REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Exhibit 4.2
EXECUTION COPY
This REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT dated December 19, 2005 (this “Agreement”) is entered into by and among Xxxxxxx Xxxx, Inc., an Illinois corporation (the “Company”), the guarantors listed in Schedule I hereto and X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc. (“JPMorgan”) and the several initial purchasers listed in Schedule A hereto (the “Initial Purchasers”).
The Company, the Guarantors and the Initial Purchasers are parties to the Purchase Agreement dated December 14, 2005 (the “Purchase Agreement”), which provides for the sale by the Company to the Initial Purchasers of $203,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 10½% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2012 (the “Securities”) which will be guaranteed on an unsecured senior subordinated basis by each of the Guarantors. As an inducement to the Initial Purchasers to enter into the Purchase Agreement, the Company and the Guarantors have agreed to provide to the Initial Purchasers and their direct and indirect transferees the registration rights set forth in this Agreement. The execution and delivery of this Agreement is a condition to the closing under the Purchase Agreement.
In consideration of the foregoing, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Business Day” shall mean any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York City are authorized or required by law to remain closed.
“Closing Date” shall mean the Closing Date as defined in the Purchase Agreement.
“Company” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble and shall also include the Company’s successors.
“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.
“Exchange Dates” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(ii) hereof.
“Exchange Offer” shall mean the exchange offer by the Company and the Guarantors of Exchange Securities for Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof.
“Exchange Offer Registration” shall mean a registration under the Securities Act effected pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof.
“Exchange Offer Registration Statement” shall mean a registration statement on Form S-4 (or, if applicable, on another appropriate form) relating to an offering of Exchange Securities pursuant to an Exchange Offer) and all amendments and supplements to such registration statement, in each case including the Prospectus contained therein, all exhibits thereto and any document incorporated by reference therein.
“Exchange Securities” shall mean senior subordinated notes issued by the Company and guaranteed by the Guarantors under the Indenture containing terms identical in all material respects to the Securities (except that the Exchange Securities will not be subject to restrictions on transfer or contain terms
with respect to the payment of liquidated damages) and to be offered to Holders of Securities in exchange for Securities pursuant to the Exchange Offer.
“Guarantors” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble and shall also include any Guarantor’s successors.
“Holders” shall mean the Initial Purchasers, for so long as they own any Registrable Securities, and each of their successors, assigns and direct and indirect transferees who become owners of Registrable Securities under the Indenture; provided that for purposes of Sections 4 and 5 of this Agreement, the term “Holders” shall include Participating Broker-Dealers.
“Indemnified Person” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c) hereof.
“Indemnifying Person” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c) hereof.
“Indenture” shall mean the Indenture relating to the Securities and the Exchange Securities dated as of December 19, 2005 among the Company, the Guarantors and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, and as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof.
“Initial Purchasers” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Inspector” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a)(xiii) hereof.
“JPMorgan” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Liquidated Damages” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(d) hereof.
“Majority Holders” shall mean the Holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Registrable Securities; provided that whenever the consent or approval of Holders of a specified percentage of Registrable Securities is required hereunder, any Registrable Securities owned directly or indirectly by the Company or any of its affiliates shall not be considered outstanding and shall not be counted in determining whether such consent or approval was given by the Holders of such required percentage or amount; and provided, further, that if the Company shall issue any additional Securities under the Indenture prior to consummation of the Exchange Offer or, if applicable, the effectiveness of any Shelf Registration Statement, such additional Securities and the Registrable Securities to which this Agreement relates shall be treated together as one class for purposes of determining whether the consent or approval of Holders of a specified percentage of Registrable Securities has been obtained.
“Participating Broker-Dealers” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4(a) hereof.
“Person” shall mean an individual, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, trust or unincorporated organization, or a government or agency or political subdivision thereof.
“Prospectus” shall mean the prospectus included in a Registration Statement, including any preliminary prospectus, and any such prospectus as amended or supplemented by any prospectus supplement or “free-writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), including a prospectus supplement or free-writing prospectus with respect to the terms of the offering of any portion of the Registrable Securities covered by a Shelf Registration Statement, and by all other amendments and supplements to such prospectus, and in each case including any document incorporated by reference therein.
“Purchase Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.
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“Registrable Securities” shall mean the Securities; provided that the Securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities (i) when a Registration Statement with respect to such Securities has been declared effective under the Securities Act and such Securities have been exchanged or disposed of pursuant to such Registration Statement, (ii) when such Securities are eligible to be sold pursuant to Rule 144(k) (or any similar provision then in force, but not Rule 144A) under the Securities Act or (iii) when such Securities cease to be outstanding.
“Registration Default” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(d) hereof.
“Registration Expenses” shall mean any and all expenses incident to performance of or compliance by the Company and the Guarantors with this Agreement, including without limitation: (i) all SEC, stock exchange or National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. registration and filing fees, (ii) all fees and expenses incurred in connection with compliance with state securities or blue sky laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for any Underwriters or Holders in connection with blue sky qualification of any Exchange Securities or Registrable Securities), (iii) all expenses of any Persons in preparing or assisting in printing and distributing any Registration Statement, any Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, any underwriting agreements, securities sales agreements or other similar agreements and any other documents relating to the performance of and compliance with this Agreement, (iv) all rating agency fees, (v) all fees and disbursements relating to the qualification of the Indenture under applicable securities laws, (vi) the fees and disbursements of the Trustee and its counsel, (vii) the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and the Guarantors and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the reasonable fees and disbursements of one counsel for the Holders (which counsel shall be selected by the Majority Holders and which counsel may also be counsel for the Initial Purchasers) and (viii) the fees and disbursements of the independent public accountants of the Company and the Guarantors, including the expenses of any special audits or “comfort” letters required by this Agreement, but excluding fees and expenses of counsel to the Underwriters (other than fees and expenses set forth in clause (ii) above) or the Holders and underwriting discounts and commissions, brokerage commissions and transfer taxes, if any, relating to the sale or disposition of Registrable Securities by a Holder.
