization, or any dividend or other
distribution payable in stock or other securities is declared thereon or rights issued in respect
thereof with a record date within such period, or other similar transaction, the Company
16
Common Share Merger Consideration, the Option Merger Consideration and the Common Unit
Consideration shall be appropriately adjusted so that the aggregate amount payable pursuant to this
Agreement to effect the Merger Transactions shall not have increased as a result of such
adjustment.
(g) Each share of Company Series B Preferred Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to
the Merger Effective Time (other than shares to be canceled in accordance with Section 3.1(b))
shall automatically be converted into, and canceled in exchange for, the right to receive an amount
in cash to be paid by Parent equal to the sum of (i) $25.44 per share (if the Merger Effective Time
occurs on or prior to June 30, 2007) or $25.38 per share (if the Merger Effective Time occurs after
June 30, 2007 and on or prior to September 30, 2007) plus (ii) any accrued and unpaid dividends as
of the Merger Effective Time (the “Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration”).
Section 3.2 Effect on Partnership Units.
At the Merger Effective Time:
(a) Parent shall purchase one hundred (100) Common Units of the Operating Partnership for a
cash purchase price of one hundred dollars ($100.00) and Parent shall be a limited partner of the
Operating Partnership.
(b) Each Common Unit issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time
that is held by the Common Unit Holders shall automatically be converted into, and canceled in
exchange for, the right to receive, at the Merger Effective Time, an amount in cash to be paid by
Parent equal to the Company Common Share Merger Consideration, without interest, multiplied by the
Conversion Factor (as defined in the Operating Partnership Agreement) for each Common Unit held by
such Common Unit Holder (the “Common Unit Consideration”).
(c) Each Series B Preferred Unit outstanding under the Operating Partnership immediately prior
to the Merger Effective Time shall automatically be canceled and retired and shall cease to exist,
and no payment shall be made with respect thereto.
Section 3.3 Exchange Procedures; Stock Transfer Books.
(a) Prior to the Merger Effective Time, Parent shall appoint a bank or trust company
reasonably acceptable to the Company to act as paying and exchange agent hereunder (the “Paying
Agent”). At the Merger Effective Time, Parent shall, or shall cause any of the Acquired
Companies to, deposit with the Paying Agent cash in an amount necessary to pay all of the Company
Common Share Merger Consideration, Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration, Option Merger
Consideration and Common Unit Consideration. The amounts deposited pursuant to the prior sentence
shall hereinafter be referred to as the “Exchange Fund.” Parent shall cause the Paying
Agent to make, and the Paying Agent shall make, payments of the Company Common Share Merger
Consideration, Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration, Option Merger Consideration and Common
Unit Consideration out of the Exchange Fund in accordance with this Agreement. The Exchange Fund
shall not be used for any other purpose. Any and all interest earned on cash deposited in the
Exchange Fund shall be
17
paid to the Surviving Entity.
(b) As soon as reasonably practicable, and in no event more than five (5) business days after
the Merger Effective Time, Parent shall cause the Paying Agent to send (i) to each Person who was,
immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time, a holder of record of certificates of Company
Common Stock, Common Units and/or Company Series B Preferred Stock (A) a letter of transmittal in
customary form and containing such provisions as Parent may reasonably specify including (1) a
provision confirming that delivery of certificates shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to
certificates shall pass to the Paying Agent, only upon delivery of such certificates to the Paying
Agent, and (2) a form of certification by the Person executing such letter of transmittal to the
effect that either (x) such Person is not “foreign” for purposes of Sections 897 and 1445 of the
Code or (y) such Person has not owned, directly or indirectly, more than five percent (5%) of the
outstanding Company Common Stock or Company Series B Preferred Stock at any time during the five
(5) years preceding the Merger Effective Time, and (B), if applicable, instructions for use in
effecting the surrender of certificates in exchange for either Company Common Share Merger
Consideration, Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration or Common Unit Consideration to which
the holder thereof is entitled, and (ii) to each holder of an Option, a check in an amount equal to
the Option Merger Consideration due and payable to such holder pursuant to Section 3.1(d) in
respect of such Option. Upon surrender of a certificate for cancellation to the Paying Agent, if
applicable, together with a duly executed letter of transmittal (completed in accordance with the
instructions thereto) and such other documents as may be reasonably required by the Paying Agent or
Parent, (A) the holder shall be entitled to receive in exchange therefor the applicable Company
Common Share Merger Consideration, Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration or Common Unit
Consideration payable in respect of the shares of Company Common Stock, Company Series B Preferred
Stock or Common Units, as applicable, pursuant to the provisions of this Article III and (B) the
certificates (if any) so surrendered shall be canceled. Until surrendered as contemplated by this
Section 3.3(b), each certificate shall be deemed from and after the Merger Effective Time to
represent only the right to receive, upon such surrender, the applicable Company Common Share
Merger Consideration, Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration or Common Unit Consideration as
contemplated by this Section 3.3(b). No interest shall be paid or accrue on any of the Company
Common Share Merger Consideration, Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration, Option Merger
Consideration or Common Unit Consideration. In the event of a transfer of ownership of Company
Common Stock, Company Series B Preferred Stock or Common Units that is not registered in the
transfer records of the Company or the Operating Partnership, if applicable, payment may be made to
a Person other than the Person in whose name the certificate (if any) so surrendered is registered,
if such certificate shall be properly endorsed or otherwise be in proper form for transfer and the
Person requesting such payment shall pay any transfer or other Taxes required by reason of the
payment to a Person other than the registered holder of such certificate or establish to the
satisfaction of Parent that such Tax has been paid or is not applicable. If any certificate shall
have been lost, stolen or destroyed, Parent may, in its discretion and as a condition precedent to
the payment of any portion of the Exchange Fund, require the owner of such lost, stolen or
destroyed certificate to provide an appropriate affidavit and to deliver a bond (in such sum as
Parent may reasonably direct) as indemnity against any claims that may be made against the Paying
Agent, Parent or the Surviving Entity with respect to such certificate.
18
(c) As of the Merger Effective Time, all shares of Company Common Stock (other than shares of
Company Common Stock to be canceled and retired in accordance with Section 3.1(b)) and Company
Series B Preferred Stock (other than shares of Company Series B Preferred Stock to be canceled and
retired in accordance with Section 3.1(b)) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger
Effective Time shall cease to be outstanding and shall automatically be canceled and retired and
shall cease to exist, and each holder of any such shares shall cease to be holders thereof and to
have any rights with respect thereto, except the right to receive the Company Common Share Merger
Consideration or Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration, as applicable, upon surrender of the
certificate (if any) representing such shares in accordance with this Section 3.3. The Company
Common Share Merger Consideration and Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration paid upon the
surrender of certificates (if any) in accordance with the terms of this Section 3.3 shall be deemed
to have been delivered (and paid) in full satisfaction of all rights and privileges pertaining to
the Company Common Stock and Company Series B Preferred Stock exchanged therefor and, if
applicable, represented by such certificates exchanged therefor. The Option Merger Consideration
paid with respect to the Options in accordance with the terms of this Article III shall be deemed
to have been paid in full satisfaction of all rights and privileges pertaining to the canceled
Options, and on and after the Merger Effective Time the holder of an Option shall have no further
rights with respect to any Option, other than the right to receive the Option Merger Consideration
as provided in Section 3.1(d).
(d) As of the Merger Effective Time, all Common Units shall cease to be outstanding and shall
automatically be cancelled and retired and shall cease to exist, and each Common Unit Holder shall
cease to be a holder thereof and to have any rights with respect thereto, except the right to
receive Common Unit Consideration. The Common Unit Consideration paid upon the surrender of
certificates (if any) in accordance with the terms of this Section 3.3 shall be deemed to have been
delivered (and paid) in full satisfaction of all rights and privileges pertaining to the Common
Units to be redeemed therefor and, if applicable, represented by such certificates exchanged
therefor.
(e) At the Merger Effective Time, the stock transfer books of the Company shall be closed and
thereafter there shall be no further registration of transfers of shares of the Company Common
Stock and Company Series B Preferred Stock on the records of the Company.
(f) The Paying Agent shall invest any cash included in the Exchange Fund in liquid debt
securities rated AA or higher by at least two nationally-recognized rating agencies or as otherwise
directed by Parent; provided, that no such investment or loss thereon shall affect the
amounts payable to the Company’s shareholders and Option holders pursuant to this Section 3.3. To
the extent that there are losses with respect to such investments, or the Exchange Fund diminishes
for any other reasons below the level required to make prompt payments of the Company Common Share
Merger Consideration, Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration, Option Merger Consideration or
Common Unit Consideration as contemplated hereby (other than as a result of the failure of the
representation and warranty set forth in Section 4.3 to be true and correct), Parent shall promptly
replace or restore the portion of the Exchange Fund lost though investments or other events so as
to ensure that the Exchange Fund is, at all times, maintained at a level sufficient to make all
such payments in full. Any interest
19
and other income resulting from such investments shall promptly be paid to Parent.
(g) Any portion of the Exchange Fund that remains undistributed to holders of shares of
Company Common Stock, Company Series B Preferred Stock, Common Units or Options as of the date
twelve (12) months after the Merger Effective Time shall be delivered to Parent or the Surviving
Entity, and any holders of shares of Company Common Stock, Company Series B Preferred Stock, Common
Units or Options prior to the Merger who have not theretofore complied with this Section 3.3 shall
thereafter look only to the Surviving Entity or Parent for payment of any portion of the Company
Common Share Merger Consideration, Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration, Option Merger
Consideration or Common Unit Consideration, as applicable.
(h) None of the Buyer Parties, the Company Parties, the Paying Agent or the Surviving Entity,
or any of their respective Representatives or Affiliates shall be liable to any holder or former
holder of Company Common Stock, Company Series B Preferred Stock, Options, Common Units, or to any
other Person, with respect to any portion of the Company Common Share Consideration, Company
Preferred Share Merger Consideration, Common Unit Consideration or Option Merger Consideration, or
for any cash amounts, if the Exchange Fund has properly been delivered to any public official
pursuant to any applicable abandoned property law, escheat law or similar Legal Requirement. If
any certificate has not been surrendered prior to three (3) years after the Merger Effective Time
(or immediately prior to such earlier date on which any Company Common Share Merger Consideration,
Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration, Common Unit Consideration or Option Merger
Consideration in respect of such certificate would otherwise escheat to or become the property of
any Governmental Body), any such shares, cash, dividends or distributions in respect of such
certificate shall, to the extent permitted by applicable Legal Requirements, become the property of
the Surviving Entity, free and clear of all claims or interest of any Person previously entitled
thereto.
Section 3.4 Withholding Rights. Parent, the Surviving Entity or the Paying Agent, as
applicable, shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from the consideration otherwise payable
pursuant to this Agreement such amounts required to be deducted and withheld with respect to the
making of such payments under the Code, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or any
provision of state, local or foreign Tax law. To the extent that amounts are so withheld by
Parent, the Surviving Entity or the Paying Agent, as applicable, such withheld amounts shall be
treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to such holder in respect of whom
such deduction and withholding was made by Parent, the Surviving Entity or the Paying Agent, as
applicable.
Section 3.5 Termination of DRIP. The Company shall take all actions necessary to
terminate its Dividend Reinvestment and Share Purchase Plan (the “ DRIP ”), effective as
soon as possible after the date of this Agreement, and ensure that no purchase or other rights
under the DRIP enable the holder of such rights to acquire any interest in the Surviving Entity or
any other Company Party or Buyer Party as a result of such purchase or the exercise of such rights
at or after such date.
Section 3.6 Further Actions. If at any time after the Merger Effective Time, the
Surviving Entity shall consider or be advised that any deeds, bills of sale, assignments or
assurances or any
20
other acts or things are necessary, desirable or proper (i) to vest, perfect
or confirm, of record or otherwise, in the Surviving Entity its right, title or interest in, to or
under any of the rights, privileges, powers, franchises, properties or assets of any of the
Acquired Companies or MergerCo or (ii) otherwise to carry out the purposes of this Agreement, the
Surviving Entity and its proper officers and directors or its designees shall be authorized to
execute and deliver, in the name and on behalf of the Company, MergerCo and the Operating
Partnership, all such deeds, bills of sale, assignments and assurances and do, in the name and on
behalf of the Company, MergerCo and the Operating Partnership all such other acts and things
necessary, desirable or proper to vest, perfect or confirm its right, title or interest in, to or
under any of the rights, privileges, powers, franchises, properties or assets of any of the
Acquired Companies or MergerCo, as applicable, and otherwise to carry out the purposes of this
Agreement.
ARTICLE IV
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY PARTIES
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY PARTIES
Except as set forth in the Disclosure Letter, the Company and the Operating Partnership hereby
(a) jointly and severally represent and warrant to the Buyer Parties as of the date hereof and (b)
shall jointly and severally represent and warrant to the Buyer Parties as of the Closing Date (or,
in each case, if made as of a specific date, as of such date), as follows:
Section 4.1 Organization and Good Standing.
(a) Each Acquired Company, and to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, each Minority JV
Entity, is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction
of incorporation or formation, with all requisite power and authority to conduct its business as
now being conducted, to own or use the respective properties and assets that it purports to own or
use, and to perform all of its obligations under all Material Contracts to which it is a party.
Each Acquired Company, and to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, each Minority JV Entity, is
duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation or other foreign entity and is in good
standing under the laws of each state or other jurisdiction in which either the ownership or use of
the properties owned or used by it, or the nature of the activities conducted by it, requires such
qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies.
(b) Section 4.1(b) of the Disclosure Letter lists all the Acquired Companies and indicates as
to each its jurisdiction of organization, the percentage of its outstanding capital stock or other
equity interests that is held by any Acquired Company, and, except in the case of the Company, its
shareholders or unit holders. The Company has made available to Parent prior to the date hereof
copies of the articles or certificate of incorporation, bylaws and other organizational documents,
in each case, as amended to date and as currently in effect (collectively, the “Organizational
Documents”), of each of the Acquired Companies.
(c) Section 4.1(c) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth a complete list of Persons, other than
those set forth in Section 4.1(b) of the Disclosure Letter, in which any Acquired Company has a
direct or indirect interest, together with (i) the jurisdiction of organization of each Person
listed, (ii) the names of the other members and partners in each Person listed and (iii) the
respective
21
percentage interests of each such members or partners in each Person listed. The
Company has made available to Parent prior to the date hereof copies of the Organizational
Documents of each JV Entity listed in Section 4.1(c) of the Disclosure Letter.
(d) All Organizational Documents of the Acquired Companies and, to the knowledge of the
Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities are in full force and effect. None of the Acquired
Companies are in material violation of the Organizational Documents of any of the Acquired
Companies.
(e) The Company has made available to Parent prior to the date hereof copies of the charters
of each committee of the Company Board and any code of conduct or similar policy adopted by the
Company.
Section 4.2 Authority; No Conflict.
(a) The Company has all necessary corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this
Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder, and, subject to the approvals described in Section
4.2(b), to consummate the Merger Transactions. The Company Parties have taken all steps necessary
to (i) cause the Merger Transactions to comply with or be exempted from any Organizational Document
of any of the Acquired Companies that would otherwise prohibit, hinder or delay such transactions
and (ii) render any and all limitations on ownership of (A) Company Common Stock and (B) Common
Units, including the ownership limit set forth in the Organizational Documents of the Company and
the Operating Partnership Agreement, inapplicable to the Merger Transactions.
(b) Except for the approvals described in the following sentence, the execution, delivery and
performance by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation of the Merger Transactions have
been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate action on behalf of the Company. No
other corporate proceeding on the part of the Company is necessary to authorize this Agreement or
to consummate the Merger Transactions, other than (i) the affirmative approval of the Merger by at
least a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter by the holders of all
outstanding shares of Company Common Stock (the “Required Company Shareholder Vote”) and
(ii) the execution, filing with, and the acceptance for record by the Secretary of State of the
State of North Carolina of the Articles of Merger as required by the Secretary of State of the
State of North Carolina. This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by the
Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by each of the Buyer Parties,
constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company
in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer and other similar laws of general
applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights or by general equitable principles.
(c) The Operating Partnership (through the Company as its sole general partner) has all
necessary partnership power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, to perform its
obligations hereunder and to consummate the Merger Transactions. The execution, delivery and
performance by the Operating Partnership of this Agreement and the consummation by the
Operating Partnership of the Merger Transactions, have been duly and validly authorized by all
22
necessary partnership proceedings on behalf of the Operating Partnership, including by all
necessary action of the general partner of the Operating Partnership, and no other partnership
proceedings are necessary to authorize this Agreement or to consummate the Merger Transactions.
Other than the approval of the general partner of the Operating Partnership, which approval has
been obtained, and the Required Company Shareholder Vote, no other vote or approval of the holders
of any class or series of the capital stock, partnership interests or other equity interest of any
of the Acquired Companies are necessary to approve the Merger Transactions. This Agreement has
been duly and validly executed and delivered by the Operating Partnership (and by the Company on
behalf of the Operating Partnership) and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery by
each of the Buyer Parties, constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Operating
Partnership, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be
limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer and
other similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights or by
general equitable principles.
(d) Subject to the Required Company Shareholder Vote, except as set forth in Section 4.2(d) of
the Disclosure Letter, neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of
any of the Merger Transactions do or will, directly or indirectly (with or without notice or lapse
of time or both): (i) contravene, conflict with, or result in a violation of (A) any provision of
the Organizational Documents of any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, the Organizational Documents of any of the Minority JV Entities, or (B) any resolution
adopted by the board (or similar governing body) or the shareholders (or similar holders of equity
therein) of any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, such
resolutions of any of the Minority JV Entities; (ii) contravene, conflict with or result in a
violation of any Legal Requirement or any order, writ, injunction or decree to which any of the
Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities,
or any of the assets owned or used by any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the
Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities, is or may be subject; (iii) contravene,
conflict with or result in a violation of any of the terms or requirements of, or give any
Governmental Body the right to revoke, withdraw, suspend, cancel, terminate or modify, any
Governmental Authorization that is held by any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of
the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities, or that otherwise relates to the business
of, or any of the assets owned or used by, any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of
the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities; (iv) cause any of the Acquired Companies
or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities, to become subject
to, or to become liable for the payment of, any Tax; (v) cause any of the assets owned by any of
the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV
Entities, to be reassessed or revalued by any Taxing Authority or other Governmental Body; (vi)
contravene, conflict with or result in a violation or breach of any provision of, or result in the
loss of any material right or benefit under, or give any Person the right to declare a default or
exercise any remedy under, or to accelerate the maturity or performance of, or to cancel, terminate
or modify, any Material Contract; (vii) require a Consent from any Person; or (viii) result in the
imposition or creation of any Encumbrance, other than any Permitted Encumbrance, upon or with
respect to any of the assets owned or used by any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of
the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities, except, in the case of clauses (iii),
(iv),
23
(v), (vi), (vii) and (viii) above, for any such contraventions, conflicts, violations,
breaches, defaults or other occurrences that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a
Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies or any of the Merger Transactions.
(e) The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company Parties does not, and the
performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the Merger Transactions will not, require any
Consent of, or filing with or notification to, any Governmental Body, except (i) for (A) applicable
requirements, if any, of the Exchange Act, the Securities Act and state securities or “blue sky”
laws, (B) the pre-merger notification requirements of the HSR Act, if any, (C) the filing with the
SEC of the Proxy Statement relating to the Merger to be sent to the Company’s shareholders, (D) any
filings required under any securities exchange or quotation service and (E) filing of the Articles
of Merger as required by the DLLCA and the NCBCA, respectively, and appropriate corresponding
documents with the appropriate authorities in other states in which the Company is qualified as a
foreign corporation to transact business; and (ii) where the failure to obtain such Consents, or to
make such filings or notifications, would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material
Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies or any of the Merger Transactions.
Section 4.3 Capitalization.
(a) The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 50,000,000 shares of Company
Common Stock, 3,000,000 shares of Company Series A Preferred Stock and 5,000,000 shares of Company
Series B Preferred Stock. As of the date hereof, (i) 29,414,967 shares of Company Common Stock are
issued and outstanding, all of which are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and
nonassessable, (ii) no shares of Company Series A Preferred Stock are issued and outstanding, (iii)
3,680,000 shares of Company Series B Preferred Stock are issued and outstanding, all of which are
duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, (iv) 10,000 shares of Company Common
Stock are reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding Options granted pursuant to the
Company Plan, (v) 1,298,480 shares of Company Common Stock are reserved for issuance upon the
conversion of Common Units into shares of Company Common Stock pursuant to the terms of the
Operating Partnership Agreement, and (vi) no shares of Company Common Stock are reserved for
issuance upon the exercise of outstanding warrants. As of the date hereof, the Conversion Factor
(as defined in the Operating Partnership Agreement) is equal to 1.0.
