EXHIBIT 10.31
INDEMNITY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into this 29th day of October,
1999 by and between VERSICOR INC., a Delaware corporation (the
"Corporation"), and Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx ("Agent").
RECITALS
WHEREAS, Agent performs a valuable service to the Corporation
in his capacity as a member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation;
WHEREAS, the stockholders of the Corporation have adopted bylaws
(the "Bylaws") providing for the indemnification of the directors, officers,
employees and other agents of the Corporation, including persons serving at
the request of the Corporation in such capacities with other corporations or
enterprises, as authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as
amended (the "Code");
WHEREAS, the Bylaws and the Code, by their non-exclusive nature,
permit contracts between the Corporation and its agents, officers, employees
and other agents with respect to indemnification of such persons; and
WHEREAS, in order to induce Agent to continue to serve as capacity
as a member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation, the Corporation has
determined and agreed to enter into this Agreement with Agent;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of Agent's continued service as
capacity as a member of the Board of Directors after the date hereof, the
parties hereto agree as follows:
AGREEMENT
1. SERVICES TO THE CORPORATION. Agent will serve, at the will of the
Corporation or under separate contract, if any such contract exists, as
capacity as a member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation or as a
director, officer or other fiduciary of an affiliate of the Corporation
(including any employee benefit plan of the Corporation) faithfully and to
the best of his ability so long as he is duly elected and qualified in
accordance with the provisions of the Bylaws or other applicable charter
documents of the Corporation or such affiliate; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that Agent
may at any time and for any reason resign from such position (subject to any
contractual obligation that Agent may have assumed apart from this Agreement)
and that the Corporation or any affiliate shall have no obligation under this
Agreement to continue Agent in any such position.
2. INDEMNITY OF AGENT. The Corporation hereby agrees to hold harmless
and indemnify Agent to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by the
provisions of the Bylaws and the Code, as the same may be amended from time
to time (but, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation
to provide broader indemnification rights than the Bylaws or the Code
permitted prior to adoption of such amendment).
3. ADDITIONAL INDEMNITY. In addition to and not in limitation of the
indemnification otherwise provided for herein, and subject only to the
exclusions set forth in Section 4 hereof, the Corporation hereby further
agrees to hold harmless and indemnify Agent:
(a) against any and all expenses (including attorneys' fees),
witness fees, damages, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and
any other amounts that Agent becomes legally
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obligated to pay because of any claim or claims made against or by him in
connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or
proceeding, whether civil, criminal, arbitrational, administrative or
investigative (including an action by or in the right of the Corporation) to
which Agent is, was or at any time becomes a party, or is threatened to be
made a party, by reason of the fact that Agent is, was or at any time becomes
a director, officer, employee or other agent of Corporation, or is or was
serving or at any time serves at the request of the Corporation as a
director, officer, employee or other agent of another corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise;
and
(b) otherwise to the fullest extent as may be provided to Agent by
the Corporation under the non-exclusivity provisions of the Code and Section
41 of the Bylaws.
4. LIMITATIONS ON ADDITIONAL INDEMNITY. No indemnity pursuant to
Section 3 hereof shall be paid by the Corporation:
(a) on account of any claim against Agent solely for an accounting
of profits made from the purchase or sale by Agent of securities of the
Corporation pursuant to the provisions of Section 16(b) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 and amendments thereto or similar provisions of any
federal, state or local statutory law;
(b) on account of Agent's conduct that is established by a final
judgment as knowingly fraudulent or deliberately dishonest or that
constituted willful misconduct;
(c) on account of Agent's conduct that is established by a final
judgment as constituting a breach of Agent's duty of loyalty to the
Corporation or resulting in any personal profit or advantage to which Agent
was not legally entitled;
(d) for which payment is actually made to Agent under a valid and
collectible insurance policy or under a valid and enforceable indemnity
clause, bylaw or agreement, except in respect of any excess beyond payment
under such insurance, clause, bylaw or agreement;
(e) if indemnification is not lawful (and, in this respect, both
the Corporation and Agent have been advised that the Securities and Exchange
Commission believes that indemnification for liabilities arising under the
federal securities laws is against public policy and is, therefore,
unenforceable and that claims for indemnification should be submitted to
appropriate courts for adjudication); or
(f) in connection with any proceeding (or part thereof) initiated
by Agent, or any proceeding by Agent against the Corporation or its
directors, officers, employees or other agents, unless (i) such
indemnification is expressly required to be made by law, (ii) the proceeding
was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Corporation, (iii) such
indemnification is provided by the Corporation, in its sole discretion,
pursuant to the powers vested in the Corporation under the Code, or (iv) the
proceeding is initiated pursuant to Section 9 hereof.
