CAPLEASE, INC. Common Stock ($0.01 par value) ATM EQUITY OFFERINGSM SALES AGREEMENT
EXECUTION
COPY
Common
Stock
($0.01
par value)
ATM EQUITY OFFERINGSM
SALES
AGREEMENT
December
8, 2010
XXXXXXX
XXXXX & CO.
Xxxxxxx
Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx
Incorporated
Xxx
Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxx Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
CapLease,
Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), proposes,
subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell from time
to time to or through Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated, as
sales agent and/or principal (the “Agent”), up to
9,000,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common
stock, $0.01 par value (the “Common Stock”), on
the terms set forth in Section 2 of this ATM Equity OfferingSM Sales
Agreement (the “Agreement”). The
Company agrees that whenever it determines to sell Shares directly to the Agent
as principal, it will enter into a separate agreement (each, a “Terms Agreement”) in
substantially the form of Annex I hereto, relating to such sale in accordance
with Section 3 of this Agreement.
Section
1. Representations and
Warranties. The Company and Caplease, LP, a Delaware limited
partnership (the “Operating
Partnership”), jointly and severally, represent and warrant to the Agent
that as of the date of this Agreement, each Registration Statement Amendment
Date (as defined in Section 3 below), each Company Periodic Report Date (as
defined in Section 3 below), each Company Earning Report Date (as defined in
Section 3 below), each Request Date (as defined in Section 3 below), each
Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(a) below) and each Settlement Date (as
defined in Section 2 below):
(a) Compliance with Registration
Requirements. The Company has filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a
registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the “1933
Act”) (File No. 333-148653), in respect of the Company’s Common Stock
(including the Shares) (collectively, the “Securities”) not
earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; such registration statement,
and any post-effective amendment thereto, has been declared effective by the
Commission; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration
statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose
has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the
Commission, (the base prospectus filed as part of such registration statement,
in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission on or
prior to the date of this Agreement, is hereinafter called the “Basic Prospectus”;
the various parts of such registration statement, excluding any Form T-1 but
including all other exhibits thereto and any prospectus supplement or prospectus
relating to the Shares that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of
Rule 430B under the 1933 Act to be part of such registration statement, each as
amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective,
are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration
Statement”; the prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Shares
prepared and filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the 1933
Act is hereinafter called the “Prospectus
Supplement”; the Basic Prospectus, as amended and supplemented by the
Prospectus Supplement, is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any
reference herein to the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the
Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by
reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act; any
reference to any amendment or supplement to the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus
Supplement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any
post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus
supplement or base prospectus relating to the Shares filed with the Commission
pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act and any documents filed under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and
incorporated therein, in each case after the date of the Basic Prospectus, the
Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to
any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and
include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or
15(d) of the 1934 Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement
that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and any “issuer
free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the 1933 Act relating to
the Shares is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus”).
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No order
preventing or suspending the use of the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus
Supplement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued
by the Commission, and the Basic Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, at
the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the
requirements of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder (the “1933
Act Regulations”) and did not contain an untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which
they were made, not misleading.
For the
purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time”
means, with respect to any Shares, the time of sale of such Shares pursuant to
this Agreement; the Prospectus and the applicable Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus(es) issued at or prior to such Applicable Time, taken together
(collectively, and, with respect to any Shares, together with the public
offering price of such Shares, the “General Disclosure
Package”) as of each Applicable Time and each Settlement Date, will not
include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material
fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each applicable
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus will not conflict with the information contained
in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus and
each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together
with the General Disclosure Package as of such Applicable Time, will not include
any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(b) Incorporation of Documents
by Reference. The documents incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when
they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be,
complied in all material respects with the requirements of the 1934 Act and the
1934 Act Regulations, and, when read together with the other information in the
Prospectus, (a) at the time the Registration Statement became effective, (b) at
the time the Prospectus was issued and (c) on the date of this Agreement, did
not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
not misleading.
(c) Independent
Accountants. The accountants who certified the financial
statements and supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement are
independent public accountants as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act
Regulations.
(d) Financial
Statements. The financial statements included or incorporated
by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and
the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly
the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the
dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash
flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods
specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a
consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting
schedules, if any, present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information
required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the
summary financial information included in the Prospectus present fairly the
information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that
of the audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement. Except as included therein, no other
historical or pro forma financial statements are required under the 1933 Act or
the 1934 Act, or the respective rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder, to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus. All
disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package or the Prospectus, or incorporated by reference therein, regarding
“non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and
regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the 1934 Act and Item
10 of Regulation S-K of the 1933 Act, to the extent applicable.
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(e) No Material Adverse Change
in Business. Since the respective dates as of which
information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package or the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (A) there has
been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in
the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its
subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the
ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse
Effect”), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the
Company or any of its subsidiaries, other than those in the ordinary course of
business, which are material with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries
considered as one enterprise, and (C) except for regular quarterly
dividends on the Common Stock and the Company’s 8.125% Series A Cumulative
Redeemable Preferred Stock in amounts per share that are consistent with past
practice, there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid
or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.
(f) Good Standing of the
Company. The Company has been duly organized and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of
its organization and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate
its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and to
enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is
duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good
standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required,
whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of
business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would
not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(g) Good Standing of
Subsidiaries. Each “significant subsidiary” of the Company (as
such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X) (each, a “Subsidiary” and,
collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) is
listed on Schedule 1 hereto, has been duly organized and is validly existing as
a corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership in good standing
under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has the requisite power
and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its
business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign
entity to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in
which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or
leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to
qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect;
except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital
stock of, or other ownership interests in, each such Subsidiary has been duly
authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by
the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security
interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; none of the
outstanding shares of capital stock of, or other ownership interests in, any
Subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any
securityholder of such Subsidiary. The only subsidiaries of the
Company are (a) the subsidiaries listed on Exhibit 21 to the Registration
Statement and (b) certain other subsidiaries which, considered in the aggregate
as a single Subsidiary, do not constitute a “significant subsidiary” as defined
in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X.
(h) Capitalization. The
shares of issued and outstanding Common Stock have been duly authorized and
validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; none of the outstanding
shares of capital stock was issued in violation of the preemptive or other
similar rights of any securityholder of the Company. The Company’s
Common Stock has been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the 1934 Act and
is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), and the
Company has taken no action designed to terminate, or likely to have the effect
of terminating, the registration of the Common Stock from the NYSE, nor has the
Company received any notification that the Commission or the NYSE is
contemplating terminating such registration or listing.
(i) Authorization of Agreement
and Limited Partnership Agreement. This Agreement and any
Terms Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company. The First Amended and Restated Limited Partnership
Agreement, dated June 13, 2006 (the “Operating
Partnership”), assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the
parties thereto (other than the Company), is a valid and legally binding
agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its
terms, except to the extent that such enforceability may be limited by
applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, or other similar laws
relating to creditors’ rights and general principles of equity.
(j) Authorization and
Description of Securities. The Shares have been duly
authorized and reserved for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and,
when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement or any Terms
Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly
issued and fully paid and non-assessable; the Common Stock conforms to all
statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus and such description
conforms to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same; no holder
of the Shares will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a
holder; and the issuance of the Shares is not subject to the preemptive or other
similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.