“Registration Statement” shall mean any registration statement of the Company and the Guarantors that covers any of the Exchange Securities or Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement and all amendments and supplements to any such registration statement, including post-effective amendments, in each case including the Prospectus contained therein, all exhibits thereto and any document incorporated by reference therein.
“SEC” shall mean the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Securities” shall have the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
“Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.
“Shelf Effectiveness Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(b) hereof.
“Shelf Registration” shall mean a registration effected pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof.
“Shelf Registration Default” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(d) hereof.
“Shelf Registration Statement” shall mean a “shelf” registration statement of the Company and the Guarantors that covers all or a portion of the Registrable Securities (but no other securities (other than debt securities similar to the Securities) unless approved by the Holders of a majority of the aggregate
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principal amount of Registrable Securities that are to be covered by such Shelf Registration Statement) on an appropriate form under Rule 415 under the Securities Act, or any similar rule that may be adopted by the SEC, and all amendments and supplements to such registration statement, including post-effective amendments, in each case including the Prospectus contained therein, all exhibits thereto and any document incorporated by reference therein.
“Staff” shall mean the staff of the SEC.
“Target Registration Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(i) hereof.
“Trust Indenture Act” shall mean the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended from time to time.
“Trustee” shall mean the trustee with respect to the Securities under the Indenture.
“Underwriter” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(e) hereof.
“Underwritten Offering” shall mean an offering in which Registrable Securities are sold to an Underwriter for reoffering to the public.
2. Registration Under the Securities Act.
(a) To the extent not prohibited by any applicable law or applicable interpretations of the Staff, the Company and the Guarantors shall (i) cause to be filed an Exchange Offer Registration Statement covering an offer to the Holders to exchange all the Registrable Securities for like principal amount of Exchange Securities and (ii) use their reasonable best efforts to have such Registration Statement declared effective and upon written request from any participating Broker-Dealer remain effective until the earlier of (A) such time as the Registrable Securities have been disposed of by such Participating Broker-Dealer or (B) 90 days after the closing of the Exchange Offer. The Company and the Guarantors shall commence the Exchange Offer promptly after the Exchange Offer Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC and use their commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Exchange Offer not later than 60 days after such effective date.
The Company and the Guarantors shall commence the Exchange Offer by mailing the related Prospectus, appropriate letters of transmittal and other accompanying documents to each Holder stating, in addition to such other disclosures as are required by applicable law, substantially the following:
(i) that the Exchange Offer is being made pursuant to this Agreement and that all Registrable Securities validly tendered and not properly withdrawn will be accepted for exchange;
(ii) the dates of acceptance for exchange (which shall be a period of at least 20 Business Days from the date such notice is mailed) (the “Exchange Dates”);
(iii) that any Registrable Security not tendered will remain outstanding and continue to accrue interest but will not retain any rights under this Agreement;
(iv) that any Holder electing to have a Registrable Security exchanged pursuant to the Exchange Offer will be required to surrender such Registrable Security, together with the appropriate letters of transmittal, to the institution and at the address (located in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York) and in the manner specified in the notice, prior to the close of business on the last Exchange Date; and
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(v) that any Holder will be entitled to withdraw its election, not later than the close of business on the last Exchange Date, by sending to the institution and at the address (located in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York) specified in the notice, a telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter setting forth the name of such Holder, the principal amount of Registrable Securities delivered for exchange and a statement that such Holder is withdrawing its election to have such Securities exchanged.
As a condition to participating in the Exchange Offer, a Holder will be required to represent to the Company and the Guarantors that (i) any Exchange Securities to be received by it will be acquired in the ordinary course of its business, (ii) at the time of the commencement of the Exchange Offer it has no arrangement or understanding with any Person to participate in the distribution (within the meaning of the Securities Act) of the Exchange Securities in violation of the provisions of the Securities Act, (iii) it is not an “affiliate” (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act) of the Company or any Guarantor and (iv) if such Holder is a broker-dealer that will receive Exchange Securities for its own account in exchange for Registrable Securities that were acquired as a result of market-making or other trading activities, then such Holder will deliver a Prospectus in connection with any resale of such Exchange Securities.
As soon as practicable after the last Exchange Date, the Company and the Guarantors shall:
(i) accept for exchange Registrable Securities or portions thereof validly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the Exchange Offer; and
(ii) deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Trustee for cancellation all Registrable Securities or portions thereof so accepted for exchange by the Company and issue, and cause the Trustee to promptly authenticate and deliver to each Holder, Exchange Securities equal in aggregate principal amount to the aggregate principal amount of the Registrable Securities surrendered by such Holder.
The Company and the Guarantors shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Exchange Offer as provided above and shall comply with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and other applicable laws and regulations in connection with the Exchange Offer. The Exchange Offer shall not be subject to any conditions, other than that the Exchange Offer does not violate any applicable law or applicable interpretation of the Staff.
If, during the period the Exchange Offer Registration Statement is effective, an event occurs which makes any statement made in such Exchange Offer Registration Statement or the related Prospectus untrue in any material respect or which requires the making of any changes in such Exchange Offer Registration Statement in order to make the statements therein not misleading or in such Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, the Company and the Guarantors shall use their commercially reasonable efforts to prepare and file with the SEC a supplement or post-effective amendment to the Exchange Offer Registration Statement or the related Prospectus or any document incorporated therein by reference or file any other required document so that, as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of the Registrable Securities, such Prospectus will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company agrees to notify the Holders to suspend the exchange of the Registrable Securities as promptly as practicable after the occurrence of such an event, and the Holders hereby agree to suspend such exchange until the Company and the Guarantors have amended or supplemented the Prospectus to correct such misstatement or omission.
