AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER among BANTA CORPORATION, R.R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY and SODA ACQUISITION, INC. Dated as of October 31, 2006
EXECUTION COPY
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF
MERGER
among
XXXXX CORPORATION,
X.X. XXXXXXXXX & SONS
COMPANY
and
SODA ACQUISITION, INC.
Dated as of October 31,
2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | ||
ARTICLE I The Merger; Closing; Effective Time | ||
1.1. |
The Merger | 1 |
1.2. | Closing | 2 |
1.3. | Effective Time | 2 |
ARTICLE II Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation | ||
2.1. |
The Articles of Incorporation | 2 |
2.2. | The Bylaws | 2 |
ARTICLE III Officers and Directors of the Surviving Corporation | ||
3.1. |
Directors | 3 |
3.2. | Officers | 3 |
ARTICLE IV Effect of the Merger on Capital Stock; Exchange of Certificates | ||
4.1. |
Effect on Capital Stock | 3 |
4.2. | Exchange of Certificates | 4 |
4.3. | Treatment of Stock Plans | 6 |
4.4. | Adjustments to Prevent Dilution | 7 |
ARTICLE V Representations and Warranties | ||
5.1. |
Representations and Warranties of the Company | 7 |
5.2. | Representations and Warranties of Parent and Merger Sub | 26 |
ARTICLE VI Covenants | ||
6.1. |
Interim Operations | 29 |
6.2. | Acquisition Proposals | 32 |
6.3. | Information Supplied | 35 |
6.4. | Shareholders Meeting | 36 |
6.5. | Filings; Other Actions; Notification | 36 |
6.6. | Access and Reports | 38 |
6.7. | Stock Exchange De-listing | 39 |
6.8. | Publicity | 39 |
6.9. | Employee Benefits | 39 |
6.10. | Expenses | 42 |
6.11. | Indemnification; Directors' and Officers' Insurance | 42 |
6.12. | Other Actions by the Company | 44 |
ARTICLE VII Conditions | ||
7.1. |
Conditions to Each Party's Obligation to Effect the Merger | 45 |
7.2. | Conditions to Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub | 45 |
7.3. | Conditions to Obligation of the Company | 46 |
ARTICLE VIII Termination | ||
8.1. |
Termination by Mutual Consent | 47 |
8.2. | Termination by Either Parent or the Company | 47 |
8.3. | Termination by the Company | 48 |
8.4. | Termination by Parent | 48 |
8.5. | Effect of Termination and Abandonment | 49 |
ARTICLE IX Miscellaneous and General | ||
9.1. |
Survival | 51 |
9.2. | Modification or Amendment | 51 |
9.3. | Waiver of Conditions | 51 |
9.4. | Counterparts | 51 |
9.5. | GOVERNING LAW AND VENUE; WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL; SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE |
51 |
9.6. | Notices | 52 |
9.7. | Entire Agreement | 53 |
9.8. | No Third Party Beneficiaries | 53 |
9.9. | Obligations of Parent and of the Company | 54 |
9.10. | Definitions | 54 |
9.11. | Severability | 54 |
9.12. | Interpretation; Construction | 54 |
9.13. | Assignment | 55 |
Annex A Defined Terms |
A-1 |
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (hereinafter called this “Agreement”), dated as of October 31, 2006, among Xxxxx Corporation, a Wisconsin corporation (the “Company”), X.X. Xxxxxxxxx & Sons Company, a Delaware corporation (“Parent”), and Soda Acquisition, Inc., a Wisconsin corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub,” the Company and Merger Sub sometimes being hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Constituent Corporations”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the respective boards of directors of each of Parent, Merger Sub and the Company have approved the merger of Merger Sub with and into the Company (the “Merger”) upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement and have approved and declared advisable this Agreement;
WHEREAS, the board of directors of the Company has determined that the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement are in the best interests of the Company’s shareholders and other constituencies; and
WHEREAS, the Company, Parent and Merger Sub desire to make certain representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in connection with this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, and of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
The Merger; Closing; Effective Time
1.1. The Merger. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Effective Time (as defined in Section 1.3), Merger Sub shall be merged with and into the Company and the separate corporate existence of Merger Sub shall thereupon cease. The Company shall be the surviving corporation in the Merger (sometimes hereinafter referred to as the “Surviving Corporation”), and the separate corporate existence of the Company, with all its rights, privileges, immunities, powers and franchises, shall continue unaffected by the Merger, except as set forth in Article II. The Merger shall have the effects specified in the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law (the “WBCL”).
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1.2. Closing. Unless otherwise mutually agreed in writing between the Company and Parent, the closing for the Merger (the “Closing”) shall take place at the offices of Xxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP, 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx, at 9:00 A.M. on the third business day (the “Closing Date”) following the day on which the last to be satisfied or waived of the conditions set forth in Article VII (other than those conditions that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the fulfillment or waiver of those conditions) shall be satisfied or waived in accordance with this Agreement. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “business day” shall mean any day ending at 11:59 P.M. (Eastern Time) other than a Saturday or Sunday or a day on which banks are required or authorized to close in the City of New York.
1.3. Effective Time. On the Closing Date the Company and Parent will cause Articles of Merger specifying that the effective time of the Merger is the time the Articles of Merger are filed by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (the “Wisconsin Articles of Merger”) to be executed, acknowledged and delivered for filing to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions as provided in Section 180.1105 of the WBCL. The Merger shall become effective at the time when the Wisconsin Articles of Merger have been filed by the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions or at such later time as may be agreed by the parties in writing and specified in the Wisconsin Articles of Merger (the “Effective Time”).
ARTICLE II
Articles of
Incorporation and Bylaws
of the Surviving Corporation
2.1. The Articles of Incorporation. The amended and restated articles of incorporation of the Company as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the articles of incorporation of the Surviving Corporation (the “Charter”), until duly amended as provided therein or by applicable Law, except that Article Fourth of the Charter shall be amended to read in its entirety as follows: “The aggregate number of shares that this corporation shall have the authority to issue is 1,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share.”
2.2. The Bylaws. The parties hereto shall take all actions necessary so that the by-laws of the Company in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be the by-laws of the Surviving Corporation (the “Bylaws”), until thereafter amended (subject to 6.11(f) with respect to the period prior to the Effective Time) as provided therein or by applicable Law.
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ARTICLE III
Officers and
Directors
of the Surviving Corporation
3.1. Directors. The parties hereto shall take all actions necessary so that the directors of Merger Sub at the Effective Time shall, from and after the Effective Time, be the directors of the Surviving Corporation until their successors have been duly elected or appointed and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal in accordance with the Charter and the Bylaws.
3.2. Officers. The parties hereto shall take all actions necessary so that the officers of the Company at the Effective Time shall, from and after the Effective Time, be the officers of the Surviving Corporation until their successors shall have been duly elected or appointed and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal in accordance with the Charter and the Bylaws.
ARTICLE IV
Effect of the Merger
on Capital Stock;
Exchange of Certificates
4.1. Effect on Capital Stock. At the Effective Time, as a result of the Merger and without any action on the part of the holder of any capital stock of the Company or Merger Sub:
(a) Merger Consideration. Each share of the Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share, of the Company (a “Share” or, collectively, the “Shares”) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, other than Shares owned by Parent, Merger Sub or any other direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Parent and Shares owned by the Company or any direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and in each case not held on behalf of third parties (each, an “Excluded Share” and collectively, “Excluded Shares”), shall be converted into the right to receive an amount in cash equal to $52.50 per Share, less the $16 per share authorized to be paid by the Company to its shareholders pursuant to the special cash dividend (the “Special Dividend”) approved by the board of directors of the Company on September 13, 2006 (the “Per Share Merger Consideration”), provided, that the foregoing specifically contemplates that the Effective Time shall occur after the record date of the Special Dividend. At the Effective Time, all of the Shares shall cease to be outstanding, shall be cancelled and shall cease to exist, and each certificate (a “Certificate”) formerly representing any of the Shares (other than Excluded Shares) shall thereafter represent only the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration, without interest.
(b) Cancellation of Shares. Each Excluded Share referred to in Section 4.1(a) shall, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of the holder thereof, cease to be outstanding, shall be cancelled without payment of any consideration therefor and shall cease to exist.
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(c) Merger Sub. At the Effective Time, each share of Common Stock, no par value, of Merger Sub issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be converted into one share of common stock, par value $1.00 per share, of the Surviving Corporation.
4.2. Exchange of Certificates.
(a) Paying Agent. At or prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall deposit, or shall cause to be deposited, with a paying agent selected by Parent with the Company’s prior approval (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) (the “Paying Agent”), for the benefit of the holders of Shares, a cash amount in immediately available funds necessary for the Paying Agent to make payments under Section 4.1(a) (such cash being hereinafter referred to as the “Exchange Fund”). The Paying Agent shall invest the Exchange Fund as directed by Parent, provided that such investments shall be in obligations of or guaranteed by the United States of America, in commercial paper obligations rated A-1 or P-1 or better by Xxxxx’x Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Corporation, respectively, or in certificates of deposit, bank repurchase agreements or banker’s acceptances of commercial banks with capital exceeding $1 billion or in a mutual fund that invests only in such permitted investments. Any interest and other income resulting from such investment shall become a part of the Exchange Fund, and any amounts in excess of the amounts payable under Section 4.1(a) shall be promptly returned to Parent.
(b) Exchange Procedures. Promptly after the Effective Time (and in any event within three business days), the Surviving Corporation shall cause the Paying Agent to mail to each holder of record of Shares (other than holders of Excluded Shares) (i) a letter of transmittal in customary form specifying that delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and title to the Certificates shall pass, only upon delivery of the Certificates (or affidavits of loss in lieu thereof as provided in Section 4.2(e)) to the Paying Agent, such letter of transmittal to be in such form and have such other provisions as Parent and the Company may reasonably agree, and (ii) instructions for use in effecting the surrender of the Certificates (or affidavits of loss in lieu thereof as provided in Section 4.2(e)) in exchange for the Per Share Merger Consideration. Upon surrender of a Certificate (or affidavit of loss in lieu thereof as provided in Section 4.2(e)) to the Paying Agent in accordance with the terms of such letter of transmittal, duly executed, the holder of such Certificate shall be entitled to receive in exchange therefor a cash amount in immediately available funds (after giving effect to any required tax withholdings as provided in Section 4.2(f)) equal to (x) the number of Shares represented by such Certificate (or affidavit of loss in lieu thereof as provided in Section 4.2(e)) multiplied by (y) the Per Share Merger Consideration, and the Certificate so surrendered shall forthwith be cancelled. No interest will be paid or accrued on any amount payable upon due surrender of the Certificates. In the event of a transfer of ownership of Shares that is not registered in the transfer records of the Company, a check for any cash to be exchanged upon due surrender of the Certificate may be issued to such transferee if the Certificate formerly representing such Shares is presented to the Paying Agent, accompanied by all documents reasonably required to evidence and effect such transfer and to evidence that any applicable stock transfer taxes have been paid or are not applicable.
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(c) Transfers. From and after the Effective Time, there shall be no transfers on the stock transfer books of the Company of the Shares that were outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time. If, after the Effective Time, any Certificate is presented to the Surviving Corporation, Parent or the Paying Agent for transfer, it shall be cancelled and exchanged for the cash amount in immediately available funds to which the holder thereof is entitled pursuant to this Article IV.
(d) Termination of Exchange Fund. Any portion of the Exchange Fund (including the proceeds of any investments thereof) that remains unclaimed by the shareholders of the Company for 180 days after the Effective Time shall be delivered to the Surviving Corporation. Any holder of Shares (other than Excluded Shares) who has not theretofore complied with this Article IV shall thereafter look only to the Surviving Corporation for payment of the Per Share Merger Consideration (after giving effect to any required tax withholdings as provided in Section 4.2(f)) upon due surrender of its Certificates (or affidavits of loss in lieu thereof), without any interest thereon. Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of the Surviving Corporation, Parent, the Paying Agent or any other Person shall be liable to any former holder of Shares for any amount properly delivered to a public official pursuant to applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar Laws. For the purposes of this Agreement, the term “Person” shall mean any individual, corporation (including not-for-profit), general or limited partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, estate, trust, association, organization, Governmental Entity (as defined in Section 5.1(d)) or other entity of any kind or nature.
(e) Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates. In the event any Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the Person claiming such Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if required by Parent, the posting by such Person of a bond in customary amount and upon such terms as may be reasonably required by Parent as indemnity against any claim that may be made against it or the Surviving Corporation with respect to such Certificate, the Paying Agent will issue a check in the amount (after giving effect to any required tax withholdings) equal to the number of Shares represented by such lost, stolen or destroyed Certificate multiplied by the Per Share Merger Consideration.
(f) Withholding Rights. Each of Parent and the Surviving Corporation shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from the consideration otherwise payable pursuant to this Agreement to any holder of Shares such amounts as it is required to deduct and withhold with respect to the making of such payment under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), or any other applicable state, local or foreign Tax (as defined in Section 5.1(n)) Law. To the extent that amounts are so withheld by the Surviving Corporation or Parent, as the case may be, such withheld amounts (i) shall be remitted by Parent or the Surviving Corporation, as applicable, to the applicable Governmental Entity, and (ii) shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the holder of Shares in respect of which such deduction and withholding was made by the Surviving Corporation or Parent, as the case may be.
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4.3. Treatment of Stock Plans.
(a) Treatment of Options. At the Effective Time each outstanding option to purchase Shares (a “Company Option”) under the Stock Plans (as defined in Section 5.1(b)), vested or unvested, shall be cancelled and shall only entitle the holder thereof to receive, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Effective Time (and in any event, within two business days after the Effective Time), an amount in cash equal to the product of (x) the total number of Shares subject to the Company Option times (y) the excess, if any, of the value of the Per Share Merger Consideration over the exercise price per Share under such Company Option, less applicable Taxes required to be withheld with respect to such payment.
(b) Treatment of Restricted Shares. All awards granting restricted Shares from Company that have not vested (collectively, “Restricted Shares”) heretofore granted under the Stock Plans shall, immediately prior to the Effective Time, become fully vested and without further restrictions with respect to ownership rights thereto, thereby causing all Restricted Shares to become Shares that are converted into the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration as provided in Section 4.1(a).
(c) Company Awards. At the Effective Time, each right of any kind, contingent or accrued, to acquire or receive Shares or benefits measured by the value of Shares, and each award of any kind consisting of Shares that may be held, awarded, outstanding, payable or reserved for issuance under the Stock Plans and any other Benefit Plans, other than Company Options and Restricted Shares (the “Company Awards”), shall be cancelled and shall only entitle the holder thereof to receive, an amount in cash equal to (x) the number of Shares subject to such Company Award immediately prior to the Effective Time times (y) the value of the Per Share Merger Consideration (or, if the Company Award provides for payments to the extent the value of the Shares exceed a specified reference price, the amount, if any, by which the value of the Per Share Merger Consideration exceeds such reference price), less applicable Taxes required to be withheld with respect to such payment.