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(k) Absence of Defaults and
Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is
in violation of its charter or by-laws or other organizational documents or in
default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant
or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan
or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the
Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may
be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any
subsidiary is subject (collectively, “Agreements and
Instruments”) except for such defaults that would not result in a
Material Adverse Effect; and the execution, delivery and performance of this
Agreement or of any Terms Agreement and the consummation of the transactions
contemplated herein or in any Terms Agreement and in the Registration Statement
(including the issuance and sale of the Shares and the use of the proceeds from
the sale of the Shares as described in the Prospectus under the caption “Use of
Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company and the Operating Partnership with
their respective obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all
necessary corporate or limited partnership action and do not and will not,
whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both,
conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as
defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien,
charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any
subsidiary pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments (except for such
conflicts, breaches, defaults or Repayment Events or liens, charges or
encumbrances that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect), nor will such
action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of
the Company or any subsidiary or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation,
judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or
court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any
subsidiary or any of their assets, properties or operations. As used
herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder
of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting
on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or
repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any
subsidiary.
(l) Absence of Labor
Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or
any subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, which
would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(m) Absence of
Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or
investigation before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body,
domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company,
threatened, against or affecting the Company or any subsidiary, which is
required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (other
than as disclosed therein), or which might result in a Material Adverse Effect,
or which might materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof
or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement or the
performance by the Company or the Operating Partnership of their respective
obligations hereunder; the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental
proceedings to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or of which any of
their respective property or assets is the subject which are not described in
the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,
including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, could not
result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(n) Accuracy of
Exhibits. There are no contracts or documents which are
required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or the
documents incorporated by reference therein or to be filed as exhibits thereto
which have not been so described and filed as required.
(o) Possession of Intellectual
Property. The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or
can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses,
inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented
and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or
procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual
property (collectively, “Intellectual
Property”) necessary to carry on the business now operated by them, and
neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is
otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of
others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or
circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate
to protect the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein, and
which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision,
ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate,
would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(p) Absence of Further
Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval,
consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or
governmental authority or agency is necessary or required for the performance by
the Company or the Operating Partnership of their respective obligations
hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities
hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
or any Terms Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or as may be
required under the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act or state
securities laws.
(q) Absence of
Manipulation. Neither the Company nor any affiliate of the
Company has taken, nor will the Company or any affiliate take, directly or
indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or which
would be expected to cause or result in a violation of Regulation M under the
1934 Act or the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of
the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares.
(r) Possession of Licenses and
Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess such
permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively,
“Governmental
Licenses”) issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign
regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by
them, except where the failure so to possess would not, singly or in the
aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; the Company and its subsidiaries
are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental
Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in the
aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses
are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such
Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full
force and effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material
Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received
any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such
Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an
unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse
Effect.
(s) Title to
Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and
marketable title to all real property owned by the Company and its subsidiaries
and good title to all other properties owned by them, in each case, free and
clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions
or encumbrances of any kind except such as (a) are described in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or (b) do not,
singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do
not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the
Company or any of its subsidiaries; and all of the leases and subleases material
to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one
enterprise, and under which the Company or any of its subsidiaries holds
properties described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure
Package and the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the
Company nor any subsidiary has any notice of any claim of any sort that has been
asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any subsidiary under
any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the
rights of the Company or such subsidiary to the continued possession of the
leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease, which adverse
claim, singly or in the aggregate, would result in a Material Adverse
Effect.
(t) Investment Company
Act. Neither the Company nor the Operating Partnership is
required, or upon the issuance and of the Shares as herein contemplated and the
application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Registration
Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will be required,
to register as an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”).
(u) Environmental
Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the
General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and except as would not, singly
or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the
Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local
or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of
common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including
any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to
pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without
limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface
strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations
relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants,
contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or
petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”)
or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage,
disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”),
(B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and
approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in
compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or to the knowledge
of the Company threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits,
demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation,
investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the
Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances
that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or
remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or
governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its
subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental
Laws.
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(v) Registration
Rights. Except for certain registration rights granted to the
holders of the Company’s 7.50% convertible senior notes and to the holders of
limited partnership units in Caplease, LP, there are no persons with
registrations rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered
pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registration by the Company
under the 1933 Act.
(w) Accounting Controls and
Disclosure Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain
a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable
assurances that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s
general or specific authorization; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to
permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to
maintain accountability for assets; (C) access to assets is permitted only in
accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (D) the
recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at
reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any
differences. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the
General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s
most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (1) no material weakness in the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated)
and (2) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting
that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
The
Company and its consolidated subsidiaries employ disclosure controls and
procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed
by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified
in the Commission’s rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to the
Company’s management, including its principal executive officer or officers and
principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate, to allow timely
decisions regarding disclosure.
(x) Ineligible
Issuer. At the earliest time after the filing of the
Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a
bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the 0000 Xxx) of the
Shares, the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under
the 1933 Act.
(y) No
Commissions. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries
is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other
than as contemplated by this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim
against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or the Agent for a brokerage
commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and
sale of the Shares.
(z) Deemed
Representation. Any certificate signed by any officer of the
Company delivered to the Agent or to counsel for the Agent pursuant to or in
connection with this Agreement or any Terms Agreement shall be deemed a
representation and warranty by the Company to the Agent as to the matters
covered thereby as of the date or dates indicated in such
certificate.
(aa) Compliance with the
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act. There is and has been no failure on the
part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their
capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any provision of the
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in
connection therewith (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”),
including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to
certifications.
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(bb) Payment of
Taxes. All United States federal income tax returns of the
Company and its subsidiaries required by law to be filed have been filed and all
taxes shown by such returns or otherwise assessed, which are due and payable,
have been paid, except assessments against which appeals have been or will be
promptly taken and as to which adequate reserves have been
provided. The United States federal income tax returns of the Company
through the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 have been settled and no
assessment in connection therewith has been made against the Company. The
Company and its subsidiaries have filed all other tax returns that are required
to have been filed by them pursuant to applicable foreign, state, local or other
law except insofar as the failure to file such returns would not result in a
Material Adverse Effect, and has paid all taxes due pursuant to such returns or
pursuant to any assessment received by the Company and its subsidiaries, except
for such taxes, if any, as are being contested in good faith and as to which
adequate reserves have been provided. The charges, accruals and reserves on the
books of the Company in respect of any income and corporation tax liability for
any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or
re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined,
except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not result in a Material
Adverse Effect.
(cc) Insurance. The
Company and its subsidiaries carry or are entitled to the benefits of insurance,
with financially sound and reputable insurers, in such amounts and covering such
risks as is generally maintained by companies of established repute engaged in
the same or similar business, and all such insurance is in full force and
effect. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any
subsidiary will not be able (A) to renew its existing insurance coverage as
and when such policies expire or (B) to obtain comparable coverage from
similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business
as now conducted and at a cost that would not result in a Material Adverse
Change. Neither of the Company nor any subsidiary has been denied any
insurance coverage which it has sought or for which it has applied.
(dd) Statistical and
Market-Related Data. Any statistical and market-related data
included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be
reliable and accurate.
(ee) Foreign Corrupt Practices
Act. Neither the Company or any subsidiary nor, to the
knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or
other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware
of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a
violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as
amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), including,
without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of
interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to
pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift,
promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any
“foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign
political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political
office, in contravention of the FCPA and the Company and, to the knowledge of
the Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with
the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to
ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued
compliance therewith.
(ff) Money Laundering
Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are
and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial
recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign
Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of
all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or
similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by
any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering
Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or
governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company
or any subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to
the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(gg) OFAC. Neither
the Company or any subsidiary nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any
director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or person acting on behalf of the
Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of
Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the
Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or
lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary,
joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing
the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions
administered by OFAC.