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(b) In the event that (i) the Company and the Guarantors determine that the Exchange Offer Registration provided for in Section 2(a) above is not available or may not be completed as soon as practicable after the last Exchange Date because it would violate any applicable law or applicable interpretation of the Staff, (ii) the Exchange Offer is not for any other reason completed on or prior to the 20th Business Day following the Target Registration Date or (iii) the Exchange Offer has been completed and, based upon the reasonable advice of counsel for the Initial Purchasers, a Registration Statement must be filed and a Prospectus must be delivered by the Initial Purchasers in connection with any offer or sale of Registrable Securities originally purchased and still held by the Initial Purchasers, the Company and the Guarantors shall cause to be filed as soon as practicable after such determination, date or request, as the case may be, a Shelf Registration Statement providing for the sale of all the Registrable Securities by the Holders thereof and use their reasonable best efforts to have such Shelf Registration Statement declared effective by the SEC. To the extent a Shelf Registration Statement is required to be filed pursuant to clause (ii) and the Exchange Offer is completed on a date which is later than 300 days after the Closing Date, upon the completion of the Exchange Offer, the Company and the Guarantors will no longer be required to make effective or continue the effectiveness of the Shelf Registration Statement except as may be required pursuant to clause (i) or (iii).
In the event that the Company and the Guarantors are required to file a Shelf Registration Statement pursuant to clause (iii) of the preceding sentence, the Company and the Guarantors shall file and use their reasonable best efforts to have declared effective by the SEC both an Exchange Offer Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) with respect to all Registrable Securities and a Shelf Registration Statement (which may be a combined Registration Statement with the Exchange Offer Registration Statement) with respect to offers and sales of Registrable Securities held by the Initial Purchasers after completion of the Exchange Offer.
The Company and the Guarantors agree to use their reasonable best efforts to keep the Shelf Registration Statement continuously effective until the expiration of the period referred to in Rule 144(k) (or any similar rule then in force, but not Rule 144A) under the Securities Act with respect to the Registrable Securities or such shorter period that will terminate when all the Registrable Securities covered by the Shelf Registration Statement have been sold pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement or are no longer outstanding (the “Shelf Effectiveness Period”). The Company and the Guarantors further agree to supplement or amend the Shelf Registration Statement and the related Prospectus if required by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company for such Shelf Registration Statement or by the Securities Act or by any other rules and regulations thereunder for shelf registration or if reasonably and timely requested by a Holder to correct information relating to such Holder (provided the Majority Holders do not object to such amendment and resulting limitation of use of the Shelf Registration Statement), and to use their reasonable best efforts to cause any such amendment to become effective and such Shelf Registration Statement and Prospectus to become usable as soon as thereafter practicable; provided, that in the case of amendments (but not supplements) to the Shelf Registration Statement and the related Prospectus, the Company and the Guarantors shall not be required to amend the Shelf Registration Statement and the related Prospectus to add additional Holders more than three times per calendar quarter. The Company and the Guarantors agree to furnish to the Holders of Registrable Securities copies of any such supplement or amendment promptly after its being used or filed with the SEC.
(c) The Company and the Guarantors shall pay all Registration Expenses in connection with any registration pursuant to Section 2(a) or Section 2(b) hereof. Each Holder shall pay all underwriting discounts and commissions, brokerage commissions and transfer taxes, if any, relating to the sale or disposition of such Holder’s Registrable Securities pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement.
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(d) An Exchange Offer Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) hereof or a Shelf Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof will not be deemed to have become effective unless it has been declared effective by the SEC.
The Company, each Guarantor and the Initial Purchasers agree that the Holders will suffer damages if the Company or the Guarantors fail to fulfill their respective obligations under Section 2(a) or Section 2(b) hereof and that it would not be feasible to ascertain the extent of such damages with precision. Accordingly, the Company and each Guarantor agree that in the event that:
(i) either the Exchange Offer Registration Statement or the Shelf Registration Statement, if required hereby, is not declared effective on or prior to the 270th day after the Closing Date (the “Target Registration Date”) or the Exchange Offer is not completed (if no Shelf Registration Statement has been declared effective) within 20 Business Days of the Target Registration Date (each such event, a “Registration Default”); or
(ii) the Shelf Registration Statement, if required hereby, has been declared effective and thereafter either ceases to be effective or the Prospectus contained therein ceases to be usable at any time during the Shelf Effectiveness Period, and such failure to remain effective or usable continues for more than 60 days (whether or not consecutive) in any 12-month period (a “Shelf Registration Default”);
then the Company and the Guarantors hereby agree to pay each Holder of Registrable Securities affected thereby, liquidated damages (“Liquidated Damages”). Liquidated Damages will accrue on the affected Registrable Securities and the affected Exchange Securities, as applicable. The rate of Liquidated Damages will be 0.25% per annum of the principal amount of Registrable Securities held by such Holder for the first 90-day period immediately following the occurrence of a Registration Default or Shelf Registration Default, as applicable, increasing by 0.25% per annum with respect to each subsequent 90-day period, up to a maximum of 1.00% per annum, in each case until (x) with respect to a Registration Default, the Exchange Offer is completed or the Shelf Registration Statement, if required hereby, is declared effective by the SEC or the Securities become freely tradeable under the Securities Act (which shall include, without limitation, an effective Shelf Registration Statement relating to the Securities) or (y) with respect to a Shelf Registration Default, the Shelf Registration Statement has again been declared effective or the Prospectus again becomes usable.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, (1) the amount of Liquidated Damages payable shall not increase because more than one Registration Default has occurred and is pending and (2) a Holder of Registrable Securities or Exchange Securities who is not entitled to the benefits of the Shelf Registration Statement (i.e., such Holder has not elected to furnish information to the Company in accordance with Section 3(b) hereof) shall not be entitled to Liquidated Damages with respect to a Shelf Registration Default.
Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, no Holder who (x) was eligible to exchange such Holder’s outstanding Securities at the time that the Exchange Offer was pending and consummated and (y) failed to validly tender such Securities for exchange pursuant to the Exchange Offer shall be entitled to receive any Liquidated Damages that would otherwise accrue subsequent to the date the Exchange Offer is consummated pursuant to this Section 2(d).
(e) The Company shall notify the Trustee within five Business Days after each date on which an event occurs in respect of which Liquidated Damages are required to be paid. Any amounts of Liquidated Damages due pursuant to this Section 2 will be payable in addition to any other interest payable from time to time with respect to the Registrable Securities in cash semi-annually on the interest payment dates specified in the Indenture (to the holders of record as specified in the Indenture), commencing with
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the first such interest payment date occurring after any such Liquidated Damages commence to accrue. The amount of Liquidated Damages will be determined in a manner consistent with the calculation of interest under the Indenture.