(b) There are no bonds, debentures, notes or other Debt or, other than the capital stock and
options described in Section 4.3(a), securities of the Company having the right to vote (or
convertible into, or exchangeable for, securities having the right to vote) on any matters on which
shareholders of the Company may vote.
(c) Set forth in Schedule 4.3(c) of the Disclosure Letter is, with respect to each Option
granted by the Company as of the date of this Agreement, information regarding the identity of the
grantee, the number of Options subject to the grant, the exercise/conversion price and expiration
date and the Company Plan under which it was issued. All shares of Company Common Stock subject to
issuance as described in Section 4.3(a) will, upon issuance on the terms and conditions specified
in the instruments pursuant to which they are issuable, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid,
nonassessable and not subject to any preemptive
rights.
24
All Options, when issued, had an exercise price equal to no less than the fair market
value of the underlying shares of Company Common Stock. As of the Merger Effective Time, all
outstanding Options will be terminated by virtue of the Merger and each holder of an Option shall
cease to have any rights with respect thereto, other than the right to receive, in respect of each
such terminated Option, the Option Merger Consideration.
(d) Except as set forth in Section 4.3 of the Disclosure Letter, there are no outstanding
contractual obligations of any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any shares of
capital stock of any of the Acquired Companies.
(e) The Company does not have a “poison pill” or similar stockholder rights plan.
Section 4.4 SEC Reports. The Company has filed all forms, reports, schedules,
statements and other documents (including all exhibits) required to be filed by it with the SEC
since January 1, 2002 (as amended to date, collectively, the “Company SEC Reports”). The
Company SEC Reports at the time they were filed, or if amended or restated prior to the date
hereof, at the time of such later amendment or restatement, (a) complied in all material respects
with the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as the case may be, and (b) did
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 made therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading. No Subsidiary of the Company
is, or has been, subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act or is or has
been otherwise required to file any forms, reports, schedules, statements or other documents with
the SEC, any foreign Governmental Body that performs a similar function to that of the SEC or any
securities exchange or quotation service. The Company has made available to Parent prior to the
date hereof copies of all material correspondence between the SEC, on the one hand, and the
Acquired Companies, on the other hand, since January 1, 2004 through the date of this Agreement.
As of the date of this Agreement, the Company has no outstanding and unresolved comments from the
SEC with respect to any of the Company SEC Reports.
Section 4.5 Financial Statements. The audited consolidated financial statements and
unaudited consolidated interim financial statements of the Company and its consolidated
Subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference into the Company SEC Reports (including, in each
case, any notes thereto): (a) were prepared in accordance with GAAP (except, in the case of
unaudited statements, as permitted by the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC) applied on a
consistent basis throughout the periods indicated (except as may be indicated in the notes
thereto), (b) complied in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the
rules and regulations of the SEC and (c) fairly presented in all material respects the consolidated
financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated
Subsidiaries, as the case may be, as of the dates thereof and for the periods indicated therein
except as otherwise noted therein (subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal year-end
adjustments). Except as set forth in Section 4.5 of the Disclosure Letter, all of the Subsidiaries
of the Company are consolidated in accordance with GAAP.
Section 4.6 Intellectual Property. Except as disclosed in Section 4.6 of the Disclosure
25
Letter, (i) with respect to Intellectual Property used by, owned by or licensed to any
of the Acquired Companies (“Company Intellectual Property”), the Acquired Companies own the
entire right, title and interest in or have the valid right to use the Company Intellectual
Property in the continued operation of its business as currently conducted, and (ii) all fees and
filings required to maintain any registration of any Intellectual Property used by the Company have
been paid or timely filed, are current and are not in default or in arrears. Except as would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies, to the
knowledge of the Acquired Companies, (a) the conduct of the business of the Acquired Companies as
currently conducted does not infringe or otherwise violate the Intellectual Property rights of any
third party, and (b) no third party is infringing or otherwise violating the Company Intellectual
Property rights.
Section 4.7 Personal Property. Except as set forth in Section 4.7 of the Disclosure
Letter, the Acquired Companies have good and marketable title to, or a valid and enforceable
leasehold interest in, all personal assets owned, used or held for use by them, except as would
not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies.
Except as set forth in Section 4.7 of the Disclosure Letter, none of the Acquired Company’s
ownership of or leasehold interest in any such personal property is subject to any Encumbrances,
except for (a) assets that, collectively, have a book value of less than $500,000, (b) Permitted
Encumbrances or (c) Encumbrances that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material
Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies.
Section 4.8 Real Property; Leaseholds.
(a) Section 4.8(a)(i) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of the real
property currently owned by any Acquired Company, or to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies,
any Minority JV Entity, and sets forth the Acquired Company (or the Minority JV Entity, as
applicable) owning such properties (collectively, the “Owned Real Properties”). Section
4.8(a)(ii) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth a true and complete list of the real property
currently ground leased by any Acquired Company, and to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies,
any Minority JV Entity (collectively, the “Ground Leased Properties” and, together with the
Owned Real Properties, the “Properties”), and sets forth the Acquired Company (or the
Minority JV Entity, as applicable) holding such leasehold interest, with the name of the
lessor and the date of the lease, any subleases and assignments, any guarantees given and each
amendment to any of the foregoing (collectively, the “Ground Leases”). The Acquired
Company (or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entity, as applicable) as
set forth in Section 4.8(a)(i) of the Disclosure Letter owns good, valid and marketable fee simple
title to the Owned Real Properties, and the Acquired Company (or, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, the Minority JV Entity, as applicable) set forth in Section 4.8(a)(ii) of the Disclosure
Letter owns good, valid and subsisting leasehold title to the Ground Leased Properties, in each
case, free and clear of all Encumbrances, except for Permitted Encumbrances, except as would not
have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies. None of the Properties is (i) subject to
any decree or order of any Governmental Body to be sold nor is being condemned, expropriated or
otherwise taken by any public authority with or without payment of compensation therefore or (ii)
subject to any pending or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, threatened rezoning
proceedings, which would reasonably be expected to have a
26
Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired
Companies (or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the applicable Minority JV Entity). No
Acquired Company or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any Minority JV Entity, as
applicable, has received notice of any violation in any material respect of any covenants,
conditions or restrictions affecting any Properties.
(b) Except as set forth in Section 4.8(b) of the Disclosure Letter, and except as would not
have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies, all Title Policies and surveys for the
real property currently owned by any Acquired Company and, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, any Minority JV Entity have been provided or made available to Parent prior to the date
hereof. No Acquired Company or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any Minority JV
Entity, has received any written notice and is not otherwise aware that valid policies of title
insurance or title commitments for which premiums have been paid (collectively, the “Title
Policies”) insuring the Acquired Companies’ (or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies,
the Minority JV Entities’, as applicable) fee simple or leasehold title to the Properties owned or
ground leased by any Acquired Company (or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any Minority
JV Entity, as applicable) are not in full force and effect.
(c) Except as set forth in Section 4.8(c) of the Disclosure Letter, and except as would not
have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies, each real property lease or sublease
(other than the Ground Leases) to which any Acquired Company and, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, any Minority JV Entity, is a party or subject, as either a tenant, landlord, lessee,
lessor, sublandlord or subtenant, has been provided or made available to Parent prior to the date
hereof (collectively, the “Space Leases”).
(d) Except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies, each of the
Ground Leases and the Space Leases is valid, binding and in full force and effect as against the
Acquired Companies (or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities, as
applicable). No Acquired Company or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no Minority JV
Entity, as applicable, has (i) received notice under any of the Ground Leases or the Space Leases
of any default, and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no event has occurred which, with
notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a material
default by any Acquired Company (or any Minority JV Entity, as applicable) thereunder or (ii)
assigned its interest in any of the Ground Leases or Space Leases or sublet any part of the
premises thereby or exercised any option or right thereunder except as, in each case, would not
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies. No
penalties are accrued or unpaid under any Ground Lease or Space Lease, except for penalties that
would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired
Companies.
(e) Except as set forth in Section 4.8(e) of the Disclosure Letter or as would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies, and
except for capital improvements in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice
and reflected on the capital expenditures budget of the Acquired Companies as made available to
Parent prior to the date hereof and ongoing product improvement plan (PIP) obligations as set forth
in Section 4.8(e) of the Disclosure Letter, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, (i) there
is no Property whose building systems are not in working order, (ii) there is no physical
27
damage to
any Property, (iii) there is no pending and incomplete renovation or restoration to any Property,
and (iv) there are no material structural defects relating to any Property.
(f) Section 4.8(f) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth (i) a true and complete list of the
real property in respect of which any Acquired Company, or to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, any Minority JV Entity, has the right, pursuant to a franchise, license, satellite
agreement, franchise development agreement, area development agreement, development incentive
agreement or other Contract (together with any amendment, guarantees and any ancillary documents
and agreements related thereto, the “Franchise Agreements”) to utilize a brand name or
other rights of a hotel chain or system from any Person and (ii) the applicable brand of such
property. Each such Franchise Agreement has been provided or made available to Parent prior to the
date hereof and is valid, binding and in full force and effect as against the Acquired Companies
(or the Minority JV Entities, as applicable). Except as expressly and specifically disclosed in
the Company’s filings under the Exchange Act filed prior to the date hereof or as otherwise
disclosed on Section 4.8(f) of the Disclosure Letter, no Acquired Company (or, to the knowledge of
the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities, as applicable) has received or delivered written
notice under any of the Franchise Agreements of any material default, including any failure to meet
any inspection under any Franchise Agreement, and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no
event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a material default
by any Acquired Company (or any Minority JV Entity, as applicable).
Section 4.9 Management Agreements. Section 4.9 of the Disclosure Letter lists each
management agreement pursuant to which any third party manages or operates any Properties or Space
Leases on behalf of any of the Acquired Companies (or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies,
any of the Minority JV Entities, as applicable), and describes the property that is subject to such
management agreement, the Acquired Company that is a party, the date of such management agreement
and each material amendment, guaranty or other agreement binding on any Acquired Company and
relating thereto (collectively, the “Management Agreement Documents”). True, correct and
complete copies of all Management Agreement Documents have been made available to Parent prior to
the date hereof. Each of the
Management Agreement Documents is valid, binding and in full force and effect as against the
Acquired Company that is a party thereto.
Section 4.10 Unexpired Option Agreements. Except as set forth in Section 4.10 of the
Disclosure Letter, as of the date of this Agreement neither the Acquired Companies nor, to the
knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities have granted any unexpired option
agreements or rights of first refusal with respect to the purchase of Properties or any portion
thereof or any other unexpired rights in favor of any third party to purchase or otherwise acquire
a Property which would be triggered by any of the Merger Transactions.
Section 4.11 Taxes.
(a) Each of the Acquired Companies (i) has timely filed (or had filed on their behalf) all
material Tax Returns required to be filed by any of them (after giving effect to any filing
extension granted by a Governmental Body) and (ii) has paid (or had paid on their behalf) or will
timely pay Taxes (whether or not shown on such Tax Returns) that are required to be paid by it.
28
Such Tax Returns are true, correct and complete in all material respects. The most recent
financial statements contained in the Company SEC Reports filed prior to the date hereof reflect an
adequate reserve (excluding any reserve for deferred Taxes established to reflect timing
differences between book and Tax income) for all Taxes payable by the Acquired Companies for all
taxable periods and portions thereof through the date of such financial statements, and Taxes
payable by the Acquired Companies on the Closing Date will not exceed such reserve as adjusted
through the Closing Date in accordance with the past custom and practice of any of the Acquired
Companies in filing their Tax Returns. True and complete copies of all federal Tax Returns that
have been filed with the IRS by the Company Parties with respect to the taxable years commencing on
or after January 1, 2004, have been provided or made available to Representatives of Parent prior
to the date hereof. None of the Acquired Companies has executed or filed with the IRS or any other
Taxing Authority any agreement, waiver or other document or arrangement extending the period for
assessment or collection of material Taxes (including any applicable statute of limitation), which
waiver or extension is currently in effect, and, except as set forth in Section 4.11(a) of the
Disclosure Letter, no power of attorney with respect to any Tax matter is currently in force with
respect to any of the Acquired Companies.
(b) The Company, (i) for each taxable year of its existence has been subject to taxation as a
real estate investment trust (“REIT”) within the meaning of Section 856 of the Code and has
been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a
REIT for such years, (ii) has operated to the date hereof in a manner that will permit it to
qualify as a REIT for the taxable year that includes the date hereof, and (iii) shall continue to
operate in such a manner as to permit it to continue to qualify as a REIT for the taxable year of
the Company that includes the Closing Date (excluding, in the case of clause (iii), the
distribution requirements). The Company has not taken any action or omitted to take any action
that would reasonably be expected to result in a successful challenge by the IRS to its status as a
REIT, and no challenge to the Company’s status as a REIT is pending or has been threatened in a
writing delivered to the Company or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, otherwise
threatened. Excluding any Person in which the Company holds an equity interest of ten percent
(10%) or less by both vote and value, within the meaning of Code Section 856(c)(4)(B)(iii), the
Company does not own any interest (including through any Acquired Company) in any Person
that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, other than a corporation that
qualifies as a “qualified REIT subsidiary,” within the meaning of Section 856(i)(2) of the Code, or
as a “taxable REIT subsidiary,” within the meaning of Section 856(1) of the Code. The Company is
not receiving or accruing any amount, directly or indirectly, that would be excluded from “rents
from real property” pursuant to Section 856(d)(2)(B) of the Code.
(c) Each Subsidiary of the Company that is a partnership, joint venture, or limited liability
company and that has not elected to be a “taxable REIT subsidiary” within the meaning of Code
Section 856(1) (i) has been since its formation treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a
partnership or disregarded entity, as the case may be, and not as a corporation or an association
taxable as a corporation and (ii) has not, since the later of its formation or the acquisition by
the Company of a direct or indirect interest therein, owned any assets (including securities) that
have caused the Company to violate Section 856(c)(4) of the Code or would cause the Company to
violate Section 856(c)(4) of the Code on the last day of any calendar quarter after the date
hereof.
29
(d) None of the Acquired Companies holds any asset the disposition of which would be subject
to rules similar to Section 1374 of the Code.
(e) The Acquired Companies have not incurred any liability for material Taxes under sections
856(c), 856(g), 857(b), 860(c) or 4981 of the Code or any rules similar to Section 1374 of the Code
and (ii) none of the Acquired Companies has incurred any liability for Taxes that have become due
and that have not been previously paid other than in the ordinary course of business. To the
knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no event has occurred, and no condition or circumstance
exists, which would reasonably be expected to result in any Tax described in the preceding sentence
being imposed on the Company. None of the Acquired Companies has engaged at any time in any
“prohibited transactions” within the meaning of Section 857(b)(6) of the Code. To the knowledge of
the Acquired Companies, none of the Acquired Companies has engaged in any transaction that would
give rise to “redetermined rents, redetermined deductions and excess interest” described in section
857(b)(7) of the Code. To the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no event has occurred, and no
condition or circumstance exists, that presents a risk that any Tax described in the preceding two
(2) sentences will be imposed on any of the Acquired Companies.
(f) All deficiencies asserted or assessments made with respect to any of the Acquired
Companies by the IRS or any other Taxing Authority covering or including any of the Acquired
Companies have been fully paid, and, to the knowledge of the Company, there are no other material
audits, examinations or other proceedings relating to any Taxes of the Acquired Companies by any
Taxing Authority in progress. Except as set forth in Section 4.11(f) of the Disclosure Letter,
none of the Acquired Companies has received any written notice from any Taxing Authority that it
intends to conduct such an audit, examination or other proceeding in respect of Taxes or make any
assessment for Taxes. To the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no audit, examination, or other
proceeding is threatened. None of the Acquired Companies is a party to any litigation or pending
litigation or administrative proceeding relating to Taxes.
(g) The Acquired Companies have complied, in all material respects, with all applicable Legal
Requirements relating to the payment and withholding of Taxes (including withholding of Taxes
pursuant to Sections 1441, 1442, 1445, 1446, and 3402 of the Code or similar provisions under any
foreign Legal Requirements) and have duly and timely withheld and have paid over to the appropriate
Taxing Authorities all material amounts required to be so withheld and paid over on or prior to the
due date thereof under all applicable Legal Requirements.
(h) No claim has been made in a writing delivered to the Company or applicable Acquired
Company by a Taxing Authority in a jurisdiction where any of the Acquired Companies does not file
Tax Returns that any of the Acquired Companies is or may be subject to taxation by that
jurisdiction, and to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no such claim is threatened.
(i) Except as set forth in Section 4.11(i) of the Disclosure Letter, none of the Acquired
Companies has requested any extension of time within which to file any material Tax Return, which
material Tax Return has not yet been filed.
30
(j) None of the Acquired Companies is a party to any Tax sharing or similar agreement or
arrangement pursuant to which it could have any obligations after the Closing.
(k) None of the Acquired Companies has requested a private letter ruling from the IRS or
comparable rulings from other taxing authorities.
(l) None of the Acquired Companies (other than an Acquired Company that is a “taxable REIT
subsidiary” within the meaning of Section 856(l) of the Code) (i) is or has ever been a member of
an affiliated group filing a consolidated federal income Tax Return or (ii) has any liability for
the Taxes of another Person under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-6 (or any similar provision
of state, local or foreign Legal Requirement), as a transferee or successor or by Contract or
otherwise.
(m) Other than Permitted Encumbrances, there are no Encumbrances for Taxes (other than Taxes
not yet due and payable for which adequate reserves have been made in accordance with GAAP) upon
any of the assets of any of the Acquired Companies.
(n) There is no Tax Protection Agreement currently in force and, as of the date of this
Agreement, no Person has raised in writing, or to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies,
threatened to raise, a claim against any of the Acquired Companies for any breach of any Tax
Protection Agreement.
(o) None of the Acquired Companies is a party to any understanding or arrangement described in
Section 6662(d)(2)(C)(ii) of the Code or Treasury Regulations Section 1.6011-4(b) or is a material
advisor as defined in Section 6111(b) of the Code.
(p) None of the Acquired Companies has entered into any “closing agreement” as described in
Section 7121 of the Code (or any corresponding or similar provision of state, local or foreign
income Tax law).
(q) Subject to the necessary conditions set forth in Section 4.11(q) of the Disclosure Letter,
the Company has the right to make or to require, and, after the Merger Effective Time will continue
to have the right to make or to require, each entity in which any Acquired Company owns an equity
interest in and that is subject to federal income tax as a partnership to make an election under
Section 754 of the Code (and any corresponding elections under state or local tax law) to adjust
the basis of its property as provided in Sections 734(b) and 743(b) of the Code.
(r) Section 4.11(r) of the Disclosure Letter sets forth each entity in which any of the
Acquired Companies owns an equity interest and states whether such entity is classified as a
partnership, disregarded entity, or a corporation for federal income tax purposes. In the case of
an entity classified as a corporation for federal income tax purposes, such schedule states whether
an effective election has been made to treat such entity as a “taxable REIT subsidiary” under
Section 856(l) of the Code.
(s) To the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, as of the date hereof, the Company is a
“domestically controlled qualified investment entity” within the meaning of Section 897(h)(4)(B)
31
of
the Code.
(t) As used herein, “Tax Protection Agreement” means any written or oral agreement to
which any of the Acquired Companies is a party or otherwise subject pursuant to which: (a) any
liability to holders of partnership interests in any Subsidiary of the Company relating to Taxes
may arise, whether or not as a result of the consummation of any of the Merger Transactions; (b) in
connection with the deferral of income Taxes of a holder of partnership interests of any Subsidiary
of the Company, any of the Acquired Companies has agreed to (i) maintain a minimum level of debt or
continue a particular debt or allocate a certain amount of debt to a particular partner, (ii)
retain or not dispose of assets for a period of time that has not since expired, (iii) make or
refrain from making Tax elections and/or (iv) only dispose of assets in a particular manner; and/or
(c) limited partners of the Operating Partnership (i) have guaranteed Debt of the Operating
Partnership or any Subsidiary thereof or (ii) agreed to indemnify another Person with respect to
such Person’s liability for Debt of the Operating Partnership or any Subsidiary thereof.
Section 4.12 Employee Benefits.