7
(hh) REIT
Status. Starting with its short taxable year beginning on
March 23, 2004 and ending December 31, 2004, the Company has elected under
Section 856(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), to be taxed
as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”), and such
election has not been revoked or terminated. The Company has
qualified as a REIT for the above taxable year through December 31, 2009 and the
Company has operated and intends to continue to operate so as to qualify as a
REIT thereafter.
Any
certificate signed by any officer or other authorized signatory of the Company
and delivered to the Agent or to counsel for the Agent shall be deemed a
representation and warranty by the Company to the Agent as to the matters
covered thereby.
Section 2. Sale and Delivery of
Shares.
(a) Subject
to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Company agrees to issue and
sell through the Agent acting as sales agent or directly to the Agent acting as
principal from time to time, and the Agent agrees to use its commercially
reasonable efforts to sell as sales agent for the Company, the
Shares. Sales of the Shares, if any, through the Agent acting as
sales agent or directly to the Agent acting as principal, will be made by means
of ordinary brokers’ transactions on the NYSE or otherwise at market prices
prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or
at negotiated prices.
(b) The
Shares are to be sold on a daily basis or otherwise as shall be agreed to by the
Company and the Agent on any trading day (other than a day on which the NYSE is
scheduled to close prior to its regular weekday closing time, each, a “Trading Day”) that
the Company has satisfied its obligations under Section 6 of this Agreement and
that the Company has instructed the Agent to make such sales. On any
Trading Day, the Company may instruct the Agent by telephone (confirmed promptly
by telecopy or email, which confirmation will be promptly acknowledged by the
Agent) as to the maximum number of Shares to be sold by the Agent on such day
(in any event not in excess of the number available for issuance under the
Prospectus and the currently effective Registration Statement) and the minimum
price per Share at which such Shares may be sold. Subject to the
terms and conditions hereof, the Agent shall use its commercially reasonable
efforts to sell as sales agent all of the Shares so designated by the
Company. The Company and the Agent each acknowledge and agree that
(A) there can be no assurance that the Agent will be successful in selling the
Shares, (B) the Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or
any other person or entity if it does not sell Shares for any reason other than
a failure by the Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent
with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable law and regulations
to sell such Shares as required by this Agreement, and (C) the Agent shall be
under no obligation to purchase Shares on a principal basis except as otherwise
specifically agreed by the Agent and the Company pursuant to a Terms
Agreement. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this
Agreement and the terms of a Terms Agreement, the terms of such Terms Agreement
will control.
(c) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Company shall not authorize the issuance and sale of, and the
Agent as sales agent shall not be obligated to use its commercially reasonable
efforts to sell, any Shares (i) at a price lower than the minimum price therefor
authorized from time to time, or (ii) in a number or with an aggregate gross
sales price in excess of the number or gross sales price, as the case may be, of
Shares authorized from time to time to be issued and sold under this Agreement,
in each case, by the Company’s board of directors, or a duly authorized
committee thereof, or in a number in excess of the number of Shares approved for
listing on the NYSE, and in each case notified to the Agent in
writing. In addition, the Company or the Agent may, upon notice to
the other party hereto by telephone (confirmed promptly by telecopy or email,
which confirmation will be promptly acknowledged), suspend the offering of the
Shares with respect to which the Agent is acting as sales agent for any reason
and at any time; provided, however, that such suspension or termination shall
not affect or impair the parties’ respective obligations with respect to the
Shares sold hereunder prior to the giving of such notice.
(d) The gross
sales price of any Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement by the Agent acting as
sales agent of the Company shall be the market price prevailing at the time of
sale for shares of the Company’s Common Stock sold by the Agent on the NYSE or
otherwise, at prices relating to prevailing market prices or at negotiated
prices. The compensation payable to the Agent for sales of Shares
with respect to which the Agent acts as sales agent shall be equal to 2.0% of
the gross sales price of the Shares sold pursuant to this
Agreement. The Company may sell Shares to the Agent as principal at a
price agreed upon at the relevant Applicable Time and pursuant to a separate
Terms Agreement. The remaining proceeds, after further deduction for any
transaction fees, transfer taxes or similar taxes or fees imposed by any
governmental, regulatory or self-regulatory organization in respect of such
sales, shall constitute the net proceeds to the Company for such Shares (the
“Net
Proceeds”). The Agent shall notify the Company as promptly as
practicable if any deduction referenced in the preceding sentence will be
required. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the
Company engages the Agent for a sale of Shares that would constitute a
“distribution,” within the meaning of Rule 100 of Regulation M under the 1934
Act, the Company and the Agent will agree to compensation that is customary for
the Agent with respect to such transactions.
8
(e) If acting
as sales agent hereunder, the Agent shall provide written confirmation to the
Company following the close of trading on the NYSE each day in which Shares are
sold under this Agreement setting forth the number of Shares sold on such day,
the aggregate gross sales proceeds of the Shares, the aggregate Net Proceeds to
the Company and the aggregate compensation payable by the Company to the Agent
with respect to such sales.
(f) Under no
circumstances shall the aggregate gross sales price or number, as the case may
be, of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement and any Terms Agreement exceed the
aggregate gross sales price or number, as the case may be, of Shares of Common
Stock (i) set forth in the preamble paragraph of this Agreement, (ii) available
for issuance under the Prospectus and the then currently effective Registration
Statement or (iii) authorized from time to time to be issued and sold under this
Agreement or any Terms Agreement by the Company’s board of directors, or a duly
authorized committee thereof or approved for listing on the NYSE, and in each
case referred to in this clause (iii), and notified to the Agent in writing. In
addition, under no circumstances shall any Shares with respect to which the
Agent acts as sales agent be sold at a price lower than the minimum price
therefor authorized from time to time by the Company’s board of directors, or a
duly authorized committee thereof, and notified to the Agent in
writing.
(g) Settlement
for sales of Shares pursuant to this Section 2 will occur on the third business
day that is also a Trading Day following the trade date on which such sales are
made, unless another date shall be agreed to by the Company and the Agent (each
such day, a “Settlement
Date”). On each Settlement Date, the Shares sold through the
Agent for settlement on such date shall be delivered by the Company to the Agent
against payment of the Net Proceeds from the sale of such
Shares. Settlement for all Shares shall be effected by book-entry
delivery of Shares to the Agent’s account at The Depository Trust Company
against payments by the Agent of the Net Proceeds from the sale of such Shares
in same day funds delivered to an account designated by the
Company. If the Company shall default on its obligation to deliver
Shares on any Settlement Date, the Company shall (i) indemnify and hold the
Agent harmless against any loss, claim or damage arising from or as a result of
such default by the Company and (ii) pay the Agent any commission to which it
would otherwise be entitled absent such default. If the Agent
breaches this Agreement by failing to deliver the applicable Net Proceeds on any
Settlement Date for Shares delivered by the Company, the Agent will pay the
Company interest based on the effective overnight federal funds rate until such
proceeds, together with such interest, have been fully paid.