5. CONTINUATION OF INDEMNITY. All agreements and obligations of the
Corporation contained herein shall continue during the period Agent is a
director, officer, employee or other agent of the Corporation (or is or was
serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or
other agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust,
employee benefit plan or other enterprise) and shall continue thereafter so
long as Agent shall be subject to any possible claim or threatened, pending
or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal,
arbitrational, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that
Agent was serving in the capacity referred to herein.
2.
6. PARTIAL INDEMNIFICATION. Agent shall be entitled under this
Agreement to indemnification by the Corporation for a portion of the expenses
(including attorneys' fees), witness fees, damages, judgments, fines and
amounts paid in settlement and any other amounts that Agent becomes legally
obligated to pay in connection with any action, suit or proceeding referred
to in Section 3 hereof even if not entitled hereunder to indemnification for
the total amount thereof, and the Corporation shall indemnify Agent for the
portion thereof to which Agent is entitled.
7. NOTIFICATION AND DEFENSE OF CLAIM. Not later than thirty (30) days
after receipt by Agent of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or
proceeding, Agent will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against
the Corporation under this Agreement, notify the Corporation of the
commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the Corporation will not
relieve it from any liability which it may have to Agent otherwise than under
this Agreement. With respect to any such action, suit or proceeding as to
which Agent notifies the Corporation of the commencement thereof:
(a) the Corporation will be entitled to participate therein at its
own expense;
(b) except as otherwise provided below, the Corporation may, at
its option and jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified
and electing to assume such defense, assume the defense thereof, with counsel
reasonably satisfactory to Agent. After notice from the Corporation to Agent
of its election to assume the defense thereof, the Corporation will not be
liable to Agent under this Agreement for any legal or other expenses
subsequently incurred by Agent in connection with the defense thereof except
for reasonable costs of investigation or otherwise as provided below. Agent
shall have the right to employ separate counsel in such action, suit or
proceeding but the fees and expenses of such counsel incurred after notice
from the Corporation of its assumption of the defense thereof shall be at the
expense of Agent unless (i) the employment of counsel by Agent has been
authorized by the Corporation, (ii) Agent shall have reasonably concluded,
and so notified the Corporation, that there is an actual conflict of interest
between the Corporation and Agent in the conduct of the defense of such
action or (iii) the Corporation shall not in fact have employed counsel to
assume the defense of such action, in each of which cases the fees and
expenses of Agent's separate counsel shall be at the expense of the
Corporation. The Corporation shall not be entitled to assume the defense of
any action, suit or proceeding brought by or on behalf of the Corporation or
as to which Agent shall have made the conclusion provided for in clause (ii)
above; and
(c) the Corporation shall not be liable to indemnify Agent under
this Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of any action or claim
effected without its written consent, which shall not be unreasonably
withheld. The Corporation shall be permitted to settle any action except that
it shall not settle any action or claim in any manner which would impose any
penalty or limitation on Agent without Agent's written consent, which may be
given or withheld in Agent's sole discretion.