(f) Without limiting the remedies available to the Initial Purchasers and the Holders, the Company and the Guarantors acknowledge that any failure by the Company or the Guarantors to comply with their obligations under Section 2(a) and Section 2(b) hereof may result in material irreparable injury to the Initial Purchasers or the Holders for which there is no adequate remedy at law, that it will not be possible to measure damages for such injuries precisely and that, in the event of any such failure, the Initial Purchasers or any Holder may obtain such relief as may be required to specifically enforce the Company’s and the Guarantors’ obligations under Section 2(a) and Section 2(b) hereof.
3. Registration Procedures.
(a) In connection with their obligations pursuant to Section 2(a) and Section 2(b) hereof, the Company and the Guarantors shall:
(i) prepare and file with the SEC a Registration Statement on the appropriate form under the Securities Act, which form (x) shall be selected by the Company and the Guarantors, (y) shall, in the case of a Shelf Registration, be available for the sale of the Registrable Securities by the selling Holders thereof and (z) shall comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the applicable form and include all financial statements required by the SEC to be filed therewith; and use their commercially reasonable efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and remain effective for the applicable period in accordance with Section 2 hereof;
(ii) subject to section 3(a)(ix), prepare and file with the SEC such amendments and post-effective amendments to each Registration Statement as may be necessary to keep such Registration Statement effective for the applicable period in accordance with Section 2 hereof and cause each Prospectus to be supplemented by any required prospectus supplement and, as so supplemented, to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act; and keep each Prospectus current during the period described in Section 4(3) of and Rule 174 under the Securities Act that is applicable to transactions by brokers or dealers with respect to the Registrable Securities or Exchange Securities;
(iii) in the case of a Shelf Registration, furnish to each Holder of Registrable Securities, to counsel for the Initial Purchasers, to counsel for such Holders (if any had been identified by written notice to the Company) and to each Underwriter of an Underwritten Offering of Registrable Securities, if any, without charge, as many copies of each Prospectus, including each preliminary Prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, as such Holder or Underwriter may reasonably request, in order to facilitate the sale or other disposition of the Registrable Securities thereunder; and, subject to Section 3(a)(ix), the Company and the Guarantors consent to the use of such Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto in accordance with applicable law and this Agreement by each of the selling Holders of Registrable Securities and any such Underwriters in connection with the offering and sale of the Registrable Securities covered by and in the manner described in such Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto in accordance with applicable law and this Agreement;
(iv) use their commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the Registrable Securities under all applicable state securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as any Holder of Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement shall reasonably request in writing
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by the time the applicable Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC; cooperate with such Holders in connection with any filings required to be made with the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.; and do any and all other acts and things that may be reasonably necessary or advisable to enable each Holder to complete the disposition in each such jurisdiction of the Registrable Securities owned by such Holder; provided that neither the Company nor any Guarantor shall be required to (1) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (2) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (3) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not so subject;
(v) in the case of a Shelf Registration, notify each Holder of Registrable Securities, counsel for such Holders and counsel for the Initial Purchasers promptly and, if requested by any such Holder or counsel, confirm such advice in writing (1) when a Registration Statement has become effective and when any post-effective amendment thereto has been filed and becomes effective, (2) of any request by the SEC or any state securities authority for amendments and supplements to a Registration Statement and Prospectus or for additional information after the Registration Statement has become effective, (3) of the issuance by the SEC or any state securities authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose, (4) if, between the effective date of a Registration Statement and the closing of any sale of Registrable Securities covered thereby, the representations and warranties of the Company or any Guarantor contained in any underwriting agreement, securities sales agreement or other similar agreement, if any, relating to an offering of such Registrable Securities cease to be true and correct in all material respects or if the Company or any Guarantor receives any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation of any proceeding for such purpose, (5) of the happening of any event during the period a Shelf Registration Statement is effective that makes any statement made in such Registration Statement or the related Prospectus untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in such Registration Statement in order to make the statements therein not misleading or in such Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (6) of any determination by the Company or any Guarantor that a post-effective amendment to a Registration Statement would be appropriate;
(vi) use their reasonable best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of a Registration Statement as soon as practicable and promptly provide notice to each Holder of the withdrawal of any such order;
(vii) in the case of a Shelf Registration, if a Shelf Registration is required, furnish to each Holder of Registrable Securities, without charge, at least one conformed copy of each Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto (without any documents incorporated therein by reference or exhibits thereto, unless requested);
(viii) in the case of a Shelf Registration, cooperate with the selling Holders of Registrable Securities to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates representing Registrable Securities to be sold and not bearing any restrictive legends and enable such Registrable Securities to be issued in such denominations and registered in such names (consistent with the provisions of the Indenture) as such selling Holders may reasonably request at least one Business Day prior to the closing of any sale of Registrable Securities;
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(ix) in the case of a Shelf Registration, upon the occurrence of any event contemplated by Section 3(a)(v)(5) hereof, use their commercially reasonable efforts to prepare and file with the SEC a supplement or post-effective amendment to such Shelf Registration Statement or the related Prospectus or any document incorporated therein by reference or file any other required document so that, as thereafter delivered to purchasers of the Registrable Securities, such Prospectus will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and the Company and the Guarantors shall notify the Holders of Registrable Securities to suspend use of the Prospectus as promptly as practicable after the occurrence of such an event, and such Holders hereby agree to suspend use of the Prospectus until the Company and the Guarantors have amended or supplemented the Prospectus to correct such misstatement or omission or until the Company notifies the Holders that the sale of the Registrable Securities may be resumed. Notwithstanding the foregoing (and anything else to the contrary in this Agreement), the Company and the Guarantors may suspend the use of the Shelf Registration Statement if the board of directors of the Company determines in good faith that it is in the best interests of the Company not to disclose the existence of facts surrounding any proposed or pending material corporate transaction involving the Company or the Guarantors, and the Company notifies the Holders of Registrable Securities promptly after the board of directors makes such determination; provided, however, that the period referred to in Section 2 during which the Company and the Guarantors agree to use their commercially reasonable efforts to keep such Shelf Registration Statement effective shall be extended by the number of days during which the use of such Shelf Registration Statement was suspended pursuant to the foregoing provision; provided, however, that the Company and the Guarantors may give any such notice only twice during any 365-day period and any such suspensions shall not exceed 45 days for each suspension and 75 days in the aggregate and there shall not be more than two suspensions in effect during any 365-day period;