(h) Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Agreement, the Company shall not offer, sell or
deliver, or request the offer or sale, any Shares and, by notice to the Agent
given by telephone (confirmed promptly by telecopy or email), shall cancel any
instructions for the offer or sale of any Shares, and the Agent shall not be
obligated to offer or sell any Shares, (i) during any period in which the
Company’s xxxxxxx xxxxxxx policy, as it exists on the date of the Agreement,
would prohibit the purchases or sales of the Company’s Common Stock by its
officers or directors, (ii) during any other period in which the Company is in
possession of material non-public information or (iii) except as provided in
Section 2(i) below, at any time from and including the date (each, an “Announcement Date”)
on which the Company shall issue a press release containing, or shall otherwise
publicly announce, its earnings, revenues or other results of operations (each,
an “Earnings
Announcement”) through and including the time that is 24 hours after the
time that the Company files (a “Filing Time”) a
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or an Annual Report on Form 10-K that includes
consolidated financial statements as of and for the same period or periods, as
the case may be, covered by such Earnings Announcement.
(i) If the
Company wishes to offer, sell or deliver Shares on any time during the period
from and including an Announcement Date through and including the time that is
24 hours after the corresponding Filing Time, the Company shall (i) prepare and
deliver to the Agent (with a copy to counsel to the Agent) a Current Report on
Form 8-K which shall include substantially the same financial and related
information as was set forth in the relevant Earnings Announcement (other than
any earnings projections, similar forward-looking data and officers’ quotations)
(each, an “Earnings
8-K”), in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent, and
obtain the consent of the Agent to the filing thereof (such consent not to be
unreasonably withheld), (ii) provide the Agent with the officers’ certificate,
accountants’ letter and opinions and letters of counsel called for by
Sections (3)(k), (l) and (m) hereof; respectively, (iii) afford the Agent the
opportunity to conduct a due diligence review in accordance with Section 3(o)
hereof and (iv) file such Earnings 8-K with the Commission, then the provisions
of clause (iii) of Section 2(j) shall not be applicable for the period from and
after the time at which the foregoing conditions shall have been satisfied (or,
if later, the time that is 24 hours after the time that the relevant Earnings
Announcement was first publicly released) through and including the time that is
24 hours after the Filing Time of the relevant Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or
Annual Report on Form 10-K, as the case may be. For purposes of clarity, the
parties hereto agree that (A) the delivery of any officers’ certificate,
accountants’ letter and opinions and letters of counsel pursuant to this Section
2(i) shall not relieve the Company from any of its obligations under this
Agreement with respect to any Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on
Form 10-K, as the case may be, including, without limitation, the obligation to
deliver officers’ certificates, accountants’ letters and legal opinions and
letters as provided in Section 3 hereof and (B) this Section 2(i) shall in no
way affect or limit the operation of the provisions of clauses (i) and (ii) of
Section 2(j), which shall have independent application.
9
(j) At each
Applicable Time, Settlement Date, Registration Amendment Date, Company Periodic
Report Date, Company Earnings Report Date (as defined below) and Request Date,
the Company and the Operating Partnership shall be deemed to have affirmed each
representation and warranty contained in this Agreement. Any
obligation of the Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell the
Shares on behalf of the Company as sales agent shall be subject to the
continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company and the
Operating Partnership herein, to the performance by the Company and the
Operating Partnership of their respective obligations hereunder and to the
continuing satisfaction of the additional conditions specified in Section 6 of
this Agreement.
Section 3. Covenants. The
Company and the Operating Partnership, jointly and severally, agree with the
Agent:
(a) During
any period when the delivery of a prospectus is required in connection with the
offering or sale of Shares (whether physically or through compliance with Rule
153 or 172, or in lieu thereof, a notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the
1933 Act), (i) to make no further amendment or any supplement to the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus prior to any Settlement Date which
shall be disapproved by the Agent promptly after reasonable notice thereof and
to advise the Agent, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when
any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective
or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish
the Representatives with copies thereof, (ii) to file promptly all
other material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant
to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act, (iii) to file promptly all reports and any
definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company
with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the 1934
Act, (iv) to advise the Agents, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of
the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or
suspending the use of the Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the
Shares, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or
sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for
any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or
supplementing of the form of the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or for
additional information, and (v) in the event of the issuance of any such stop
order or of any such order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus in
respect of the Shares or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its
commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order; and in
the event of any such issuance of a notice of objection, promptly to take such
reasonable steps as may be necessary to permit offers and sales of the Shares by
the Agent, which may include, without limitation, amending the Registration
Statement or filing a new registration statement, at the Company’s expense
(references herein to the Registration Statement shall include any such
amendment or new registration statement).
(b) Promptly
from time to time to take such action as the Agent may reasonably request to
qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of such
jurisdictions as the Agent may request and to comply with such laws so as to
permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for
as long as may be necessary to complete the sale of the Shares, provided that in
connection therewith neither the Company nor the Operating Partnership shall be
required to qualify as a foreign entity or to file a general consent to service
of process in any jurisdiction; and to promptly advise the Agent of the receipt
by the Company or the Operating Partnership of any notification with respect to
the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer or sale in any
jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such
purpose.
10
(c) During
any period when the delivery of a prospectus is required (whether physically or
through compliance with Rules 153 or 172, or in lieu thereof, a notice referred
to in Rule 173(a) under the 0000 Xxx) in connection with the offering or sale of
Shares, the Company will make available to the Agent, as soon as practicable
after the execution of this Agreement, and thereafter from time to time furnish
to the Agent, copies of the most recent Prospectus in such quantities and at
such locations as the Agent may reasonably request for the purposes contemplated
by the 1933 Act. During any period when the delivery of a prospectus
is required (whether physically or through compliance with Rules 153 or 172, or
in lieu thereof, a notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 0000 Xxx) in
connection with the offering or sale of Shares, and if at such time any event
shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or
supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to
state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus
is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary
during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under
the 1934 Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order
to comply with the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, to notify the Agent and to file
such document and to prepare and furnish without charge to the Agent as many
written and electronic copies as the Agent may from time to time reasonably
request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will
correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance.
(d) To make
generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable, but in any
event not later than sixteen months after the effective date of the Registration
Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the 1933 Act), an earnings statement
of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with
Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule
158).
(e) To use
the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares pursuant to this
Agreement and any Terms Agreement in the manner specified in the General
Disclosure Package.
(f) In
connection with the offering and sale of the Shares, the Company will file with
the NYSE all documents and notices, and make all certifications, required by the
NYSE of companies that have securities that are listed on the NYSE and will
maintain such listing.
(g) To not
take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that
has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, under the 1934
Act or otherwise, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any
securities of the Company or the Operating Partnership to facilitate the sale or
resale of the Shares.
(h) In the
event the Common Stock becomes an “actively traded security” exempt from the
requirements of Rule 101 of Regulation M under the 1934 Act by subsection (c)(1)
of such rule, the Company will notify the Agent of such change as soon as
practicable.
(i) At each
Applicable Time, each Settlement Date, each Registration Statement Amendment
Date (as defined below), each Company Earnings Report Date, each Request Date
and each Company Periodic Report Date (as defined below) and each date on which
Shares are delivered to the Agent pursuant to a Terms Agreement, the Company and
the Operating Partnership shall be deemed to have affirmed each representation,
warranty, covenant and other agreement contained in this Agreement or any Terms
Agreement. In each Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q filed by the Company in respect of any quarter in which sales of
Shares were made by or through the Agent under this Agreement or any Terms
Agreement (each date on which any such document is filed, and any date on which
an amendment to any such document is filed, a “Company Periodic Report
Date”), the Company shall set forth with regard to such quarter the
number of Shares sold through the Agent under this Agreement or any Terms
Agreement, the Net Proceeds received by the Company and the compensation paid by
the Company to the Agent with respect to sales of Shares pursuant to this
Agreement or any Terms Agreement.