(a) Section 4.12(a) of the Disclosure Letter lists, and the Company has made available to
Parent prior to the date hereof a copy of (or if there is no written document, a written summary
of), all employee benefit plans, programs, policies, practices and other arrangements currently
providing benefits to any current or former employee, officer or director of any of the Acquired
Companies or beneficiary or dependent thereof, whether or not written, and whether covering one
person or more than one person, sponsored or maintained by any such Acquired Company, any of its
Subsidiaries or an ERISA Affiliate or to which any such Acquired Company contributes or is
obligated to contribute (“Employee Benefit Plans”). Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, the term “Employee Benefit Plans” includes all employee welfare benefit plans
within the meaning of Section 3(1) of ERISA, all employee pension benefit plans within the meaning
of Section 3(2) of ERISA, and all other employee bonus, incentive, deferred compensation, stock
purchase, stock option, severance, stock-based, stock appreciation right or
other equity-based incentive, profit sharing, termination, retention, hospitalization or other
medical, death benefit, other welfare, supplemental unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation,
short term disability, life insurance, employee loan, change of control and material fringe benefit
plans, programs or agreements, and the related option agreements of the Company.
(b) Except as expressly and specifically disclosed in the Company’s filings under the Exchange
Act filed prior to the date hereof, as required under this Agreement or as set forth in Section
4.12(b) of the Disclosure Letter, since January 1, 2007, there has not been (i) any adoption or
material amendment by any of the Acquired Companies of any Employee Benefit Plans (whether or not
legally binding) or any employment agreement providing compensation or benefits to any current or
former employee, officer, director or independent contractor of any of the Acquired Companies or
any beneficiary thereof, or entered into, maintained or contributed to, as the case may be, by any
of the Acquired Companies which would provide for a modification of benefits or consideration due
thereunder which would exceed $1,000,000 in the aggregate under all Employee Benefit Plans
(excluding any employment agreements or amendments thereto listed in Section 4.12(b) of the
Disclosure Letter), or (ii) any adoption of, or amendment
32
to, or change in employee participation
or coverage under, any Employee Benefit Plan which would, in either case, increase materially the
expense of maintaining such Employee Benefit Plan above the level of the expense incurred in
respect thereof for the fiscal year ended on December 31, 2006. Except as expressly contemplated
hereby, neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of any of the
Merger Transactions will (either alone or in conjunction with any other event) limit in any way,
the Surviving Entity’s ability to amend or terminate any Employee Benefit Plan, or result in, cause
the accelerated vesting or delivery of, or increase the amount or value of, any obligation to fund
any trust or other arrangement with respect to compensation or benefits under an Employee Benefit
Plan or any payment or benefit to any current or former employee, officer, consultant or director
of the Acquired Companies, any of its Subsidiaries or an ERISA Affiliate, except for the
accelerated vesting of Company Stock Options and Restricted Shares in accordance with their terms
as in effect on the date hereof.
(c) With respect to each Employee Benefit Plan, the Company has made available to Parent prior
to the date hereof a copy of: (i) each writing constituting a part of such Employee Benefit Plan,
including all plan documents, benefit schedules, trust agreements and insurance contracts and other
funding vehicles; (ii) the three (3) most recent Annual Reports (Form 5500 Series) and accompanying
schedules, if any; (iii) the current summary plan description and any material modifications
thereto, if any; (iv) the most recent annual financial report, if any; (v) the most recent
actuarial report, if any; and (vi) the most recent determination letter from the IRS, if any.
(d) Section 4.12(d) of the Disclosure Letter identifies each Employee Benefit Plan that is
intended to be a “qualified plan” within the meaning of Section 401(a) of the Code (“Qualified
Plans”). With respect to each such Qualified Plan all related trusts are exempt from U.S.
federal income taxation under Section 501(a) of the Code, and either the IRS has issued a favorable
determination letter that has not been revoked, or it is in a prototype, master or volume submitter
plan document that has been pre-approved by the IRS and, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, there are no existing circumstances nor any events that have occurred that could
adversely affect the qualified status of any Qualified Plan or the related trust.
(e) All contributions required to be made to any Employee Benefit Plan by applicable Legal
Requirements or by any plan document or other contractual undertaking, and all premiums due or
payable with respect to insurance policies funding any Employee Benefit Plan, for any period
through the date hereof have been made or paid in full or, to the extent not required to be made or
paid on or before the date hereof, have been fully reflected on the financial statements contained
in the Company SEC Reports to the extent required by GAAP.
(f) To the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, each of the Acquired Companies has complied,
and is now in compliance, in all material respects with all provisions of ERISA, the Code and all
Legal Requirements applicable to the Employee Benefit Plans. There is not now, nor do any
circumstances exist that, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, would reasonably be expected
to give rise to, any requirement for the posting of security with respect to an Employee Benefit
Plan or the imposition of any Encumbrance, except for Permitted Encumbrances, on the assets of the
Company under ERISA or the Code. To the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no prohibited
transaction has occurred with respect to any Employee
33
Benefit Plan which could result in material
liability to the Company.
(g) The Acquired Companies or any ERISA Affiliate do not now maintain, and have at no time
maintained, (i) an Employee Benefit Plan that is subject to Title IV or Section 302 of ERISA or
Section 412 or 4971 of the Code, (ii) a “multiemployer pension plan,” as defined in Section 3(37)
of ERISA (a “Multiemployer Plan”) or (iii) a funded welfare benefit plan as defined in
Section 419 of the Code.
(h) To the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, all group health plans maintained by any of
the Acquired Companies or any ERISA Affiliate have been operated in material compliance with the
requirements of Section 4980B of the Code and Part 6 of Subtitle B of Title I of ERISA, the
provisions of law enacted by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and
any similar Legal Requirement.
(i) Section 4.12(i) of the Disclosure Letter identifies any liability for life, health,
medical or other welfare benefits to former employees or beneficiaries or dependents of any of the
Acquired Companies or any ERISA Affiliate, except for health continuation coverage as required by
Section 4980B of the Code, Part 6 of Subtitle B of Title I of ERISA or other applicable Legal
Requirements and at no expense to any Acquired Company.
(j) To the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no labor organization or group of employees of
the Acquired Companies has made a pending demand for recognition or certification, and there are no
representation or certification proceedings or petitions seeking a representation proceeding
presently pending, or threatened to be brought or filed, with the National Labor Relations Board or
any other labor relations tribunal or authority. Each of the Acquired Companies has complied and
will comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and all Legal Requirements
relating to the employment of all personnel, including employment discrimination.
(k) There are no material pending or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, threatened
claims (other than claims for benefits in the ordinary course), lawsuits or arbitrations which have
been asserted or instituted against the Employee Benefit Plans, any fiduciaries thereof with
respect to their duties to the Plans or the assets of any of the trusts under any of the Employee
Benefit Plans which would reasonably be expected to result in any material liability of any
Acquired Company.
(l) Section 4.12(l) of the Disclosure Letter contains an accurate and complete list as of the
date of this Agreement of all material loans and advances made by any of the Acquired Companies to
any employee, director, consultant or independent contractor, other than routine travel and expense
advances made to employees in the ordinary course of business. The Acquired Companies have not,
since January 1, 2006, extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or
renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or executive
officer (or equivalent thereof) of the Company. Section 4.12(l) of the Disclosure Letter
identifies any extension of credit maintained by the Acquired Companies to which the second
sentence of Section 13(k)(1) of the Exchange Act applies.
(m) None of the Acquired Companies, nor, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies,
34
any other
Person, has any express commitment, whether legally enforceable or not, to modify, change or
terminate any Employee Benefit Plan, other than with respect to a modification, change or
termination required by ERISA or the Code, or any other applicable Legal Requirements or
administrative changes that do not increase the liabilities or obligations under any such plans.
(n) Except as set forth on Section 4.12(n) of the Disclosure Letter, no amounts payable under
any of the Employee Benefits Plans or any other Contract with respect to which any of the Acquired
Companies may have any liability that could fail to be deductible for federal income tax purposes
by virtue of Sections 280G or 162(m) of the Code as a result of the consummation of any of the
Merger Transactions or otherwise.
Section 4.13 Compliance with Legal Requirements; Governmental Authorizations; Permits.
(a) Except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies, the Acquired
Companies and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities are in
compliance in all respects with each Legal Requirement that is or was applicable to any of the
Acquired Companies, or to the conduct or operation of their respective businesses, or to the
ownership or use of any of their respective assets, including liquor licenses and restaurant
permits or licenses, and no event has occurred or circumstance exists that (with or without notice
or lapse of time or both) (i) may constitute or result in a violation by any of the Acquired
Companies and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities of, or a
failure on the part of any of the Acquired Companies and, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, the Minority JV Entities to comply with, any Legal Requirement, or (ii) may give rise to
any obligation on the part of any of the Acquired Companies and, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, the Minority JV Entities to undertake, or to bear all or any portion of the cost of, any
remedial action of any nature. Except as expressly and specifically disclosed in the Company’s
filings under the Exchange Act filed prior to the date
hereof, and except as would not have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies, none
of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, none of the Minority JV
Entities has received, any notice or other communication (whether oral or written) from any
Governmental Body or any other Person regarding (A) any actual, alleged, possible or potential
violation of, or failure to comply with, any Legal Requirement, or (B) any actual, alleged,
possible or potential obligation on the part of any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge
of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities to undertake, or to bear all or any
portion of the cost of, any remedial action of any nature.
(b) Except as set forth in Section 4.13(b) of the Disclosure Letter, each of the Acquired
Companies and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities, is in
possession of all franchises (it being understood that, for this purpose, the term “franchise”
refers only to Governmental Authorizations and not to commercial authorizations obtained under
franchise agreements with nongovernmental business entities), grants, authorizations, licenses,
permits, consents, certificates, approvals and orders of any Governmental Body necessary for it to
own, lease and operate its properties or to carry on its business as it is now being conducted
(collectively, the “Permits”), and all such Permits are valid and in full force and effect,
except where the failure to possess the Permits, or the suspension or cancellation of, any of the
Permits
35
would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired
Companies. No suspension or cancellation of any Permits is pending or, to the knowledge of the
Acquired Companies, threatened, and no such suspension or cancellation will result from the
consummation of any of the Merger Transactions, except, in each case, as would not, individually or
in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies. Except as set forth in
Section 4.13(b) of the Disclosure Letter, none of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of
the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities are in conflict with, or in default, breach or
violation of any Permit, except for any such conflicts, defaults, breaches or violations which
would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired
Companies.
Section 4.14 Internal Controls.
(a) The Acquired Companies, and to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV
Entities and each of their officers and directors are in compliance with, and have complied since
the enactment thereof, in all material respects, with (i) the applicable provisions of the
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 and the related rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the
“Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”) and (ii) the applicable listing and corporate governance rules and
regulations of any securities exchange or quotation service to which the Company is subject. The
Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over
financial reporting (as such terms are defined in paragraphs (e) and (f), respectively, of Rule
13a-15 under the Exchange Act) as required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act. The Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that all material information
required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or furnishes under the
Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in
the rules and forms of the SEC, and that all such material information is accumulated and
communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure and to make the certifications required
pursuant to Sections 302 and 906 of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
(b) The Company has disclosed, based on its most recent evaluation, to the Company’s outside
auditors, the audit committee of the Company Board (i) all significant deficiencies and material
weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting (as defined in
Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company’s
ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and (ii) any fraud, whether or not
material, known to management that involves management or other employees who, in each case, have a
significant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(c) Except as set forth in Section 4.14(c) of the Disclosure Letter, there are no outstanding
loans made by any of the Acquired Companies to any executive officer (within the meaning of Rule
3b-7 under the Exchange Act) or director of the Company. Since the enactment of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx
Act, none of the Acquired Companies have made any such loans to any such executive officers or
directors.
Section 4.15 Absence of Certain Changes and Events. Except as expressly and
specifically disclosed in the Company’s filings under the Exchange Act filed prior to March 29,
36
2007 and Section 4.15 of the Disclosure Letter, since the Balance Sheet Date, there has not been
(i) (A) except as permitted by this Agreement, any declaration, setting aside or payment of any
dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, stock or property) with respect to any of
Company’s capital stock, (B) any amendment of any term of any outstanding equity security of the
Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, of the Minority JV Entities, (C)
any repurchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of
the Acquired Companies, by the Minority JV Entities of any outstanding shares of capital stock or
other equity securities of, or other ownership interest in the Acquired Companies or, to the
knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities, (D) any change in any method of
accounting or accounting practice or any tax method, practice or election by the Acquired Companies
or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, by the Minority JV Entities, or (E) any agreement
to take any action described in clauses (A) through (D) above, or (ii) any split, combination or
reclassification of any of Company’s capital stock or any issuance or the authorization of any
issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for, or giving the
right to acquire by exchange or exercise, shares of its capital stock or any issuance of any
ownership interest in, any Acquired Company. Except as expressly and specifically disclosed in the
Company SEC Reports filed prior to March 29, 2007, or as disclosed in Section 4.15 of the
Disclosure Letter, from January 1, 2007, (i) each of the Acquired Companies and, to the knowledge
of the Acquired Companies, each of the Minority JV Entities has conducted its businesses in the
ordinary course consistent with past practice, (ii) there has not been, individually or in the
aggregate, any Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies, nor has there been any event,
occurrence or development that would reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate,
have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies and (iii) except as expressly and
specifically disclosed in the Company SEC Reports filed prior to March 29, 2007, or except as
disclosed in Section 4.15 of the Disclosure Letter, since the Balance Sheet Date, none of the
Acquired Companies has taken any action which, if taken after the date of this Agreement, would be
prohibited by Section 6.2(b).
Section 4.16 Contracts; No Defaults.
(a) Section 4.16(a) of the Disclosure Letter lists and, except to the extent filed in full
without redaction as an exhibit to a Company SEC Report, the Company made available to Parent prior
to the date hereof copies of each of the following Contracts (and all amendments, modifications and
supplements thereto) to which any Acquired Company or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies,
any Minority JV Entity, is a party or by which any of their respective properties or assets are
bound (notwithstanding anything herein, “Material Contract” shall not include any Contract
that (1) will be fully performed and satisfied on or prior to the Closing, (2) is a Ground Lease,
or (3) any confidentiality, “standstill” or other similar agreement entered between the Company and
any potential acquiror of the Company):
(i) any Contracts with any director or officer or Affiliate of the Company or, to the
knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities;
(ii) any Contracts evidencing, governing or relating to Debt or any guarantee by any Acquired
Company or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any Minority JV Entity of Debt of any other
Person in excess of $750,000;
37
(iii) any Contracts that reflect transactions, other than in the ordinary course of business,
that involve expenditures, in cash or any other form of consideration, in excess of $1,000,000;
(iv) any Contracts that in any way purports to restrict the business activity of any Acquired
Company or any of their Affiliates or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the
Minority JV Entities, or to limit the freedom of any Acquired Company or any of their Affiliates
or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities to engage in any
line of business or to compete with any Person or in any geographic area or to hire or retain any
Person, except for customary restrictions imposed by localities as a condition to approval of the
Acquired Companies’ or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV
Entities’ development projects;
(v) any Contracts that provide an obligation to fund or make any investment in (whether in the
form of a loan, capital contribution or otherwise) any Subsidiary of any of the Acquired Companies,
JV Entity or other Person (other than any Organizational Document);
(vi) any Contracts providing for any indemnification obligations in effect for any current or
former officer, director, trustee or employee;
(vii) any Contracts evidencing any employment agreements, severance, change in control or
termination agreements with any officer, director, trustee or employee;
(viii) any Contracts (A) relating to the acquisition, issuance, voting, registration, sale or
transfer of any securities, (B) providing any Person with any preemptive right, right of
participation, right of maintenance or any similar right with respect to any securities or (C)
providing any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the
Minority JV Entities with any right of first refusal with respect to, or right to repurchase or
redeem, any securities, except for Contracts evidencing Company Stock Options
and Restricted Shares;
(ix) any Contracts providing for or relating to any warranty or similar obligation;
(x) any Contracts relating to any currency hedging;
(xi) any Contracts containing “standstill” or similar provisions;
(xii) any Contracts (A) to which any Governmental Body is a party or under which any
Governmental Body has any rights or obligations, or (B) directly or indirectly benefiting any
Governmental Body, except for those instruments or documents entered into by the Acquired Companies
or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities in the ordinary
course of their respective businesses, the absence of which would not, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies;
(xiii) any Contracts requiring that any of the Acquired Companies give any notice or provide
any information to any Person prior to considering or accepting any Acquisition Proposal or similar
proposal, or prior to entering into any discussions, agreement, arrangement or understanding
relating to any Acquisition Transaction or similar transaction;
38
(xiv) relating to collective bargaining or other agreement or understanding with a labor union
or labor organization;
(xv) any Contracts relating to the sale or exchange of, or option to sell or exchange, any
real property, or to the purchase or exchange of, or option to purchase or exchange, any real
property in respect of future or existing transactions (including transactions that have not been
consummated), in each case, having value of more than $500,000;
(xvi) any Contracts relating to the development or construction of, or additions or expansions
to, any real property that would involve the expenditure by any of the Acquired Companies or, to
the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities in excess of $500,000;
(xvii) any Loan Documents;
(xviii) any Contracts for the acquisition or disposition, directly or indirectly (by merger or
otherwise), of assets or capital stock or other equity interests of another Person for aggregate
consideration in excess of $1,000,000;
(xix) any Contracts relating to the operations of the Properties, including the Franchise
Agreements, all material advertising and marketing agreements, and credit card agreements, that
involve annual expenditures in excess of $250,000 per Property location;
(xx) any partnership, limited liability company agreement, joint venture or other similar
agreement or arrangement relating to the formation, creation, operation, management or control of
any partnership or joint venture which is not a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Company;
(xxi) any Contracts currently required to be filed as an exhibit to the Company’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K pursuant to Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act;
(xxii) any Contracts under which any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the
Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities has continuing indemnification obligations
(other than Contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business) or potential liability of
the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV
Entities under any purchase price adjustment that, in each case, would reasonably be expected to
result in future payments of more than $500,000;
(xxiii) any Contract relating to the settlement or proposed settlement of any Legal
Proceeding, which involves the issuance of equity securities or the payment of an amount, in any
such case, having a value of more than $500,000;
(xxiv) any license, royalty or other Contract concerning material Intellectual Property; and
(xxv) any Contract (other than Contracts referenced in clauses (i) through (xxiv) of this
Section 4.16(a)) which by its terms calls for payments in excess of $500,000.
Each of the foregoing is a “Material Contract.”
39
(b) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on
the Acquired Companies, (i) none of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities is and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no
other party is in breach or violation of, or default under, any Material Contract, (ii) none of the
Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, none of the Minority JV Entities
has received any written claim of default under any such Material Contract, (iii) no event has
occurred which would result in a breach or violation of, or a default by the Acquired Companies,
or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any of the Minority JV Entities, if applicable, or
any other party thereto, under, any Material Contract (in each case, with or without notice or
lapse of time or both) and (iv) each Material Contract is valid, binding and enforceable in
accordance with its terms and is in full force and effect with respect to the Acquired Companies,
and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, with respect to the Minority JV Entities, if
applicable, and to the other parties thereto, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer and other similar laws of
general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights or by general equitable
principles.
Section 4.17 Insurance. Section 4.17 of the Disclosure Letter sets forth a correct and
complete list of each material insurance policy held by, or for the benefit of, the Acquired
Companies, including the underwriter of such policies and the amount of coverage thereunder. All
such policies are in full force and effect and provide insurance in such amounts and against such
risks as the management of the Company reasonably has determined to be prudent in accordance with
industry practices or as is required by any and all Legal Requirements. All premiums due thereon
have been paid, the Acquired Companies have complied in all material respects with the provisions
of such policies and, except as set forth in Section 4.17 of the Disclosure Letter, such policies
will remain in full force and effect after consummation of the
Merger Transactions. None of the Acquired Companies (i) have received written notice that
they are in default with respect to any obligations under any of such policies, (ii) have taken any
action or failed to take any action which, with notice or the lapse of time, would constitute such
a breach or default, or permit termination or material modification of any of such policies, (iii)
have been advised of any defense to coverage in connection with any claim to coverage asserted or
noticed by the Acquired Companies under or in connection with any of such policies and (iv) have
received any written notice from or on behalf of any insurance carrier issuing such policies or
binders relating to or covering any of the Acquired Companies that there will be a cancellation or
non-renewal of such policies or binders, or that alteration of any equipment or any improvements to
real estate occupied by or leased to or by the Acquired Companies, purchase of additional equipment
or material modification of any of the methods of doing business, will be required. To the
knowledge of the Acquired Companies, as of the date hereof no insurer on any such policy has been
declared insolvent or placed in receivership, conservatorship or liquidation.