(d) Corporate Actions. At or prior to the Effective Time, the Company, the Company’s board of directors and the compensation committee of the board of directors of the Company, as applicable, shall, subject to Section 4.3(d) of the Company Disclosure Letter, adopt any resolutions and take any actions which are necessary to effectuate the provisions of Section 4.3(a), 4.3(b) and 4.3(c). Subject to Section 4.3(d) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company shall take all actions necessary to ensure that from and after the Effective Time neither Parent nor the Surviving Corporation will be required to deliver Shares or other capital stock of the Company to any Person pursuant to or in settlement of Company Options, Restricted Shares or Company Awards.
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4.4. Adjustments to Prevent Dilution. Other than in respect of the Special Dividend, in the event that, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, the Company changes the number of Shares or securities convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for Shares issued and outstanding prior to the Effective Time as a result of a reclassification, stock split (including a reverse stock split), stock dividend or distribution, recapitalization, merger, issuer tender or exchange offer, or other similar transaction, the Per Share Merger Consideration shall be equitably adjusted to provide the holders of the Shares, the Company Options, the Restricted Shares and the Company Awards with the same economic effect as contemplated by this Agreement prior to such event. In addition, the parties hereto agree that the exercise price of, and the number of Shares subject to, the Company Options shall be adjusted in the manner set forth in the resolutions of the compensation committee of the board of directors of the Company adopted on September 13, 2006 to take into account the Special Dividend.
ARTICLE V
Representations and Warranties
5.1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. Except as set forth on the face of the Company Reports (excluding from such Company Reports any “Risk Factors” or similar sections) filed or furnished after December 31, 2005 and prior to the date of this Agreement or in corresponding sections of the disclosure letter delivered to Parent by the Company prior to entering into this Agreement (the “Company Disclosure Letter”) (which Company Disclosure Letter sets forth, among other things, items the disclosure of which is necessary or appropriate in response to an express disclosure requirement contained in this Section 5.1, as an exception to one or more representations or warranties contained in this Section 5.1 or in response to one or more of the Company’s covenants contained in this Agreement; provided, however, that notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, (x) disclosure of any item in any section of the Company Disclosure Letter shall be deemed disclosure with respect to any other section to which the relevance of such item is reasonably apparent, and (y) the mere inclusion of an item in the Company Disclosure Letter as an exception to a representation or warranty shall not be deemed an admission that such item represents a material exception or a material fact, event or circumstance or that such item has had or would reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect), the Company hereby represents and warrants to Parent and Merger Sub that:
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(a) Organization, Good Standing and Qualification. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is a legal entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of its respective jurisdiction of organization and has all requisite corporate or similar power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and assets and to carry on its business as presently conducted and is qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation (or other applicable entity) in each jurisdiction where the ownership, leasing or operation of its assets or properties or conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so organized, validly existing, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority, would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company has made available to Parent complete and correct copies of the Company’s and its Significant Subsidiaries’ certificates of incorporation and by-laws or comparable governing documents, each as amended to the date hereof, and each as so delivered is in full force and effect. As used in this Agreement, the term (i) “Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person of which at least a majority of the securities or ownership interests having by their terms ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors or other persons performing similar functions is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by such Person and/or by one or more of its Subsidiaries, (ii) “Significant Subsidiary” is as defined in Rule 1.02(w) of Regulation S-X promulgated pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and (iii) “Company Material Adverse Effect” means a material adverse effect on the financial condition, properties, assets, liabilities, business or results of operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; provided, however, that to the extent any effect is caused by or results from any of the following it shall not be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Company Material Adverse Effect:
(A) changes in the political conditions, economies or financial markets generally in the United States or other countries, including the commencement, continuation or escalation of any war, armed hostilities or acts of terrorism; |
(B) changes that are the result of factors generally affecting the industries and geographic areas in which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries operates; |
(C) any loss of, or adverse change in, the relationship of the Company with its customers, employees or suppliers that the Company establishes through specific evidence was proximately caused by the pendency or the announcement of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; |
(D) changes in the market price of raw materials, including paper, of the type and grade customarily purchased by the Company and its Subsidiaries; |
(E) changes in United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) after the date hereof, in the rules or policies of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, in Laws of general applicability or in interpretations thereof by courts or other Governmental Entities, in each case, after the date hereof; |
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(F) any failure by the Company to meet any estimates of revenues or earnings for any period ending on or after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Closing, provided that the exception in this clause shall not prevent or otherwise affect a determination that any change, effect, circumstance or development underlying such failure has resulted in, or contributed to, a Company Material Adverse Effect; and |
(G) a decline in the price of the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), including any decline related to the Special Dividend, provided that the exception in this clause shall not prevent or otherwise affect a determination that any change, effect, circumstance or development underlying such decline has resulted in, or contributed to, a Company Material Adverse Effect; |
provided, further, that, with respect to clauses (A), (B), (D) and (E), such change, event, circumstance or development does not disproportionately adversely affect the Company and its Subsidiaries in any material respect compared to other companies of similar size operating in the industries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate.
(b) Capital Structure.
(i) The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 75,000,000 Shares, of which 24,340,155 Shares were outstanding as of the close of business on October 27, 2006 and 300,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $10.00 per share, of which no shares are outstanding. All of the outstanding Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable (except for any liability that may be imposed on shareholders by former Section 180.0622(2)(b) of the WBCL, as judicially interpreted, for debts incurred prior to June 14, 2006). Other than 3,150,723 Shares reserved for issuance under the Company’s 2005 Equity Incentive Plan, 1991 Stock Option Plan and Equity Incentive Plan (the “Stock Plans”), Shares subject to issuance under the Rights Agreement and Shares subject to issuance under the Xxxxx Corporation Incentive Savings Plan and the Xxxxx Hourly 401(k) Plan (the “401(k) Plans”), the Company has no Shares subject to issuance. Section 5.1(b)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter contains a correct and complete list of options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights and any other rights with respect to the Shares under the Stock Plans, including the holder, number of Shares and, where applicable, exercise price. Each of the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity securities of each of the Company’s Subsidiaries is duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable (except for any liability that may be imposed on shareholders by former Section 180.0622(2)(b) of the WBCL, as judicially interpreted, for debts incurred prior to June 14, 2006) and owned by the Company or by a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company, free and clear of any lien, charge, pledge, security interest, claim or other encumbrance (each, a “Lien”). Except as set forth above, including Section 5.1(b)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, and except for the rights (the “Rights”) that have been issued pursuant to the Rights Agreement, dated as of November 5, 2001, as amended, between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “Rights Agreement”), there are no preemptive or other outstanding rights, options, warrants, conversion rights, stock appreciation rights, redemption rights, repurchase rights, agreements, arrangements, calls, commitments or rights of any kind that obligate the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to issue or sell any shares of capital stock or other equity securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any securities or obligations convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for, or giving any Person a right to subscribe for or acquire, any securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and no securities or obligations evidencing such rights are authorized, issued or outstanding. Upon any issuance of any Shares in accordance with the terms of the Stock Plans, such Shares will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free and clear of any Liens imposed or created by the Company (except for any liability that may be imposed on shareholders by former Section 180.0622(2)(b) of the WBCL, as judicially interpreted, for debts incurred prior to June 14, 2006). The Company does not have outstanding any bonds, debentures, notes or other obligations the holders of which have the right to vote (or convertible into or exercisable for securities having the right to vote) with the shareholders of the Company on any matter.
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(ii) Section 5.1(b)(ii) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth (x) each of the Company’s Subsidiaries and the ownership interest of the Company in each such Subsidiary, as well as the ownership interest of any other Person or Persons in each such Subsidiary and (y) the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ capital stock, equity interest or other direct or indirect ownership interest in any other Person other than securities in a publicly traded company held for investment by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and consisting of less than 1% of the outstanding capital stock of such company. The Company does not own, directly or indirectly, any voting interest in any Person (not taking into account any voting interest owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent in any Person) that requires an additional filing by Parent under the Xxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “HSR Act”).
(iii) Each Company Option (A) was granted in compliance with all applicable Laws and all of the terms and conditions of the Stock Plans pursuant to which it was issued, (B) has an exercise price per Share equal to or greater than the fair market value of a Share at the close of business on the date of such grant, (C) has a grant date identical to the date on which the Company’s board of directors or compensation committee actually awarded such Company Option, and (D) qualifies for the tax and accounting treatment afforded to such Company Option in the Company’s tax returns and the Company’s financial statements, respectively.
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(c) Corporate Authority; Approval and Fairness.
(i) The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority and has taken all corporate action necessary in order to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and to consummate the Merger, subject only to approval of this Agreement by the holders of two-thirds of the voting power of the outstanding Shares entitled to vote on such matter at a shareholders’ meeting duly called and held for such purpose (the “Company Requisite Vote”). This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar Laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles (the “Bankruptcy and Equity Exception”).
(ii) The board of directors of the Company has (A) unanimously determined that the Merger is fair to, and in the best interests of, the Company, its shareholders and other constituencies, adopted and approved this Agreement and the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby and resolved to recommend approval of this Agreement to the holders of Shares (the “Company Recommendation”), (B) directed that this Agreement be submitted to the holders of Shares for their approval and (C) received the opinion of its financial advisor, UBS Securities LLC, to the effect that the consideration to be received by the holders of the Shares in the Merger is fair, from a financial point of view, as of the date of such opinion, to such holders (other than Parent and its Affiliates or Subsidiaries).
(d) Governmental Filings; No Violations; Certain Contracts.
(i) Other than the filings and/or notices pursuant to Section 1.3 and under the HSR Act, Council Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 (the “ECMR”), if applicable, any other Antitrust Laws or the Exchange Act (the “Company Approvals”), no notices, reports or other filings are required to be made by the Company with, nor are any consents, registrations, approvals, permits or authorizations required to be obtained by the Company from, any domestic or foreign governmental or regulatory authority, agency, commission, body, court or other legislative, executive or judicial governmental entity (each a “Governmental Entity”), in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby, except those that the failure to make or obtain would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect or prevent, materially delay or materially impair the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. As used herein, “Antitrust Laws” means the Xxxxxxx Act of 1890, the Xxxxxxx Act of 1914, the HSR Act and all other Laws, and administrative and judicial doctrines that are designed or intended to prohibit, restrict or regulate actions having the purpose or effect of monopolization or restraint of trade.
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(ii) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company do not, and the consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby will not, constitute or result in (A) a breach or violation of, or a default under, the Charter or Bylaws of the Company or the comparable governing instruments of any of its Subsidiaries, (B) with or without notice, lapse of time or both, a breach or violation of, a termination (or right of termination) or a default under, the creation or acceleration of any obligations or the creation of a Lien on any of the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to any agreement, lease, license, contract, note, mortgage, indenture, arrangement or other obligation (each, a “Contract”) binding upon the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or, assuming (solely with respect to performance of this Agreement and consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby) compliance with the matters referred to in Section 5.1(d)(i), under any Law to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject, or (C) any change in the rights or obligations of any party under any Contract binding on the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except, in the case of clause (B) or (C) above, for any such breach, violation, termination, default, creation, acceleration or change that, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect or prevent, materially delay or materially impair the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Section 5.1(d)(ii) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a correct and complete list of Material Contracts (as defined in Section 5.1(j)(i)(L)) pursuant to which consents or waivers are or may be required prior to consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (whether or not subject to the exception set forth with respect to clauses (B) and (C) above).
(iii) The Company and its Subsidiaries are not creditors or claimants with respect to any debtors or debtor-in-possession subject to proceedings under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code with respect to claims that, in the aggregate, constitute more than 25% of the gross assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole (excluding cash and cash equivalents).
(e) Company Reports; Financial Statements.
(i) The Company has filed or furnished, as applicable, on a timely basis, all forms, statements, certifications, reports and documents required to be filed or furnished by it with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) since December 31, 2003 (the “Applicable Date”) (the forms, statements, reports and documents filed or furnished since the Applicable Date and those filed or furnished subsequent to the date hereof, including any amendments thereto, the “Company Reports”). Each of the Company Reports, at the time of its filing or being furnished complied or, if not yet filed or furnished, will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”), and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder applicable to the Company Reports. As of their respective dates (or, if amended prior to the date hereof, as of the date of such amendment), the Company Reports did not, and any Company Reports filed or furnished with the SEC subsequent to the date hereof will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading, provided, that the Company makes no representation or warranty regarding any information provided in writing by Parent or any of its Subsidiaries for inclusion in such Company Reports filed after the date hereof.
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(ii) The Company is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable listing and corporate governance rules and regulations of the NYSE. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Affiliate” when used with respect to any party shall mean any Person who is an “affiliate” of that party within the meaning of Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act.
(iii) The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures required by Rule 13a-15 or 15d-15 under the Exchange Act. The Company has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures and, to the extent required by applicable Law, presented in any applicable Company Report or any amendment thereto its conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by such Report or amendment based on such evaluation. The Company maintains internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15 or 15d-15, as applicable, under the Exchange Act). The Company has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and, to the extent required by applicable Law, presented in any applicable Company Report or any amendment thereto its conclusions about the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting as of the end of the period covered by such Report or amendment based on such evaluation. The Company has disclosed, based on the most recent evaluation of its chief executive officer and its chief financial officer prior to the date hereof, to the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the Company’s board of directors (A) any significant deficiencies in the design or operation of its internal controls over financial reporting that are reasonably expected to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information and has identified for the Company’s auditors and audit committee of the Company’s board of directors any material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and (B) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company has made available to Parent (x) a summary of any such disclosure made by management to the Company’s auditors and audit committee since the Applicable Date and (y) any communication since the Applicable Date made by management or the Company’s auditors to the audit committee required or contemplated by listing standards of the NYSE, the audit committee’s charter or professional standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Since the Applicable Date, no material complaints from any source regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters have been received by the Company. The Company has made available to Parent a summary of all complaints or concerns relating to other matters made since the Applicable Date through the Company’s whistleblower hot line or equivalent system for receipt of employee concerns regarding possible violations of Law. No attorney representing the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, whether or not employed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, has reported evidence of a violation of securities Laws, breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by the Company or any of its officers, directors, employees or agents to the Company’s chief legal officer, audit committee (or other committee designated for the purpose) of the board of directors or the board of directors pursuant to the rules adopted pursuant to Section 307 of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act or any Company policy contemplating such reporting, including in instances not required by those rules.