11
(j) Upon
commencement of the offering of Shares under this Agreement and each time Shares
are delivered to the Agent as principal on a Settlement Date and promptly after
each (i) date the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be amended or
supplemented (other than (1) by an amendment or supplement providing solely for
the determination of the terms of the Shares, (2) in connection with the filing
of a prospectus supplement that contains solely the information set forth in
Section 3(i), (3) in connection with the filing of any current reports on Form
8-K (other than an Earnings 8-K and any other current reports on Form 8-K which
contain capsule financial information, financial statements, supporting
schedules or other financial data, including any current report on Form 8 K
under Item 2.02 of such form that is considered “filed” under the 0000 Xxx) or
(4) by a prospectus supplement relating to the offering of other securities
(including, without limitation, other shares of Common Stock)) (each such date,
a “Registration
Statement Amendment Date”) and (ii) date on which an Earnings 8-K shall
be filed with the Commission as contemplated by Section 2(i) hereof (a “Company Earnings Report
Date”) and (iii) Company Periodic Report Date, and promptly after each
reasonable request by the Agent (each date of any such request by the Agent, a
“Request Date”)
(each of the date of the commencement of the offering of Shares under this
Agreement, each such Settlement Date and each Registration Statement Amendment
Date, Company Earnings Report Date, Company Periodic Report Date and Request
Date is hereinafter called a “Representation
Date”), the Company and the Operating Partnership will each furnish or
cause to be furnished to the Agent (with a copy to counsel to the
Agent) a certificate the date of delivery thereof to the Agent (or, in the case
of an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus
(including, without limitation, by the filing of any document under the 1934 Act
that is incorporated by reference therein), the date of the effectiveness of
such amendment to the Registration Statement or the date of filing with the
Commission of such supplement or incorporated document, as the case may be), in
form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, to the
effect that the statements contained in the certificate referred to in Section
6(e) of this Agreement which was last furnished to the Agent are true and
correct as of the date of such certificate as though made at and as of the date
of such certificate (except that such statements shall be deemed to relate to
the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package as
amended and supplemented to the date of such certificate) or, in lieu of such
certificate, a certificate of the same tenor as the certificate referred to in
Section 6(e), but modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement,
the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package as amended and supplemented to
the date of such certificate. As used in this paragraph, to the
extent there shall be an Applicable Time on or following the applicable
Representation Date, “promptly” shall be deemed to be on or prior to the next
succeeding Applicable Time.
(k) Upon
commencement of the offering of Shares under this Agreement and each time the
Shares are delivered to the Agent as principal on a Settlement Date, and
promptly after each other Representation Date, the Company will, unless the
Agent agrees otherwise, furnish or cause to be furnished to the Agent (with a
copy to counsel to the Agent) the written opinion and letter of each counsel to
the Company (who shall be reasonably acceptable to the Agent), dated the date of
delivery thereof to the Agent (or, in the case of an amendment or supplement to
the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (including, without limitation, by
the filing of any document under the 1934 Act that is incorporated by reference
therein), the date of the effectiveness of such amendment to the Registration
Statement or the date of filing with the Commission of such supplement or
incorporated document, as the case may be), in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, of the same tenor as the opinions and
letters referred to in Section 6(c) of this Agreement, but modified as necessary
to relate to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the General
Disclosure Package as amended and supplemented to the date of such opinion and
letter or, in lieu of any such opinion and letter, counsel last furnishing such
opinion and letter to the Agent shall furnish the Agent (with a copy to counsel
for the Agent) with a letter substantially to the effect that the Agent may rely
on such counsel’s last opinion and letter to the same extent as though each were
dated the date of such letter authorizing reliance (except that statements in
such last opinion and letter shall be deemed to relate to the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package as amended and
supplemented to the date of such letter authorizing reliance). As used in this
paragraph, to the extent there shall be an Applicable Time on or following the
applicable Representation Date, “promptly” shall be deemed to be on or prior to
the next succeeding Applicable Time.
(l) Upon
commencement of the offering of Shares under this Agreement, and at the time
Shares are delivered to the Agent as principal on a Settlement Date, and
promptly after each other Representation Date, the Company will, unless the
Agent agrees otherwise, cause McGladrey & Xxxxxx, LLP, or other independent
accountants reasonably satisfactory to the Agent, to furnish to the Agent a
letter, dated the date of effectiveness of such amendment or the date of filing
of such supplement or other document with the Commission, as the case may be, in
form reasonably satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, of the same tenor as
the letter referred to in Section 6(d) hereof, but modified as necessary to
relate to the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,
as amended and supplemented, or to the document incorporated by reference into
the Prospectus, to the date of such letter. As used in this paragraph, to the
extent there shall be an Applicable Time on or following the applicable
Representation Date, “promptly” shall be deemed to be on or prior to the next
succeeding Applicable Time.
12
(m) The
Company consents to the Agent trading in the Company’s Common Stock for the
Agent’s own account and for the account of its clients at the same time as sales
of Shares occur pursuant to this Agreement or Any Terms Agreement.
(n) If, to
the knowledge of the Company, all filings required by Rule 424 in connection
with this offering shall not have been made or the representations of the
Company or the Operating Partnership contained herein shall not be true and
correct on the applicable Settlement Date, the Company will offer to any person
who has agreed to purchase Shares from the Company as the result of an offer to
purchase solicited by the Agent the right to refuse to purchase and pay for such
Shares.
(o) The
Company will cooperate timely with any reasonable due diligence review conducted
by the Agent or its counsel from time to time in connection with the
transactions contemplated hereby or in any Terms Agreement, including, without
limitation, and upon reasonable notice providing information and making
available documents and appropriate corporate officers, during regular business
hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as the Agent may reasonably
request.
(p) Neither
the Company nor the Operating Partnership will, without (i) giving the Agent at
least two business days’ prior written notice specifying the nature of the
proposed sale and the date of such proposed sale and (ii) the Agent suspending
activity under this program for such period of time as requested by the Company
or as deemed appropriate by the Agent in light of the proposed sale, (A) offer,
pledge, announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option
or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any
option, right or warrant for the sale of, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose
of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible
into or exchangeable or exercisable for or repayable with Common Stock, or file
any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the
foregoing (other than a shelf registration statement under Rule 415 under the
1933 Act, a registration statement on Form S-8 or post-effective amendment to
the Registration Statement) or (B) enter into any swap or other agreement or any
transaction that transfers in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, any of
the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, or any securities
convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for or repayable with Common
Stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (A) or (B) above
is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash
or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (x) the Shares to be
offered and sold through the Agent pursuant to this Agreement or any Terms
Agreement, (y) Common Stock issuable pursuant to the Company’s dividend
reinvestment plan as it may be amended or replaced from time to time and (z)
equity incentive awards approved by the board of directors of the Company or the
compensation committee thereof or the issuance of Common Stock upon exercise
thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company agrees that if it
plans to make any offers or sales of common stock under the sales agreement it
entered into on October 9, 2009 with Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx Securities Corporation or
any successor agreement thereto (“Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx,” the “Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx Sales
Agreement”) at a time when the Company has been instructing the Agent to offer
and sell the Shares, it will give the Agent at least one business day prior
written notice and it will not make such offers or sales without the Agent
suspending activity under this program. Furthermore, at any time the
Company instructs the Agent to offer and sell the Shares under this program, it
shall not instruct Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx to make offers and sales of common stock
under the Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx Sales Agreement and, in the event the Company
instructs Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx to makes sales under the Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx Sales
Agreement, it shall not instruct the Agent to offer and sell the Shares under
this program.