Section 4.18 Labor Matters. Except as set forth in Section 4.18 of the Disclosure
Letter: (a) none of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the
Minority JV Entities or any third party which manages or operates any of the Properties or Space
Leases with respect to the employees at such Properties or Space Leases, are party to, or bound by,
any collective bargaining agreement, contract or other agreement or understanding with a
40
labor
union or labor organization; nor is any application for certification with respect to a
union-organizing campaign outstanding; nor has any request for recognition by a labor union or
labor organization been made to any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, to the Minority JV Entities or to any third party which manages or operates any of the
Properties or Space Leases with respect to the employees at such Properties or Space Leases; (b)
none of the Acquired Companies and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV
Entities or any third party which manages or operates any of the Properties or Space Leases with
respect to the employees at such Properties or Space Leases is the subject of any Legal Proceeding
asserting that any of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities or such third parties has
committed an unfair labor practice or seeking to compel it to bargain with any labor organization
as to wages or conditions of employment; (c) there is no strike, work stoppage or other labor
dispute involving any of the Acquired Companies, affecting any of the Properties or Space Leases
or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, involving any of the Minority JV Entities, pending
or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, threatened; (d) no complaint, charge or Legal
Proceeding by or before any Governmental Body brought by or on behalf of any employee, prospective
employee, former employee, retiree, labor organization or other representative of its employees is
pending or threatened against any of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, against the Minority JV Entities or any third party which manages or operates any of the
Properties or Space Leases with respect to the employees at such Properties or Space Leases; (e) no
grievance is pending or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, threatened against any of the
Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities or any
third party which manages or operates any of the Properties or Space Leases with respect to the
employees at such Properties or Space Leases; and (f) none of the Acquired Companies or, to the
knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the Minority JV Entities or any third party which manages or
operates any of the Properties or Space Leases with respect to the employees at such Properties or
Space
Leases, are a party to, or otherwise bound by, any consent decree with, or citation by, any
Governmental Body relating to employees or employment practices. Except as set forth in Section
4.18 of the Disclosure Letter, there are no grants or subsidies from any Governmental Body to any
Acquired Company or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any Minority JV Entity, related to
employment, employee training and/or employment practices that are subject to any repayment
obligation on the part of any Acquired Company.
Section 4.19 Environmental Laws and Regulations. Section 4.19 of the Disclosure Letter
sets forth a list of all the reports related to the environmental condition of the Properties that
have been provided by the Company to Parent. Except as disclosed in such reports provided by the
Company to Parent prior to the date hereof or otherwise disclosed in Section 4.19 of the Disclosure
Letter and except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on
the Acquired Companies:
(a) each of the Acquired Companies and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the
Minority JV Entities (i) is in compliance with all, and has not violated any, Environmental Laws,
(ii) holds all Permits and identification numbers required under any Environmental Law to own or
operate its assets as currently owned and operated and to carry on its business as it is now being
conducted (“Environmental Permits”) and (iii) is in compliance with all of, and has not
violated any of, its respective Environmental Permits;
41
(b) none of the Acquired Companies have released, and to the knowledge of the Acquired
Companies, no other Person has released, Hazardous Substances on any real property currently or
formerly owned, leased or operated by the Acquired Companies or the JV Entities during the time
that the property was owned, leased or operated by any of the Acquired Companies or the JV
Entities, and, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no Hazardous Substances or other
conditions are present at any other location that would reasonably be expected to result in
Liability of or an adverse effect on any of the Acquired Companies or the JV Entities under or
related to any Environmental Law;
(c) neither the Acquired Companies nor, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, any
Minority JV Entities, have received any written notice or claim alleging that any of the Acquired
Companies are or may be in violation of, or liable under, or a potentially responsible party
pursuant to, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980
(“CERCLA”) or any other Environmental Law;
(d) none of the Acquired Companies or, to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, the
Minority JV Entities (i) have entered into or agreed to any consent decree or order or is a party
to any judgment, decree or judicial order relating to compliance with Environmental Laws,
Environmental Permits or the investigation, sampling, monitoring, treatment, remediation, removal
or cleanup of Hazardous Substances, and to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no
investigation, litigation or other proceeding is pending or, threatened with respect to any of the
foregoing or (ii) has assumed, by Contract or operation of law, any Liability under any
Environmental Law or relating to any Hazardous Substances, or is an indemnitor in connection with
any threatened or asserted claim by any third-party indemnitee for any Liability under any
Environmental Law or relating to any Hazardous Substances; and
(e) to the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, there are no past or present actions,
activities, circumstances, conditions, events or incidents, including the release, emission,
discharge, presence or disposal of any Hazardous Substance, that would reasonably be expected to
form the basis of any Environmental Claim against any of the Acquired Companies or the JV Entities.
Section 4.20 Opinion of Financial Advisor. The Special Committee has received the
opinion of Xxxxxx Brothers Inc., dated March 29, 2007 to the effect that, as of such date, the
Company Common Share Merger Consideration to be received by the shareholders of the Company Common
Stock is fair to such shareholders from a financial point of view. A copy of that opinion has been
delivered to Parent.
Section 4.21 Brokers. No broker, finder, investment banker or other Person (other than
Xxxxxx Brothers Inc. and JF Capital Advisors, LLC) is entitled to any brokerage, finder’s or other
fee or commission in connection with the Merger Transactions based upon arrangements made by or on
behalf of any Acquired Company. The Company has heretofore furnished to Parent a copy of all
Contracts between the Company and Xxxxxx Brothers and/or JF Capital Advisors, LLC pursuant to which
such firms would be entitled to any payment relating to the Merger Transactions.
42
Section 4.22 Special Committee Approval; Board Recommendation.
(a) The Special Committee, at a meeting duly called and held, unanimously (i) determined that
this Agreement, the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions are advisable and fair to, and in the
best interests of, the Company and its shareholders and (ii) recommended the approval and adoption
of this Agreement, the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions by the Company Board.
(b) The Company Board, at a meeting duly called and held and acting on the unanimous
recommendation of the Special Committee, has by vote of all of the directors then in office (i)
approved this Agreement, the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions, (ii) determined that this
Agreement, the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions are advisable, fair to, and in the best
interests of the Company and its shareholders on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
herein, (iii) directed that this Agreement, the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions be
submitted for consideration at the duly called and held Company Shareholders Meeting and (iv)
recommended the adoption and approval of this Agreement, the Merger and the Contemplated
Transactions by the Company’s shareholders.
Section 4.23 Proxy Statement. The definitive proxy statement of the Company (as
amended or supplemented, the “Proxy Statement”) to be filed with the SEC in connection with
the Merger Transactions and any amendments or supplements thereto will, when filed, comply in all
material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and Exchange Act. At the
time of the filing of the Proxy Statement, at the time the Proxy Statement or any amendment or
supplement thereto is first mailed to shareholders of the Company, at the time such shareholders
vote on the adoption of this Agreement and approval of the Merger, and at the Merger Effective
Time, the Proxy Statement, as supplemented or amended, if applicable, will not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If, at any time prior to the Merger
Effective Time, any event or circumstance relating to any of the Acquired Companies or any of the
Minority JV Entities, or their respective officers or directors, should be discovered by the
Company which should be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the Proxy Statement, the Company
shall promptly inform Parent. All documents that any of the Acquired Companies is responsible for
filing with the SEC in connection with the Merger Transactions will comply as to form and substance
in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange
Act.
Section 4.24 Related Party Transactions.
(a) Except as expressly and specifically disclosed in Company SEC Reports filed prior to the
date hereof and except for compensation, benefits and advances received in the ordinary course of
business by employees, directors or consultants of any of the Acquired Companies, set forth in
Section 4.24(a) of the Disclosure Letter is a description of all Contracts entered into by any of
the Acquired Companies under which continuing obligations exist with any Person who is an officer,
director or Affiliate of any of the Acquired Companies, any member of the “immediate family” (as
such term is defined in Item 404 of Regulations S-K promulgated under the Securities Act) of any of
the foregoing or any entity of which any of the foregoing is an
43
Affiliate. True and complete
copies of all such documents have been made available to Parent prior to the date hereof.
(b) Except as set forth on Section 4.24(b) of the Disclosure Letter or as expressly and
specifically disclosed in the Company SEC Reports filed prior to the date of this Agreement,
between the date of the Company’s last annual meeting proxy statement filed with the SEC and the
date of this Agreement, no event has occurred that would be required to be reported by the Company
pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC.
Section 4.25 Investment Company Act of 1940. None of Acquired Companies is, or at the
Merger Effective Time will be, required to be registered as an investment company under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Section 4.26 State Takeover Statutes. The Company has taken all actions necessary to
ensure that Articles 9 and 9A of the NCBCA are not applicable to the Merger Transactions and, to
the knowledge of the Acquired Companies, no other “moratorium,” “control share,” “fair price,”
“affiliate transaction,” “business combination” or other anti-takeover Legal Requirements
applicable to the Company are applicable to the Merger Transactions.
Section 4.27 Absence of Litigation. Except (a) as listed in Section 4.27 of the
Disclosure Letter or (b) as expressly and specifically disclosed in the Company SEC Reports filed
prior to the date of this Agreement, there is no Legal Proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of
the Acquired Companies, threatened against any of the Acquired Companies or any of its or their
respective properties or assets or any director, officer or employee of any of the Acquired
Companies or other Person, in each case, for whom any of the Acquired Companies may be liable,
except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, (i) prevent or materially impair or delay
the ability of any Acquired Company to perform its obligations under this
Agreement or the consummation of any of the Merger Transactions or (ii) have a Material
Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies. None of the Acquired Companies are subject to any order,
judgment, writ, injunction or decree, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a
Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies or the Merger Transactions.
Section 4.28 No Undisclosed Liabilities. There are no liabilities or obligations of
any kind, whether accrued, contingent, absolute, inchoate or otherwise (collectively,
“Liabilities”) of the Acquired Companies which are required to be recorded or reflected on
a balance sheet, including the footnotes thereto, under GAAP, other than (a) Liabilities disclosed
in the consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of December
31, 2006 or the footnotes thereto set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, (b) Liabilities incurred since December 31, 2006 in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practice that would not, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies and (c) Liabilities set forth
in Section 4.28 of the Disclosure Letter.
Section 4.29 Third Party Loans. Section 4.29 of the Disclosure Letter lists each loan
document (together with any amendments, guarantees and any ancillary documents and agreements
related thereto, the “Loan Documents”) with respect to any loans made by any of the
Acquired Companies to any Person (other than any of the Acquired Companies) which as of the
44
date of this Agreement has an outstanding balance that is payable by such Person to any of the Acquired
Companies or pursuant to which Debt to any of the Acquired Companies may be incurred by such Person
(collectively, the “Loans”). As of the date of this Agreement, the outstanding principal
amount of each Loan or the amount of Debt that may be borrowed under each Loan Document is not less than the amount set forth on Section 4.29 of the Disclosure Letter. Except as set forth in Section
4.29 of the Disclosure Letter, none of the Acquired Companies (a) has delivered any written notice
of default under any of the Loan Documents or (b) executed any written waiver of any rights of the
Acquired Companies under any of the Loan Documents.
Section 4.30 Ownership Limitation. The Company has taken all corporate actions
necessary to ensure that, as of the Merger Effective Time, the Ownership Limitation shall not apply
to the Buyer Parties or their respective Affiliates.
Section 4.31 Disclaimer of Other Representations and Warranties. Except as otherwise
specifically set forth herein, neither the Acquired Companies nor any other Person acting on their
behalf makes any other representations or warranties with respect to this Agreement or the Acquired
Companies to the Buyer Parties, and any such other representations or warranties are expressly
disclaimed.
ARTICLE V
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE BUYER PARTIES
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE BUYER PARTIES
The Buyer Parties hereby (a) jointly and severally represent and warrant to the Company
Parties as of the date hereof and (b) shall jointly and severally represent and warrant to the
Company Parties as of the Closing Date (or, in each case, if made as of a specific date, as of such
date), as follows:
Section 5.1 Organization.
(a) Parent is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the
laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, with all requisite power as a corporation and authority
to conduct its business as now being conducted, to own or use the respective properties and assets
that it purports to own or use, and to perform all of its obligations under all material contracts
to which it is a party. Parent is duly qualified or licensed and is in good standing under the
laws of any other jurisdiction in which the character of the properties owned, leased or operated
by it therein or in which the transaction of its business makes such qualification or licensing
necessary except where the failure to be so qualified, licensed or in good standing would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on Parent.
(b) MergerCo is a limited liability company duly formed, validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of Delaware. The Organizational Documents of MergerCo are in effect and no
dissolution, revocation or forfeiture proceedings regarding MergerCo have been commenced. MergerCo
is duly qualified or licensed and is in good standing under the laws of any other jurisdiction in
which the character of the properties owned, leased or operated by it therein or in which the
transaction of its business makes such qualification or licensing necessary, except where the
failure to be so qualified, licensed or in good standing would not,
45
individually or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on Parent. MergerCo has all requisite power and
authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to carry on its businesses as now conducted
and proposed by it to be conducted.
Section 5.2 Ownership of MergerCo; No Prior Activities. MergerCo is a wholly-owned
Subsidiary of Parent. MergerCo was formed solely for the purpose of engaging in the Merger
Transactions. MergerCo has not conducted (nor will it conduct prior to the Merger) any activities
other than in connection with its organization, the negotiation and execution of this Agreement and
the consummation of the Merger Transactions. MergerCo owns no equity or ownership interest in or
other security issued by any other Person.
Section 5.3 Authority.
(a) Each of the Buyer Parties has all necessary corporate or other power and authority to
execute and deliver this Agreement, to perform its obligations hereunder and to consummate the
Merger and the Contemplated Transactions. No other proceedings on the part of Parent or MergerCo
are necessary to authorize this Agreement or to consummate the Merger and the Contemplated
Transactions, except as contemplated by the immediately succeeding sentence. Immediately following
execution of this Agreement by the parties hereto, Parent shall execute and deliver to MergerCo a
written consent approving this Agreement, the Merger and the
Contemplated Transactions in its capacity as sole member of MergerCo. This Agreement has been
duly and validly executed and delivered by each of the Buyer Parties and, assuming the due
authorization, execution and delivery by each of the Company Parties constitutes a legal, valid and
binding obligation of each of the Buyer Parties, enforceable against each of them in accordance
with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer and similar laws of general applicability relating
to or affecting creditors’ rights or by general equity principles.
(b) Parent has duly and validly authorized the execution and delivery of this Agreement and
approved the consummation of the Merger (to the extent that it is a party thereto), and taken all
corporate actions required to be taken by Parent for the consummation of the Merger (to the extent
that it is a party thereto).
(c) MergerCo has duly and validly authorized the execution and delivery of this Agreement and
approved the consummation of the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions, and MergerCo has taken
all action required to be taken for the consummation of the Merger and the Contemplated
Transactions (to the extent that it is a party thereto).
Section 5.4 No Conflict; Required Filings and Consents.
(a) The execution and delivery of this Agreement by each of the Buyer Parties do not, and the
performance of the Buyer Parties’ obligations hereunder will not, (i) conflict with or violate the
Organizational Documents of either Parent or MergerCo assuming that all Consents and other actions
described in Section 5.4(b) have been obtained and all filings and obligations described in Section
5.4(b) have been made, (ii) conflict with or violate any Legal Requirement applicable to Parent or
MergerCo, or by which any of its properties or assets is bound, or (iii) result in any breach of,
or constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of
46
time or both, would become a
default) under, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or
cancellation of, or result in the creation of an Encumbrance on any of its properties or assets
pursuant to, any note, bond, mortgage, indenture, Contract, agreement, lease, license, permit,
franchise or other instrument or obligation to which it is a party or by which it or any of its
properties or assets is bound, except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii), for any such
conflicts, violations, breaches, defaults or other occurrences that would not, individually or in
the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on Parent.
(b) The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Buyer Parties does not, and the
performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions
by the Buyer Parties, will not, require any Consent of, or filing with or notification to, any
Governmental Body, except (i) for (A) applicable requirements, if any, of the Exchange Act, the
Securities Act and state securities or “blue sky” laws, (B) the pre-merger notification
requirements of the HSR Act, if any, (C) the filing with the SEC of the Proxy Statement, (D) any
filings required under any securities exchange or quotation service, (E) filing of the Articles of
Merger as required by the DLLCA and the NCBCA, respectively, and appropriate corresponding
documents with the appropriate authorities in other states in which the Company is qualified as a
foreign corporation to transact business, (F) filings as may be required in connection with the
payment of any transfer and gain Taxes and (G) filings required by federal, state or local
Environmental Laws, or (ii) where the failure to obtain such Consents, or to make such filings or
notifications, would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on
Parent or the Merger Transactions.
Section 5.5 Information Supplied for Proxy Statement. None of the information
furnished to the Company by or on behalf of Parent expressly for use in the Proxy Statement will,
as of the date the Proxy Statement is mailed to the Company’s shareholders, contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated in the Proxy
Statement, or necessary in order to make the statements made in the Proxy Statement, in light of
the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.
Section 5.6 Financing.
At the Merger Effective Time, Parent will have sufficient funds, in cash, to pay the Company
Common Share Merger Consideration, Company Preferred Share Merger Consideration, Option Merger
Consideration and Common Unit Consideration, and any other amounts payable by Parent under this
Agreement, together with all fees and expenses of Parent incurred in connection with any of the
Merger Transactions and to effect the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions.
Section 5.7 Brokers. No broker, finder, investment banker or other Person (other than
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx & Co., Inc.) is entitled to any brokerage, finder’s or other fee or commission in
connection with the Merger Transactions based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of either of
the Buyer Parties.
Section 5.8 Disclaimer of Other Representations and Warranties. Except as otherwise
specifically set forth herein, neither the Buyer Parties nor any other Person acting on their
behalf makes any other representations or warranties with respect to this Agreement or the Buyer
47
Parties to the Company Parties, and any such other representations or warranties are expressly
disclaimed.
ARTICLE VI
CONDUCT OF BUSINESS PENDING THE MERGER
CONDUCT OF BUSINESS PENDING THE MERGER
Section 6.1 Access to Information.
(a) Subject to applicable Legal Requirements, from the date hereof until the Merger Effective
Time or the date, if any, on which this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 11.1 (the
“Pre-Closing Period”), the Company shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries and, to the
extent permitted by their respective Organizational Documents, the JV Entities to, and shall cause
the Representatives of any of the Acquired Companies to, (a) afford the Buyer Parties and their
respective Representatives, following reasonable advance notice from Parent to the Company,
reasonable access during normal business hours to the officers, employees, agents, properties,
offices, plants and other Facilities, Contracts, books and records of any of the Acquired Companies
and the JV Entities, and all other financial, operating and other data and information relating to
any of the Acquired Companies and the JV Entities as Parent may reasonably request, (b) assist in
providing the Buyer Parties and their respective Representatives with access to, and facilitate
discussions with, the managers of the Properties, the franchisors
under the Franchise Agreements, the members, partners, officers, employees and agents of the
Acquired Companies and the JV Entities and the lenders of each of the Acquired Companies and the JV
Entities as Parent may reasonably request during normal business hours upon reasonable notice, (c)
permit the Buyer Parties and their respective Representatives to make copies and inspections
thereof as Parent may reasonably request, (d) with respect to fiscal months ending after the date
of this Agreement, furnish to Parent promptly, unaudited monthly consolidated balance sheets of the
Acquired Companies and the JV Entities for each fiscal month then ended and related consolidated
statements of earnings and cash flows and (e) furnish promptly to the Buyer Parties and their
respective Representatives all information concerning the business, properties Contracts, assets,
liabilities, personnel and other aspects of the Acquired Companies and the JV Entities as Parent
and its Representatives may reasonably request. Without limiting the foregoing, the Buyer Parties
and their respective Representatives shall have the right to conduct appraisal and environmental
and engineering inspections of each of the Properties; provided, however, that
neither the Buyer Parties nor their respective Representatives shall have the right to perform any
invasive testing procedure on any building or property, except as agreed to in writing by the
Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, neither the Buyer Parties nor any of their respective Representatives shall (i) contact
or have any discussions with any Representatives of any of the Acquired Companies or the JV
Entities, unless in each case Parent obtains the prior consent of the Company, which shall not be
unreasonably withheld or delayed, (ii) contact or have any discussions with any of the
landlords/sublandlords, tenants/subtenants, licensees or franchisees of any of the Acquired
Companies or the JV Entities, unless in each case Parent obtains the prior consent of the Company,
which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed; provided, that clauses (i) and (ii)
shall not be applicable to contacts or discussions not related to the Merger Transactions and shall
not be applicable to contacts and discussions with the Company’s executive officers or its
financial advisors, or (iii) damage any such property or any portion
48
thereof. Parent shall
schedule and coordinate all inspections with the Company and shall give the Company at least three
(3) business days’ prior written notice thereof, setting forth the inspection or materials that
Parent or its representatives intend to conduct. The Company shall be entitled to have
Representatives present at all times during any inspection. Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of
the Acquired Companies or the JV Entities shall be required to provide access to or to disclose
information where such access or disclosure would jeopardize the attorney-client privilege of any
of the Acquired Companies or the JV Entities, as applicable, so long as the Company has taken all
reasonable steps to permit inspection of or to disclose such information on a basis that does not
jeopardize such attorney-client privilege, or contravene any Legal Requirement or the terms of any
binding agreement entered into prior to the date of this Agreement (provided, that upon the
request of Parent, each of the Acquired Companies and the JV Entities, as applicable, shall use its
reasonable best efforts to obtain consent from the applicable third party or enter into a customary
joint defense agreement, if applicable, to enable the disclosure of such information). No
investigation conducted under this Section 6.1, however, shall affect or be deemed to modify any
representation or warranty made in this Agreement.