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(iv) Each of the consolidated balance sheets included in or incorporated by reference into the Company Reports (including the related notes and schedules) fairly presents, or, in the case of Company Reports filed after the date hereof, will fairly present in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of its date and each of the consolidated statements of income, changes in shareholders equity (deficit) and cash flows included in or incorporated by reference into the Company Reports (including any related notes and schedules) fairly presents, or in the case of Company Reports filed after the date hereof, will fairly present in all material respects the results of operations, retained earnings (loss) and changes in financial position, as the case may be, of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries for the periods set forth therein (subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to notes and normal year-end audit adjustments that will not be material in amount or effect), in each case in accordance with GAAP (except, in the case of unaudited statements, as permitted by Form 10-Q) consistently applied during the periods involved, except as may be noted therein.
(f) Absence of Certain Changes. Since December 31, 2005 until the date hereof, the Company and its Subsidiaries have conducted their respective businesses only in, and have not engaged in any material transaction other than according to, the ordinary and usual course of such businesses consistent with past practices in all material respects, and there has not been:
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(i) any change in the financial condition, properties, assets, liabilities, business or results of their operations or any circumstance, occurrence or development (including any adverse change with respect to any circumstance, occurrence or development existing on or prior to December 31, 2005) of which management of the Company has knowledge which, individually or in the aggregate, is reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect;
(ii) any material damage, destruction or other casualty loss with respect to any material asset or property owned, leased or otherwise used by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, whether or not covered by insurance;
(iii) other than regular quarterly dividends on Shares of $0.18 per Share and the Special Dividend, any declaration, setting aside or payment of any dividend or other distribution with respect to any shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (except for dividends or other distributions by any direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary to the Company or to any wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company), or any repurchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any outstanding shares of capital stock or other securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;
(iv) any material change in any method of accounting or accounting practice by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except as required by GAAP, the rules or policies of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board or applicable Law;
(v) (A) any increase in the compensation payable or to become payable to its officers or employees (except for increases for employees or officers who are not set forth on Schedule 5.1(f)(v)(A) of the Company Disclosure Letter in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past practice) or (B) any establishment, adoption, entry into or amendment of any collective bargaining, employment, termination or severance agreement or any material bonus, profit sharing, thrift, compensation or other plan, agreement, trust, fund, policy or arrangement for the benefit of any director, officer or employee, except to the extent required by applicable Laws; or
(vi) any agreement to do any of the foregoing.
As used in this Agreement, the term “knowledge” when used in the phrases “to the knowledge of management of the Company,” “of which management of the Company has knowledge” or “the Company has no knowledge” or words of similar import shall mean the actual knowledge of the Persons listed in Section 5.1(f) of the Company Disclosure Letter, after reasonable inquiry.
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(g) Litigation and Liabilities. There are no (i) civil, criminal or administrative actions, suits, claims, hearings, arbitrations, investigations or other proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of management of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) obligations or liabilities undisclosed as of the date hereof of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, whether or not accrued, contingent or otherwise and whether or not required to be disclosed, or any other facts or circumstances undisclosed as of the date hereof of which management of the Company have knowledge that could reasonably be expected to result in any claims against, or obligations or liabilities of, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except for those that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect or prevent, materially delay or materially impair the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or subject to the provisions of any judgment, order, writ, injunction, decree or award of any Governmental Entity which is, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect or prevent, materially delay or materially impair the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(h) Employee Benefits.
(i) All benefit and compensation plans, contracts, policies or arrangements covering current or former employees of the Company and its subsidiaries (the “Employees”) and current or former directors of the Company, including, but not limited to, “employee benefit plans” within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), and deferred compensation, severance, stock option, stock purchase, stock appreciation rights, stock based, incentive and bonus plans (the “Benefit Plans”), other than Benefit Plans maintained outside of the United States primarily for the benefit of Employees working outside of the United States (such plans hereinafter being referred to as “Non-U.S. Benefit Plans”), are listed on Schedule 5.1(h)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, and each Benefit Plan which has received a favorable opinion letter from the Internal Revenue Service National Office, including any master or prototype plan, has been separately identified. True and complete copies of all Benefit Plans listed on Schedule 5.1(h)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, including, but not limited to, any trust instruments, insurance contracts and, with respect to any employee stock ownership plan, loan agreements forming a part of any Benefit Plans, and all amendments thereto have been provided or made available to Parent.
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(ii) All Benefit Plans, other than “multiemployer plans” within the meaning of Section 3(37) of ERISA (each, a “Multiemployer Plan”) and Non U.S. Benefit Plans, (collectively, “U.S. Benefit Plans”) are in substantial compliance with ERISA, the Code and other applicable Laws. Each U.S. Benefit Plan which is subject to ERISA (an “ERISA Plan”) that is an “employee pension benefit plan” within the meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA (a “Pension Plan”) intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code, has received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) covering all tax law changes prior to the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 or has applied to the IRS for such favorable determination letter within the applicable remedial amendment period under Section 401(b) of the Code, and the Company is not aware of any circumstances likely to result in the loss of the qualification of such Plan under Section 401(a) of the Code. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries maintains any voluntary employees’ beneficiary association within the meaning of Section 501(c)(9) of the Code. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has engaged in a transaction with respect to any ERISA Plan that, assuming the taxable period of such transaction expired as of the date hereof, could subject the Company or any Subsidiary to a tax or penalty imposed by either Section 4975 of the Code or Section 502(i) of ERISA in an amount which would be material. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has incurred or reasonably expects to incur a material tax or penalty imposed by Section 4980F of the Code or Section 502 of ERISA or any material liability under Section 4071 of ERISA.
(iii) No liability under Subtitle C or D of Title IV of ERISA has been or is expected to be incurred by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to any ongoing, frozen or terminated “single-employer plan”, within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(15) of ERISA, currently or formerly maintained by any of them, or the single-employer plan of any entity which is considered one employer with the Company under Section 4001 of ERISA or Section 414 of the Code (an “ERISA Affiliate”). The Company and its Subsidiaries have not incurred any withdrawal liability with respect to a Multiemployer Plan under Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA (regardless of whether based on contributions of an ERISA Affiliate) that has not been fully paid, and do not expect to incur any such liability in the foreseeable future. No notice of a “reportable event”, within the meaning of Section 4043 of ERISA for which the reporting requirement has not been waived or extended, other than pursuant to Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) Reg. Section 4043.33 or 4043.66, has been required to be filed for any Pension Plan or by any ERISA Affiliate within the 12-month period ending on the date hereof or will be required to be filed in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Xxxxxxxxx.Xx notices have been required to be sent to participants and beneficiaries or the PBGC under Section 302 or 4011 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code.
(iv) All contributions required to be made under each Benefit Plan, as of the date hereof, have been timely made and all obligations in respect of each Benefit Plan have been properly accrued and reflected in the most recent consolidated balance sheet filed or incorporated by reference in the Company Reports prior to the date hereof. Neither any Pension Plan nor any single-employer plan of an ERISA Affiliate has an “accumulated funding deficiency” (whether or not waived) within the meaning of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA and no ERISA Affiliate has an outstanding funding waiver. Neither any Pension Plan nor any single-employer plan of an ERISA Affiliate has been required to file information pursuant to Section 4010 of ERISA for the current or most recently completed plan year. It is not reasonably anticipated that required minimum contributions to any Pension Plan under Section 412 of the Code will be materially increased by application of Section 412(l) of the Code. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has provided, or is required to provide, security to any Pension Plan or to any single-employer plan of an ERISA Affiliate pursuant to Section 401(a)(29) of the Code.
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(v) Under each Pension Plan which is a single-employer plan, as of the last day of the most recent plan year ended prior to the date hereof, the actuarially determined present value of all “benefit liabilities”, within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(16) of ERISA (as determined on the basis of the actuarial assumptions contained in such Pension Plan’s most recent actuarial valuation), did not exceed the then current value of the assets of such Pension Plan, and there has been no material change in the financial condition, whether or not as a result of a change in funding method, of such Pension Plan since the last day of the most recent plan year. The withdrawal liability of the Company and its Subsidiaries under each Benefit Plan which is a Multiemployer Plan to which the Company, any of its subsidiaries or an ERISA Affiliate has contributed during the preceding 12 months, determined as if a “complete withdrawal”, within the meaning of Section 4203 of ERISA, had occurred as of the date hereof, does not exceed $11,000,000 as of January 1, 2006.
(vi) As of the date hereof, there is no material pending or, to the knowledge of the Company threatened, litigation relating to the Benefit Plans other than Multiemployer Plans. To the knowledge of the management of the Company, the Company has no material litigation in respect of the Multiemployer Plans. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any obligations for retiree health and life benefits under any ERISA Plan or collective bargaining agreement. The Company or its Subsidiaries may amend or terminate any such plan at any time without incurring any liability thereunder other than in respect of claims incurred prior to such amendment or termination.
(vii) There has been no amendment to, announcement by the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to, or change in employee participation or coverage under, any Benefit Plan which would increase materially the expense of maintaining such plan above the level of the expense incurred therefor for the most recent fiscal year. Neither the execution of this Agreement, shareholder adoption of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby will (w) entitle any employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to severance pay or any increase in severance pay upon any termination of employment after the date hereof, (x) accelerate the time of payment or vesting or result in any payment or funding (through a grantor trust or otherwise) of compensation or benefits under, increase the amount payable or result in any other material obligation pursuant to, any of the Benefit Plans, (y) limit or restrict the right of the Company or, after the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, Parent to merge, amend or terminate any of the Benefit Plans or (z) result in payments under any of the Benefit Plans which would not be deductible under Section 162(m) or Section 280G of the Code.
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(viii) All Non-U.S. Benefit Plans comply in all material respects with applicable local Law. No later than two weeks following the date hereof, the Company shall provide Parent with (a) a list of all Non-U.S. Benefit Plans and (b) true and complete copies of all such Non-U.S. Benefit Plans, including any trust instruments, insurance contracts and, with respect to any employee stock ownership plan, loan agreements forming a part of any Benefit Plans, and all amendments thereto. The Company and its Subsidiaries have no material unfunded liabilities with respect to any such Non-U.S. Benefit Plan. There is no pending or, to the knowledge of management of the Company, threatened material litigation relating to Non-U.S. Benefit Plans.
(i) Compliance with Laws; Licenses. The businesses of each of the Company and its Subsidiaries have not been, and are not being, conducted in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign law, statute or ordinance, or any rule, regulation, standard, judgment, order, writ, injunction, decree, arbitration award, agency requirement, license or permit of any Governmental Entity (collectively, “Laws”), except for violations that, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect or prevent, materially delay or materially impair the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. To the knowledge of management of the Company, no investigation or review by any Governmental Entity with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is pending or threatened, nor has any Governmental Entity indicated an intention to conduct the same, except for those the outcome of which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect or prevent, materially delay or materially impair the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Company and its Subsidiaries each has obtained and is in compliance with all permits, licenses, certifications, approvals, registrations, consents, authorizations, franchises, variances, exemptions and orders issued or granted by a Governmental Entity (“Licenses”) necessary to conduct its business as presently conducted, except where the failure to so possess or comply would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect or prevent, materially delay or materially impair the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(j) Material Contracts.
(i) As of the date of this Agreement, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or bound by:
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(A) any lease of real or personal property providing for annual rentals of $400,000 or more; |
(B) any Contract that is reasonably likely to require either (x) annual payments to or from the Company and its Subsidiaries of more than $15 million or (y) aggregate payments to or from the Company and its Subsidiaries of more than $75 million; |
(C) other than with respect to any partnership that is wholly owned by the Company or any wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company, any partnership, joint venture or other similar agreement or arrangement relating to the formation, creation, operation, management or control of any partnership or joint venture material to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or in which the Company owns more than a 15% voting or economic interest, or any interest valued at more than $10 million without regard to percentage voting or economic interest; |
(D) any Contract (other than among direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiaries of the Company) relating to indebtedness for borrowed money or the deferred purchase price of property (in either case, whether incurred, assumed, guaranteed or secured by any asset) in excess of $5 million; |
(E) any Contract 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; |
(F) any non-competition Contract or other Contract that (I) purports to limit in any material respect either the type of business in which the Company or any of its Affiliates may engage or the manner or locations in which any of them may so engage in any business, (II) could require the disposition of any material assets or line of business of the Company or any of its Affiliates, (III) grants “most favored nation” status that, following the Merger, would apply to the Company or any of its Affiliates or (IV) prohibits or limits in any material respect the right of the Company or any of its Affiliates to make, sell or distribute any products or services; |
(G) any Contract to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party containing a standstill or similar agreement pursuant to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has agreed not to acquire assets or securities of the other party or any of its Affiliates; |
(H) any material Contract relating to the license of Intellectual Property (other than licenses for commercial off-the-shelf or shrink wrap software that has not been modified or customized); |
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(I) any Contract between the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and any director or officer of the Company or any Person beneficially owning five percent or more of the outstanding Shares, other than compensation or severance arrangements, confidentiality agreements or indemnification agreements entered into in the ordinary course of business; |
(J) any Contract (other than Contracts with customers) providing for indemnification by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any Person, except for any such Contract that is (x) not material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and (y) entered into in the ordinary course of business; and |
(K) any Contract that contains a put, call or similar right pursuant to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries could be required to purchase or sell, as applicable, any equity interests of any Person or assets that have a fair market value or purchase price of more than $5 million (the Contracts described in clauses (A) through (K), together with all exhibits and schedules to such Contracts, being the “Material Contracts”). |
(ii) Subject to applicable Law, a true and complete copy of each Material Contract has previously been made available to Parent and each such Contract is a valid and binding agreement of the Company or one of its Subsidiaries, as the case may be, and is in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of management of the Company, any other party thereto is in default or breach in any material respect under the terms of any such Material Contract.
(k) Real Property.
(i) Except in any such case as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect, with respect to the real property owned by the Company or its Subsidiaries (the “Owned Real Property”), (A) the Company or one of its Subsidiaries, as applicable, has good and marketable title to the Owned Real Property, free and clear of any Encumbrance, and (B) there are no outstanding options or rights of first refusal to purchase the Owned Real Property, or any portion thereof or interest therein.
(ii) With respect to the real property leased or subleased to the Company or its Subsidiaries (the “Leased Real Property”), the lease or sublease for such property is valid, legally binding, enforceable and in full force and effect, and none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is in breach or violation of or default under such lease or sublease, and no event has occurred which, with notice, lapse of time or both, would constitute a breach, violation or default by any of the Company or its Subsidiaries or permit termination, modification, acceleration or repudiation by any third party thereunder, or prevent, materially delay or materially impair the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement except in each case, for such invalidity, failure to be binding, unenforceability, ineffectiveness, breaches, violations, defaults, changes, terminations, modifications, accelerations or repudiations that is not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
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(iii) Section 5.1(k)(iii) of the Company Disclosure Letter contains a true and complete list of all Owned Real Property.