(q) If
immediately prior to the third anniversary (the “Renewal Deadline”) of
the initial effective date of the Registration Statement, any of the Shares
remain unsold, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Deadline file, if it has
not already done so and is eligible to do so, a new automatic shelf registration
statement relating to the Shares, in a form satisfactory to the
Agent. If the Company is not eligible to file an automatic shelf
registration statement, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Deadline, if it
has not already done so, file a new shelf registration statement relating to the
Shares, in a form satisfactory to the Agent, and will use its best efforts to
cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 60 days after
the Renewal Deadline. The Company will take all other action
necessary or appropriate to permit the issuance and sale of the Shares to
continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement relating to the
Shares. References herein to the Registration Statement shall include
such new automatic shelf registration statement or such new shelf registration
statement, as the case may be.
13
(r) The
Company shall (i) disclose, in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual
reports on Form 10-K or, to the extent required by applicable law and SEC
interpretations thereof, prospectus supplements, to be filed by the Company from
time to time, the number of Shares sold by the Company pursuant to this
Agreement, the net proceeds to the Company from the sale of the Shares and the
compensation paid by the Company to the Agent with respect to sales of the
Shares pursuant to this Agreement during the relevant quarter or such shorter
period determined by the Company, as the case may be; (ii) provide copies of the
Prospectus and such Form 10-Q, 10-K, Prospectus Supplement and each Permitted
Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent not previously delivered or filed on the
Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system or any
successor system thereto (collectively, “XXXXX”)) to Xxxxxxx Xxxxx via e-mail in
“.pdf” format on such filing date to an e-mail account designated by Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx; and (iii), at Xxxxxxx Xxxxx’x request, furnish copies of the Prospectus
and such Form 10-Q, Form 10-K and Prospectus Supplement to each exchange or
market on which sales were effected as may be required by the rules or
regulations of such exchange or market.
(s) The
Company agrees to use its best efforts to continue to meet the requirements to
qualify as a REIT under the Code.
(t) The
Company may notify the Agent by telephone (confirmed promptly by electronic
email), or by such other method as the Company and the Agent shall mutually
agree in writing, at any time until 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the second
business day preceding any Representation Date (other than the Representation
Date relating to the date of filing of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K)
that it does not intend to sell Shares under this Agreement for the period
commencing on such Representation Date and continuing until the next succeeding
Representation Date. If the Company shall have provided such notice,
the requirements to provide certificates pursuant to Section 3(j) hereunder,
legal opinions and negative assurance letters pursuant to Section 3(k)
hereunder, and letters from independent accountants pursuant to Section 3(l)
hereunder shall be waived in respect of such Representation
Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company instructs the
Agent to sell shares at a time that is (a) following the Representation Date in
respect of which deliveries to the Agent of the documents required by any of the
Sections 3(j)–3(l) hereunder were waived, and (b) prior to the next
Representation Date, the Agent shall not be obligated to sell any Shares
pursuant to the Company’s instruction until all documents required by each such
applicable section of this Agreement shall have been provided to the Agent and
the Company shall have provided the Agent with a customary due diligence
update.
Section
4. Free
Writing Prospectus.
(a) (i) The
Company represents and agrees that without the prior consent of the Agent, it
has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would
constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the
1933 Act; and
(ii) the
Agent represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company it
has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would
constitute a free writing prospectus required to be filed with the
Commission.
(b) The
Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the
1933 Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (including any free
writing prospectus identified in Section 4(a) hereof), including timely filing
with the Commission or retention where required and legending.
Section 5. Payment of
Expenses.
(a) The
Company and the Operating Partnership, jointly and severally, covenant and agree
with the Agent that they will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the
fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in
connection with the registration of the Shares under the 1933 Act and all other
expenses in connection with the preparation, printing and filing of the
Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, Prospectus Supplement, any Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements
thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Agents; (ii) the
cost of printing or producing this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, any Blue
Sky and Legal Investment Memoranda, closing documents (including any
compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering,
purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares; (iii) all expenses in connection with
the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under state securities
laws as provided in Section 3(b) hereof, including the reasonable fees and
disbursements of counsel for the Agent in connection with such qualification and
in connection with the Blue Sky and Legal Investment Surveys; (iv) any filing
fees incident to, and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the
Agent in connection with, any required review by Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, Inc. of the terms of the sale of the Shares; (v) all fees and
expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the Exchange; (vi) the cost of
preparing the Shares; (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent or
registrar or any dividend distribution agent; and (viii) all other costs and
expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not
otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however,
that, except as provided in this Section, and Section 7 hereof, the Agent will
pay all of its own costs and expenses, including the fees of its counsel,
transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by it, and any advertising
expenses connected with any offers it may make.
14
(b) If
either (i) an aggregate of 4,000,000, shares or (ii) a lesser number of Shares
having an aggregate offering price of $25,000,000 have not been offered and sold
under this Agreement by the date which is eighteen months after the date of this
Agreement (or such earlier date on which the Company terminates this Agreement),
the Company shall reimburse the Agent for all of its reasonable out-of-pocket
expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of a single counsel
for the Agent incurred by it in connection with the offering contemplated by
this Agreement not to exceed $150,000.
Section 6. Conditions of Agent’s
Obligation. The obligations of the Agent hereunder shall be
subject, in its discretion, to the condition that all representations and
warranties and other statements of the Company and the Operating Partnership
herein or in certificates of any officer of the Company delivered pursuant to
the provisions hereof are true and correct as of the time of the execution of
this Agreement, the date of any executed Terms Agreement and as of each
Representation Date, Applicable Time and Settlement Date, to the condition that
the Company and the Operating Partnership shall have performed all of their
respective obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following
additional conditions:
(a) The
Prospectus Supplement shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
424(b) under the 1933 Act on or prior to the date hereof and in accordance with
Section 3(a) hereof, any other material required to be filed by the Company
pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act shall have been filed with the
Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by
Rule 433; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that
purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; no stop order
suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all
requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have
been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the
Representatives.
(b) On
every date specified in Section 3(k) hereof (including, without
limitation, on every Request Date), Sidley Austin llp, counsel for the Agent,
shall have furnished to the Agent such written opinion or opinions, dated as of
such date, with respect to such matters as the Agent may reasonably request, and
such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may
reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(c) On
every date specified in Section 3(k) hereof (including, without
limitation, on every Request Date), Hunton & Xxxxxxxx LLP, counsel for the
Company, and the General Counsel of the Company, shall have furnished to the
Agent written opinion or opinions, dated as of such date, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Agent.
(d) At
the dates specified in Section 3(l) hereof (including, without
limitation, on every Request Date), the independent accountants of the Company
who have certified the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries
included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General
Disclosure Package and the Prospectus shall have furnished to the Agent a letter
dated as of the date of delivery thereof and addressed to the Agent in form and
substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, containing
statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’
“comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements of
the Company and its subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus.