(b) During the Pre-Closing Period, all information obtained by Parent pursuant to this Section
6.1 shall be kept confidential in accordance with the Confidentiality Agreement dated March 13,
2007, by and between the Company and Parent (the “Confidentiality Agreement”).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, subject to the prior written consent of the Company, which shall
not be unreasonably withheld or delayed, Parent and its Representatives may furnish such
information to any Person (including financing sources) and its Representatives in connection with
such Person’s potential investment in Parent or its Affiliates, or evaluation of the acquisition of
assets of the Company in connection with or following the Closing, in each case so long as any such
Person has entered into a confidentiality agreement with the Company in form and substance
reasonably satisfactory to the Company.
Section 6.2 Operation of the Business; Certain Notices; Tax Returns.
(a) During the Pre-Closing Period, except as expressly permitted by this Agreement, or as
consented to in writing by Parent, the Company shall, and shall cause each of the Acquired
Companies to, (i) conduct its business and operations only (A) in the ordinary course of business
and in accordance with past practices in all material respects and (B) in compliance in all
material respects with all applicable Legal Requirements and the requirements of all Material
Contracts and Ground Leases (which for purposes of this Section 6.2 shall include any Contract that
would be a Material Contract or Ground Lease if existing on the date of this Agreement), (ii) to
the extent consistent with clause (i) hereof, use reasonable best efforts to preserve intact its
current business organization, keep available the services of its current officers and key
employees, preserve its properties and assets in good repair and condition and maintain its
relations and goodwill with all suppliers, customers, landlords, creditors, licensors, licensees,
employees, tenants, management companies and other Persons having business relationships with any
of the Acquired Companies that are material to their businesses as presently conducted, (iii) keep
in full force all insurance policies referred to in Section 4.17, (iv) promptly keep the Buyer
Parties informed with respect to all material matters relating to the Legal Proceeding of the
Company Parties related to the Tribeca Contract and (v) promptly notify Parent of (A) any notice
from any Person, or other communication or information of which any of the Acquired
49
Companies has
knowledge, alleging that the Consent of such Person is or may be required in connection with the
Merger Transactions and (B) any Legal Proceeding commenced or threatened against, relating to or
involving or otherwise affecting any of the Acquired Companies and having, to the knowledge of the
Acquired Companies, potential liability to the Acquired Companies in excess of $1,000,000.
(b) During the Pre-Closing Period, except expressly permitted by this Agreement, including
those actions set forth on Section 6.2(b) of the Disclosure Letter, or as consented to in writing
by Parent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld (provided, however, that
it shall be deemed automatically reasonable for Parent to withhold its consent with respect to the
sale or disposition of any of the Properties or hotels of any of the Acquired Companies), the
Company shall not, and shall not permit any of the other Acquired Companies to:
(i) declare, accrue, set aside or pay any dividend or make any other distribution, payable in
cash, stock, property or otherwise, in respect of any shares of capital stock or other equity or
voting securities, except the authorization and payment of required quarterly dividends with
respect to outstanding shares of the Company Series B Preferred Stock in accordance with the terms
thereof as in effect on the date hereof;
(ii) split, combine or reclassify any of its capital stock or other equity or voting
securities, or issue or authorize the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or
in substitution
for shares of its capital stock or other equity or voting securities, or repurchase, redeem or
otherwise reacquire, directly or indirectly, any shares of capital stock or other securities of any
Acquired Company (except for the redemption of Common Units pursuant to, and in accordance with,
the terms of the Operating Partnership Agreement as in effect on the date hereof) or any options,
warrants, calls or rights to acquire any such shares or other securities or shares of restricted
stock (except pursuant to forfeiture conditions of such restricted stock), or take any action that
would result in any amendment, modification or change of any term of any security of any Acquired
Company;
(iii) issue, deliver, sell, dispose, grant, pledge or otherwise encumber any shares of any
Acquired Company’s capital stock, any other equity or voting interests or any securities
convertible into, or exchangeable for, or any options, warrants, calls or rights to acquire or
receive, any such shares, interests or securities or any stock appreciation rights, phantom stock
awards or other rights that are linked in any way to the price of the Company capital stock or the
value of the Company or any part thereof, except in connection with (A) the exercise of outstanding
Options (B) the issuance of additional shares to its shareholders pursuant to a preexisting
dividend reinvestment or similar plan (subject to Section 3.5) or (C) the issuance of shares in
connection with the redemption of Common Units pursuant to, and in accordance with, the terms of
the Operating Partnership Agreement as in effect on the date hereof;
(iv) amend or permit the adoption of any amendment to its Organizational Documents, or effect
or become a party to any merger, consolidation, share exchange, business combination,
recapitalization, reclassification of shares, stock split, reverse stock split or similar
transaction;
(v) acquire, or agree to acquire, by merger or consolidation, or by purchasing all or a
substantial portion of the assets of, or by purchasing all or a substantial equity or voting
interest
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in, or by any other manner, in a single transaction or in a series of related
transactions, any Person, business, entity or division thereof or otherwise acquire or agree to
acquire any properties or assets outside the ordinary course consistent with past practice having a
purchase price in excess of $500,000 in the aggregate;
(vi) form any Subsidiary or enter into any Minority JV Entity;
(vii) enter into any lease or sublease of real property (whether as a lessor, sublessor,
lessee or sublessee), other than renewals of existing Ground Leases or Space Leases in the ordinary
course of business consistent with past practice, or change, terminate or fail to exercise any
right to renew any Ground Lease or Space Lease;
(viii) sell, lease, grant a license in, transfer, exchange or swap, mortgage or otherwise
encumber or subject to any Encumbrance, except for Permitted Encumbrances, or otherwise dispose of
any of the Properties, hotels or other properties or assets (including material personal and
intangible assets), other than the sale of inventory and the granting of licenses in the ordinary
course of business consistent with past practice;
(ix) acquire, enter into or extend any option, commitment or agreement to acquire, or exercise
an option, commitment or agreement to acquire, any real property or commence any development
activity on any of the Properties;
(x) authorize, enter into, make or agree to make any commitment with respect to any capital
expenditure individually in excess of $250,000 or in the aggregate in excess of $500,000, other
than in accordance with the budget of the Acquired Companies therefor, as made available to Parent
prior to the date hereof, in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(xi) make any payments in respect of their Debt other than scheduled interest and amortization
payments, if any, required to be made under the agreements evidencing Debt of the Acquired
Companies or repurchase, accelerate, prepay, create, assume or incur any Debt or guarantee, endorse
or otherwise become responsible for any Debt of another Person or issue or sell any debt securities
or options, warrants, calls or other rights to acquire any debt securities of any of the Acquired
Companies, guarantee, endorse or otherwise become responsible for any debt securities of another
Person, enter into any “keep well” or other agreement to maintain any financial statement condition
of another Person or enter into any arrangement having the economic effect of any of the foregoing;
(xii) make any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other
Person, other than the Company or any direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Company;
(xiii) enter into or become bound by any new Ground Lease or new Contract that, if entered
into prior to the date of this Agreement, would have been required to be listed in Section 4.16(a)
of the Disclosure Letter as a Material Contract;
(xiv) modify, amend, change or terminate any Material Contract or Ground Lease, or waive,
release, assign or terminate any rights, remedies or claims thereunder;
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(xv) enter into any Contract that would limit or otherwise restrict the Acquired Companies or
any of their successors, or that would, after the Merger Effective Time, limit or otherwise
restrict any of the Buyer Parties or any of their respective Subsidiaries or any of their
respective successors, from engaging or competing in any material line of business or in any
geographic area in any material respect;
(xvi) modify or amend in any material respect or terminate any Contract with an Affiliate or
modify in any material respect any material relationship between the Acquired Companies and their
respective Affiliates, including the manner in which the Acquired Companies and their respective
Affiliates own or hold their respective assets;
(xvii) increase in any manner the compensation or benefits of, or pay any bonus to, any
employee, officer, director or independent contractor of any Acquired Companies, except for
increases in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices in base compensation
for any non-officer employee;
(xviii) establish, adopt, amend or terminate any Employee Benefit Plan or amend the terms of
any outstanding equity-based awards or take any action to accelerate the vesting or payment, or
fund or in any way secure the payment, of compensation or benefits under any Employee Benefit Plan,
to the extent not already provided in any such Employee Benefit Plan;
(xix) change in any material respect any of its methods of accounting or accounting policies
in any respect except as may be required by GAAP or any Legal Requirement;
(xx) make or change any material Tax election, change any annual Tax accounting period, adopt
or change any method of Tax accounting, file any amended Tax Return, enter into any closing
agreement, settle any material Tax claim or assessment (other than real estate assessment
settlements negotiated in the ordinary course of business), surrender any right to claim a material
Tax refund, or consent to the extension or waiver of the limitations period applicable to any
material Tax claim or assessment; provided, that nothing in this Agreement shall preclude
the Company from designating dividends paid by it prior to the date of this Agreement as “capital
gain dividends” within the meaning of Section 857 of the Code or electing to treat any entity as a
“taxable REIT subsidiary” within the meaning of Section 856(l) of the Code;
(xxi) (a) pay, discharge, settle, compromise or satisfy any material Legal Proceedings, claims
(including claims of shareholders or limited partners and any shareholder or limited partner
litigation relating to this Agreement or any of the Merger Transactions or otherwise), Liabilities
or obligations (whether absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), other
than the payment, discharge or satisfaction in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice or as required by their terms as in effect on the date of this Agreement of Legal
Proceedings, claims, Liabilities or obligations reflected or reserved against in the Balance Sheet
(or the notes thereto) or incurred since the Balance Sheet Date in the ordinary course of business
(which, for the sake of clarity, shall not include any material claims of shareholders or limited
partners or any material shareholder or limited partner litigation relating to this Agreement or
any of the Merger Transactions); provided, that this provision shall not restrict the
Company from incurring and paying any fees or expenses of litigation relating to
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this Agreement or
any of the Merger Transactions, (b) waive, release, grant or transfer any right of material value
other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice or (c) commence any
Legal Proceeding;
(xxii) enter into, amend or modify any Tax Protection Agreement, or take any action that
would, or would reasonably be expected to, violate any Tax Protection Agreement or otherwise give
rise to any liability of any of the Acquired Companies with respect thereto;
(xxiii) initiate or consent to any material zoning reclassification of any owned or material
Properties or any material change to any approved site plan, special use permit, planned unit
development approval or other land use entitlement affecting any owned or leased Properties except
to the extent any of the foregoing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material
Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies;
(xxiv) commence construction of, or enter into any Contract to develop or construct, any real
estate projects, other than in connection with the continued development of sites by the Acquired
Companies pursuant to definitive Contracts existing prior to the execution of this Agreement;
(xxv) fail to comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act
applicable to it;
(xxvi) take any action that would be reasonably likely to cause, individually or in the
aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect on the Acquired Companies;
(xxvii) adopt or enter into a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution,
restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Acquired Companies (other than the
Merger Transactions);
(xxviii) adopt a “poison pill” or similar stockholder rights plan;
(xxix) take any action or omit to take any action that would reasonably be likely to cause the
representations or warranties set forth in Article IV not to be true at the Closing, such that the
condition set forth in Section 9.1 would not be satisfied at the Closing; or
(xxx) agree or commit to take any of the actions prohibited by this Section 6.2(b).
Nothing contained in this Agreement shall give Parent or MergerCo, directly or indirectly, the
right to control or direct the Company’s operations prior to the Merger Effective Time. Prior to
the Merger Effective Time, the Company shall exercise, consistent with the terms and conditions of
this Agreement, complete control and supervision over its operations.
(c) In connection with the continued operation of the Acquired Companies, during the
Pre-Closing Period, the Company will confer in good faith on a regular and frequent basis with one
or more Representatives of Parent designated to the Company regarding operational matters and the
general status of ongoing operation. The Company acknowledges that such consultation with Parent
will not, in the absence of Parent’s written consent or waiver, constitute a consent or waiver of
any rights Parent may have under this Agreement. During the Pre-Closing Period, the
53
Company shall
promptly notify Parent in writing of (i) the discovery by the Company of any event, condition, fact
or circumstance that occurred or existed on or prior to the date of this Agreement and that caused
or constitutes a material inaccuracy in any representation or warranty made by the Company in this
Agreement, (ii) any material breach of any covenant or obligation of the Company, (iii) any Legal
Proceeding pending against or with respect to the Acquired Companies in respect of any Tax matter,
(iv) any event, condition, fact or circumstance that would make the timely satisfaction of any of
the conditions set forth in Article VIII or IX impossible or unlikely or that has had or is
reasonably likely to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the
Acquired Companies and (v) (A) any notice or other communication from any Person alleging that the
Consent of such Person is or may be required in connection with the Merger Transactions and (B) any
material Legal Proceeding or material claim threatened, commenced or asserted against or with
respect to any of the Acquired Companies or the Merger Transactions.
(d) During the period from the date of this Agreement to the Merger Effective Time, each of
the Acquired Companies shall continue to operate in such a manner as to permit the Company to
continue to qualify as a REIT throughout the period from the date hereof to the Merger Effective
Time (excluding the distribution requirements). The Company agrees that all Tax Returns with
respect to the Company and each other Acquired Company that are not required to be filed on or
before the date hereof, to the extent required to be filed on or before the Closing Date, (i) will
be filed when due in accordance with all applicable Legal Requirements, and (ii) as
of the time of filing, will be true, complete and correct in all material respects. The
Company and each other Acquired Company will pay all Taxes shown as due on such Tax Returns and all
other Taxes which the Company or any other Acquired Company is required to pay on or before the
Closing Date (other than Taxes it is contesting in good faith).
Section 6.3 No Solicitation.
(a) During the Pre-Closing Period, the Company shall not, directly or indirectly, and shall
cause the other Acquired Companies, its Representatives and the Representatives of the other
Acquired Companies not to, directly or indirectly, (i) solicit, initiate, encourage, induce or
facilitate any inquiries regarding, or the making, submission, reaffirmation or announcement of any
Acquisition Proposal or take any action that could reasonably be expected to lead to an Acquisition
Proposal, (ii) furnish any nonpublic information regarding any of the Acquired Companies, or
provide any access to the books, records or personnel of any of the Acquired Companies, to any
Person in connection with or in response to an Acquisition Proposal or an inquiry or indication of
interest that could reasonably be expected to lead to an Acquisition Proposal, (iii) engage in,
continue or otherwise participate in any discussions or negotiations with any Person in respect of,
or otherwise cooperate with respect to, any Acquisition Proposal, (iv) approve, endorse or
recommend any Acquisition Proposal or (v) enter into any letter of intent, arrangement,
understanding, agreement, agreement in principle or similar document or any Contract contemplating
or otherwise relating to any Acquisition Transaction. Without limiting the foregoing, it is agreed
that any violation of the restrictions set forth in this Section 6.3(a) by any Representative of
any of the Acquired Companies, whether or not such Person is purporting to act on behalf of any of
the Acquired Companies or otherwise, shall be deemed to be a breach of this Section 6.3(a) by the
Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
54
from the date hereof and prior to the adoption of this
Agreement by the Required Company Shareholder Vote, nothing in this Agreement (including this
Section 6.3(a)) shall, subject to Section 6.3(b), prohibit the Company from furnishing nonpublic
information regarding the Acquired Companies to, or entering into or conducting discussions or
negotiations with, any Person in response to a bona fide written Acquisition Proposal that is
submitted to the Company by such Person during such period (and not withdrawn) which is reasonably
likely to result in a Superior Proposal if (A) neither the Company nor any Representative of any of
the Acquired Companies shall have breached or violated this Section 6.3(a) in any respect that
results in such Acquisition Proposal, (B) the Company Board or its Special Committee concludes in
good faith, after consultation with the Company’s or the Special Committee’s outside legal counsel,
that failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the fiduciary obligations of the
Company Board to the Company’s shareholders under applicable Legal Requirements, (C) the Company
Board or its Special Committee concludes in good faith, after consultation with its legal counsel
and an independent financial advisor of nationally recognized reputation, that such Acquisition
Proposal is reasonably likely to lead to a Superior Proposal and (D) prior to furnishing any such
nonpublic information to such Person, the Company receives from such Person an executed
confidentiality agreement containing customary limitations on the use and disclosure of all
nonpublic written and oral information furnished to such Person by or on behalf of the Company and
customary “standstill” provisions. As promptly as reasonably practicable following the furnishing
of nonpublic information pursuant to this Section 6.3(a), the Company shall provide to Parent any
nonpublic information concerning any of the Acquired Companies that is furnished
to any third Person or its Representatives which was not previously provided to Parent.
(b) From and after the execution of this Agreement, except to the extent that doing so would
result in a breach of its fiduciary duties, each of the Company Parties shall promptly, and in any
event within forty-eight (48) hours following the initial receipt by any Acquired Company of any
Acquisition Proposal, any indication by any Person considering making an Acquisition Proposal, any
request for information relating to any of the Acquired Companies (other than requests for
information in the ordinary course of business and unrelated to an Acquisition Proposal) or any
inquiry or request for discussions or negotiations regarding any Acquisition Proposal which any of
the Acquired Companies or any of their respective Representatives may receive after the date
hereof, advise Parent orally and in writing of (i) the receipt, directly or indirectly, of any such
inquiries, negotiations or proposals relating to any Acquisition Proposal by the Company, (ii) the
material terms and conditions of such Acquisition Proposal, indication, inquiry or request,
together with a copy thereof (if available) or if not in writing, a written description thereof,
(iii) the identity of the Person making such Acquisition Proposal and (iv) the Company’s intention
to furnish information to, or enter into discussions or negotiations with, such Person. The
Company shall keep Parent reasonably informed on a prompt basis as to any material developments
regarding any such Acquisition Proposal, indication, inquiry or request. None of the Acquired
Companies shall, after the date hereof, enter into any confidentiality agreement that would
prohibit them from providing such information to Parent.
(c) The Company Board and the Special Committee may not (i) withdraw, qualify or modify, in a
manner adverse to the Buyer Parties, or fail to make, the Company Board Recommendation, (ii)
approve, authorize or recommend, or propose publicly or approve, authorize or recommend, an
Acquisition Proposal, (iii) authorize or permit the Company to enter
55
into any agreement (an
“Acquisition Agreement”) contemplating an Acquisition Proposal or (iv) permit the Acquired
Companies to take any action to exempt or make not subject to any “moratorium,” “control share,”
“fair price,” “affiliate transaction,” “business combination” or other anti-takeover Legal
Requirements or any “excess share” or similar ownership limitation provisions (including the
Ownership Limitation) applicable to the Company, any Person (other than the Buyer Parties and their
respective Affiliates) or any action taken by any such Person, which Person or action would have
otherwise have been subject to the restrictive provisions thereof and/or not exempt therefrom.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, at any time prior to the earlier of the Required
Company Stockholder Vote and the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Article XI, the Company
Board or its Special Committee may take one or more of the actions described in the preceding
clauses (i) – (iv) in response to a Superior Proposal if the Company Board or its Special Committee
concludes in good faith, after consultation with the Company’s (or the Special Committee’s, as
applicable) outside legal counsel, that failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the
fiduciary obligations of the Company Board to the Company’s shareholders under applicable Legal
Requirements, but only after following the Superior Proposal Termination Procedures.