(x) a reasonable time prior to the filing of any Registration Statement, any Prospectus, any amendment to a Registration Statement or amendment or supplement to a Prospectus or of any document that is to be incorporated by reference into a Registration Statement or a Prospectus after initial filing of a Registration Statement, provide copies of such document to the Initial Purchasers and their counsel (and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, to the Holders of Registrable Securities and their counsel) and make such of the representatives of the Company and the Guarantors as shall be reasonably requested by the Initial Purchasers or their counsel (and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the Holders of Registrable Securities or their counsel) available for discussion of such document; and the Company and the Guarantors shall not, at any time after initial filing of a Registration Statement, file any Prospectus, any amendment of or supplement to a Registration Statement or a Prospectus, or any document that is to be incorporated by reference into a Registration Statement or a Prospectus, of which the Initial Purchasers and their counsel (and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the Holders of Registrable Securities and their counsel) shall not have previously been advised and furnished a copy or to which the Initial Purchasers or their counsel (and, in the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the Holders or their counsel) shall reasonably object within five days of receipt;
(xi) obtain a CUSIP number for all Exchange Securities or Registrable Securities, as the case may be, not later than the effective date of a Registration Statement;
(xii) cause the Indenture to be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act in connection with the registration of the Exchange Securities or Registrable Securities, as the case may be; cooperate with the Trustee and the Holders to effect such changes to the Indenture as may be required
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for the Indenture to be so qualified in accordance with the terms of the Trust Indenture Act; and execute, and use their commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Trustee to execute, all documents as may be required to effect such changes and all other forms and documents required to be filed with the SEC to enable the Indenture to be so qualified in a timely manner;
(xiii) in the case of a Shelf Registration (including an Underwritten Offering thereunder), make available for inspection by a representative of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Registrable Securities (an “Inspector”), which Inspector shall be reasonably acceptable to the Company and Guarantors, any Underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to such Shelf Registration Statement, any attorneys and accountants designated by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of Registrable Securities and any attorneys and accountants designated by such Underwriter, at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner, all pertinent financial and other records, documents and properties of the Company and the Guarantors, and cause the respective officers, directors and employees of the Company and the Guarantors to supply all information reasonably requested by any such Inspector, Underwriter, attorney or accountant in connection with a Shelf Registration Statement, in each case that would customarily be reviewed or examined in connection with “due diligence” review of the Company and the Guarantors; provided that the foregoing inspection and information gathering (1) shall be coordinated on behalf of the selling Holders, Underwriters and representatives thereof by one counsel, who shall be such counsel as may be chosen by the Majority Holders or by the Underwriters, as the case may be, and (2) if any such information is identified by the Company or any Guarantor as being confidential or proprietary, shall not be available for any such Holder or Underwriter who does not agree in writing pursuant to a customary non-disclosure agreement to hold such information in confidence;
(xiv) [reserved];
(xv) if reasonably requested by any Holder of Registrable Securities covered by a Shelf Registration Statement, promptly include in a Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment such information with respect to such Holder as such Holder reasonably requests to be included therein and make all required filings of such Prospectus supplement or such post-effective amendment as soon as the Company has received notification of the matters to be so included in such filing; provided, that in the case of amendments (but not supplements) to the Shelf Registration Statement and the related Prospectus, the Company and the Guarantors shall not be required to amend the Shelf Registration Statement and the related Prospectus to add additional Holders more than three times per calendar quarter; and
(xvi) in the case of a Shelf Registration, enter into such customary agreements and take all such other reasonable actions in connection therewith (including those requested by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Registrable Securities being sold) in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities including, but not limited to, if requested by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities covered by a Shelf Registration Statement, an Underwritten Offering and in such connection, (1) to the extent possible, make such representations and warranties to the Holders and any Underwriters of such Registrable Securities with respect to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries and the Registration Statement, Prospectus and documents incorporated by reference or deemed incorporated by reference, if any, in each case, in form, substance and scope as are customarily made by issuers to underwriters in underwritten offerings, (2) obtain opinions of counsel to the Company and the Guarantors (which counsel and opinions, in form, scope and substance, shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Holders and such Underwriters and their respective counsel) addressed to each
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selling Holder and Underwriter of Registrable Securities, covering the matters customarily covered in opinions requested in underwritten offerings of the type contemplated by this provision, (3) obtain “comfort” letters from the independent certified public accountants of the Company and the Guarantors (and, if necessary, any other certified public accountant of any subsidiary of the Company or any Guarantor, or of any business acquired by the Company or any Guarantor for which financial statements and financial data are or are required to be included in the Registration Statement) addressed to each selling Holder and Underwriter of Registrable Securities (subject, in each case, to the policies and procedures of the independent certified public accountants of the Company and the Guarantors and such other independent certified public accountants regarding the preparation and delivery of such letters), such letters to be in customary form and covering matters of the type customarily covered in “comfort” letters in connection with underwritten offerings of the type contemplated by this provision and (4) deliver such documents and certificates as may be reasonably requested by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Registrable Securities being sold or the Underwriters, and which are customarily delivered in underwritten offerings of the type contemplated by this provision, to evidence the continued validity of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Guarantors made pursuant to clause (1) above and to evidence compliance with any customary conditions contained in an underwriting agreement.
(b) In the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, the Company and the Guarantors may require each Holder of Registrable Securities, as a condition to the inclusion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in a Shelf Registration Statement, to furnish to the Company such information in writing within 10 Business Days after receipt of a request therefor regarding such Holder and the proposed disposition by such Holder of such Registrable Securities as the Company and the Guarantors may from time to time reasonably request in writing. In addition, each Selling Holder agrees to promptly furnish additional information required to be disclosed in order to make the information previously furnished to the Company not materially misleading. So long as any Holder fails to furnish such information in a reasonably timely manner after receiving the request, the Company and the Guarantors shall (i) have no obligation under this Agreement to provide for the disposition of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in the Shelf Registration Statement in respect to which such information was requested, (ii) not be required to provide for the disposition of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in any post-effective amendment to such Shelf Registration Statement or any future Shelf Registration Statement that is not otherwise required to be filed and (iii) not be required to pay any liquidated damages to such Holder as provided in Section 2(d) hereof. Each Holder including Registrable Securities in a Shelf Registration Statement shall agree to furnish promptly to the Company all information regarding such Holder and the proposed distribution by such Holder of such Registrable Securities required to make the information previously furnished to the Company by such Holder not materially misleading.