(iv) For purposes of this Section 5.1(k) and Section 6.1(a)(v) only, “Encumbrance” means any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest, easement, covenant, or other restriction or title matter or encumbrance of any kind in respect of such asset but specifically excludes (a) specified encumbrances described in Section 5.1(k)(iv) of the Company Disclosure Letter; (b) encumbrances for current Taxes or other governmental charges not yet due and payable or contested in good faith; (c) mechanics’, carriers’, workmen’s, repairmen’s or other like encumbrances arising or incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice relating to obligations as to which there is no default on the part of Company, or the validity or amount of which is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings; and (d) other encumbrances that do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially impair the continued use or operation of the specific parcel of Owned Real Property to which they relate or the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries as presently conducted.
(l) Takeover Statutes. The board of directors of the Company has approved this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger, in accordance with the provisions of Sections 180.1101 and 180.1141 of the WBCL. No other “fair price,” “moratorium,” “control share acquisition” or other similar anti-takeover statute or regulation (each, a “Takeover Statute”) or any anti-takeover provision in the Company’s Charter or Bylaws is applicable to the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(m) Environmental Matters. Except for such matters that, alone or in the aggregate, are not reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect: (i) the Company and its Subsidiaries have complied at all times with all applicable Environmental Laws; (ii) no property currently owned or operated by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (including soils, groundwater, surface water, buildings or other structures) is contaminated with any Hazardous Substance at levels or in circumstances that could reasonably be expected to require investigation or remediation under Environmental Laws; (iii) no property formerly owned or operated by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and for which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries could reasonably be expected to bear liability was contaminated with any Hazardous Substance during or prior to such period of ownership or operation; (iv) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to liability under Environmental Laws for any Hazardous Substance disposal or contamination on any third party property at levels or in circumstances that could reasonably be expected to require investigation or remediation under Environmental Laws; (v) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice, demand, letter, claim or request for information alleging that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries may be in violation of or subject to liability under any Environmental Law; (vi) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any order, decree, injunction or other agreement with any Governmental Entity or any indemnity or other agreement with any third party relating to liability under any Environmental Law; (vii) none of the properties contain any underground storage tanks, asbestos-containing material, lead containing paint, or polychlorinated biphenyls which could reasonably be expected to require abatement or result in liability pursuant to any Environmental Law; (viii) there are no other circumstances or conditions involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that could reasonably be expected to result in any claim, liability, investigation, cost or restriction on the ownership, use, or transfer of any property pursuant to any Environmental Law; and (ix) the Company has made available to Parent copies of all environmental reports, studies, assessments and audits in its possession relating to Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective current and former properties or operations in its possession at its corporate headquarters.
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As used herein, the term “Environmental Law” means any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, regulation, order, decree, permit, authorization, opinion, common law or agency requirement relating to: (A) the protection of the environment, occupational health and safety, or natural resources, (B) the handling, use, presence, disposal, release or threatened release of, or exposure to, any Hazardous Substance or (C) noise, odor, indoor air, wetlands, pollution, contamination or any injury or threat of injury to persons or property relating to any Hazardous Substance.
As used herein, the term “Hazardous Substance” means any substance that is: (A) listed, classified or regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law and (B) any petroleum product or by product, asbestos-containing material, lead-containing paint or plumbing, polychlorinated biphenyls, radioactive material or radon.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the representations and warranties set forth in this Section 5.1(m) shall be the sole and exclusive representations and warranties of the Company with respect to Environmental Laws.
(n) Taxes. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries (i) have prepared in good faith and duly and timely filed (taking into account any extension of time within which to file) all Tax Returns (as defined below) required to be filed by any of them and all such filed Tax Returns are complete and accurate in all material respects; (ii) have paid all Taxes (as defined below) that are required to be paid or that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are obligated to withhold from amounts owing to any employee, creditor or third party, except with respect to matters contested in good faith; (iii) have not waived any statute of limitations with respect to Taxes or agreed to any extension of time with respect to a Tax assessment or deficiency; and (iv) have not been a party to a “reportable transaction” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation § 1.6011-4. As of the date hereof, there are not pending or, to the knowledge of the management of the Company, threatened in writing, any audits, examinations or similar proceedings in respect of Taxes or Tax matters of the Company, except for such audits, examinations or proceedings the results of which are, individually or in the aggregate, not reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect. There are not, to the knowledge of management of the Company, any unresolved questions or claims concerning the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ Tax liability that are, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company has made available to Purchaser true and correct copies of the United States federal income Tax Returns filed by the Company and its Subsidiaries for each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003. Neither the Company nor any of its current or former Subsidiaries has been a “distributing corporation” or a “controlled corporation” in a distribution of stock intended to qualify for tax-free treatment under Section 355(a) at any time during the period commencing two years prior to the date hereof and ending as of the date this representation is made.
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As used in this Agreement, (i) the term “Tax” (including, with correlative meaning, the term “Taxes”) includes all federal, state, local and foreign income, profits, franchise, gross receipts, environmental, customs duty, capital stock, severances, stamp, payroll, sales, employment, unemployment, disability, use, property, withholding, excise, production, value added, occupancy and other taxes, duties or assessments of any nature whatsoever, together with all interest, penalties and additions imposed with respect to such amounts and any interest in respect of such penalties and additions, and (ii) the term “Tax Return” includes all returns and reports (including elections, declarations, disclosures, schedules, estimates and information returns) required to be supplied to a Tax authority relating to Taxes.
(o) Labor Matters. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or otherwise bound by any collective bargaining agreement or other Contract with a labor union or labor organization in respect of employees working in North America, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is the subject of any material proceeding asserting that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has committed an unfair labor practice or is seeking to compel it to bargain with any labor union or labor organization nor is there pending or, to the knowledge of management of the Company, threatened, nor has there been for the past three years, any labor strike, dispute, walk-out, work stoppage, slow-down or lockout involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. To the knowledge of the management of the Company, there are no organizational efforts with respect to the formation of a collective bargaining unit being made as of the date hereof involving employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. The Company has previously made available to Parent correct and complete copies of all labor and collective bargaining agreements, Contracts or other agreements or understandings with a labor union or labor organization to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is party or by which any of them are otherwise bound in respect of employees working in North America and no later than two weeks after the date hereof, the Company shall provide Parent with a correct and complete copy of all such agreements, Contracts or understandings in respect of employees working outside North America (collectively, the “Company Labor Agreements”). The consummation of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not entitle any third party (including any labor union or labor organization) to any payments under any of the Company Labor Agreements.
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(p) Intellectual Property.
(i) To conduct the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries as presently conducted in all material respects, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries requires any Intellectual Property that the Company and its Subsidiaries do not already own or license. All rights in and to such Intellectual Property shall survive unchanged in all material respects the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Company and its Subsidiaries have not (A) infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated (“Infringe”) the Intellectual Property rights of any third party during the three year period immediately preceding the date of this Agreement and (B) the Intellectual Property owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries is not being Infringed by any third party, except, in each case of (A) and (B), for any infringement, misappropriation or other violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(ii) The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken all reasonable measures consistent with industry practices to protect, preserve and maintain its Intellectual Property (including executing appropriate non disclosure and intellectual property assignment agreements).
(iii) The IT Assets operate and perform in all material respects in accordance with their documentation and functional specifications and otherwise as required by the Company and its Subsidiaries in connection with their businesses. To the knowledge of management of the Company, since the Applicable Date no third party has gained unauthorized access to the IT Assets. The Company and its Subsidiaries have implemented reasonable backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry practices.
(iv) For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the following meanings:
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“Intellectual Property” means all (i) trademarks, service marks, brand names, domain names, logos, symbols, trade dress, trade names, and other indicia of origin and all goodwill associated therewith and symbolized thereby, including all renewals of the same; (ii) inventions and discoveries, whether patentable or not, and all patents, , including divisions, continuations, continuations-in-part, renewals, extensions and reissues; (iii) confidential information, trade secrets and know-how, including processes, schematics, business methods, formulae,, prototypes, models, designs, customer lists and supplier lists; (iv) published and unpublished works of authorship, whether copyrightable or not (including, without limitation, software, databases and other compilations of information), copyrights therein and thereto, and all renewals, extensions, restorations and reversions thereof; (v) all registrations, disclosures and applications for the foregoing; and (vi) all other intellectual property or proprietary rights.
“IT Assets” means computers, computer software, code, firmware, middleware, servers, workstations, routers, hubs, switches, data communications lines, and all other information technology equipment, and all associated documentation used by the Company and its Subsidiaries (excluding any public networks).
(q) Insurance. All material fire and casualty, general liability, business interruption, product liability, and sprinkler and water damage insurance policies maintained by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (“Insurance Policies”) are with reputable insurance carriers and provide adequate coverage for all normal risks incident to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries and their respective properties and assets, except for any such failures to maintain insurance policies that, individually or in the aggregate, are not reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect. Each Insurance Policy is in full force and effect and all premiums due with respect to all Insurance Policies have been paid, with such exceptions that, individually or in the aggregate, are not reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(r) Rights Agreement. The board of directors of the Company has taken all necessary action to render the Rights Agreement inapplicable to the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby.
(s) Brokers and Finders. Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors or employees has employed any broker or finder or incurred any liability for any brokerage fees, commissions or finders, fees in connection with the Merger or the other transactions contemplated in this Agreement except that the Company has employed UBS Securities LLC as its financial advisor. The Company has made available to Parent a copy of all agreements pursuant to which UBS Securities LLC is entitled to any fees and expenses in connection with any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and Section 5.1(s) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth the amount of any fees and expenses which UBS Securities LLC is entitled to receive from the Company.
5.2. Representations and Warranties of Parent and Merger Sub. Except as set forth in the corresponding sections or subsections of the disclosure letter delivered to the Company by Parent prior to entering into this Agreement (the “Parent Disclosure Letter”) (it being agreed that disclosure of any item in any section or subsection of the Parent Disclosure Letter shall be deemed disclosure with respect to any other section or subsection to which the relevance of such item is readily apparent), Parent and Merger Sub each hereby represent and warrant to the Company that:
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(a) Organization, Good Standing and Qualification. Each of Parent and Merger Sub is a legal entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the Laws of its respective jurisdiction of organization and has all requisite corporate or similar power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and assets and to carry on its business as presently conducted and is qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction where the ownership, leasing or operation of its assets or properties or conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so organized, qualified or in such good standing, or to have such power or authority, would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to prevent, materially delay or impair the ability of Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(b) Corporate Authority. (i) No vote of holders of capital stock of Parent is necessary to approve this Agreement and the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby.Each of Parent and Merger Sub has all requisite corporate power and authority and has taken all corporate action (including approval of the Merger by Parent as the sole shareholder of Merger Sub) necessary in order to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement to consummate the Merger. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by each of Parent and Merger Sub and is a valid and binding agreement of, Parent and Merger Sub, enforceable against each of Parent and Merger Sub in accordance with its terms, subject to the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception.
(c) Governmental Filings; No Violations; Etc.
(i) Other than the filings and/or notices pursuant to Section 1.3 and under the HSR Act, the ECMR, if applicable, any other Antitrust Laws or the Exchange Act (the “Parent Approvals”), no notices, reports or other filings are required to be made by Parent or Merger Sub with, nor are any consents, registrations, approvals, permits or authorizations required to be obtained by Parent or Merger Sub from, any Governmental Entity in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by Parent and Merger Sub and the consummation by Parent and Merger Sub of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby, except those that the failure to make or obtain would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to prevent or materially delay the ability of Parent or Merger Sub to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
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(ii) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by Parent and Merger Sub do not, and the consummation by Parent and Merger Sub of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby will not, constitute or result in (A) a breach or violation of, or a default under, the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of Parent or Merger Sub or the comparable governing instruments of any of its Subsidiaries, (B) with or without notice, lapse of time or both, a breach or violation of, a termination (or right of termination) or a default under, the creation or acceleration of any obligations or the creation of a Lien on any of the assets of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to, any Contracts binding upon Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or any Laws or governmental or non-governmental permit or license to which Parent or any of its Subsidiaries is subject; or (C) any change in the rights or obligations of any party under any of such Contracts, except, in the case of clause (B) or (C) above, for any breach, violation, termination, default, creation, acceleration or change that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to prevent or materially delay the ability of Parent or Merger Sub to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(d) Litigation. As of the date of this Agreement, there are no civil, criminal or administrative actions, suits, claims, hearings, investigations or proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the officers of Parent, threatened against Parent or Merger Sub that seek to enjoin, or would reasonably be expected to have the effect of preventing, making illegal, or otherwise interfering with, any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to prevent or materially delay the ability of Parent and Merger Sub to consummate the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(e) Available Funds. Parent and Merger Sub have available to them, or as of the Effective Time will have available to them, all funds necessary for the payment of the aggregate Per Share Merger Consideration and other amounts payable by Parent and/or Merger Sub (including the Surviving Corporation) under this Agreement.
(f) Capitalization of Merger Sub. The authorized capital stock of Merger Sub consists solely of 100 shares of Common Stock, no par value, all of which are validly issued and outstanding. All of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Merger Sub is, and at the Effective Time will be, owned by Parent or a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent. Merger Sub has not conducted any business prior to the date hereof and has no, and prior to the Effective Time will have no, assets, liabilities or obligations of any nature other than those incident to its formation and pursuant to this Agreement and the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(g) At the time immediately preceding the date of this Agreement, neither Parent nor any of its Subsidiaries is, with respect to the Company, an “interested stockholder” as such term is defined in Section 180.1140(8) of the WBCL.