(d) Until the earlier of the Merger Effective Time and the termination of this Agreement
pursuant to Article XI, the Company shall immediately (i) cease and cause to be terminated any
existing solicitation, discussion, negotiation or other action conducted by any of the Acquired
Companies or any of their respective Representatives with respect to any Acquisition Proposal
effective as of the date hereof, (ii) request that all confidential information previously
furnished to any third party be returned promptly and (iii) deny access to any data room containing
any such information to any third party (other than the Buyer Parties and their respective
Representatives), in each case, subject to the Company’s rights and obligations in Section 6.3(a).
(e) The Company agrees not to release or permit the release of any Person from, or to waive or
permit the waiver of any provision of, any confidentiality, “standstill” or similar agreement to
which any of the Acquired Companies is a party, and will use its reasonable best efforts to enforce
or cause to be enforced each such agreement at the request of Parent.
Section 6.4 Options. No later than the earlier of the time at which the Company gives
notice of the Merger Transactions to its shareholders and the date that is thirty (30) days prior
to the Merger Effective Time, the Company shall deliver the Option Holder Notice. The Company
shall provide Parent with a copy of the Option Holder Notice, for Parent’s review and comment,
prior to its delivery to the holders of Options. The Company shall take all actions required under
the Company Plan to cause such Company Plan and all Options granted thereunder to terminate at the
Merger Effective Time.
Section 6.5 Common Units. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the
Company, as general partner of the Operating Partnership, shall take all actions necessary to cause
the cancellation of all of the outstanding Common Units at the Merger Effective Time in exchange
for the Common Unit Consideration.
Section 6.6 Mailing Notice. Not later than ten (10) days prior to the date on which
the Company intends to mail the Proxy Statement to its shareholders, which Proxy Statement is
contemplated to include the Company Board Recommendation or a statement to the effect that
56
the Company Board has determined and believes that the Merger Transactions are in the best interests of
the Company’s shareholders, the Company may provide written notice of such intention (the
“Mailing Notice”) to Parent, which Mailing Notice, if given, shall constitute a covenant of
the Company to commence mailing such Proxy Statement to its shareholders on or about the date
specified in the Mailing Notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company reasonably believes
the Proxy Statement is, in all material respects, in definitive form but for information to be
provided by, or regarding, Parent, then the Company may notify Parent of such deficiency and its
intent to commence mailing of the Proxy Statement once it receives the requisite information from
Parent, in which case, such notice shall constitute a “Mailing Notice” for purposes of this
Agreement.
ARTICLE VII
ADDITIONAL COVENANTS OF THE PARTIES HERETO
ADDITIONAL COVENANTS OF THE PARTIES HERETO
Section 7.1 Proxy Statement. As soon as practicable following the date of this
Agreement, the Company shall prepare and file with the SEC the Proxy Statement with respect to the
Company Shareholders Meeting. The Company will mail the Proxy Statement to the Company’s
shareholders as of the record date established for the Company Shareholders Meeting as promptly as
practicable after the Proxy Statement is cleared by the SEC. The Company shall include, except to
the extent provided in Section 6.3, the text of this Agreement and the Company Board Recommendation
in the Proxy Statement. Each of the Company and
Parent shall furnish all information concerning itself and its Affiliates that is required to
be included in the Proxy Statement or that is customarily included in proxy statements prepared in
connection with transactions similar to the Merger Transactions. The Company shall provide Parent
with a copy of the preliminary Proxy Statement and all modifications thereto prior to filing or
delivery to the SEC and will consult with Parent in connection therewith. The Company will inform
Parent, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of any request by the SEC for the amendment of
the Proxy Statement or comments (written or oral) thereon or requests by the SEC for additional
information, will consult with Parent prior to responding (in writing or orally) to any such
comments or request or filing any amendment or supplement to the Proxy Statement and will furnish
to Parent copies of all correspondence between the Company or any of its Representatives, on the
one hand, and the SEC or its staff, on the other hand, with respect to the Proxy Statement, the
Merger Transactions or any other filings in connection herewith or therewith and will consult with
Parent in connection therewith. If at any time prior to the Merger Effective Time any information
relating to the Company or Parent, or any of their respective Affiliates, officers or directors,
should be discovered by the Company or Parent which, pursuant to the Securities Act or the Exchange
Act, should be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the Proxy Statement, so that any of the
Proxy Statement would not include any misstatement of a material fact or omit to state any material
fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading, the party that discovers such information shall promptly notify the other
parties hereto and an appropriate amendment or supplement describing such information shall be
promptly filed with the SEC and, to the extent required by any applicable Legal Requirements,
disseminated to the shareholders of the Company. All documents that each of the Company and Parent
is responsible for filing with the SEC in connection with the Merger Transactions will comply as to
form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange
Act and the rules and
57
regulations of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”).
Section 7.2 Company Shareholders Meeting.
(a) As promptly as practicable following the date of this Agreement, the Company shall (i)
take all action necessary under all applicable Legal Requirements to duly call, give notice of,
convene and hold a Company Shareholders Meeting to vote on a proposal to adopt this Agreement and
approve the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions and (ii) submit such proposal to the Company’s
shareholders entitled to vote thereon at the Company Shareholders Meeting. The Company (in
consultation with Parent) shall, in accordance with the NCBCA, as promptly as practicable following
the date of this Agreement, set a record date for Persons entitled to notice of, and to vote at,
the Company Shareholders Meeting. The Company Shareholders Meeting shall be held on a date
selected by the Company in consultation with Parent. The Company shall ensure that all proxies
solicited in connection with the Company Shareholders Meeting are solicited in compliance with all
applicable Legal Requirements.
(b) Subject to Section 6.3(c), (i) the Proxy Statement shall include a statement to the effect
that the Company Board and the Special Committee approves this Agreement and the Merger
Transactions and recommends that the Company’s shareholders vote to adopt and approve this
Agreement, the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions at the Company Shareholders Meeting (such
recommendation, the “Company Board Recommendation”), and (ii)
except in accordance with Section 6.3(c), none of the Company Board, the Special Committee nor
any committee thereof shall (A) withdraw, qualify or modify in a manner adverse to the Buyer
Parties, or publicly propose to withdraw the Company Board Recommendation (B) authorize, adopt or
propose any resolution to withdraw, qualify or modify the Company Board Recommendation in a manner
adverse to the Buyer Parties, (C) fail to include the Company Board Recommendation in the Proxy
Statement or (D) knowingly take any other action or knowingly make any other public statement that
is knowingly inconsistent in any material respect with such Company Board Recommendation (any
action described in clauses (A) through (D) above, a “Recommendation Withdrawal”). Subject
to Section 6.3(c), the Company will use reasonable best efforts to solicit from its shareholders
proxies in favor of the adoption and approval of this Agreement, the Merger and the Contemplated
Transactions and will take all other action reasonably necessary or advisable to secure the vote or
consent of its shareholders required by the rules of the NYSE or applicable Legal Requirements to
obtain such approval. The Company shall keep the Buyer Parties updated with respect to proxy
solicitation results as reasonably requested by Parent.
Section 7.3 Regulatory Approvals; Consents.
(a) Subject to Section 7.3(b), Parent and the Company shall use their respective reasonable
best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions necessary, proper or advisable to cause the
conditions set forth in Articles VIII, IX and X to be satisfied and to consummate and make
effective the Merger Transactions as promptly as practicable. Without limiting the generality of
the foregoing, from the date hereof until the Closing Date, the Buyer Parties and the Company
Parties (i) shall make all filings (if any) and give all notices (if any) required to be made and
given by such party hereto in connection with the Merger Transactions and shall submit promptly any
additional information requested in connection with such filings and
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notices, (ii) shall use their
respective reasonable best efforts to obtain or cause to be obtained each Consent (if any) required
to be obtained (pursuant to any applicable Legal Requirements or Contract, or otherwise) by such
party hereto in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation
of the Merger Transactions and (iii) shall use their respective reasonable best efforts to oppose
or lift any restraint, injunction or other legal bar to the Merger Transactions. Each of the
Company and Parent shall promptly deliver to the other a copy of each such filing made, each such
notice given and each such Consent obtained during the Pre-Closing Period.
(b) Without limiting the generality of Section 7.3(a), the Company and Parent shall, promptly
after the date of this Agreement, prepare and file the notifications, if any, required under the
HSR Act and any applicable foreign antitrust laws or regulations in connection with any of the
Merger Transactions. The Company Parties and the Buyer Parties shall respond as promptly as
practicable to any inquiries or requests received from any Governmental Body in connection with
antitrust laws or related matters. The Company Parties and the Buyer Parties shall coordinate and
cooperate fully with each other in exchanging such information and providing such assistance as the
other may reasonably request in connection with the foregoing and in seeking the earliest possible
termination of any applicable waiting periods or suspension effects imposed by any Legal
Requirements. Each of the Company and Parent shall (i) give the other parties hereto prompt notice
of the commencement or threat of commencement of any
Legal Proceeding by or before any Governmental Body with respect to this Agreement or any of
the Merger Transactions, (ii) keep the other party informed as to the status of any such Legal
Proceeding or threat and (iii) promptly inform the other parties hereto of any communication
concerning antitrust laws to or from any Governmental Body regarding this Agreement or any of the
Merger Transactions. Except as may be prohibited by any Governmental Body or by any Legal
Requirement, the Company and Parent will consult and cooperate with one another, and will consider
in good faith the views of one another, in connection with any analysis, appearance, presentation,
memorandum, brief, argument, opinion or proposal made or submitted in connection with any Legal
Proceeding under or relating to the HSR Act or any other antitrust law. Subject to the foregoing,
Parent shall be principally responsible for and in control of the process of dealing with any
Governmental Body concerning the effect of applicable antitrust laws on this Agreement and any of
the Merger Transactions. In addition, except as may be prohibited by any Governmental Body or by
any Legal Requirement, in connection with any Legal Proceeding under or relating to the HSR Act or
any other foreign, federal or state antitrust law or fair trade law or any other similar Legal
Proceeding, each of the Company and Parent will permit authorized Representatives of the other to
be present at each meeting or conference relating to any such Legal Proceeding and to have access
to and be consulted in connection with any document, opinion or proposal made or submitted to any
Governmental Body in connection with any such Legal Proceeding.
(c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, Parent shall not
have any obligation under this Agreement: (i) to dispose, transfer or hold separate, or cause any
of its Subsidiaries to dispose, transfer or hold separate any assets or operations, or to commit or
to cause any of the Acquired Companies to dispose of any assets, (ii) to discontinue or cause any
of its Subsidiaries to discontinue offering any product or service, or to commit to
cause any of the Acquired Companies to discontinue offering any product or service or (iii) to make or
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cause any of its Subsidiaries to make any commitment (to any Governmental Body or otherwise)
regarding its future operations or the future operations of any of the Acquired Companies.
(d) The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the Consents and waivers
required to satisfy Parent’s and MergerCo’s conditions to Closing set forth in this Agreement.
Section 7.4 Employee Benefits. If any employee of the Acquired Companies who continues
employment with Parent, the Surviving Entity or any Subsidiary thereof following the Merger
Effective Time (the “Continuing Employees”) begins participating in any employee benefit
plan (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA) maintained by Parent or any Subsidiary thereof
(the “New Employee Benefit Plans”), each such Continuing Employee shall be credited under
any such New Employee Benefit Plan with his or her periods of service with any Acquired Company
before the Closing for purposes of participation, vesting and benefits levels where length of
service is relevant to benefit levels, but not for benefit accrual under any plan or any accrual
that would result in any duplication of benefits.
Section 7.5 Indemnification of Officers and Directors.
(a) From the Merger Effective Time through the sixth anniversary of the date on which the
Merger Effective Time occurs, each of Parent and the Surviving Entity shall, jointly and severally,
indemnify and hold harmless, to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable Legal Requirements,
each Covered Party who was, is or becomes, or is threatened to be made, a party to or witness or
other participant in, or was or is or becomes obligated to furnish or furnishes documents in
response to a subpoena or otherwise in connection with any threatened, pending or completed claim,
action, suit, proceeding, arbitration or alternative dispute resolution mechanism, investigation,
inquiry, administrative hearing, appeal or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding,
whether brought in the right of a Covered Party or otherwise and whether of a civil (including
intentional or unintentional tort claims), criminal, administrative, arbitrative or investigative
nature (each, an “Indemnification Event”) by reason of the fact that such Person is now,
has been at any time prior to the date hereof or who becomes prior to the Merger Effective Time, a
director or officer of any of the Acquired Companies (the “Covered Parties”), from (i) any
and all direct and indirect fees and costs, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of
experts, witness fees, travel expenses, duplicating, printing and binding costs, telephone charges,
postage and delivery service fees and all other disbursements or expenses of any type or nature
whatsoever reasonably incurred by a Covered Party (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) and (ii)
any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, judgments, fines, penalties, settlement payments,
awards and amounts of any type whatsoever incurred by such Covered Party in connection with or
arising from any Indemnification Event (A) arising out of or, relating to or in connection with any
acts or omissions occurring or alleged to occur prior to or at the Merger Effective Time or (B)
arising out of or pertaining to the fact that the Covered Party is or was an officer or director of
any of the Acquired Companies (in each case, including the taking of any action or the failure to
take any action as a director or officer of any Acquired Company in connection with the Merger
Transactions), whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Merger Effective Time. Each
Covered Party will be entitled, subject to applicable Legal Requirements, to advancement of
expenses incurred in the defense of or other participation in any such claim, action, suit,
proceeding or investigation from each of Parent and the Surviving Entity within ten (10) business
days of receipt by Parent or the Surviving Entity from the
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Covered Party of a request therefor; provided, that any Person to whom expenses are
advanced provides an undertaking, to the extent required by applicable Legal Requirements, to repay
such advances if it is ultimately determined that such Person is not entitled to indemnification.
(b) The Organizational Documents of the Surviving Entity shall contain, and Parent shall cause
the organizational documents of the Surviving Entity to so contain, provisions no less favorable to
the Covered Parties with respect to indemnification, advancement of expenses and exculpation of
present and former directors and officers of the Acquired Companies than are presently set forth in
the Organizational Documents of the Acquired Companies.
(c) At the Company’s election, in consultation with Parent, (i) the Company shall purchase
prior to the Closing, and the Surviving Entity shall maintain following the Closing, “tail” or
“run-off” insurance policies with a claims period of six (6) years from the Closing Date with
respect to the current directors’ and officers’ liability insurance of the Company with
substantially the same coverage and in amount and scope no less favorable, in the aggregate, than
the existing directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy of the Company (the “Current
Policy”) for claims arising from facts or events that existed or occurred on or prior to the
Closing Date or (ii) if the Company shall not have obtained such policies, Parent will provide, or
cause the Company to provide, for a period of not less than six (6) years after the Closing Date,
the Covered Parties who are insured under the Current Policy with an insurance and indemnification
policy that provides coverage for events occurring at or prior to the Closing that is no less
favorable, taken as a whole, than the Current Policy or, if substantially equivalent insurance
coverage is unavailable, the best available coverage; provided, however, that in no
event shall the Surviving Entity be required to expend annually in excess of two hundred and fifty
percent (250%) of the annual premium currently paid by the Company under the Current Policy (the
“Insurance Amount”); provided, further, however, that if the
premium of such insurance coverage exceeds the Insurance Amount, the Company shall be obligated to
obtain, and the Surviving Corporation shall be obligated to maintain, a policy with the greatest
coverage available for a cost not exceeding the Insurance Amount. Parent shall pay or cause
Company to pay for all premiums under the tail or run-off insurance policies and directors’ and
officers’ insurance and indemnification policies contemplated by this Section 7.5(c) not exceeding
the Insurance Amount.
(d) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, this Section 7.5
shall survive the consummation of the Merger Transactions indefinitely, shall be binding, jointly
and severally, on all successors and assigns of Parent, the Surviving Entity and its Subsidiaries,
and shall be enforceable by the Covered Parties and their successors, assigns, heirs or
Representatives. In the event that Parent or the Surviving Entity or any of its successors or
assigns (i) consolidates with or merges into any other Person and shall not be the continuing or
surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger or (ii) transfers or conveys all or
substantially all of its stock, properties or assets to any Person, then, in each case, proper
provision shall be made so that the successors or assigns of Parent or the Surviving Entity, as the
case may be, shall succeed to the obligations set forth in this Section 7.5. The agreements and
covenants contained herein shall not be deemed to be exclusive of any other rights to which any
such present or former director or officer is entitled, whether pursuant to applicable Legal
Requirements, Contract or otherwise. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to, shall be
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construed to or shall release, waive or impair any rights to directors’ and officers’
insurance claims under any policy that is or has been in existence with respect to any of the
Acquired Companies, including the Current Policy, or their respective officers, directors and
employees, it being understood and agreed that the indemnification provided for in this Section 7.5
is not prior to or in substitution for any such claims under any such policies.
Section 7.6 Public Announcements. Except as otherwise may be required by Legal
Requirements or by stock exchange rule, regulation or listing agreement, Parent and the Company
shall consult with each other before issuing any press release or otherwise making any public
statement with respect to any of the Merger Transactions. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, neither Parent nor the Company shall, and shall not permit any of their respective
Representatives to, make any disclosure regarding this Agreement or any of the Merger Transactions
unless (a) the other shall have approved such disclosure or (b) such party hereto shall have
determined in good faith, after taking into account the advice of its outside legal counsel, that
such disclosure is required by applicable Legal Requirements.
Section 7.7 Transfer Taxes. Parent and the Company shall cooperate in the preparation,
execution and filing of all returns, questionnaires, applications or other documents regarding any
real property transfer or gains, sales, use, transfer, value added, stock transfer or stamp taxes,
any transfer, recording, registration and other fees and any similar Taxes that become payable in
connection with the Merger Transactions (together with any related interests, penalties or
additions to Tax, “Transfer Taxes”) and shall cooperate in attempting to minimize the
amount of Transfer Taxes.
Section 7.8 Intentionally Omitted.
Section 7.9 Takeover Statutes. If any takeover statute is or becomes applicable to
this Agreement or any of the Merger Transactions, each of the parties hereto and their respective
boards of directors (or similar governing bodies) shall (a) take all necessary action to ensure
that the Merger Transactions may be consummated as promptly as practicable upon the terms and
subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement and (b) otherwise act to eliminate or
minimize any adverse effects of such takeover statutes.
Section 7.10 Delisting and Deregistering of Securities. Parent and the Company shall
use their respective reasonable best efforts to cause the shares of Company Common Stock and the
shares of Company Series B Preferred Stock to be de-listed from the NYSE and de-registered under
the Exchange Act promptly following the Merger Effective Time.
Section 7.11 Shareholder and Limited Partner Litigation. In case of any shareholder
litigation against the Company and/or its directors or limited partner litigation against the
Operating Partnership and/or the Company, as its general partner, in each case, relating to any of
the Merger Transactions, the Company Parties and/or counsel(s) selected by such directors or the
Company will control the defense of any such litigation; provided that the Company Parties
shall (a) promptly notify (and thereafter keep apprised of any development relating thereto) the
Buyer Parties of any such shareholder or limited partner litigation, (b) provide the Buyer Parties
and their outside counsel with the opportunity to participate in the defense of any such
shareholder or limited partner litigation, including by providing copies of
any pleadings or motions to be filed
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by the Company Parties and/or the directors of the Company reasonably in
advance of any planned filing thereof, and considering in good faith any comments or
recommendations with respect thereto by the Buyer Parties and their outside counsel and by
otherwise consulting with and considering in good faith any comments or recommendations of the
Buyer Parties and their outside counsel in connection therewith, and (c) not settle, compromise or
otherwise resolve any such shareholder or limited partner litigation brought during the Pre-Closing
Period, without the consent of Parent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed;
provided, that it shall not be unreasonable for Parent to withhold such consent if such
settlement, compromise or resolution (i) does not include a release of the Company Parties and the
Buyer Parties and their respective Representatives and Affiliates, in a form reasonably
satisfactory to Parent, or (ii) includes a payment of more than a de minimus amount);
provided, however, that no Person shall be required to provide access to or to
disclose information where such access or disclosure would reasonably be expected to jeopardize the
attorney-client privilege of any such Person.