(c) In the case of a Shelf Registration Statement, each Holder of Registrable Securities agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Company or any Guarantor of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(a)(v)(3) or 3(a)(v)(5) hereof or a notice pursuant to the last sentence of this paragraph, such Holder will forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement until such Holder’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus contemplated by Section 3(a)(ix) hereof and, if so directed by the Company or any Guarantor, such Holder will deliver to the Company and the Guarantors all copies in its possession, other than permanent file copies then in such Holder’s possession, of the Prospectus covering such Registrable Securities that is current at the time of receipt of such notice. In addition, the Company may give notice of suspension of offering and sale under the Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with the last sentence of Section 3(a)(ix).
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(d) If the Company or any Guarantor shall give any notice pursuant to Section 3(c) hereof to suspend the disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Shelf Registration Statement, the Company and the Guarantors shall extend the period during which such Shelf Registration Statement shall be maintained effective pursuant to this Agreement by the number of days during the period from and including the date of the giving of such notice to and including the date when the Holders of such Registrable Securities shall have received copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus necessary to resume such dispositions.
(e) The Holders of Registrable Securities covered by a Shelf Registration Statement who desire to do so may sell such Registrable Securities in an Underwritten Offering referred to in Section 3(a)(xv) above. In any such Underwritten Offering, the investment bank or investment banks and manager or managers (each an “Underwriter”) that will administer the offering will be selected by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Registrable Securities included in such offering.
4. Participation of Broker-Dealers in Exchange Offer.
(a) The Staff has taken the position that any broker-dealer that receives Exchange Securities for its own account in the Exchange Offer in exchange for Securities that were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making or other trading activities (a “Participating Broker-Dealer”) may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and must deliver a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of such Exchange Securities.
The Company and the Guarantors understand that it is the Staff’s position that if the Prospectus contained in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement includes a plan of distribution containing a statement to the above effect and the means by which Participating Broker-Dealers may resell the Exchange Securities, without naming the Participating Broker-Dealers or specifying the amount of Exchange Securities owned by them, such Prospectus may be delivered by Participating Broker-Dealers to satisfy their prospectus delivery obligation under the Securities Act in connection with resales of Exchange Securities for their own accounts, so long as the Prospectus otherwise meets the requirements of the Securities Act.
(b) In light of the above, and notwithstanding the other provisions of this Agreement, the Company and the Guarantors agree to amend or supplement the Prospectus contained in the Exchange Offer Registration Statement until the earlier of (i) such time as the Participating Broker-Dealer shall have disposed of the Registrable Securities and (ii) 90 days after the closing of the Exchange Offer (as such period may be extended pursuant to Section 3(d) of this Agreement), if requested by one or more Participating Broker-Dealers, in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of any Exchange Securities by Participating Broker-Dealers consistent with the positions of the Staff recited in Section 4(a) above. The Company and the Guarantors further agree that Participating Broker-Dealers shall be authorized to deliver such Prospectus during such period in connection with the resales contemplated by this Section 4 in accordance with applicable law and this Agreement.
(c) The Initial Purchasers shall have no liability to the Company, any Guarantor or any Holder with respect to any request that they may make pursuant to Section 4(b) above.
5. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company and each Guarantor, jointly and severally, agree to indemnify and hold harmless each Initial Purchaser and each Holder, their respective affiliates, directors and officers and each Person, if any, who controls any Initial Purchaser or any Holder within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages
13
and liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Prospectus or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Initial Purchaser, or information relating to any Holder furnished to the Company in writing through JPMorgan or any selling Holder expressly for use therein; provided, that with respect to any such untrue statement in or omission from any preliminary prospectus, the indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph (a) shall not inure to the benefit of any Initial Purchaser or Holder (or any of their affiliates, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Initial Purchaser or Holder within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act) in connection with the sale of Securities or Exchange Securities by an Initial Purchaser or Holder, to the extent that such untrue statement or omission was corrected in a prospectus supplement or a free-writing prospectus delivered to the Person asserting such loss, claim, damage or liability prior to the time of sale of such Securities or Exchange Securities. In connection with any Underwritten Offering permitted by Section 3, the Company and the Guarantors will also agree to jointly and severally indemnify the Underwriters, if any, selling brokers, dealers and similar securities industry professionals participating in such Underwritten Offering, their respective affiliates and each Person who controls such Persons (within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act) to the same extent as provided above with respect to the indemnification of the Holders, if requested in connection with any Registration Statement for such Underwritten Offering.
(b) Each Holder agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Guarantors, the Initial Purchasers and the other selling Holders, the directors, officers, employees, managers, members and general partners of the Company and the Guarantors, each officer of the Company and the Guarantors who signed the Registration Statement and each Person, if any, who controls the Company, the Guarantors, any Initial Purchaser and any other selling Holder within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to such Holder furnished to the Company in writing by such Holder expressly for use in any Registration Statement and any Prospectus.