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ARTICLE VI
Covenants
6.1. Interim Operations.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees as to itself and its Subsidiaries that, after the date hereof and prior to the Effective Time (unless Parent shall otherwise approve in writing (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed)), and except as otherwise expressly contemplated by this Agreement, as set forth in Section 6.1 of the Company Disclosure Letter or as required by applicable Laws, the business of it and its Subsidiaries shall be conducted in the ordinary and usual course and, to the extent consistent therewith, it and its Subsidiaries shall use their respective reasonable best efforts to preserve their business organizations intact and maintain existing relations and goodwill with Governmental Entities, customers, suppliers, distributors, creditors, lessors, employees and business associates and keep available the services of its and its Subsidiaries’ present employees and agents. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and in furtherance thereof, from the date of this Agreement until the Effective Time, except (A) as otherwise expressly required by this Agreement, (B) as Parent may approve in writing (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), (C) as set forth in Section 6.1 of the Company Disclosure Letter or (D) as required by applicable Laws, the Company will not and will not permit its Subsidiaries to:
(i) adopt or propose any change in its articles of incorporation or by-laws or other applicable governing instruments;
(ii) merge or consolidate the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with any other Person, or restructure, reorganize or completely or partially liquidate any operations or businesses;
(iii) acquire assets outside of the ordinary course of business from any other Person with a value or purchase price in excess of $1 million in the aggregate, other than acquisitions pursuant to Contracts in effect as of the date of this Agreement;
(iv) except for the issuance of Shares upon the exercise of Company Options outstanding on the date of this Agreement or in accordance with the terms of the 401(k) Plans as in effect on the date of this Agreement, issue, sell, pledge, dispose of, grant, transfer, encumber, or authorize the issuance, sale, pledge, disposition, grant, transfer, lease, license, guarantee or encumbrance of, any shares of capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than the issuance of shares by a wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company to the Company or another wholly owned Subsidiary), or securities convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for any shares of such capital stock, or any options, warrants or other rights of any kind to acquire any shares of such capital stock or such convertible or exchangeable securities;
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(v) create or incur any Encumbrance (other than the exclusion set forth in clauses (a) and (d) of the definition of Encumbrance) on any assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;
(vi) make any loans, advances or capital contributions to or investments in any Person (other than the Company or any direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company);
(vii) other than regular quarterly cash dividends on Shares of $0.18 per Share and the Special Dividend, declare, set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution, payable in cash, stock, property or otherwise, with respect to any of its capital stock (except for dividends paid by any direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary to the Company or to any other direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary) or enter into any agreement with respect to the voting of its capital stock;
(viii) reclassify, split, combine, subdivide or redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any of its capital stock or securities convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for any shares of its capital stock;
(ix) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee such indebtedness of another Person, or issue or sell any debt securities or warrants or other rights to acquire any debt security of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except for indebtedness for borrowed money incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices;
(x) except as set forth in the capital budgets set forth in Section 6.1(a)(x) of the Company Disclosure Letter and consistent therewith, make or authorize any capital expenditure in excess of $2 million in the aggregate;
(xi) enter into any Contract that would have been a Material Contract had it been entered into prior to this Agreement, except for customer Contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice that do not contain any of the provisions referred to in Section 5.1(j)(i)(F);
(xii) make any changes with respect to accounting policies or procedures, except as required by changes in applicable generally accepted accounting principles, the rules or policies of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board or applicable Law;
(xiii) settle any litigation or other proceedings before a Governmental Entity for an amount in excess of $500,000 or any claim against the Company in excess of such amount;
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(xiv) (i) amend or modify any Material Contract in any material respect or in manner adverse to the Company or its Subsidiaries, (ii) terminate any Material Contract, or (iii) cancel, modify or waive any debts or claims held by it or waive any rights having in each case a value in excess of $500,000;
(xv) make any material Tax election, settle any material Tax claim or change any material method of Tax accounting;
(xvi) transfer, sell, lease, license, mortgage, pledge, suffer a Lien, divest, abandon, or allow to lapse or expire, or otherwise dispose of any assets, product lines or businesses of the Company or its Subsidiaries, including capital stock of any of its Subsidiaries, except in the ordinary course of business or sales of obsolete assets;
(xvii) except as provided in Section 6.9(g), as required pursuant to existing agreements in effect prior to the date of this Agreement and set forth in Section 5.1(h)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, or as otherwise required by applicable Law, (i) grant or provide any severance or termination payments or benefits to any director, officer or employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except, in the case of employees who are not officers, in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice as disclosed to the Parent prior to the date hereof, (ii) increase the compensation, bonus or pension, welfare, severance or other benefits of, pay any bonus to, or make any new equity awards to any director, officer or employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, except for increases in base salary or bonus in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice for employees who are not officers, (iii) establish, adopt, amend or terminate any Benefit Plan or amend the terms of any outstanding equity-based awards, (iv) take any action to accelerate the vesting or payment, or fund or in any other way secure the payment, of compensation or benefits under any Benefit Plan, to the extent not already provided in any such Benefit Plan, (v) change any actuarial or other assumptions used to calculate funding obligations with respect to any U.S. Benefit Plan or Non-U.S. Benefit Plan or to change the manner in which contributions to such plans are made or the basis on which such contributions are determined, except as may be required by GAAP, or (vi) forgive any loans to directors, officers or employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(xviii) take any action or omit to take any action that is reasonably likely to result in any of the conditions to the Merger set forth in Article VII not being satisfied;
(xix) perform any services or provide any products to any Person that would expand in any material respect the scope of services or products subject to any non-compete provision to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject; or
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(xx) agree, authorize or commit to do any of the foregoing.
(b) Prior to making any written or broad-based oral communications to the directors, officers or employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pertaining to the effect upon employment, compensation or benefit matters that will result as a consequence of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Company shall provide Parent with a copy of the intended communication, Parent shall have a reasonable period of time to review and comment on the communication, and Parent and the Company shall cooperate in providing any such mutually agreeable communication.
(c) From the date of this Agreement until Effective Time, except (A) as otherwise expressly required by this Agreement, (B) as the Company may approve in writing (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), (C) as set forth in Section 6.1(c) of the Parent Disclosure Letter or (D) as required by applicable Laws, Parent will not and will not permit its Subsidiaries to take any action or omit to take any action that is reasonably likely to result in any of the conditions to the Closing set forth in Article VII not being satisfied.
6.2. Acquisition Proposals.
(a) No Solicitation or Negotiation. The Company agrees that, except as expressly permitted by this Section 6.2, neither it nor any of its Subsidiaries nor any of the officers and directors of it or its Subsidiaries shall, and that it shall use its best efforts to instruct and cause its and its Subsidiaries’ employees, investment bankers, attorneys, accountants and other advisors or representatives (such directors, officers, employees, investment bankers, attorneys, accountants and other advisors or representatives, collectively, “Representatives”) not to, directly or indirectly:
(i) initiate, solicit or encourage any inquiries or the making of any proposal or offer that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to lead to, any Acquisition Proposal (as defined below); or
(ii) engage in, continue or otherwise participate in any discussions or negotiations regarding, or provide any non-public information or data to any Person relating to, any Acquisition Proposal; or
(iii) otherwise facilitate knowingly any effort or attempt to make an Acquisition Proposal.
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Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, prior to the time, but not after, the Company Requisite Vote is obtained, the Company may (A) provide information in response to a request therefor by a Person who has made an unsolicited bona fide written Acquisition Proposal providing for the acquisition of more than 50% of the assets (on a consolidated basis) or total voting power of the equity securities of the Company if the Company receives from the Person so requesting such information an executed confidentiality agreement on terms not less restrictive to the other party than those contained in the Confidentiality Agreement (as defined in Section 9.7); it being understood that such confidentiality agreement does not have to include a provision prohibiting the making, or amendment, of an Acquisition Proposal; and promptly discloses (and, if applicable, provides copies of) any such information to Parent to the extent not previously provided to Parent; (B) engage or participate in any discussions or negotiations with any Person who has made such an unsolicited bona fide written Acquisition Proposal; and/or (C) after having complied with Section 6.2(c), approve, recommend, or otherwise declare advisable or propose to approve, recommend or declare advisable (publicly or otherwise) such an Acquisition Proposal, if and only to the extent that, (x) prior to taking any action described in clause (A), (B) or (C) above, the board of directors of the Company determines in good faith after consultation with outside legal counsel that failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable Law, and (y) in each such case referred to in clause (A) or (B) above, the board of directors of the Company has determined in good faith based on the information then available and after consultation with its financial advisor that such Acquisition Proposal either constitutes a Superior Proposal (as defined below) or is reasonably likely to result in a Superior Proposal; and (z) in the case referred to in clause (C) above, the board of directors of the Company determines in good faith (after consultation with its financial advisor and outside legal counsel) that such Acquisition Proposal is a Superior Proposal.
(b) Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement:
“Acquisition Proposal” means (i) any proposal or offer with respect to a merger, joint venture, partnership, consolidation, dissolution, liquidation, tender offer, recapitalization, reorganization, share exchange, business combination or similar transaction involving the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries and (ii) any proposal or offer to acquire in any manner, directly or indirectly, 15% or more of the total voting power or of any class of equity securities of the Company or those of any of its Significant Subsidiaries, or 15% or more of the consolidated total assets (including equity securities of its Subsidiaries) of the Company, in each case other than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
“Superior Proposal” means an unsolicited bona fide Acquisition Proposal involving all or substantially all of the assets (on a consolidated basis) or total voting power of the equity securities of the Company that the board of directors of the Company has determined in its good faith judgment is reasonably expected to be consummated in accordance with its terms, taking into account all legal, financial and regulatory aspects of the proposal, the effect of the proposal on constituencies of the Company and the Person making the proposal, and if consummated, would result in a transaction more favorable to the Company’s shareholders from a financial point of view (after taking into account any revisions to the terms of the transaction contemplated by Section 6.2(c) of this Agreement).
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(c) No Change in Recommendation or Alternative Acquisition Agreement. The board of directors of the Company and each committee thereof shall not:
(i) withhold, withdraw, qualify or modify (or publicly propose or resolve to withhold, withdraw, qualify or modify), in a manner adverse to Parent, the Company Recommendation with respect to the Merger (it being understood that publicly taking a neutral position or no position with respect to an Acquisition Proposal at any time beyond 10 business days after the first public announcement of such Acquisition Proposal shall not be considered an adverse modification); or
(ii) except as expressly permitted by, and after compliance with, Section 8.3(a) hereof, cause or permit the Company to enter into any letter of intent, memorandum of understanding, agreement in principle, acquisition agreement, merger agreement or other agreement (other than a confidentiality agreement referred to in Section 6.2(a) entered into in compliance with Section 6.2(a)) (an “Alternative Acquisition Agreement”) relating to any Acquisition Proposal.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, prior to the time, but not after, the Company Requisite Vote is obtained, the board of directors of the Company may withhold, withdraw, qualify or modify the Company Recommendation or approve, recommend or otherwise declare advisable any Superior Proposal made after the date hereof that was not solicited, initiated, encouraged or knowingly facilitated in breach of Section 6.2(a), if the board of directors of the Company determines in good faith, after consultation with outside counsel, that failure to take such action would be inconsistent with the directors’ fiduciary duties under applicable Law (a “Change of Recommendation”); provided, however, that no Change of Recommendation may be made until after at least 48 hours following Parent’s receipt of written notice from the Company advising that management of the Company currently intends to recommend to its board of directors that it take such action and the basis therefor, including all necessary information under Section 6.2(f). In determining whether to make a Change of Recommendation in response to a Superior Proposal or otherwise, the Company board of directors shall take into account any changes to the terms of this Agreement proposed by Parent and any other information provided by Parent in response to such notice. Any material amendment to any Acquisition Proposal will be deemed to be a new Acquisition Proposal for purposes of this Section 6.2, including with respect to the notice period referred to in this Section 6.2.
(d) Certain Permitted Disclosure. Nothing contained in this Section 6.2 shall be deemed to prohibit the Company from complying with its disclosure obligations under U.S. federal or state Law with regard to an Acquisition Proposal; provided, however, that if such disclosure has the substantive effect of withdrawing or adversely modifying the Company Recommendation, Parent, shall have the right to terminate this Agreement as set forth in Section 8.4(a).
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(e) Existing Discussions. The Company agrees that it will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing activities, discussions or negotiations with any parties conducted heretofore with respect to any Acquisition Proposal. The Company agrees that it will take the necessary steps to promptly inform the individuals or entities referred to in the first sentence of Section 6.2 (a) of the obligations undertaken in this Section 6.2 and in the Confidentiality Agreement. The Company also agrees that it will promptly request each Person that has heretofore executed a confidentiality agreement in connection with its consideration of acquiring it or any of its Subsidiaries to return or destroy all confidential information heretofore furnished to such Person by or on behalf of it or any of its Subsidiaries.
(f) Notice. The Company agrees that it will promptly (and, in any event, within 48 hours) notify Parentif any inquiries, proposals or offers with respect to an Acquisition Proposal are received by, any such information is requested from, or any such discussions or negotiation are sought to be initiated or continued with, it or any of its Representatives indicating, in connection with such notice, the name of such Person and the material terms and conditions of any proposals or offers (including, if applicable, copies of any written requests, proposals or offers, including proposed agreements) and thereafter shall keep Parent informed, on a current basis, of the status and terms of any such proposals or offers (including any amendments thereto) and the status of any such discussions or negotiations, including any change in the Company’s intentions as previously notified.
6.3. Information Supplied. The Company shall prepare and file with the SEC, as promptly as practicable after the date of this Agreement, and in any event within 14 days after the date hereof, a proxy statement in preliminary form relating to the Shareholders Meeting (as defined in Section 6.4) (such proxy statement, including any amendment or supplement thereto, the “Proxy Statement”). The Company agrees, as to its and Subsidiaries, that (i) the Proxy Statement will comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and (ii) none of the information supplied by it or any of its Subsidiaries for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Proxy Statement will, at the date of mailing to shareholders of the Company or at the time of the Shareholders Meeting, 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 therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Parent shall cooperate in the preparation of the Proxy Statement and shall promptly provide to the Company any information regarding Parent that is necessary or reasonably appropriate to include in the Proxy Statement. Parent agrees that none of the information supplied by Parent or any of its Subsidiaries for inclusion or incorporation by reference in the Proxy Statement will, at the date of mailing to shareholders of the Company or at the time of the Shareholders Meeting, 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 therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
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6.4. Shareholders Meeting. The Company will take, in accordance with applicable Law and its Charter and Bylaws and subject to the fiduciary duties of its directors, all action necessary to convene a meeting of holders of Shares (the “Shareholders Meeting”) as promptly as practicable after the Proxy Statement is cleared by the SEC for mailing to the Company’s shareholders to consider and vote upon approval of this Agreement and the Merger. Subject to Section 6.2(c) hereof, the board of directors of the Company shall recommend such approval and shall use its reasonable best efforts to solicit such approval of this Agreement.
6.5. Filings; Other Actions; Notification.
(a) Proxy Statement. The Company shall promptly notify Parent of the receipt of all comments of the SEC with respect to the Proxy Statement and of any request by the SEC for any amendment or supplement thereto or for additional information and shall promptly provide to Parent copies of all correspondence between the Company and/or any of its Representatives and the SEC with respect to the Proxy Statement. The Company and Parent shall each use its reasonable best efforts to promptly provide responses to the SEC with respect to all comments received on the Proxy Statement by the SEC and the Company shall cause the definitive Proxy Statement to be mailed as promptly as possible after the date the SEC staff advises that it has no further comments thereon or that the Company may commence mailing the Proxy Statement.