Section 7.12 Third Party Consents. Each of the Buyer Parties on one hand, and the
Company Parties, on the other hand, shall use their respective reasonable best efforts to obtain
any third party Consents, including any Consents from Governmental Bodies, (a) necessary, proper or
advisable to consummate any of the Merger Transactions, or (b) disclosed in Section 4.2(d) of the
Disclosure Letter, or (c) required to prevent, individually or
in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect of the Acquired Companies from occurring prior to
the Merger Effective Time. In the event that the Company Parties shall fail to obtain any third
party Consent described in this Section 7.12, the Company Parties shall use their respective
reasonable best efforts, and shall take such actions as are reasonably requested by Parent, to
minimize any adverse effect upon the Company and the Buyer Parties and their respective businesses
resulting, or which would reasonably be expected to result, after the Merger Effective Time, from
the failure to obtain such Consent. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, in
connection with obtaining any Consent from any Person with respect to any of the Merger
Transactions, (a) without the prior written consent of Parent, none of the Acquired Companies shall
pay or commit to pay to such Person whose Consent is being solicited any material amounts of cash
or other consideration, make any material commitment or incur any material Liability or other
obligation due to such Person, and (b) none of the Buyer Parties or their respective Affiliates
shall be required to pay or commit to pay to such Person whose Consent is being solicited any
material amounts of cash or other consideration, make any material commitment or incur any material
Liability or other obligation.
Section 7.13 Alternative Structure. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein,
the Buyer Parties and the Company acknowledge and agree that, to the extent an alternative
structure for any of the Merger Transactions will provide incremental Tax benefits to the Buyer
Parties or the investors therein, which alternative structure (a) would not reasonably be expected
to have a Material Adverse Effect on Parent or any of the Merger Transactions and (b) would not
adversely affect, in any respect, the Company Common Share Merger Consideration, the Option Merger
Consideration or Common Unit Consideration, the Buyer Parties and the Company Parties will
reasonably cooperate in amending this Agreement to effect such alternative structure.
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Section 7.14 2005 GE Loan Agreement. At or prior to the Merger Effective Time, the
Company Parties shall, and shall cause each of the Acquired Companies to, as applicable, obtain a
“payoff” letter acknowledging that, subject to repayment or redemption of any and all Debt of the
Acquired Companies, including all outstanding principal amounts, any interest accrued thereon and
any other fees or expenses payable thereunder, under the Loan Agreement, dated as of March 11, 2005
and as amended on June 8, 2005 and October 31, 2005 (the “2005 GE Loan Agreement”), by and
between Winston SPE II LLC and General Electric Capital Corporation, (a) any and all Encumbrances
relating thereto shall be released and discharged, and (b) the Company Parties shall be released
from any and all material liabilities and obligations thereunder.
Section 7.15 Xxxxxx Break-up Fee. Concurrently with the execution hereof by the
Company, Parent shall pay the Company an amount in cash equal to the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee.
ARTICLE VIII
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF EACH PARTY HERETO
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF EACH PARTY HERETO
The respective obligations of each party hereto to effect the Merger and otherwise consummate
the Contemplated Transactions is subject to the satisfaction or waiver, as of or prior to the
Closing, of each of the following conditions:
Section 8.1 Shareholder Approval. This Agreement shall have been duly adopted and the
Merger and the Contemplated Transactions shall have been duly approved by the Required Company
Shareholder Vote.
Section 8.2 HSR Act. The waiting periods applicable to the consummation of the Merger
Transactions specified under the HSR Act, if applicable, shall have lapsed, expired or been
terminated.
Section 8.3 No Restraints. No temporary restraining order, preliminary or permanent
injunction or other order or decree of any nature preventing, restraining or prohibiting the
consummation of any of the Merger Transactions shall have been issued by any court of competent
jurisdiction or any other Governmental Body and shall remain in effect, and there shall not be any
Legal Requirement enacted, adopted or deemed applicable to any of the Merger Transactions that
makes consummation of any of the Merger Transactions illegal or otherwise prohibits consummation of
any of the Merger Transactions.
ARTICLE IX
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE BUYER PARTIES
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE BUYER PARTIES
The respective obligations of the Buyer Parties to effect the Merger and otherwise consummate
the Contemplated Transactions are subject to the satisfaction or waiver by the Buyer Parties, as of
or prior to the Closing, of each of the following conditions:
Section 9.1 Accuracy of Representations. (a) Other than with respect to Sections
4.2(a), 4.2(c), 4.3 and 4.22, the representations and warranties of the Company Parties set forth
in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all respects (without giving effect to any
limitation on any
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representation and warranty indicated by a materiality qualification, including
the words “Material Adverse Effect,” “material,” “in all material respects” or like words) as of
the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made at such time (except to the
extent that any such representation or warranty relates to any earlier date, in which case such
representation or warranty shall be true and correct as of such date), except where the failure,
individually or in the aggregate, of such representations and warranties to be so true and correct
(without giving effect to any limitation on any representation and warranty indicated by a
materiality qualification, including the words “Material Adverse Effect,” “material,” “in all
material respects” or like words) would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect on the Acquired Companies and (b) the representations and warranties set forth in Sections
4.2(a), 4.2(c), 4.3 and 4.22 shall be true and correct in all respects as of the date of this
Agreement and as of the Closing Date with the same effect as though made as of the Closing Date
(except to the extent that any such representation or warranty relates to any earlier date, in
which case such representation or warranty shall be true and correct as of such date).
Section 9.2 Performance of Covenants. The Company Parties shall have performed, in all
material respects, all obligations and complied with, in all material respects, their agreements
and covenants to be performed or complied with by them under this Agreement on or prior to the
Merger Effective Time.
Section 9.3 Company Officer’s Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to Parent
a certificate, dated as of the date of the Merger Effective Time, executed on behalf of the Company
by an executive officer of the Company, certifying as that the conditions set forth in Sections 9.1
and 9.2 have been duly satisfied.
Section 9.4 Tax Opinion. Parent shall have received a tax opinion of Hunton & Xxxxxxxx
LLP (“H&W”), or other counsel to the Company satisfactory to Parent, dated as of the date
of the Closing Date, prior to the Merger Effective Time, in the form of Exhibit B attached
hereto (such opinion shall be based upon customary assumptions and customary representations made
by any of the Acquired Companies, and such opinion shall be subject to such changes or
modifications from the language set forth on such exhibits as may be deemed necessary or
appropriate by H&W (or such other counsel rendering the opinion) and as shall be reasonably
satisfactory to Parent).
Section 9.5 Options. The Company shall have performed in all respects its obligations
under Sections 3.1(d) and 6.4.
Section 9.6 Limited Partners of Operating Partnership. The Company and all other
required parties to the Operating Partnership Agreement shall have amended the Operating
Partnership Agreement at the Merger Effective Time such that Parent may purchase one hundred (100)
Common Units of the Operating Partnership for a cash purchase price of one hundred dollars
($100.00) and become a limited partner of the Operating Partnership.
Section 9.7 Common Units. The Company shall have performed in all respects its
obligations under Section 6.5, and, as of the Merger Effective Time, the Common Unit Holders shall
no longer be limited partners of the Operating Partnership.
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Section 9.8 Third Party Consents. Except to the extent that the absence of any such
Consent or waiver would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on
the Acquired Companies, all Consents (or in lieu thereof, waivers) set forth on Section 4.2(d) of
the Disclosure Letter (a) shall have been obtained, and a true, correct and complete copy of each
Consent shall have been delivered to Parent at or prior to the Merger Effective Time, (b) shall not
be subject to the satisfaction of any condition that has not been satisfied or waived and (c) shall
be in full force and effect.
Section 9.9 Absence of Material Adverse Change. There shall not have occurred after
the date hereof any event, violation, inaccuracy, circumstance, change, effect, development,
occurrence, state of facts or other matter that, individually or in the aggregate, has had or would
reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the
Acquired Companies.
Section 9.10 Repayment of Indebtedness; Release of Liens. At or prior to the Merger
Effective Time, all existing Debt of the Acquired Companies, including all outstanding principal
amounts, any interest accrued thereon and any other fees or expenses payable thereunder, under the
2005 GE Loan Agreement shall have been repaid or redeemed, any Encumbrances that existed in
connection therewith shall have been released and discharged and the Company Parties shall have
delivered to Parent evidence satisfactory to Parent of the
foregoing.
ARTICLE X
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY PARTIES
CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY PARTIES
The respective obligations of the Company Parties to effect the Merger and otherwise
consummate the Contemplated Transactions are subject to the satisfaction or waiver by the Company
Parties, as of or prior to the Closing, of each of the following conditions:
Section 10.1 Accuracy of Representations. The representations and warranties of the
Buyer Parties set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all respects (without giving
effect to any limitation on any representation and warranty indicated by a materiality
qualification, including the words “Material Adverse Effect,” “material,” “in all material
respects” or like words) as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made
at such time (except to the extent that any such representation or warranty relates to any earlier
date, in which case such representation or warranty shall be true and correct as of such date),
except where the failure, individually or in the aggregate, of such representations and warranties
to be so true and correct (without giving effect to any limitation on any representation and
warranty indicated by a materiality qualification, including the words “Material Adverse Effect,”
“material,” “in all material respects” or like words) would not reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect on Parent.
Section 10.2 Performance of Covenants. The Buyer Parties shall have performed, in all
material respects, all obligations and complied with, in all material respects, their agreements
and covenants to be performed or complied with by them under this Agreement on or prior to the
Merger Effective Time.
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Section 10.3 Parent Officer’s Certificate. Parent shall have delivered to the Company
a certificate, dated as of the date of the Merger Effective Time, executed on behalf of Parent by
an executive officer of Parent, certifying that the conditions set forth in Sections 10.1 and 10.2
have been duly satisfied.
ARTICLE XI
TERMINATION
TERMINATION
Section 11.1 Termination. This Agreement may be terminated and the Merger and the
Contemplated Transactions may be abandoned at any time prior to the Merger Effective Time by action
taken or authorized by the board of directors, similar governing body or members of the terminating
party or parties hereto (whether before or after adoption of this Agreement by the Company’s
shareholders, unless otherwise set forth below):
(a) by mutual written consent of Parent and the Company;
(b) by either Parent or the Company, by notice to the other if the Merger and the Contemplated
Transactions shall not have been consummated on or before September 30, 2007 (the “End
Date”); provided, however, that the right to terminate this Agreement under
this Section 11.1(b) shall not be available to any party hereto whose failure or whose Affiliate’s
failure to fulfill any obligation or other breach under this Agreement materially contributed to,
or resulted in, the failure of the Merger Effective Time to occur on or before the End Date;
(c) by either Parent or the Company, by notice to the other if a court of competent
jurisdiction or other Governmental Body shall have issued a final and nonappealable order, decree
or ruling, or shall have taken any other action, having the effect of permanently restraining,
enjoining or otherwise prohibiting the Merger Transactions; provided that the party hereto
seeking to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 11.1(c) shall have used its reasonable
best efforts to remove such final and nonappealable order, decree or ruling;
(d) by either Parent or the Company, by notice to the other if (i) the Company Shareholders
Meeting (including any adjournments and postponements thereof) shall have been held and completed
and the Company’s shareholders shall have voted on a proposal to adopt this Agreement, and approve
the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions and (ii) this Agreement shall not have been adopted
and the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions shall not have been approved at such Company
Shareholders Meeting (and shall not have been adopted and approved at any adjournment or
postponement thereof) by the Required Company Shareholder Vote;
(e) by Parent, by notice to the Company if a Company Triggering Event shall have occurred;
(f) by the Company, prior to the adoption and approval of this Agreement, the Merger and the
Contemplated Transactions by the Required Company Shareholder Vote and if the Company has not
breached or violated Section 6.3 in any material respect, if the Company Board and the Special
Committee have concluded in good faith, after consultation with the Company’s (or the Special
Committee’s, as applicable) outside legal and financial advisors, that an
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unsolicited Acquisition
Proposal is a Superior Proposal and a Recommendation Withdrawal has been made and the Company Board
and the Special Committee have authorized, approved or recommended, subject to the Superior
Proposal Termination Procedures, the entering into of an Acquisition Agreement for a Superior
Proposal but only if (i) after providing a written Superior Proposal Notice to Parent, (ii) in
light of such Superior Proposal a majority of the disinterested directors of the Company Board and
the Special Committee shall have determined in good faith, after consultation with outside counsel,
that the failure to withdraw, qualify or modify the Company Board Recommendation would be
inconsistent with the fiduciary obligations of the Company Board to the Company’s shareholders
under applicable Legal Requirements, (iii) the Company shall have promptly notified Parent in
writing of the determinations described in clause (ii) above, (iv) at least three (3) business days
following receipt by Parent of the Superior Proposal Notice, and taking into account any revised
proposal made by Parent following receipt of the Superior Proposal Notice, a majority of the
disinterested directors of the Company Board and the Special Committee has concluded such Superior
Proposal remains a Superior Proposal and has again made the determinations referred to in clause
(ii) above (the steps in clauses (i) through (iv) above, the “Superior Proposal Termination
Procedures”), and (v) the Company has paid the Company Termination Fee and the Parent Expenses
pursuant to Section 11.3(a)(ii) simultaneously with such termination (any purported termination
pursuant to this Section 11.1(f) shall be void and of no force or effect unless the Company shall
have made such payment);
(g) by Parent, by notice to the Company (i) if any of the representations and warranties of
the Company Parties herein shall have been inaccurate as of the date of this Agreement, such that
the condition set forth in Section 9.1 would be incapable of being satisfied, (ii) if any of the
Company Parties’ representations and warranties herein become inaccurate as of a date subsequent to
the date of this Agreement (as if made on such subsequent date), such that the condition set forth
in Section 9.1 would be incapable of being satisfied or (iii) any of the covenants of the Company
Parties contained in this Agreement shall have been breached by any of the Company Parties, such
that the condition set forth in Section 9.2 would be incapable of being satisfied, and, in each
case, to the extent curable, the inaccuracy or breach shall not have been cured within thirty (30)
days after notice by Parent to the Company pursuant to this Section 11.1(g); and
(h) by the Company, by notice to Parent (i) if any of the representations and warranties of
the Buyer Parties herein shall have been inaccurate as of the date of this Agreement, such that the
condition set forth in Section 10.1 would be incapable of being satisfied, (ii) if any of the
representations and warranties of the Buyer Parties herein shall have become inaccurate as of a
date subsequent to the date of this Agreement (as if made on such subsequent date), such that the
condition set forth in Section 10.1 would be incapable of being satisfied or (iii) if any of the
covenants of the Buyer Parties herein contained in this Agreement shall have been breached by any
of the Buyer Parties such that the condition set forth in Section 10.3 would be incapable of being
satisfied, and, in each case, to the extent curable, the inaccuracy or breach shall not have been
cured within thirty (30) days after notice by the Company to Parent pursuant to this Section
11.1(h).
Section 11.2 Effect of Termination. In the event of the termination of this Agreement
as provided in Article XI, this Agreement shall forthwith become void and be of no further force or
68
effect and the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions shall be abandoned without further action
by any of the parties hereto without any further liability or obligation on the part of any party
hereto or its respective Affiliates; provided, however, that (i) this Section 11.2,
Section 11.3 and Article XII shall survive the termination of this Agreement and shall remain in
full force and effect, and (ii) the termination of this Agreement shall not relieve any party from
any liability for any willful breach of any of its representations or warranties or any willful
breach of any of its covenants or other provision agreements contained in this Agreement prior to
such termination.
Section 11.3 Expenses; Termination Fees.
(a) Except as set forth in this Section 11.3, all fees and expenses incurred in connection
with this Agreement and any of the Merger Transactions (including fees and expenses payable to
Representatives) shall be paid by the party hereto incurring such fees and expenses, whether or not
the Merger Transactions are consummated; provided, however, that:
(i) Parent and the Company shall share equally all fees and expenses, other than attorneys’
fees, incurred in connection with any filings required by the parties hereto of applicable
pre-merger notification and report forms relating to any of the Merger Transactions under the HSR
Act and any filings required of any notice or other documents under any applicable foreign
antitrust law or regulation;
(ii) if this Agreement is terminated by (A) Parent pursuant to Section 11.1(e) or Section
11.1(g) or (B) the Company pursuant to Section 11.1(f), then the Company shall pay to Parent in
accordance with Section 11.3(f), in the case of a termination pursuant to clause (A) above, as
promptly as practicable following such termination (and, in any event, within two (2) business days
following such termination), and in the case of a termination pursuant to clause (B) above, at or
prior to the time of, and as a condition to the effectiveness of, such termination, in each case,
an amount equal to the sum of (x) the Company Termination Fee and (y) the aggregate amount of the
fees and expenses (including all attorneys’ fees, accountants’ fees, financial advisory fees,
investment banking fees, incremental overhead expenses, costs and expenses related to interest rate
xxxxxx, filing fees and printing and mailing expenses) that have been paid or that become payable
by or on behalf of the Buyer Parties in connection with the preparation, negotiation and
enforcement of this Agreement and otherwise in connection with the Merger Transactions, not to
exceed $9,000,000 (the “Parent Expenses”);
(iii) if this Agreement is terminated by (A) Parent pursuant to Section 11.1(d) or (B) the
Company pursuant to 11.1(d), then the Company shall pay to Parent in accordance with Section
11.3(f), (x) in the case of a termination pursuant to clause (A) above, as promptly as practicable
following such termination (and, in any event, within two (2) business days following such
termination), and in the case of a termination pursuant to clause (B) above, at or prior to the
time of, and as a condition to the effectiveness of, such termination, in each case, an amount
equal to the aggregate Parent Expenses and (y) on the earlier of the date that the Company enters
into an Acquisition Agreement with respect to an Acquisition Proposal or that such Acquisition
Proposal is consummated, if concurrently with the termination of this Agreement or within twelve
(12) months thereafter, an amount equal to the Company Termination Fee;
69
(iv) if this Agreement is terminated by Parent or the Company pursuant to Section 11.1(b), and
(A) an Acquisition Proposal shall have been made to the Company Parties or publicly announced prior
to such termination date, and for purposes of this Section 11.3(a)(iv), “50%” shall be substituted
for “20%” in the definition of Acquisition Transaction, and (B) concurrently with the termination
of this Agreement or within twelve (12) months thereafter, the Company enters into an Acquisition
Agreement with respect to an Acquisition Proposal or an Acquisition Proposal is consummated, then
the Company shall pay to Parent in accordance with Section 11.3(f), on the earlier of the date that
the Company enters into the Acquisition Agreement or such Acquisition Proposal is consummated, an
amount equal to the sum of the Company Termination Fee and the Parent Expenses; and
(v) if (A) this Agreement is terminated by the Company pursuant to Section 11.1(b) (unless an
Acquisition Proposal shall have been made to the Company Parties or publicly announced prior to
such termination date, and for purposes of this Section 11.3(a)(v), “50%” shall be substituted for
“20%” in the definition of Acquisition Transaction) and all of the conditions set forth in Articles
VIII and IX have been satisfied (other than those conditions that by their terms are to be
satisfied at the Closing) or (B) this Agreement is terminated by the Company pursuant to Section
11.1(h), then Parent shall pay to the Company in accordance with Section 11.3(d) an amount equal to
the sum of (x) $11,000,000 (the “Parent Termination Fee”), and (y) the aggregate amount of
the fees and expenses (including all attorneys’ fees,
accountants’ fees, financial advisory fees, investment banking fees, incremental overhead
expenses, costs and expenses related to interest rate xxxxxx, filing fees and printing and mailing
expenses) that have been paid or that become payable by or on behalf of the Company Parties in
connection with the preparation, negotiation and enforcement of this Agreement and otherwise in
connection with the Merger Transactions, not to exceed $9,000,000 (the “Company Expenses”).
(b) Within two (2) business days after the termination of this Agreement by (i) Parent or the
Company pursuant to Section 11.1(b), 11.1(c) or 11.1(d); (ii) Parent pursuant to Section 11.1(e) or
11.1(g); or (iii) the Company pursuant to Section 11.1(f) (in which case the amount below shall be
payable at the time of termination), the Company shall pay to Parent, in addition to any amounts
otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement, an amount equal to the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee that
Parent paid to Company pursuant to Section 7.15 (such payment being referred to as the “Xxxxxx
Break-up Fee Reimbursement”).