(c) If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any Person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to either paragraph (a) or (b) above, such Person (the “Indemnified Person”) shall promptly notify the Person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the “Indemnifying Person”) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under this Section 5 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under this Section 5. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person (who shall not without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) to represent the Indemnified Person in such
14
proceeding and shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; or (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm (x) for any Initial Purchaser, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control Persons of such Initial Purchaser shall be designated in writing by JPMorgan, (y) for any Holder, its directors and officers and any control Persons of such Holder shall be designated in writing by the Majority Holders and (z) in all other cases shall be designated in writing by the Company. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Person shall have requested that an Indemnifying Person reimburse the Indemnified Person for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by this paragraph, the Indemnifying Person shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by the Indemnifying Person of such request and (ii) the Indemnifying Person shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Person in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (A) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (B) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Guarantors from the offering of the Securities and the Exchange Securities, on the one hand, and by the Holders from receiving Securities or Exchange Securities registered under the Securities Act, on the other hand, or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the Company and the Guarantors on the one hand and the Holders on the other in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the Company and the Guarantors on the one hand and the Holders on the other 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 Guarantors or by the Holders and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
(e) The Company, the Guarantors and the Holders agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 5 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Holders
15
were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (d) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Person in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5, in no event shall a Holder be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities or Exchange Securities sold by such Holder exceeds the amount of any damages that such Holder 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 Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any Person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
(f) The remedies provided for in this Section 5 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies that may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.
(g) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 5 shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of the Initial Purchasers or any Holder or any Person controlling any Initial Purchaser or any Holder, or by or on behalf of the Company or the Guarantors or the officers or directors of or any Person controlling the Company or the Guarantors, (iii) acceptance of any of the Exchange Securities and (iv) any sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Shelf Registration Statement.
6. General.
(a) No Inconsistent Agreements. The Company and the Guarantors represent, warrant and agree that (i) the rights granted to the Holders hereunder do not in any way conflict with and are not inconsistent with the rights granted to the holders of any other outstanding securities issued or guaranteed by the Company or any Guarantor under any other agreement and (ii) neither the Company nor any Guarantor has entered into, or on or after the date of this Agreement will enter into, any agreement that is inconsistent with the rights granted to the Holders of Registrable Securities in this Agreement or otherwise conflicts with the provisions hereof.
(b) Amendments and Waivers. The provisions of this Agreement, including the provisions of this sentence, may not be amended, modified or supplemented, and waivers or consents to departures from the provisions hereof may not be given unless the Company and the Guarantors have obtained the written consent of Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Registrable Securities affected by such amendment, modification, supplement, waiver or consent; provided that no amendment, modification, supplement, waiver or consent to any departure from the provisions of Section 5 hereof shall be effective as against any Holder of Registrable Securities unless consented to in writing by such Holder. Any amendments, modifications, supplements, waivers or consents pursuant to this Section 6(b) shall be by a writing executed by each of the parties hereto.
(c) Notices. All notices and other communications provided for or permitted hereunder shall be made in writing by hand-delivery, registered first-class mail, telex, telecopier, or any courier guaranteeing overnight delivery (i) if to a Holder, at the most current address given by such Holder to the Company by means of a notice given in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6(c), which address initially is, with respect to the Initial Purchasers, the address set forth in the Purchase Agreement; (ii) if to the Company or any Guarantor, initially at the Company’s address set forth in the Purchase Agreement and thereafter at such other address, notice of which is given in accordance with the provisions of
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this Section 6(c); and to such other persons at their respective addresses as provided in the Purchase Agreement and thereafter at such other address, notice of which is given in accordance with the provisions of this Section 6(c). All such notices and communications shall be deemed to have been duly given: at the time delivered by hand, if personally delivered; five Business Days after being deposited in the mail, postage prepaid, if mailed; when answered back, if telexed; when receipt is acknowledged, if telecopied; and on the next Business Day if timely delivered to an air courier guaranteeing overnight delivery. Copies of all such notices, demands or other communications shall be concurrently delivered by the Person giving the same to the Trustee, at the address specified in the Indenture.
(d) Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors, assigns and transferees of each of the parties, including, without limitation and without the need for an express assignment, subsequent Holders; provided that nothing herein shall be deemed to permit any assignment, transfer or other disposition of Registrable Securities in violation of the terms of the Indenture and the Purchase Agreement. If any transferee of any Holder shall acquire Registrable Securities in any manner, whether by operation of law or otherwise, such Registrable Securities shall be held subject to all the terms of this Agreement, and by taking and holding such Registrable Securities such Person shall be conclusively deemed to have agreed to be bound by and to perform all of the terms and provisions of this Agreement and such Person shall be entitled to receive the benefits hereof. The Initial Purchasers (in their capacity as Initial Purchasers) shall have no liability or obligation to the Company or the Guarantors with respect to any failure by a Holder to comply with, or any breach by any Holder of, any of the obligations of such Holder under this Agreement.
(e) Third Party Beneficiaries. Each Holder shall be a third party beneficiary to the agreements made hereunder between the Company and the Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Initial Purchasers, on the other hand, and shall have the right to enforce such agreements directly to the extent it deems such enforcement necessary or advisable to protect its rights or the rights of other Holders hereunder.
(f) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
(g) Headings. The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only, are not a part of this Agreement and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.