(b) Cooperation. (i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Company and Parent shall cooperate with each other and use (and shall cause their respective Subsidiaries to use) their respective reasonable best efforts to take or cause to be taken all actions, and do or cause to be done all things, reasonably necessary, proper or advisable on its part under this Agreement and applicable Laws to consummate and make effective the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement as soon as reasonably practicable, including preparing and filing as promptly as practicable all documentation to effect all necessary notices, reports and other filings and to obtain as promptly as practicable all consents, registrations, approvals, permits and authorizations necessary or advisable to be obtained from any third party and/or any Governmental Entity in order to consummate the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement, including this Section 6.5 or the “reasonable best efforts” or other similar standard generally, shall require, or be construed to require, Parent to proffer to, or agree to, or to permit the Company to proffer to or agree to, with respect to assets or businesses of Parent, the Company or their respective Subsidiaries, sell, divest, lease, license, transfer, dispose of or otherwise encumber or hold separate or agree to sell, divest, lease, license, transfer, dispose of or otherwise encumber before or after the Effective Time, any assets, licenses, operations, rights, product lines, businesses or interest therein of Parent, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates (or to consent to any sale, divestiture, lease, license, transfer, disposition or other encumberment by the Company of any of its assets, licenses, operations, rights, product lines, businesses or interest therein or to any agreement by the Company to take any of the foregoing actions) or to agree to any material changes (including through a licensing arrangement) or restriction on, or other impairment of Parent’s ability to own or operate, of any such assets, licenses, product lines, businesses or interests therein or Parent’s ability to vote, transfer, receive dividends or otherwise exercise full ownership rights with respect to the stock of the Surviving Company. The Company and Parent shall each request early termination of the waiting period with respect to the Merger under the HSR Act. Subject to applicable Laws relating to the exchange of information, Parent shall have the right to direct all matters with any Governmental Entity consistent with its obligations hereunder, provided, that Parent and the Company shall have the right to review in advance and, to the extent practicable, each will consult with the other on and consider in good faith the views of the other in connection with, all of the information relating to Parent or the Company, as the case may be, and any of their respective Subsidiaries, that appears in any filing made with, or written materials submitted to, any third party and/or any Governmental Entity in connection with the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement (including the Proxy Statement). In exercising the foregoing rights, each of the Company and Parent shall act reasonably and as promptly as practicable.
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(ii) In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, each of the Company and Parent shall (A) make an appropriate filing of a Notification and Report Form pursuant to the HSR Act and appropriate filings under all other applicable Antitrust Laws with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby as promptly as practicable after the date of this Agreement, and bear the costs and expenses of its own filings, (B) use reasonable best efforts to negotiate the scope of and respond as promptly as reasonably practicable to any requests for additional information pursuant to any Antitrust Law made by the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (the “DOJ”), the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) or any other Governmental Entity, and (C) resist in good faith, at its own cost and expense, any assertion that the transactions contemplated hereby constitute a violation of any Antitrust Law.
(iii) In exercising the foregoing rights, each of the Company and Parent shall act reasonably and as promptly as reasonably practicable, and the Company and Parent shall (A) cooperate in all respects with each other in connection with any filing, submission, investigation or inquiry, (B) promptly inform each other of any communication received by it from, or given by it to, the DOJ, the FTC or any other Governmental Entity and of any material communication received or given in connection with any proceeding by a private party, in each case, regarding any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and (C) consult with each other in advance of any meeting, discussion, substantive telephone call or conference with the DOJ, the FTC or any other Governmental Entity or, in connection with any proceeding by a private party, or with any other Person, and to the extent not expressly prohibited by the DOJ, the FTC or any other Governmental Entity or Person, give each other the opportunity to attend and participate in such meetings and conferences, in each case, regarding any of the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company and Parent may, as each determines is reasonably necessary, designate competitively sensitive material provided to the other under this Section 6.5(b) as “Outside Counsel Only.” Such materials and the information contained therein shall be given only to the outside legal counsel of the recipient and will not be disclosed by such outside counsel to directors, officers or employees of the recipient unless express permission is obtained in advance from the source of the materials (the Company or Parent, as the case may be) or its legal counsel. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 6.5(b), materials provided to the other party hereto or its counsel may be redacted to remove references concerning the valuation of Company and its Subsidiaries.
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(c) Information. Subject to applicable Law, the Company and Parent each shall, upon request by the other, furnish the other with all information concerning itself, its Subsidiaries, directors, officers and shareholders and such other matters as may be reasonably necessary or advisable in connection with the Proxy Statement or any other statement, filing, notice or application made by or on behalf of Parent, the Company or any of their respective Subsidiaries to any third party and/or any Governmental Entity in connection with the Merger and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(d) Status. Subject to applicable Laws and the instructions of any Governmental Entity and the other terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company and Parent each shall keep the other apprised of the status of matters relating to completion of the transactions contemplated hereby, including promptly furnishing the other with copies of notices or other communications received by Parent or the Company, as the case may be, or any of its Subsidiaries, from any third party and/or any Governmental Entity with respect to the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Company shall give prompt notice to Parent of any change, fact or condition that is reasonably expected to result in a Company Material Adverse Effect or of any failure of any condition to Parent’s obligations to effect the Merger. Parent shall give prompt notice to the Company of any change, fact or condition that is reasonably expected to result in any failure of any condition to the Company’s obligations to effect the Merger.
6.6. Access and Reports. Subject to applicable Law, upon reasonable notice, the Company shall (and shall cause its Subsidiaries to) afford Parent’s officers and other authorized Representatives reasonable access, during normal business hours throughout the period prior to the Effective Time, to its employees, properties, books, contracts and records and, during such period, the Company shall (and shall cause its Subsidiaries to) furnish promptly to Parent all information concerning its business, properties and personnel as may reasonably be requested, provided that no investigation pursuant to this Section 6.6 shall affect or be deemed to modify any representation or warranty made by the Company herein, and provided, further, that the foregoing shall not require the Company (i) to permit any inspection, or to disclose any information, that in the reasonable judgment of the Company would result in the disclosure of any trade secrets of third parties or violate any of its obligations with respect to confidentiality if the Company shall have used reasonable best efforts to obtain the consent of such third party to such inspection or disclosure or (ii) to disclose any privileged information of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in a manner that is reasonably expected to result in the loss of such privilege. All requests for information made pursuant to this Section 6.6 shall be directed to the executive officer or other Person designated by the Company. All such information shall be governed by the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement.
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6.7. Stock Exchange De-listing. Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall cooperate with Parent and use reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions, and do or cause to be done all things, reasonably necessary, proper or advisable on its part under applicable Laws and rules and policies of the NYSEto enable the de-listing by the Surviving Corporation of the Shares from the NYSE and the deregistration of the Shares under the Exchange Act as promptly as practicable after the Effective Time.
6.8. Publicity. The initial press release regarding the Merger shall be a joint press release and thereafter the Company and Parent each shall consult with each other prior to issuing any press releases or otherwise making public announcements with respect to the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement and prior to making any filings with any third party and/or any Governmental Entity (including any national securities exchange or interdealer quotation service) with respect thereto, except as may be required by Law or by obligations pursuant to any listing agreement with or rules of any national securities exchangeor interdealer quotation service or by the request of any Government Entity.
6.9. Employee Benefits.
(a) Parent agrees that, for a period of one year following the Effective Date, the employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries will be provided with pension and welfare benefits under employee benefit plans that at the election of Parent are either (i) substantially similar in the aggregate to those currently provided by the Company and its Subsidiaries to such employees or (ii) substantially similar in the aggregate to those provided by Parent and its Subsidiaries to its similarly situated employees. With respect to any bonus or long-term cash incentive awards calculated based on 2006 performance, the Company’s performance for calendar year 2006 shall be calculated without taking into account any reasonable expenses or costs associated with or arising as a result of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any nonrecurring charges that would not reasonably be expected to have been incurred had the transactions contemplated by the Agreement not been proposed.
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(b) Prior to the Effective Time, if requested by Parent in writing, to the extent permitted by applicable Law and the terms of the applicable plan or arrangement, the Company shall (i) cause to be amended the employee benefit plans and arrangements of it and its Subsidiaries to the extent necessary to provide that no employees of Parent and its Subsidiaries shall commence participation therein following the Effective Time unless the Surviving Corporation or such Subsidiary explicitly authorizes such participation and (ii) cause the Xxxxx Corporation Incentive Savings Plan and the Xxxxx Hourly 401(k) Plan to be terminated effective immediately prior to the Effective Time. In addition, prior to the Effective Time, to the extent permitted by applicable Law and the terms of the applicable plan or arrangement, Parent shall cause to be amended the employee benefit plans and arrangements of it and its Subsidiaries to the extent necessary to provide that no employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries shall commence participation therein following the Effective Time unless Parent or such Subsidiary explicitly authorizes such participation.
(c) The Company agrees to cause each of its officers and directors to repay any outstanding loans or notes that such officer or director owes to the Company or its Subsidiaries prior to the Effective Time.
(d) Parent agrees that, following the Effective Time, decisions regarding utilization of facilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries or Parent and its Subsidiaries shall be made by Parent on a basis that reflects the best long-term business interests of Parent and its Subsidiaries (including the Company and its Subsidiaries) and without regard to whether the facility is a legacy facility of Parent or a legacy facility of the Company. In addition, following the Effective Time, decisions regarding promotions and retention of employees shall be made by Parent on a fair and equitable basis, in light of the circumstances and the objectives to be achieved, giving consideration to previous work history, job experience, qualifications and business needs without regard (except to the extent affecting relevant experience) to whether employment prior to the Effective Time was with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Parent or any of its Subsidiaries.
(e) Parent agrees that any employee of the Company and its Subsidiaries who is terminated without cause during the 18 months following the Effective Time shall receive severance benefits in accordance with Section 6.9(e) of the Company Disclosure Letter.
(f) Except to the extent it would result in a duplication of benefits, Parent shall cause any employee benefit plans (including vacation, severance and disability plans) covering employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries to take into account for purposes of eligibility, benefits (excluding accruals under a defined benefit plan) and vesting thereunder service by such employees with the Company and its Subsidiaries as if such service were with Parent or its Subsidiaries, to the same extent that such service was credited under a comparable plan of the Company or its Subsidiaries, provided, that no credit shall be given under frozen benefit plans. For purposes of each employee benefit plan of Parent or its Subsidiaries providing medical, dental, prescription drug, vision, life insurance or disability benefits to any employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, Parent shall cause its employee benefit plans to (i) waive all pre-existing condition exclusions of its employee benefit plans with respect to such employees and their dependents to the same extent such exclusions were waived under a comparable plan of the Company and (ii) take into account any eligible expenses incurred by such employees and their dependents for purposes of satisfying all deductible, coinsurance and maximum out-of-pocket requirements applicable to such employees and their covered dependents under the applicable employee benefit plan of Parent or its Subsidiaries.
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(g) The Company may establish a retention and transaction bonus pool (the “Retention Pool”); provided, that (i) the aggregate amount of bonuses paid pursuant to such Retention Pool shall not exceed $3,000,000 and (ii) the Retention Pool complies with the requirements set forth in Section 6.9(g) of the Company Disclosure Letter. Amounts awarded under the Retention Pool shall be allocated prior to the Effective Time to employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries designated by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company in accordance with the guidelines set forth in Section 6.9(g) of the Company Disclosure Letter and subject to the approval of Parent (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld).
(h) Parent agrees that, with respect to any employee of the Company and its Subsidiaries who, at the Effective Time, is in a course of training covered in part or in whole by a tuition reimbursement program of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, such program will be continued throughout such course of training (not to exceed two years or $1,000,000 in the aggregate) (as opposed to the current educational period).
(i) From and after the Effective Time, Parent shall cause any nonqualified deferred compensation plans covering any employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to be drafted and administered in a manner that complies with Section 409A of the Code.
(j) For a period of three years after the Effective Time, Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation and its Subsidiaries to make charitable contributions in the communities that the Company and its Subsidiaries serve, in such amounts (not to exceed $1.5 million in the aggregate), at such times and in such manner as are generally consistent with the past practices of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
(k) Nothing contained in this Section 6.9 or this Agreement shall (i) be treated as an amendment of any particular Benefit Plan, (ii) give any third party any right to enforce the provisions of this Section 6.9 or (iii) obligate Parent, the Surviving Corporation or any of their Affiliates to (x) maintain any particular Benefit Plan or (y) retain the employment of any particular employee.
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6.10. Expenses. The Surviving Corporation shall pay all charges and expenses, including those of the Paying Agent, in connection with the transactions contemplated in Article IV, and Parent shall reimburse the Surviving Corporation for such charges and expenses. Except as otherwise provided in Section 8.5, whether or not the Merger is consummated, all costs and expenses incurred in connection with this Agreement and the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be paid by the party incurring such expense.
6.11. Indemnification; Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance.
(a) From and after the Effective Time, Parent shall or shall cause the Surviving Corporation to indemnify and hold harmless each present and former director and officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (in each case, when acting in such capacity), determined as of the Effective Time (the “Indemnified Parties”), against any costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, losses, claims, damages or liabilities (collectively, “Costs”) incurred in connection with any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, arising out of matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Effective Time (including those in respect of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby), whether asserted or claimed prior to, at or after the Effective Time, to the fullest extent that the Company would have been permitted under Wisconsin law and its Charter or Bylaws in effect on the date hereof to indemnify such Person (and Parent or the Surviving Corporation shall also advance expenses as incurred to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law and the Company’s Charter or Bylaws in effect on the date hereof).
(b) Any Indemnified Party wishing to claim indemnification under paragraph (a) of this Section 6.11, upon learning of any such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, shall promptly notify Parent or the Surviving Corporation thereof, but the failure to so notify shall not relieve the Surviving Corporation or Parent of any liability it may have to such Indemnified Party except to the extent such failure materially prejudices the indemnifying party. In the event of any such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation (whether arising before or after the Effective Time), (i) the Surviving Corporation shall have the right to assume the defense thereof and Parent and the Surviving Corporation shall not be liable to such Indemnified Parties for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses subsequently incurred by such Indemnified Parties in connection with the defense thereof, except that if the Surviving Corporation elects not to assume such defense or there are issues which raise conflicts of interest between Parent or the Surviving Corporation and the Indemnified Parties, the Indemnified Parties may retain counsel satisfactory to them, and the Parent shall pay all reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel for the Indemnified Parties promptly as statements therefor are received; provided, however, that the Surviving Corporation shall be obligated pursuant to this paragraph (b) to pay for only one firm of counsel for all Indemnified Parties in any jurisdiction unless the use of one counsel for such Indemnified Parties would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, provided that the fewest number of counsels necessary to avoid conflicts of interest shall be used; (ii) the Indemnified Parties will cooperate in the defense of any such matter, and (iii) Parent and the Surviving Corporation shall not be liable for any settlement effected without their prior written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed (except that no such consent shall be required as a condition to Parent’s or the Surviving Corporation’s liability if Parent or the Surviving Corporation fails to assume, pay for or actively participate in the defense of the underlying matter); and provided, further, that Parent and the Surviving Corporation shall not have any obligation hereunder to any Indemnified Party if and when a court of competent jurisdiction shall ultimately determine, and such determination shall have become final and not subject to appeal, that the indemnification of such Indemnified Party in the manner contemplated hereby is prohibited by applicable Law and the Company’s Charter and Bylaws as in effect on the date hereof.