15
(e) (i)
Upon commencement of the offering of Shares under this Agreement and on such other dates as
reasonably requested by Agent, the Company and the Operating Partnership will
furnish or cause to be furnished promptly to the Agent a certificate of an
executive officer or other authorized representative in a form satisfactory to
the Agent stating the minimum gross sales price per share for the sale of such
Shares pursuant to this Agreement and the maximum number of Shares that may be
issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement or, alternatively, maximum gross
proceeds from such sales, as authorized from time to time by the Company’s board
of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof, and the number of Shares
that have been approved for listing on the NYSE or, in connection with any
amendment, revision or modification of such minimum price or maximum Share
number or amount, a new certificate with respect thereto and (ii) on each date
specified in Section 3(j) (including, without
limitation, on every Request Date), the Agent shall have received a certificate
of executive officers of the Company, one of whom shall be the Chief Financial
Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, Treasurer, or Executive Vice President in the
area of capital markets and investments, and an authorized representative of the
Operating Partnership, dated as of the date thereof, to the effect that (A)
there has been no Material Adverse Effect since the date as of which information
is given in the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented, (B) the
representations and warranties of the Company and the Operating Partnership
contained herein are true and correct as of such date and (C) the Company and
the Operating Partnership have complied with all of the agreements entered into
in connection with the transaction contemplated herein and satisfied all
conditions on their part to be performed or satisfied.
(f) Since
the date of the latest audited financial statements then included or
incorporated by reference in the Prospectus and the General Disclosure Package,
no Material Adverse Effect shall have occurred.
(g) The
Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section 3(c) hereof with
respect to the timely furnishing of prospectuses.
(h) On
such dates as reasonably requested by the Agent, the Company shall have
conducted due diligence sessions, in form and substance satisfactory to the
Agent.
(i) All
filings with the Commission required by Rule 424 under the 1933 Act to have been
filed by each Applicable Time or related Settlement Date shall have been made
within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424
(without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)).
(j) The
Shares shall have received approval for listing on the NYSE prior to the first
Settlement Date.
(k) Counsel
for the Agent shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they
may require in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or
warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, contained herein or in
any applicable Terms Agreement; and all proceedings taken by the Company in
connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares as contemplated herein or in
any applicable Terms Agreement and in connection with the other transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or any such Terms Agreement shall be reasonably
satisfactory in form and substance to the Agent and counsel for the
Agent.
Section 7. Indemnification.
(a) The
Company and the Operating Partnership, jointly and severally, agree to indemnify
and hold harmless the Agent against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities,
joint or several, to which the Agent may become subject, under the 1933 Act or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the
Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus or any amendment
or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Company roadshow
materials used in connection with an offer of Shares or any “issuer information”
filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act, or
arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein
a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse the Agent for any legal or
other expenses reasonably incurred by the Agent in connection with investigating
or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided,
however, that neither the Company nor the Operating Partnership shall be liable
in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability
arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Basic
Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or
supplement thereto, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information
furnished to the Company by the Agent expressly for use therein.
16
(b) The
Agent will indemnify and hold harmless the Company and the Operating Partnership
against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which they may become
subject, under the 1933 Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based
upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus
Supplement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise
out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that
such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the
Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement
thereto, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished
to the Company and the Operating Partnership by the Agent expressly for use
therein; and will reimburse the Company and the Operating Partnership for any
legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are
incurred.
(c) Promptly
after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of
notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a
claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such
subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement
thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve
it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than
under such subsection except and then only to the extent such indemnifying party
is materially prejudiced thereby. In case any such action shall be brought
against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the
commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate
therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other
indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with
counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the
consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and,
after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its
election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be
liable to such indemnified party under this Section 7 for any legal expenses of
other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such
indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable
out-of-pocket costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the
written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise
of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or
threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution
may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or
potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or
judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all
liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a
statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or
on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d) If
the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is unavailable to hold
harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of
any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof)
referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount
paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the
Operating Partnership on the one hand and the Agent on the other from the
offering of the Shares to which such loss, claim, damage or liability (or action
in respect thereof) relates. If, however, the allocation provided by the
immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law,, then each
indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such
indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such
relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company and the Operating
Partnership on the one hand and the Agent on the other in connection with the
statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant
equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the
Operating Partnership on the one hand and the Agent on the other shall be deemed
to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before
deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total commissions
received by the Agent. The relative fault shall be determined by
reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact
relates to information supplied by the Company and the Operating Partnership on
the one hand or the Agent on the other and the parties’ relative intent,
knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such
statement or omission. The Company, the Operating Partnership and the
Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to
this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other
method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations
referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable
by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection
(d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred
by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such
action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection
(d), the Agent shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the
amount by which the total price at which the Shares sold by it to the public
were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which the Agent has
otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of
fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 0000
Xxx) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of
such fraudulent misrepresentation.
17
(e) The
obligations of the Company and the Operating Partnership under this Section 7
shall be in addition to any liability which the Company and the Operating
Partnership may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and
conditions, to the directors and officers of the Agent and to each person, if
any, who controls the Agent within the meaning of the 1933 Act and each broker
dealer affiliate of the Agent; and the obligations of the Agent under this
Section 7 shall be in addition to any liability which the Agent may otherwise
have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and
director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company
within the meaning of the 1933 Act.
Section 8. Representations, Warranties
and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The respective
indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the
Company, the Operating Partnership and the Agent, as set forth in this Agreement
or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall
remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any
statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of the Agent or any
controlling person of the Agent, or the Company, or any officer or director or
controlling person of the Company or the Operating Partnership, and shall
survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.
Section 9. No Advisory or Fiduciary
Relationship. The Company and the Operating Partnership each
acknowledges and agrees that (i) the Agent is acting solely in the capacity of
an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company and the Operating
Partnership with respect to the offering of Shares contemplated hereby
(including in connection with determining the terms of such offering) and (ii)
the Agent has not assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of
the Company or the Operating Partnership with respect to the offering
contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the
Agent has advised or is currently advising the Company or the Operating
Partnership on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company or the
Operating Partnership except the obligations expressly set forth in this
Agreement and (iii) the Company and the Operating Partnership have consulted its
own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The
Company and the Operating Partnership have each agreed that it will not claim
that the Agent has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes
a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company or the Operating Partnership, in
connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
Section 10. Termination.
(a) The
Company shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified,
to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time. Any
such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party,
except that (i) with respect to any pending sale through the Agent for the
Company or with respect to any pending sale to the Agent pursuant to a Term
Agreement or any offering or resale of any Shares purchased or to be purchased
by the Agent pursuant to a Terms Agreement, the obligations of the Company,
including in respect of compensation of the Agent, shall remain in full force
and effect notwithstanding such termination; and (ii) the provisions of Section
1, Section 5(b), Section 7 and Section 8 of this Agreement shall remain in full
force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
18
(b) The
Agent shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified,
to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time. Any
such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party
except that the provisions of Section 1, Section 5(b), Section 7 and Section 8
of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such
termination.
(c) This
Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until and unless terminated
pursuant to Section 10(a) or (b) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the
parties; provided that any
such termination by mutual agreement or pursuant to this clause (c) shall in all
cases be deemed to provide that Section 1, Section 5(b), Section 7 and Section 8
of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
(d) Any
termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such
notice of termination; provided that such
termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of
receipt of such notice by the Agent or the Company, as the case may
be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for
any sale of Shares, such sale shall settle in accordance with the provisions of
Section 2(g) hereof.
(e) In
the case of any purchase by the Agent pursuant to a Terms Agreement, the Agent
may terminate this Agreement, at any time at or prior to the Settlement Date (i)
if there has been, in the judgment of the Agent, since the time of execution of
the Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in
the Prospectus or General Disclosure Package, any material adverse change in the
condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or
business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one
enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii)
if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in
the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of
hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or
development involving a prospective change in national or international
political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is
such as to make it, in the judgment of the Agent, impracticable or inadvisable
to market the Shares or to enforce contracts for the sale of Shares, or (iii) if
trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially
limited by the Commission of the NYSE, or if trading generally on the American
Stock Exchange or the NYSE or Nasdaq has been suspended or materially limited,
or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for
prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by
order of the Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. or
any other governmental authority, or (iv) a material disruption has occurred in
commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United
States, or (v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal of
New York authorities.