(c) In the event that Parent is obligated to pay the Parent Termination Fee and the Company
Expenses, Parent shall pay to the Company, from the Parent Termination Fee and Company Expenses
deposited into escrow in accordance with the next sentence, an amount equal to the lesser of (i)
the Parent Termination Fee and the Company Expenses and (ii) the sum of (A) the maximum amount that
can be paid to the Company without causing the Company to fail to meet the requirements of Sections
856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code determined as if the payment of such amount did not constitute income
described in Sections 856(c)(2)(H) or 856(c)(3)(I) of the Code (“Qualifying Income”), as
determined by the Company’s independent public accountants, plus (B) in the event the Company
receives either (x) a letter from the Company’s counsel indicating that the Company has received a
ruling from the IRS described below in this Section 11.3(c) (but in any case not to increase the
amount of the Parent Termination Fee or the
70
Company Expenses) or (y) an opinion from the Company’s
outside counsel as described below in this Section 11.3(c), an amount equal to the Parent
Termination Fee and the Company Expenses less the amount payable under clause (A) above. To secure
Parent’s obligation to pay these amounts, Parent shall deposit into escrow an amount in cash equal
to the Parent Termination Fee and the Company Expenses with an escrow agent selected by Parent and
on such terms (subject to this Section 11.3(c)) as shall be mutually agreed upon by the Company,
Parent and the escrow agent. The payment or deposit into escrow of the Parent Termination Fee and
the Company Expenses pursuant to this Section 11.3(c) shall be made at the time Parent is obligated
to pay the Company such amount pursuant to Section 11.3 by wire transfer or bank check. The escrow
agreement shall provide that the Parent Termination Fee and the Company Expenses in escrow or any
portion thereof shall not be released to the Company unless the escrow agent receives any one or
combination of the following: (i) a letter from the Company’s independent public accountants
indicating the maximum amount that can be paid by the escrow agent to the Company without causing
the Company to fail to meet the requirements of Sections 856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code determined
as if the payment of such amount did not constitute Qualifying Income or a subsequent letter from
the Company’s accountants revising that amount, in which case the escrow agent shall release such
amount to the Company, or (ii) a letter from the Company’s counsel indicating that the Company
received a ruling from the IRS holding that the receipt by the Company of the Parent Termination
Fee and the Company Expenses would either constitute Qualifying Income or would be excluded from
gross income
within the meaning of Sections 856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code (or alternatively, the Company’s
outside counsel has rendered a legal opinion to the effect that the receipt by the Company of the
Parent Termination Fee and the Company Expenses would either constitute Qualifying Income or would
be excluded from gross income within the meaning of Sections 856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code), in
which case the escrow agent shall release the remainder of the Parent Termination Fee and the
Company Expenses to the Company. Parent agrees to amend this Section 11.3(c) at the reasonable
request of the Company in order to (i) maximize the portion of the Parent Termination Fee and the
Company Expenses that may be distributed to the Company hereunder without causing the Company to
fail to meet the requirements of Sections 856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code, (ii) improve the Company’s
chances of securing a favorable ruling described in this Section 11.3(c) or (iii) assist the
Company in obtaining a favorable legal opinion from its outside counsel as described in this
Section 11.3(c). The escrow agreement shall also provide that any portion of the Parent
Termination Fee and the Company Expenses held in escrow for five (5) years shall be released by the
escrow agent to Parent. Parent shall not be a party to such escrow agreement and shall not bear
any cost of or have liability resulting from the escrow agreement.
(d) In the event that Parent is required to pay the Parent Termination Fee and the Company
Expenses pursuant to a termination of this Agreement, such amount shall be paid into escrow as
provided in Section 11.3(c) as promptly as practicable following such termination, but in no event
more than two (2) business days following such termination.
(e) In the event that the Company is obligated to pay any of the Company Termination Fee, the
Parent Expenses or the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee Reimbursement, the Company shall pay to Parent, from the
Company Termination Fee, Parent Expenses and Xxxxxx Break-up Fee Reimbursement deposited into
escrow in accordance with the next sentence, an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the Company
Termination Fee, the Parent Expenses and the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee
71
Reimbursement and (ii) the sum of
(A) the maximum amount that can be paid to Parent without causing Parent to fail to meet the
requirements of Sections 856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code determined as if the payment of such amount
did not constitute Qualifying Income, as determined by Parent’s independent public accountants,
plus (B) in the event Parent receives either (x) a letter from Parent’s counsel indicating that
Parent has received a ruling from the IRS described below in this Section 11.3(e) (but in any case
not to increase the amount of the Company Termination Fee, Parent Expenses or Xxxxxx Break-up Fee
Reimbursement) or (y) an opinion from Parent’s outside counsel as described below in this Section
11.3(e), an amount equal to the Company Termination Fee, the Parent Expenses and Xxxxxx Break-up
Fee Reimbursement less the amount payable under clause (A) above. To secure the Company’s
obligation to pay these amounts, the Company shall deposit into escrow an amount in cash equal to
the Company Termination Fee, the Parent Expenses and Xxxxxx Break-up Fee Reimbursement (as
applicable) with an escrow agent selected by the Company and on such terms (subject to this Section
11.3(e)) as shall be mutually agreed upon by the Company, Parent and the escrow agent. The payment
or deposit into escrow of the Company Termination Fee, the Parent Expenses and Xxxxxx Break-up Fee
Reimbursement (as applicable) pursuant to this Section 11.3(e) shall be made at the time the
Company is obligated to pay Parent such amounts pursuant to Section 11.3 by wire transfer or bank
check. The escrow agreement shall provide that the Company Termination Fee, the Parent Expenses
and the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee Reimbursement in escrow or any portion thereof shall not be released to
Parent unless the escrow agent receives any one or
combination of the following: (i) a letter from Parent’s independent public accountants
indicating the maximum amount that can be paid by the escrow agent to Parent without causing Parent
to fail to meet the requirements of Sections 856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code determined as if the
payment of such amount did not constitute Qualifying Income or a subsequent letter from Parent’s
accountants revising that amount, in which case the escrow agent shall release such amount to
Parent, or (ii) a letter from Parent’s counsel indicating that Parent received a ruling from the
IRS holding that the receipt by Parent of the Company Termination Fee and the Parent Expenses would
either constitute Qualifying Income or would be excluded from gross income within the meaning of
Sections 856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code (or alternatively, Parent’s outside counsel has rendered a
legal opinion to the effect that the receipt by Parent of the Company Termination Fee, the Parent
Expenses and the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee Reimbursement would either constitute Qualifying Income or
would be excluded from gross income within the meaning of Sections 856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code),
in which case the escrow agent shall release the remainder of the Company Termination Fee, the
Parent Expenses and the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee Reimbursement to Parent. The Company agrees to amend
this Section 11.3(e) at the reasonable request of Parent in order to (i) maximize the portion of
the Company Termination Fee, the Parent Expenses and the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee Reimbursement that may
be distributed to Parent hereunder without causing Parent to fail to meet the requirements of
Sections 856(c)(2) and (3) of the Code, (ii) improve Parent’s chances of securing a favorable
ruling described in this Section 11.3(e) or (iii) assist Parent in obtaining a favorable legal
opinion from its outside counsel as described in this Section 11.3(e). The escrow agreement shall
also provide that any portion of the Company Termination Fee, the Parent Expenses and the Xxxxxx
Break-up Fee Reimbursement held in escrow for five (5) years shall be released by the escrow agent
to the Company. The Company shall not be a party to such escrow agreement and shall not bear any
cost of or have liability resulting from the escrow agreement.
72
(f) In the event that the Company is required to pay the Company Termination Fee, the Parent
Expenses or the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee Reimbursement, pursuant to a termination of this Agreement,
such amount shall be paid into escrow as provided in Section 11.3(e) as promptly as practicable
following such termination, but in no event more than two (2) business days following such
termination.
(g) The parties hereto agree and understand that in no event shall the Company or Parent be
required to pay the Company Termination Fee, the Parent Termination Fee or the Xxxxxx Break-up Fee
Reimbursement, respectively, on more than one occasion. The parties hereto acknowledge that the
agreements contained in this Section 11.3 are an integral part of the Merger Transactions, and
that, without these agreements, the parties hereto would not enter into this Agreement. In the
event any party hereto is required to file suit to seek all or portion of the amounts payable under
this Section 11.3, and such party hereto prevails in such litigation, such party hereto shall be
awarded to all reasonable expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, that it has
incurred in enforcing its rights under this Section 11.3.
ARTICLE XII
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Section 12.1 Amendment. This Agreement may be amended, modified or supplemented only
by an instrument in writing signed by the parties hereto at any time (whether
before or after adoption of this Agreement by the shareholders of the Company) prior to the
Merger Effective Time; provided, however, that (a) each amendment, modification or
supplement shall have been duly authorized by the board of directors (or other governing body or
entity) of each party hereto and (b) after adoption of this Agreement by the Company’s
shareholders, no amendment, modification or supplement shall be made without further approval by
the shareholders of the Company if such amendment, modification or supplement, pursuant to any
applicable Legal Requirements, requires further approval of the shareholders of the Company.
Section 12.2 Waiver.
(a) Neither any failure nor any delay by any party hereto in exercising any right, power or
privilege under this Agreement will operate as a waiver of such right, power or privilege and no
single or partial exercise of any such right, power or privilege will preclude any other or further
exercise of such right, power or privilege or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Legal Requirements, (i) no claim or right arising out
of this Agreement can be discharged by one party hereto, in whole or in part, by a waiver or
renunciation of the claim or right unless in writing signed by such party hereto, (ii) no waiver
that may be given by a party hereto will be applicable except in the specific instance for which it
is given, and (iii) no notice to or demand on one party hereto will be deemed to be a waiver of any
obligation of that party hereto or of the right of the party hereto giving such notice or demand to
take further action without notice or demand as provided in this Agreement.
(b) At any time prior to the Merger Effective Time, Parent (with respect to the Company
Parties) and the Company (with respect to the Buyer Parties), may, to the extent allowed by any
applicable Legal Requirements, (i) extend the time for the performance of any of the obligations or
other acts of such party to this Agreement, (ii) waive any inaccuracies in the representation
73
and warranties contained in this Agreement and (iii) waive compliance with any covenants, obligations
or conditions contained in this Agreement. Any agreement on the part of a party to this Agreement
to any such extension or waiver shall be valid only if set forth in a written instrument signed on
behalf of such party hereto.
Section 12.3 No Survival. None of the representations and warranties, or any covenant
to be performed prior to the Merger Effective Time, contained in this Agreement shall survive the
Merger Effective Time. This Section 12.3 shall not limit the survival of any covenant or agreement
of the parties to this Agreement which, by its terms, contemplates performance, in whole or in
part, after the Merger Effective Time.
Section 12.4 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including the documents relating to the
Merger Transactions and the Exhibits attached to this Agreement), including the Disclosure Letter,
and the Confidentiality Agreement constitute the entire agreement among the parties to this
Agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof and supersede all other prior
agreements and understandings, both written and oral, among or between any of the parties hereto
with respect thereto.
Section 12.5 Execution of Agreement; Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed and
delivered (including by facsimile transmission) in two or more counterparts, each
of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall
constitute one and the same instrument. This Agreement shall become effective when counterparts
have been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to the other parties hereto; it being
understood that all parties hereto need not sign the same counterpart. Delivery of an executed
counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement by facsimile shall be effective as delivery of a
manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
Section 12.6 Governing Law. This Agreement and the rights and duties of the parties
hereto hereunder shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of
Delaware (except that the provisions of the DLLCA and the NCBCA applicable to the Merger and the
Contemplated Transactions shall govern the Merger and the Contemplated Transactions and Articles II
and III to the extent mandatorily required thereby), without regard to conflicts of laws
principles.
Section 12.7 Jurisdiction; Service of Process. Any action or proceeding seeking to
enforce any provision of, or based on any right arising out of, this Agreement or any of the Merger
Transactions shall be brought against any of the parties only in the courts of the State of
Delaware or, if it has or can acquire jurisdiction, in the courts of the United States of America
located in New Castle County, Delaware, and each of the parties hereto consents to the exclusive
jurisdiction of such courts (and of the appropriate appellate courts) in any such action or
proceeding, waives any objection to venue laid therein and agrees not to plead or claim in any such
courts that such proceeding brought therein has been brought in any inconvenient forum. The
parties to this Agreement agree that mailing of process or other papers in connection with any such
proceeding referred to in the preceding sentence may be served on any party hereto in the manner
provided in Section 12.13 or in such other manner as may be permitted by applicable Legal
Requirements, shall be valid and sufficient service thereof.
74
Section 12.8 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES
THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND
DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND THEREFORE IT HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY
HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR
RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY OF THE AGREEMENTS DELIVERED IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR THE
TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY CERTIFIES AND ACKNOWLEDGES
THAT (A) NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR
OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE SUCH
WAIVERS, (B) IT UNDERSTANDS AND HAS CONSIDERED THE IMPLICATIONS OF SUCH WAIVERS, (C) IT MAKES SUCH
WAIVERS VOLUNTARILY AND (D) IT HAS AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO
THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 12.8.
Section 12.9 Remedies; Specific Performance.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section 12.9 or elsewhere in this Agreement, any and
all remedies expressly conferred upon a party to this Agreement shall be cumulative with, and not
exclusive of, any other remedy contained in this Agreement, at law or in equity and the exercise by
a party to this Agreement of any one remedy shall not preclude the exercise by it of any other
remedy.
(b) The parties hereto agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any
provision of this Agreement were not performed by the Company Parties in accordance with the terms
hereof and that, prior to the termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 11.1, the Buyer
Parties shall be entitled to specific performance of the terms hereof, in addition to any other
remedy at law or equity. The parties hereto acknowledge that the Company Parties shall not be
entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement by the Buyer Parties
or to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement and that the Company Parties’
sole and exclusive remedy with respect to any such breach shall be the remedy set forth in Sections
11.3(a) and 12.9(a); provided, however, the Company Parties shall be entitled to
seek specific performance to prevent any breach by the Buyer Parties of Section 6.1(b).
Section 12.10 Disclosure Letter. If there is any inconsistency between the statements
in this Agreement and those in the Disclosure Letter (other than an exception set forth as such in
the Disclosure Letter), the statements in this Agreement will control.
Section 12.11 Assignments and Successors. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and
shall be enforceable by and inure solely to the benefit of, the parties hereto and their respective
successors and permitted assigns; provided, however, that neither this Agreement
nor any of the Company’s rights hereunder may be assigned (whether pursuant to a merger, by
operation of law or otherwise) by the Company without the prior written consent of Parent;
provided, further, that
75
any of the Buyer Parties may, without the prior written
consent of the Company, assign any or all of its rights and/or delegate any or all of its
obligations to a direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary or other Affiliate of the Buyer
Parties; provided, however, that, notwithstanding any such assignment, the Buyer
Parties shall remain liable to perform all of their respective obligations hereunder.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Buyer Parties and the Surviving
Entity may assign and transfer to any entity providing financing for the Merger Transactions (or
any refinancing of such financing) as security for such financing all of the interest, rights and
remedies of the Buyer Parties and the Surviving Entity with respect to this Agreement. The Company
Parties hereby expressly consent to such assignment. Any such assignment will be made for
collateral security purposes only and will not release or discharge the Buyer Parties or the
Surviving Entity from any obligations they may have pursuant to this Agreement. Any attempted
assignment of this Agreement or of any such rights by the Company without such consent shall be
void and of no effect.
Section 12.12 No Third Party Rights. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is
intended to or shall confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto) any right, benefit or
remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement; provided,
however, that after the Merger Effective Time, the Covered Parties shall be third party
beneficiaries of, and entitled to enforce, Section 7.5.
Section 12.13 Notices. All notices, Consents, waivers and other communications
required or permitted by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given to a party
hereto when (a) delivered to the appropriate address by hand or by nationally recognized overnight
courier service (costs prepaid); or (b) sent by facsimile or e-mail with appropriate confirmation
of transmission, in each case to the following addresses, facsimile numbers or e-mail addresses and
marked to the attention of the person (by name or title) designated below (or to such other
address, facsimile number, e-mail address or person as a party may designate by notice, given
pursuant to this Section 12.13, to the other parties hereto); provided, that any
communication delivered or sent on a day that is not a business day or after 5:00 p.m. (local
time) on a business day shall be deemed to have been delivered or sent on the next following
business day; provided, further, that the immediately preceding proviso shall not
apply to any notification provisions herein set forth in terms of hours, which notifications shall
be deemed to have been delivered or sent when actually delivered or sent:
the Company (before the Closing):
Winston Hotels, Inc.
0000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx, III
Fax No.: 000-000-0000
Telephone No.: 000-000-0000
E-mail address: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
0000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx, III
Fax No.: 000-000-0000
Telephone No.: 000-000-0000
E-mail address: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
76
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Hunton & Xxxxxxxx, LLP
River Front Plaza, East Tower
000 Xxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx XxXxx, Esq.
Fax No.: 000-000-0000
Telephone No.: 000-000-0000
E-mail address: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx
River Front Plaza, East Tower
000 Xxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx XxXxx, Esq.
Fax No.: 000-000-0000
Telephone No.: 000-000-0000
E-mail address: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx
and a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxx & Xxxxxx LLP
0000 Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx 00000-0000
Attention: J. Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Fax No.: (000) 000-0000
Telephone No.: (000) 000-0000
E-mail address: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx
0000 Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx 00000-0000
Attention: J. Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Fax No.: (000) 000-0000
Telephone No.: (000) 000-0000
E-mail address: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx
the Buyer Parties:
c/o Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc.
0000 Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxx
Fax No.: (000) 000-0000
Telephone No.: (000) 000-0000
E-mail address: xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
0000 Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxx
Fax No.: (000) 000-0000
Telephone No.: (000) 000-0000
E-mail address: xxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
DLA Piper US LLP
0000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
Attention: X.X. Xxxxx, Xx.
Fax No.: (000) 000-0000
Telephone No.: (000) 000-0000
E-mail address: xxx.xxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
0000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
Attention: X.X. Xxxxx, Xx.
Fax No.: (000) 000-0000
Telephone No.: (000) 000-0000
E-mail address: xxx.xxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
Section 12.14 Cooperation. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the
Company Parties and the Buyer Parties agree to cooperate fully with one another and to execute and
deliver such further documents, certificates, agreements and instruments and to take such other
actions as may be reasonably requested by the Company Parties and the Buyer Parties to evidence or
reflect the Merger Transactions and to carry out the intent and purposes of this Agreement.
77
Section 12.15 Legal Representation of the Parties. This Agreement was negotiated and
jointly drafted by the parties hereto with the benefit of legal representation and each party
hereto hereby waives the application of any rule of construction or interpretation otherwise
requiring this Agreement to be construed or interpreted against any party hereto shall not apply to
any construction or interpretation hereof.
Section 12.16 Headings. The table of contents and descriptive headings contained in
this Agreement are for the convenience of reference only, shall not be deemed to be a part of this
Agreement and shall not affect in any way the meaning, construction or interpretation of this
Agreement.
Section 12.17 Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is held
invalid, illegal or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction or any rule of law or
public policy or the application of this Agreement to any Person or circumstance is held invalid or
unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction or any rule of law or public policy, the other
provisions of this Agreement will remain in full force and effect. Any provision of this Agreement
held invalid, illegal or unenforceable only in part or degree will remain in full force and effect
to the extent not held invalid, illegal or unenforceable.
Section 12.18 Interpretation. Definitions shall apply equally to both the singular
and plural forms of the defined terms. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall
include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. All references in this Agreement
to Articles, Sections and Exhibits shall refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits to, this
Agreement unless the context shall require otherwise. The words “include,” “includes” and
“including” shall not be limiting and shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without
limitation.” Unless the context shall require otherwise, the phrases “herein,” “hereof,”
“hereunder” and words of similar import shall be deemed to refer to this Agreement as a whole,
including the Exhibits hereto, and not to any particular provision of this Agreement. Unless the
context shall require otherwise, any agreements, documents, instruments or laws defined or referred
to in this Agreement shall be deemed to mean or refer to such agreements, documents, instruments or
laws as from time to time amended, modified or supplemented, including (a) in the case of
agreements, documents or instruments, by waiver or consent and (b) in the case of laws, by
succession of comparable successor statutes. All references in this Agreement to any particular
law shall be deemed to refer also to any rules and regulations promulgated under that law.
References to a Person also refer to its predecessors and permitted successors and assigns.
[The next page is the signature page.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first
above written.
WINSTON HOTELS, INC. | ||||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |||||
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx | ||||||
Title: President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||
XXXX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP | ||||||
By: Winston Hotels, Inc., its sole general partner | ||||||
By: | /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |||||
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx |
||||||
Title: President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||
INLAND AMERICAN REAL ESTATE TRUST, INC. | ||||||
By: | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||||
Name: Xxxx X. Xxxxx | ||||||
Title: Treasurer | ||||||
INLAND AMERICAN ACQUISITION (WINSTON), LLC | ||||||
By: Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc., its manager | ||||||
By: | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||||
Name: | Xxxx X. Xxxxx | |||||
Title: | Treasurer |
79