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(c) Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall and if the Company is unable to, Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation as of the Effective Time to obtain and fully pay for “tail” insurance policies with a claims period of at least six years from and after the Effective Time from an insurance carrier with the same or better credit rating as the Company’s current insurance carrier with respect to directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and fiduciary liability insurance (collectively, “D&O Insurance”) with benefits and levels of coverage at least as favorable as the Company’s existing policies with respect to matters existing or occurring at or prior to the Effective Time (including in connection with this Agreement or the transactions or actions contemplated hereby), provided, however, that in no event shall the Company expend for such policies a premium amount in excess of the amount set forth in the Company Disclosure Letter. If the Company and the Surviving Corporation for any reason fail to obtain such “tail” insurance policies as of the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation shall, and Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation to, continue to maintain in effect in respect of the Company’s current directors and officers, for a period of at least six years from and after the Effective Time, the D&O Insurance in place as of the date hereof with benefits and levels of coverage at least as favorable as provided in the Company’s existing policies as of the date hereof, or the Surviving Corporation shall, and Parent shall cause the Surviving Corporation to, use reasonable best efforts to purchase comparable D&O Insurance for such six-year period with benefits and levels of coverage at least as favorable as provided in the Company’s existing policies as of the date hereof, provided, however, that in no event shall Parent or the Surviving Corporation be required to expend for such policies an annual premium amount in excess of 250% of the annual premiums currently paid by the Company for such insurance; and, providedfurther that if the annual premiums of such insurance coverage exceed such amount, the Surviving Corporation shall obtain a policy with the greatest coverage available for a cost not exceeding such amount.
(d) If Parent or the Surviving Corporation or any of their respective successors or assigns (i) shall consolidate with or merge into any other corporation or entity and shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of such consolidation or merger or (ii) shall transfer all or substantially all of its properties and assets to any individual, corporation or other entity, then, and in each such case, proper provisions shall be made so that the successors and assigns of Parent or the Surviving Corporation shall assume all of the obligations set forth in this Section 6.11.
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(e) The provisions of this Section 6.11 are intended to be for the benefit of, and shall be enforceable by, each of the Indemnified Parties and their heirs and representatives.
(f) The rights of the Indemnified Parties under this Section 6.11 shall be in addition to any rights such Indemnified Parties may have under the certificates of incorporation or by-laws of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or under any applicable Contracts or Laws. Without limitation, all rights to indemnification and exculpation from liabilities for acts or omissions occurring at or prior to the Effective Time now existing in favor of any current or former officers, directors or employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, as provided in the respective certificates or articles of incorporation or bylaws (or comparable organizational documents) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and any existing indemnification agreements, shall survive the Merger and shall continue in full force and effect in accordance with their terms, and shall not be amended, repealed or otherwise modified in any manner that would adversely affect the rights thereunder of such individuals for acts or omissions occurring at or prior to the Effective Time
6.12. Other Actions by the Company.
(a) Rights. Prior to the Effective Time, the board of directors of the Company shall take all necessary action to cause the Rights to cease to be outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time and to terminate the Rights Agreement, effective as of the Effective Time, without payment of any consideration in respect thereof.
(b) Takeover Statutes. If any Takeover Statute is or may become applicable to the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Company and its board of directors shall grant such approvals and take such actions as are necessary so that such transactions may be consummated as promptly as practicable on the terms contemplated by this Agreement and otherwise act to eliminate or minimize the effects of such statute or regulation on such transactions.
(c) Section 16 Matters. Prior to the Effective Time, the Company shall take all actions that are required to cause any dispositions of Shares (and derivative securities with respect to Shares) resulting from the Merger by each individual who is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act with respect to the Company to be exempt under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.
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ARTICLE VII
Conditions
7.1. Conditions to Each Party’s Obligation to Effect the Merger. The respective obligation of each party to effect the Merger is subject to the satisfaction or waiver at or prior to the Effective Time of each of the following conditions:
(a) Shareholder Approval. This Agreement shall have been duly approved by holders of Shares constituting the Company Requisite Vote in accordance with applicable Law and the Charter and the Bylaws of the Company.
(b) Regulatory Consents. (i) The waiting period applicable to the consummation of the Merger under the HSR Act shall have expired or been earlier terminated (“HSR Approval”) and (ii)(A) in the event that, for purposes of the ECMR, the Merger is, or is deemed to be, a concentration with a “Community dimension”, the European Commission shall have adopted a decision pursuant to the ECMR declaring the Merger compatible with the common market and, in the event that any aspect of the Merger is referred to the competent authorities of any EU member state pursuant to Article 9 of the ECMR (or is deemed to be so referred pursuant to Article 9 of the ECMR) and effecting the Merger prior to the granting of approval by the relevant authorities of such EU member state would constitute a violation of the merger control laws applicable in that state, approval of the aspect of the Merger that was so referred (or deemed to be so referred) shall have been granted pursuant to the merger control laws applicable in the relevant EU member state, or (B) in the event that, for purposes of the ECMR, the Merger is not, or is deemed not to be, a concentration with a “Community dimension”, approval of the Merger shall have been granted by each of the relevant authorities of each of the EU member states in which such approval is required in order for the Merger to be effected without constituting a violation of the merger control laws applicable in such EU member states.
(c) Litigation. No court or other Governmental Entity of competent jurisdiction shall have enacted, issued, promulgated, enforced or entered any Law (whether temporary, preliminary or permanent) that is in effect and restrains, enjoins or otherwise prohibits consummation of the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement (collectively, an “Order”).
7.2. Conditions to Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub. The obligations of Parent and Merger Sub to effect the Merger are also subject to the satisfaction or waiver by Parent at or prior to the Effective Time of the following conditions:
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(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of such date and time, without regard to any Company Material Adverse Effect or other materiality qualification to such representations and warranties (except to the extent that any such representation and warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such earlier date, and except for any changes expressly permitted by this Agreement), provided, however, that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the condition set forth in this Section 7.2(a)(i) shall be deemed to have been satisfied even if any representations and warranties of the Company (other than Section 5.1(b)(i) (Capital Structure), 5.1(c) (Corporate Authority), 5.1(l) (Takeover Statutes) and 5.1(r) (Rights Agreement) hereof, which must be true and correct in all material respects) are not so true and correct , without regard to any Company Material Adverse Effect or other materiality qualification to such representations and warranties, unless the failure of such representations and warranties of the Company to be so true and correct, individually or in the aggregate, has had or is reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect; and (ii) Parent shall have received at the Closing a certificate signed on behalf of the Company by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company to the effect that such Chief Executive Officer has read this Section 7.2(a) and the conditions set forth in this Section 7.2(a) have been satisfied.
(b) Performance of Obligations of the Company. The Company shall have performed in all material respects all obligations required to be performed by it under this Agreement at or prior to the Closing Date, and Parent shall have received a certificate signed on behalf of the Company by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company to such effect.
(c) No Material Adverse Effect. Since the date of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred or been discovered any change, event, circumstances or development that has had, or is reasonably expected to have, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(d) Consents Under Agreements. The Company shall have obtained the consent or approval of each Person whose consent or approval shall be required under any material Contract to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party that has not been provided to Parent on or prior to the date hereof, except those for which the failure to obtain such consent or approval, individually or in the aggregate, is not reasonably expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect (taking into account any provision in any such material Contract which allows the counterparty thereto to terminate such material Contract without cause).
7.3. Conditions to Obligation of the Company. The obligation of the Company to effect the Merger is also subject to the satisfaction or waiver by the Company at or prior to the Effective Time of the following conditions:
(a) Representations and Warranties. (i) The representations and warranties of Parent set forth in this Agreement shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of such date and time (except to the extent that any such representation and warranty expressly speaks as of an earlier date, in which case such representation and warranty shall be true and correct as of such earlier date, and except for any changes expressly permitted by this Agreement), and (ii) the Company shall have received at the Closing a certificate signed on behalf of Parent by an executive officer of Parent to the effect that such executive officer has read this Section 7.3(a) and the conditions set forth in this Section 7.3(a) have been satisfied.
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(b) Performance of Obligations of Parent and Merger Sub. Each of Parent and Merger Sub shall have performed in all material respects all obligations required to be performed by it under this Agreement at or prior to the Closing Date, and the Company shall have received a certificate signed on behalf of Parent and Merger Sub by an executive officer of Parent to such effect.
ARTICLE VIII
Termination
8.1. Termination by Mutual Consent. This Agreement may be terminated and the Merger may be abandoned at any time prior to the Effective Time, whether before or after the approval by the shareholders of the Company referred to in Section 7.1(a), by mutual written consent of the Company and Parent by action of their respective boards of directors.
8.2. Termination by Either Parent or the Company. This Agreement may be terminated and the Merger may be abandoned at any time prior to the Effective Time by action of the board of directors of either Parent or the Company if the Merger shall not have been consummated by March 31, 2007, or such other date as Parent and the Company agreed to in writing, provided, that such date may be extended by written notice from either Parent or the Company until not later than June 30, 2007 to the extent necessary to obtain the approvals of the Governmental Entities described in Section 7.1(b), whether such date is before or after the date of approval by the shareholders of the Company referred to in Section 7.1(a), but only if on the date of such extension all other conditions to the Closing have been or are readily capable of being satisfied (the “Termination Date”), the approval of this Agreement by the shareholders of the Company referred to in Section 7.1(a) shall not have been obtained at the Shareholders Meeting or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or (c) any Order permanently restraining, enjoining or otherwise prohibiting consummation of the Merger shall become final and non-appealable (whether before or after the approval by the shareholders of the Company); provided that the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 8.2 shall not be available to any party that has breached in any material respect its obligations under this Agreement in any manner that shall have proximately contributed to the occurrence of the failure of a condition to the consummation of the Merger.
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8.3. Termination by the Company. This Agreement may be terminated by the Company and the Merger may be abandoned:
(a) at any time prior to the time the Company Requisite Vote is obtained, if (i) the Company is not in material breach of any of the terms of this Agreement, (ii) the board of directors of the Company authorizes the Company, subject to complying with the terms of this Agreement, to enter into an Alternative Acquisition Agreement with respect to a Superior Proposal and the Company notifies Parent in writing that it intends to enter into such an agreement, attaching the most current version of such agreement to such notice, (iii) Parent does not make, within three business days of receipt of the Company’s written notification of its intention to enter into a binding agreement for a Superior Proposal, an offer that the board of directors of the Company determines, in good faith after consultation with its financial advisors, is at least as favorable, from a financial point of view, to the shareholders of the Company as the Superior Proposal and (iv) the Company prior to such termination pays to Parent in immediately available funds any fees required to be paid pursuant to Section 8.5. The Company agrees (x) that it will not enter into the binding agreement referred to in clause (ii) above until at least the fourth business day after it has provided the notice to Parent required thereby, (y) to notify Parent promptly if its intention to enter into the written agreement referred to in its notification and (z) during such three day period, to negotiate in good faith with Parent with respect to any revisions to the terms of the transaction contemplated by this Agreement proposed by Parent in response to a Superior Proposal, if any; or
(b) if there has been a breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement made by Parent or Merger Sub in this Agreement, or any such representation and warranty shall have become untrue after the date of this Agreement, such that Section 7.3(a) or 7.3(b) would not be satisfied and such breach or condition is not curable or, if curable, is not cured within 30 days after written notice thereof is given by the Company to Parent.
8.4. Termination by Parent. This Agreement may be terminated and the Merger may be abandoned at any time prior to the Effective Time by action of the board of directors of Parent if the board of directors of the Company shall have made a Change of Recommendation, the Company shall have failed to take a vote of shareholders on the Merger prior to the Termination Date, a tender offer or exchange offer for outstanding Shares shall have been publicly disclosed (other than by Parent or an Affiliate of Parent) and the Company’s board of directors recommends that the shareholders of the Company tender their shares in such tender or exchange offer or, within 10 business days after the commencement of such tender or exchange offer, the Company’s board of directors fails to recommend against acceptance of such offer or (d)there has been a breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement made by the Company in this Agreement, or any such representation and warranty shall have become untrue after the date of this Agreement, such that Section 7.2(a) or 7.2(b) would not be satisfied and such breach or condition is not curable or, if curable, is not cured prior to the Termination Date.
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8.5. Effect of Termination and Abandonment. (a) In the event of termination of this Agreement and the abandonment of the Merger pursuant to this Article VIII, this Agreement shall become void and of no effect with no liability to any Person on the part of any party hereto (or of any of its Representatives or Affiliates); provided, however, and notwithstanding anything in the foregoing to the contrary, that (i) except as otherwise provided herein, no such termination shall relieve any party hereto of any liability or damages to the other party hereto resulting from any willful material breach of this Agreement and (ii) the provisions set forth in the second sentence of Section 9.1 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
(b) In the event that (i) a bona fide Acquisition Proposal shall have been made or amended after the date hereof to the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries or any of its shareholders and publicly disclosed or any Person shall have publicly announced after the date hereof an intention (whether or not conditional and including any amendment to an existing proposal) to make an Acquisition Proposal with respect to the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries (and such Acquisition Proposal or publicly announced intention shall not have been publicly withdrawn without qualification at least (A) 30 days prior to, with respect to any termination pursuant to Section 8.2(a), the Termination Date, and (B) at least 10 business days prior to, with respect to termination pursuant to Section 8.2(b), the date of the Shareholders Meeting) and thereafter this Agreement is terminated by either Parent or the Company pursuant to Section 8.2(a) (Drop Dead) or 8.2(b) (No Stockholder Approval), (ii) this Agreement is terminated by Parent pursuant to Section 8.4(a) or Section 8.4(c), (iii) this Agreement is terminated by Parent pursuant to Section 8.4(b) or (iv) this Agreement is terminated by the Company pursuant to Section 8.3(a) (Fiduciary Out) then the Company shall promptly, but in no event later than two days after the date of such termination, pay Parent a termination fee of $34.2 million (the “Termination Fee”) (provided, however, that the Termination Fee to be paid pursuant to clause (iv) shall be paid as set forth in Section 8.3) and shall promptly, but in no event later than two business days after being notified in writing of such by Parent, pay all of the documented and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Parent or Merger Sub in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement up to a maximum amount of $4,000,000, in each case payable by wire transfer of same day funds; provided, however, that no Termination Fee or such expenses shall be payable to Parent pursuant to clause (i) or clause (iii) of this paragraph (b) unless and until within 12 months of such termination the Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall have entered into an Alternate Acquisition Agreement with respect to, or shall have consummated or shall have approved or recommended to the Company’s shareholders or otherwise not opposed, an Acquisition Proposal (substituting “50%” for “15%” in the definition thereof), provided that for purposes of this Agreement, an Acquisition Proposal shall not be deemed to have been “publicly withdrawn” by any Person if, within 12 months of such termination, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall have entered into an Alternative Acquisition Agreement (other than a confidentiality agreement) with respect to, or shall have consummated or shall have approved or recommended to the Company’s shareholders or otherwise not opposed, an Acquisition Proposal made by or on behalf of such Person or any of its Affiliates. The Company acknowledges that the agreements contained in this Section 8.5(b) are an integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and that, without these agreements, Parent and Merger Sub would not enter into this Agreement; accordingly, if the Company fails to promptly pay the amount due pursuant to this Section 8.5(b), and, in order to obtain such payment, Parent or Merger Sub commences a suit that results in a judgment against the Company for the fee set forth in this Section 8.5(b) or any portion of such fee, the Company shall pay to Parent or Merger Sub its reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) in connection with such suit, together with interest on the amount of the fee at the prime rate of Citibank N.A. in effect on the date such payment was required to be made through the date of payment. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the parties hereby acknowledge that in the event that the Termination Fee becomes payable and is paid by the Company pursuant to this Section 8.5(b), the Termination Fee shall be Parent’s and Merger Sub’s sole and exclusive remedy under this Agreement.