Section 11. Notices. All
statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and
if to the Agent shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile
transmission to:
Merrill,
Lynch, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx
Incorporated
Xxx
Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxx Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000
Fax
No. (000) 000-0000
Attention:
Xxxxxxx Xxxx,
and if to
the Company or the Operating Partnership to:
0000
Xxxxxx xx xxx Xxxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000
Fax No.
(000) 000-0000
Attention:
General Counsel.
Any such
statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt
thereof.
Section 12. Parties. This
Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Agent,
the Company and the Operating Partnership and, to the extent provided in
Sections 7 and 8 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and the Agent
and each person who controls the Company or the Agent, and their respective
heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person
shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this
Agreement. No purchaser of Shares through the Agent shall be deemed a
successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.
19
Section 13. Time of the
Essence. Time shall be of the essence of this
Agreement. As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day
when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for
business.
Section 14. Submission to Jurisdiction;
Waiver of Jury Trial. No proceeding related to this Agreement
or any Terms Agreement or any transactions contemplated hereby or thereby may be
commenced, prosecuted or continued in any court other than the courts of the
State of New York located in the City and County of New York or in the United
States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which courts shall
have jurisdiction over the adjudication of such matters, and the Company and the
Operating Partnership each consents to the jurisdiction of such courts and
personal service with respect thereto. The Company and the Operating
Partnership each waives all right to trial by jury in any proceeding (whether
based upon contract, tort or otherwise) in any way arising out of or relating to
this Agreement or any Terms Agreement. The Company and the Operating
Partnership each agrees that a final judgment in any such proceeding brought in
any such court shall be conclusive and binding upon it and may be enforced in
any other courts to whose jurisdiction it is or may be subject, by suit upon
such judgment.
Section 15. Governing
Law. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REFERENCE TO ITS
PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAW.
Section 16. Counterparts. This
Agreement and any Terms Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the
parties hereto and thereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts shall together
constitute one and the same instrument. This Agreement and any Terms
Agreement may be delivered by any party by facsimile or other electronic
transmission.
Section 17. Severability. The
invalidity or unenforceability of any Section, paragraph or provision of this
Agreement or any Terms Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability
of any other Section, paragraph or provision hereof or thereof, as the case may
be. If any Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement or any
Terms Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable,
there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor
changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
20
If the foregoing is in accordance with
your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company and
the Operating Partnership a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along
with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Agent, the
Company and the Operating Partnership in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours, | |||
CapLease, Inc. | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Title: Senior Vice President |
Caplease, LP | |||
By: | CLF OP GENERAL PARTNER, LLC, its sole | ||
general partner | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxx | |||
Title: Senior Vice President |
Accepted as of the date hereof: | |||||
Xxxxxxx
Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx
Incorporated
|
|||||
By: |
/s/
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
|
|
|||
Name:
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
|
|
||||
Title:
Managing Director
|
|
21
Schedule 1
Significant
Subsidiaries
Caplease,
LP
EVA
LLC
Caplease
CDO 2005-1, Ltd.
Caplease
Debt Funding, LP
22
Annex 1
Common
Stock
($0.01
par value)
TERMS
AGREEMENT
XXXXXXX
XXXXX & CO.
Xxxxxxx
Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx
Incorporated
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
CapLease,
Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), proposes,
subject to the terms and conditions stated herein and in the ATM Equity Offering
Sales Agreement, dated December 8, 2010 (the “Sales Agreement”),
among the Company, Caplease LP, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating
Partnership”), and Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated
(the “Agent”), to issue and sell to the Agent the securities specified in the
Schedule hereto (the “Purchased
Securities”) [, and solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments,
to grant to the Agent the option to purchase the additional securities specified
in the Schedule hereto (the “Additional
Securities”)]*. Capitalized terms used herein and not
defined have the respective meanings ascribed thereto in the Sales
Agreement.
[The
Agent shall have the right to purchase from the Company all or a portion of the
Additional Securities as may be necessary to cover over-allotments made in
connection with the offering of the Purchased Securities, at the same purchase
price per share to be paid by the Agent to the Company for the Purchased
Securities; provided that the purchase price payable by the Agent for any
Additional Securities shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any
dividends or distributions paid or payable by the Company on the Purchased
Securities but not payable on such Additional Securities. This option
may be exercised by the Agent at any time (but not more than once) on or before
the thirtieth day following the date hereof, by written notice to the Company.
Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of shares of Additional
Securities as to which the option is being exercised, and the date and time when
the Additional Securities are to be delivered (such date and time being herein
referred to as the “Option Closing
Date”); provided, however, that the Option Closing Date shall not be
earlier than the Time of Delivery (as set forth in the Schedule hereto) nor
earlier than the second business day after the date on which the option shall
have been exercised nor later than the fifth business day after the date on
which the option shall have been exercised. Payment of the purchase price for
the Additional Securities shall be made at the Option Closing Date in the same
manner and at the same office as the payment for the Purchased
Securities. For purposes of clarity, the parties hereto agree that
any Option Closing Date shall be a “time on which Shares are to be delivered to
the Agent pursuant to a Terms Agreement” within the meaning of Sections 3(j),
(k), (l) and (m) of the Sales Agreement.]*
Each of
the provisions of the Sales Agreement not specifically related to the
solicitation by the Agent, as agent of the Company, of offers to purchase
securities is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and shall be
deemed to be part of this Terms Agreement to the same extent as if such
provisions had been set forth in full herein. Each of the representations and
warranties set forth therein shall be deemed to have been made at and as of the
date of this Terms Agreement [and] [,] the Applicable Time [and any Option
Closing Date]*, except that each representation and warranty in Section 1
of the Sales Agreement which makes reference to the Prospectus (as therein
defined) shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty as of the date of
the Sales Agreement in relation to the Prospectus, and also a representation and
warranty as of the date of this Terms Agreement [and] [,] the Settlement Date
[and any Option Closing Date]* in relation to the Prospectus as amended and
supplemented to relate to the Purchased Securities.
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An
amendment to the Registration Statement (as defined in the Sales Agreement), or
a supplement to the Prospectus, as the case may be, relating to the Purchased
Securities [and the Additional Securities]*, in the form heretofore delivered to
the Agent is now proposed to be filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Subject
to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in the Sales Agreement which
are incorporated herein by reference, the Company agrees to issue and sell to
the Agent and the latter agrees to purchase from the Company the number of
shares of the Purchased Securities at the time and place and at the purchase
price set forth in the Schedule hereto.
If the
foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign
and return to the Company and the Operating Partnership a counterpart hereof,
whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding
agreement between the Agents, the Company and the Operating Partnership in
accordance with its terms.
THIS
TERMS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS
OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
Very truly yours, | |||
CapLease, Inc. | |||
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By:
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Name: | |||
Title: |
Caplease, LP | |||
By: | CLF OP GENERAL PARTNER, LLC, its sole | ||
general partner | |||
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By:
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||
Name: | |||
Title: |
Accepted as of the date hereof: | |||||
Xxxxxxx
Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx
Incorporated
|
|||||
By: |
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|
|||
Name: |
|
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Title:
|
|
|
* Include
only if the Agent has an over-allotment option.
24