8. EXPENSES. The Corporation shall advance, prior to the final
disposition of any proceeding, promptly following request therefor, all
expenses incurred by Agent in connection with such proceeding upon receipt of
an undertaking by or on behalf of Agent to repay said amounts if it shall be
determined ultimately that Agent is not entitled to be indemnified under the
provisions of this Agreement, the Bylaws, the Code or otherwise.
9. ENFORCEMENT. Any right to indemnification or advances granted by
this Agreement to Agent shall be enforceable by or on behalf of Agent in any
court of competent jurisdiction if (i) the claim for indemnification or
advances is denied, in whole or in part, or (ii) no disposition of such claim
is made within ninety (90) days of request therefor. Agent, in such
enforcement action, if successful in whole or in part, shall be entitled to
be paid also the expense of prosecuting his claim. It shall be a defense to
any action for which a claim for indemnification is made under Section 3
hereof (other than an action brought
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to enforce a claim for expenses pursuant to Section 8 hereof, PROVIDED THAT
the required undertaking has been tendered to the Corporation) that Agent is
not entitled to indemnification because of the limitations set forth in
Section 4 hereof. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its Board
of Directors or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the
commencement of such enforcement action that indemnification of Agent is
proper in the circumstances, nor an actual determination by the Corporation
(including its Board of Directors or its stockholders) that such
indemnification is improper shall be a defense to the action or create a
presumption that Agent is not entitled to indemnification under this
Agreement or otherwise.
10. SUBROGATION. In the event of payment under this Agreement, the
Corporation shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the
rights of recovery of Agent, who shall execute all documents required and
shall do all acts that may be necessary to secure such rights and to enable
the Corporation effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.
11. NON-EXCLUSIVITY OF RIGHTS. The rights conferred on Agent by this
Agreement shall not be exclusive of any other right which Agent may have or
hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of the Corporation's
Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, agreement, vote of stockholders or
directors, or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to
action in another capacity while holding office.
12. SURVIVAL OF RIGHTS.
(a) The rights conferred on Agent by this Agreement shall continue
after Agent has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or other agent of
the Corporation or to serve at the request of the Corporation as a director,
officer, employee or other agent of another corporation, partnership, joint
venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and shall inure to
the benefit of Agent's heirs, executors and administrators.
(b) The Corporation shall require any successor (whether direct or
indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or
substantially all of the business or assets of the Corporation, expressly to
assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same
extent that the Corporation would be required to perform if no such
succession had taken place.
13. SEPARABILITY. Each of the provisions of this Agreement is a
separate and distinct agreement and independent of the others, so that if any
provision hereof shall be held to be invalid for any reason, such invalidity
or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the
other provisions hereof. Furthermore, if this Agreement shall be invalidated
in its entirety on any ground, then the Corporation shall nevertheless
indemnify Agent to the fullest extent provided by the Bylaws, the Code or any
other applicable law.
14. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be interpreted and enforced in
accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.
15. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION. No amendment, modification, termination
or cancellation of this Agreement shall be effective unless in writing signed
by both parties hereto.
16. IDENTICAL COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in one or
more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be an
original but all of which together shall constitute but one and the same
Agreement. Only one such counterpart need be produced to evidence the
existence of this Agreement.
4.
17. HEADINGS. The headings of the sections of this Agreement are
inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute part of
this Agreement or to affect the construction hereof.
18. NOTICES. All notices, requests, demands and other communications
hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i)
upon delivery if delivered by hand to the party to whom such communication
was directed or (ii) upon the third business day after the date on which such
communication was mailed if mailed by certified or registered mail with
postage prepaid:
(a) If to Agent, at the address indicated on the signature page
hereof.
(b) If to the Corporation, to
Versicor Inc.
00000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
or to such other address as may have been furnished to Agent by the
Corporation.
5.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement
on and as of the day and year first above written.
VERSICOR INC.
By: /s/ X.X. Xxxxxx III
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Title: President & CEO
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XXXXXXX X. XXXXXXXXX
/s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx
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Address:
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