(h) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
(i) Miscellaneous. This Agreement contains the entire agreement between the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all oral statements and prior writings with respect thereto. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction contained in this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable or against public policy, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions contained herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated. The Company, the Guarantors and the Initial Purchasers shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the invalid, void or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, void or unenforceable provisions.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
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XXXXXXX XXXX, INC. |
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By: |
/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxx |
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Name: |
Xxxxx X. Xxxx |
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Title: |
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer |
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and Director |
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GUARANTORS: |
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CACTUS HILLS, LLC |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES AUSTIN INVESTMENTS, L.L.C. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES XXXXXX OPERATIONS, L.L.C. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES DALLAS INVESTMENTS, L.L.C. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES DALLAS OPERATIONS, L.L.C. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX
HOMES HOUSTON INVESTMENTS, |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES HOUSTON OPERATIONS, L.L.C. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX TEXAS INVESTMENT COMPANY, L.L.C. |
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/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxx |
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Xxxxx X. Xxxx |
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Manager |
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EAST LAKE PARK, INC. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX FAR EAST DETROIT, LLC |
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XXXXXXX XXXX STATEWAY, INC. |
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/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President and Treasurer |
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KH FINANCIAL HOLDING COMPANY |
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KHH TEXAS TRADING COMPANY X.X. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES XXXXXX, X.X. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES CALIFORNIA, INC. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES DALLAS, X.X. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES FLORIDA, INC. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES HOUSTON, X.X. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES ILLINOIS, LLC |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES NEVADA, INC. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES OHIO, INC. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES OREGON, INC. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES REALTY FLORIDA, INC. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES SAN ANTONIO, X.X. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES TEXAS, INC. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES WASHINGTON, INC. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HOMES WISCONSIN, INC. |
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NATIONAL CREDIT AND GUARANTY CORPORATION |
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RIVER OAKS REALTY, L.P. |
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Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Vice President |
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18TH AND PEORIA, LLC |
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Xxxxxxx Xxxx Suburban Centers, L.L.C., its manager |
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Xxxxxxx Xxxx, Inc., its manager |
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Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Senior Vice President, Finance |
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XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX, X.X.X. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX URBAN CENTERS, L.L.C. |
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THE GLENS AT WESTLAKE, L.L.C. |
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Xxxxxxx Xxxx, Inc., its manager |
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Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Senior Vice President, Finance |
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XXXXXXX XXXX URBAN CENTERS CHICAGO ONE, L.L.C. |
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XXXXXXX XXXX URBAN CENTERS CHICAGO TWO, L.L.C. |
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Xxxxxxx Xxxx Urban Centers, L.L.C., its manager |
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Xxxxxxx Xxxx, Inc., its manager |
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/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Senior Vice President, Finance |
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BRIDLE RIDGE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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PARKVIEW LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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RIVER POINTE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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SONATA AT MORADA RANCH LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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WINDMILL PARK LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes California, Inc., its general partner |
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Vice President |
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XXXXXXX XXXX BELLEVUE RANCH, LLC |
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XXXXXXX XXXX REFLECTIONS, LLC |
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XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX LAKES, LLC |
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XXXXXXX XXXX VILLAGES, LLC |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes California, Inc., its manager |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX FARMS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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KIMBALL WEST FRISCO LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Dallas, L.P., its general partner |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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XXXXXXX XXXX CALUSA PALMS LIMITED |
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PARTNERSHIP |
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XXXXXXX XXXX MARBELLA ESTATES LIMITED |
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PARTNERSHIP |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Florida, Inc., its general partner |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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4
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INDIAN TRAILS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Houston, L.P., its general partner |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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XXXXXXX XXXX TX PROPERTIES, LLC |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Houston, L.P., its manager |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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ASTOR PLACE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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BOLINGBROOK LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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EDGEWATER LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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HUNTINGTON CHASE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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LEGEND LAKES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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THE XXXX TOWNHOMES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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THE XXXXXXXX PLACE PARTNERSHIP |
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WATERFORD LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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WHISPERING MEADOW LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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WHITE OAK LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Illinois, LLC, its general partner |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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5
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XX XXXXXX PARK SOUTH, LLC |
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KH SRAV II, LLC |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Illinois, LLC, its manager |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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XXXXXXX XXXX CENTENNIAL HEIGHTS LIMITED |
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PARTNERSHIP |
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XXXXXXX XXXX HEATHERS/CAPAROLA LIMITED |
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PARTNERSHIP |
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XXXXXXX MOUNTAIN FIRST LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Nevada, Inc., its general partner |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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XXXXXXX COVE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXX XXXX XX LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Texas, Inc., its general partner |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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6
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RIVER OAKS HOMES, L.L.P. |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Texas, Inc., its manager |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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GABLES AT HIDDENBROOK LIMITED PARTNERSHIP |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Washington, Inc., its general |
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partner |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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Title: |
Vice President |
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PARK SHORE, L.L.C. |
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By: |
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Wisconsin, Inc., its manager |
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By: |
/s/ Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
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||||
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Name: |
Xxx X. Xxxxxx |
|||||
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Title: |
Vice President |
|||||
7
Confirmed and accepted as of the |
||
date first above written: |
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|
||
X.X. XXXXXX SECURITIES INC. |
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|
||
For itself and on behalf of the |
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several Initial Purchasers |
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By: |
/s/ Xxxxx Xxxxx |
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Authorized Signatory |
8
Schedule I
Guarantors
18th and Peoria, LLC
Astor Place Limited Partnership
Bolingbrook Limited Partnership
Bridle Ridge Limited Partnership
Cactus Hills, LLC
East Lake Park, Inc.
Edgewater Limited Partnership
Gables at Hiddenbrook Limited Partnership
Huntington Chase Limited Partnership
Indian Trails Limited Partnership
KH Financial Holding Company
XX Xxxxxx Park South, LLC
KH SRAV II, LLC
KHH Texas Trading Company X.X.
Xxxxxxx Cove Limited Partnership
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Bellevue Ranch, LLC
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Calusa Palms Limited Partnership
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Centennial Heights Limited Partnership
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxxx Farms Limited Partnership
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Far East Detroit, LLC
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Heathers/Caparola Limited Partnership
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Xxxxxx Investments, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Austin Operations, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Xxxxxx, X.X.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes California, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Dallas Investments, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Dallas Operations, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Dallas, X.X.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Florida, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Houston Investments, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Houston Operations, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Houston, X.X.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Illinois, LLC
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Nevada, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Ohio, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Oregon, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Realty Florida, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes San Antonio, X.X.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Texas, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Washington, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Homes Wisconsin, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxx XX Limited Partnership
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Marbella Estates Limited Partnership
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Reflections, LLC
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxx Lakes, LLC
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Stateway, Inc.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Suburban Centers, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Texas Investment Company, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx TX Properties, LLC
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Urban Centers Chicago One, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Urban Centers Chicago Two, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Urban Centers, L.L.C.
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Villages, LLC
Xxxxxxx Mountain First Limited Partnership
Kimball West Frisco Limited Partnership
Legend Lakes Limited Partnership
National Credit and Guaranty Corporation
Park Shore, L.L.C.
Parkview Limited Partnership
River Oaks Homes, L.L.P.
River Oaks Realty, L.P.
River Pointe Limited Partnership
Sonata at Morada Ranch Limited Partnership
The Xxxx Townhomes Limited Partnership
The Glens at Westlake, L.L.C.
The Xxxxxxxx Place Partnership
Waterford Limited Partnership
Whispering Meadow Limited Partnership
White Oak Limited Partnership
Windmill Park Limited Partnership
Schedule A
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc.
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Corp.