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(c) In the event that (i) this Agreement is terminated by Parent or the Company pursuant to Section 8.2(a) because HSR Approval shall not have been obtained and (ii) prior to the Termination Date, Parent or one of its Subsidiaries has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the printing business or printing operations of a Person in a transaction that requires HSR Approval, Parent shall pay the Company a termination fee of $17.1 million (the “Parent Fee”), payable by wire transfer of same day funds no later than two business days after such termination. Parent acknowledges that the agreements contained in this Section 8.5(c) are an integral part of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and that, without these agreements, the Company would not enter into this Agreement; accordingly, if Parent fails to promptly pay the amount due pursuant to this Section 8.5(c), and, in order to obtain such payment, the Company commences a suit that results in a judgment against Parent for the fee set forth in this Section 8.5(c) or any portion of such fee, Parent shall pay to the Company its reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) in connection with such suit, together with interest on the amount of the fee at the prime rate of Citibank N.A. in effect on the date such payment was required to be made through the date of payment. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the parties hereby acknowledge that in the event that the Parent Fee becomes payable and is paid by Parent pursuant to this Section 8.5(c), the Parent Fee shall be the Company’s sole and exclusive remedy under this Agreement.
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ARTICLE IX
Miscellaneous and General
9.1. Survival. This Article IX and the agreements of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub contained in Article IV and Sections 6.10 (Expenses) and 6.11 (Indemnification; Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance) shall survive the consummation of the Merger. This Article IX and the agreements of the Company, Parent and Merger Sub contained in Section 6.10 (Expenses) and Section 8.5 (Effect of Termination and Abandonment) and the Confidentiality Agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement. All other representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in this Agreement shall not survive the consummation of the Merger or the termination of this Agreement.
9.2. Modification or Amendment. Subject to the provisions of the applicable Laws, at any time prior to the Effective Time, the parties hereto may modify or amend this Agreement, by written agreement executed and delivered by duly authorized officers of the respective parties.
9.3. Waiver of Conditions. The conditions to each of the parties’ obligations to consummate the Merger are for the sole benefit of such party and may be waived by such party in whole or in part to the extent permitted by applicable Laws.
9.4. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each such counterpart being deemed to be an original instrument, and all such counterparts shall together constitute the same agreement.
9.5. GOVERNING LAW AND VENUE; WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL; SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE. (a) THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE MADE IN AND IN ALL RESPECTS SHALL BE INTERPRETED, CONSTRUED AND GOVERNED BY AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF WISCONSIN WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PRINCIPLES THEREOF. The parties hereby irrevocably submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York located in New York County and the Federal courts of the United States of America located in the Southern District of New York solely in respect of the interpretation and enforcement of the provisions of this Agreement and of the documents referred to in this Agreement, and in respect of the transactions contemplated hereby, and hereby waive, and agree not to assert, as a defense in any action, suit or proceeding for the interpretation or enforcement hereof or of any such document, that it is not subject thereto or that such action, suit or proceeding may not be brought or is not maintainable in said courts or that the venue thereof may not be appropriate or that this Agreement or any such document may not be enforced in or by such courts, and the parties hereto irrevocably agree that all claims with respect to such action or proceeding shall be heard and determined in such a New York State or Federal court. The parties hereby consent to and grant any such court jurisdiction over the person of such parties and over the subject matter of such dispute and agree that mailing of process or other papers in connection with any such action or proceeding in the manner provided in Section 9.6 or in such other manner as may be permitted by Law shall be valid and sufficient service thereof.
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(b) EACH PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND THEREFORE EACH SUCH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT SUCH PARTY MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT. EACH PARTY CERTIFIES AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT (i) NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE TO IT, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER, (ii) EACH PARTY UNDERSTANDS AND HAS CONSIDERED THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS WAIVER, (iii) EACH PARTY MAKES THIS WAIVER VOLUNTARILY AND (iv) EACH PARTY HAS BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 9.5.
(c) The parties agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that the parties shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement in the Courts of the State of New York, this being in addition to any other remedy to which such party is entitled at law or in equity.
9.6. Notices. Any notice, request, instruction or other document to be given hereunder by any party to the others shall be in writing and delivered personally or sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, or by facsimile:
If
to Parent or Merger Sub: X.X. Xxxxxxxxx & Sons Company 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000 Attention: General Counsel fax: (000) 000-0000 with a copy to Xxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx |
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Xxx
Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx Xxxxx X. Xxxxx fax: (000) 000-0000 |
If
to the Company: Xxxxx Corporation 000 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx 00000 Attention: General Counsel fax: (000) 000-0000 with a copy to: Xxxxx & Xxxxxxx LLP 000 Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx 00000 Attention: Xxx X. Xxxxxxx fax: (000) 000-0000 |
or to such other persons or addresses as may be designated in writing by the party to receive such notice as provided above. Any notice, request, instruction or other document given as provided above shall be deemed given to the receiving party upon actual receipt, if delivered personally; three business days after deposit in the mail, if sent by registered or certified mail; upon confirmation of successful transmission if sent by facsimile (provided that if given by facsimile such notice, request, instruction or other document shall be followed up within one business day by dispatch pursuant to one of the other methods described herein); or on the next business day after deposit with an overnight courier, if sent by an overnight courier.
9.7. Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including any exhibits hereto), the Company Disclosure Letter, the Parent Disclosure Letter and the Amended and Restated Confidentiality Agreement, dated October 12, 2006, between Parent and the Company (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) constitute the entire agreement, and supersede all other prior agreements, understandings, representations and warranties both written and oral, among the parties, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
9.8. No Third Party Beneficiaries. Except as provided in Section 6.11 (Indemnification; Directors’ and Officers’ Insurance) only, Parent and the Company hereby agree that their respective representations, warranties and covenants set forth herein are solely for the benefit of the other party hereto, in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Agreement, and this Agreement is not intended to, and does not, confer upon any Person other than the parties hereto any rights or remedies hereunder, including, without limitation, the right to rely upon the representations and warranties set forth herein. The parties hereto further agree that the rights of third party beneficiaries under Section 6.11 shall not arise unless and until the Effective Time occurs. The representations and warranties in this Agreement are the product of negotiations among the parties hereto and are for the sole benefit of the parties hereto. Any inaccuracies in such representations and warranties are subject to waiver by the parties hereto in accordance with Section 9.3 without notice or liability to any other Person. In some instances, the representations and warranties in this Agreement may represent an allocation among the parties hereto of risks associated with particular matters regardless of the knowledge of any of the parties hereto. Consequently, Persons other than the parties hereto may not rely upon the representations and warranties in this Agreement as characterizations of actual facts or circumstances as of the date of this Agreement or as of any other date.
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9.9. Obligations of Parent and of the Company. Whenever this Agreement requires a Subsidiary of Parent to take any action, such requirement shall be deemed to include an undertaking on the part of Parent to cause such Subsidiary to take such action. Whenever this Agreement requires a Subsidiary of the Company to take any action, such requirement shall be deemed to include an undertaking on the part of the Company to cause such Subsidiary to take such action and, after the Effective Time, on the part of the Surviving Corporation to cause such Subsidiary to take such action.
9.10. Definitions. Each of the terms set forth in Annex A is defined in the Section of this Agreement set forth opposite such term.
9.11. Severability. The provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed severable and the invalidity or unenforceability of any provision shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the other provisions hereof. If any provision of this Agreement, or the application thereof to any Person or any circumstance, is invalid or unenforceable, (a) a suitable and equitable provision shall be substituted therefor in order to carry out, so far as may be valid and enforceable, the intent and purpose of such invalid or unenforceable provision and (b) the remainder of this Agreement and the application of such provision to other Persons or circumstances shall not be affected by such invalidity or unenforceability, nor shall such invalidity or unenforceability affect the validity or enforceability of such provision, or the application thereof, in any other jurisdiction.
9.12. Interpretation; Construction. (a) The table of contents and headings herein are for convenience of reference only, do not constitute part of this Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or otherwise affect any of the provisions hereof. Where a reference in this Agreement is made to a Section, such reference shall be to a Section of this Agreement unless otherwise indicated. Whenever the words “include,” “includes” or “including” are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation.”
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(b) The parties have participated jointly in negotiating and drafting this Agreement. In the event that an ambiguity or a question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement.
9.13. Assignment. This Agreement shall not be assignable by operation of law or otherwise; provided, however, that Parent may designate, by written notice to the Company, another wholly owned direct or indirect subsidiary to be a Constituent Corporation in lieu of Merger Sub, in which event all references herein to Merger Sub shall be deemed references to such other subsidiary, except that all representations and warranties made herein with respect to Merger Sub as of the date of this Agreement shall be deemed representations and warranties made with respect to such other subsidiary as of the date of such designation, provided that any such designation shall not materially impede or delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or otherwise materially impede the rights of the shareholders of the Company under this Agreement. Any purported assignment in violation of this Agreement is void.
[Signature Page Follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the duly authorized officers of the parties hereto as of the date first written above.
XXXXX CORPORATION | |
By /s/ Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |
Title: Chairman, President and CEO | |
X.X. XXXXXXXXX & SONS COMPANY | |
By /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Title: Executive Vice President | |
SODA ACQUISITION, INC. | |
By /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Title: |
[Signature Page to Merger Agreement]
ANNEX A
DEFINED TERMS
Terms | Section | |
401(k) Plans | 5.1 | (b)(i) |
Acquisition Proposal | 6.2 | (b) |
Affiliate | 5.1 | (e)(ii) |
Agreement | Preamble | |
Alternative Acquisition Agreement | 6.2 | (c)(ii) |
Applicable Date | 5.1 | (e)(i) |
Antitrust Laws | 5.1 | (d)(i) |
Bankruptcy and Equity Exception | 5.1 | (c)(i) |
Benefit Plans | 5.1 | (h)(i) |
business day | 1.2 | |
Bylaws | 2.2 | |
Certificate | 4.1 | (a) |
Change of Recommendation | 6.2 | (c) |
Charter | 2.1 | |
Closing | 1.2 | |
Closing Date | 1.2 | |
Code | 4.2 | (f) |
Company | Preamble | |
Company Approvals | 5.1 | (d)(i) |
Company Awards | 4.3 | (c) |
Company Disclosure Letter | 5.1 | |
Company Labor Agreements | 5.1 | (o) |
Company Material Adverse Effect | 5.1 | (a) |
Company Option | 4.3 | (a) |
Company Recommendation | 5.1 | (c)(ii) |
Company Reports | 5.1 | (e)(i) |
Company Requisite Vote | 5.1 | (c)(i) |
Confidentiality Agreement | 9.7 | |
Constituent Corporations | Preamble | |
Contract | 5.1 | (d)(ii) |
Costs | 6.11 | (a) |
D&O Insurance | 6.11 | (c) |
DOJ | 6.5 | (b)(ii) |
ECMR | 5.1 | (d)(i) |
Effective Time | 1.3 | |
Employees | 5.1 | (h)(i) |
Encumbrance | 5.1 | (k)(iv) |
Environmental Law | 5.1 | (m) |
A-1
ERISA | 5.1 | (h)(i) |
ERISA Affiliate | 5.1 | (h)(iii) |
ERISA Plan | 5.1 | (h)(ii) |
Exchange Act | 5.1 | (a) |
Exchange Fund | 4.2 | (a) |
Excluded Share | 4.1 | (a) |
Excluded Shares | 4.1 | (a) |
FTC | 6.5 | (b)(ii) |
GAAP | 5.1 | (a)(iii)(D) |
Governmental Entity | 5.1 | (d)(i) |
Hazardous Substance | 5.1 | (m) |
HSR Act | 5.1 | (b)(ii) |
HSR Approval | 7.1 | (b) |
Indemnified Parties | 6.11 | (a) |
Infringe | 5.1 | (p)(i) |
Insurance Policies | 5.1 | (q) |
Intellectual Property | 5.1 | (p)(iv) |
IRS | 5.1 | (h)(ii) |
IT Assets | 5.1 | (p)(iv) |
Laws | 5.1 | (i) |
Leased Real Property | 5.1 | (k)(ii) |
Licenses | 5.1 | (i) |
Lien | 5.1 | (b)(i) |
Material Contracts | 5.1 | (j)(i)(K) |
Merger | Recitals | |
Merger Sub | Preamble | |
Multiemployer Plan | 5.1 | (h)(ii) |
Non-U.S. Benefit Plans | 5.1 | (h)(i) |
NYSE | 5.1 | (a)(iii)(G) |
Order | 7.1 | (c) |
Owned Real Property | 5.1 | (k)(i) |
Parent | Preamble | |
Parent Approvals | 5.2 | (c)(i) |
Parent Disclosure Letter | 5.2 | |
Parent Fee | 8.5 | (c) |
Paying Agent | 4.2 | (a) |
PBGC | 5.1 | (h)(iii) |
Pension Plan | 5.1 | (h)(ii) |
Per Share Merger Consideration | 4.1 | (a) |
Person | 4.2 | (d) |
Proxy Statement | 6.3 | |
Representatives | 6.2 | (a) |
Restricted Shares | 4.3 | (b) |
Retention Pool | 6.9 | (g) |
Rights | 5.1 | (b)(i) |
A-2
Rights Agreement | 5.1 | (b)(i) |
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act | 5.1 | (e)(i) |
SEC | 5.1 | (e)(i) |
Securities Act | 5.1 | (e)(i) |
Share | 4.1 | (a) |
Shareholders Meeting | 6.4 | |
Shares | 4.1 | (a) |
Significant Subsidiary | 5.1 | (a) |
Special Dividend | 4.1 | (a) |
Stock Plans | 5.1 | (b)(i) |
Subsidiary | 5.1 | (a) |
Superior Proposal | 6.2 | (b) |
Surviving Corporation | 1.1 | |
Takeover Statute | 5.1 | (l) |
Tax | 5.1 | (n) |
Tax Return | 5.1 | (n) |
Taxes | 5.1 | (n) |
Termination Date | 8.2 | (a) |
Termination Fee | 8.5 | (b) |
U.S. Benefit Plans | 5.1 | (h)(ii) |
WBCL | 1.1 | |
Wisconsin Articles of Merger | 1.3 |
A-3