FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT OF COPANO ENERGY, L.L.C.
Exhibit 3.1
FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED
OF
TABLE OF CONTENTS | |||||
ARTICLE I
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DEFINITIONS
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Section 1.1
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Definitions
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1 | |||
Section 1.2
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Construction
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15 | |||
ARTICLE II
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ORGANIZATION
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Section 2.1
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Formation
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15 | |||
Section 2.2
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Name
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15 | |||
Section 2.3
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Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices
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15 | |||
Section 2.4
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Purposes and Business
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16 | |||
Section 2.5
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Powers
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16 | |||
Section 2.6
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Power of Attorney
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16 | |||
Section 2.7
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Term
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17 | |||
Section 2.8
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Title to Company Assets
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18 | |||
ARTICLE III
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RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
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Section 3.1
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Members
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18 | |||
Section 3.2
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Management of Business
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19 | |||
Section 3.3
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Outside Activities of the Members
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19 | |||
Section 3.4
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Rights of Members
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19 | |||
ARTICLE IV
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CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS;
ISSUANCE AND TRANSFER OF INTERESTS;
REDEMPTION OF INTERESTS
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Section 4.1
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Certificates
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20 | |||
Section 4.2
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Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates
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20 | |||
Section 4.3
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Record Holders
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21 | |||
Section 4.4
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Transfer Generally
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21 | |||
Section 4.5
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Registration and Transfer of Member Interests
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22 | |||
Section 4.6
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Restrictions on Transfers
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23 | |||
Section 4.7
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Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees
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23 | |||
Section 4.8
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Redemption of Interests of Non-citizen Assignees
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24 | |||
ARTICLE V
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND
ISSUANCE OF INTERESTS
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Section 5.1
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Reserved.
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25 | |||
Section 5.2
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Reserved.
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25 | |||
Section 5.3
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Reserved.
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25 | |||
Section 5.4
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Interest and Withdrawal
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25 | |||
Section 5.5
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Capital Accounts
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26 | |||
Section 5.6
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Issuances of Additional Company Securities
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27 | |||
Section 5.7
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Reserved
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28 | |||
Section 5.8
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Reserved
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29 | |||
Section 5.9
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No Preemptive Rights
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29 | |||
Section 5.10
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Splits and Combinations
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29 | |||
Section 5.11
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Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Interests
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30 |
i
ARTICLE VI
ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
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Section 6.1
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Allocations for Capital Account Purposes
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30 | |||
Section 6.2
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Allocations for Tax Purposes
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34 | |||
Section 6.3
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Requirement and Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders.
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36 | |||
Section 6.4
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Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus.
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37 | |||
Section 6.5
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Distributions of Available Cash from Capital Surplus
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37 | |||
Section 6.6
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Adjustment of Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels.
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37 | |||
Section 6.7
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Entity Level Taxation
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38 | |||
Section 6.8
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Distributions Subject to Delaware Act
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38 | |||
ARTICLE VII
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS
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Section 7.1
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Board of Directors
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38 | |||
Section 7.2
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Certificate of Formation
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43 | |||
Section 7.3
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Restrictions on the Board of Directors’ Authority
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43 | |||
Section 7.4
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Officers
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44 | |||
Section 7.5
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Outside Activities
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46 | |||
Section 7.6
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Loans or Contributions from the Company or Group Members
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46 | |||
Section 7.7
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Indemnification
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46 | |||
Section 7.8
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Exculpation of Liability of Indemnitees
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50 | |||
Section 7.9
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Resolution of Conflicts of Interest; Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties
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51 | |||
Section 7.10
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Duties of Officers and Directors
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52 | |||
Section 7.11
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Purchase or Sale of Company Securities
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53 | |||
Section 7.12
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Reliance by Third Parties
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53 | |||
ARTICLE VIII
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
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Section 8.1
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Records and Accounting
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53 | |||
Section 8.2
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Fiscal Year
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54 | |||
Section 8.3
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Reports
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54 |
ARTICLE IX
TAX MATTERS
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Section 9.1
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Tax Returns and Information
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54 | |||
Section 9.2
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Tax Elections
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54 | |||
Section 9.3
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Tax Controversies
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55 | |||
Section 9.4
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Withholding
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55 | |||
Section 9.5
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Board of Directors Authority to Delegate
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55 | |||
ARTICLE X
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
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Section 10.1
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Dissolution
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55 | |||
Section 10.2
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Liquidator
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56 | |||
Section 10.3
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Liquidation
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56 | |||
Section 10.4
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Cancellation of Certificate of Formation
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57 | |||
Section 10.5
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Return of Contributions
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57 | |||
Section 10.6
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Waiver of Partition
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57 | |||
Section 10.7
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Capital Account Restoration
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57 |
ii
ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENT OF AGREEMENT; MEETINGS OF MEMBERS; RECORD DATE
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Section 11.1
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Amendment of Limited Liability Company Agreement
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58 | |||
Section 11.2
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Amendment Requirements
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60 | |||
Section 11.3
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Unitholder Meetings
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61 | |||
Section 11.4
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Notice of Meetings of Members
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61 | |||
Section 11.5
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Record Date
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62 | |||
Section 11.6
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Adjournment
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62 | |||
Section 11.7
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Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting
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62 | |||
Section 11.8
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Quorum; Required Vote for Member Action; Cumulative Voting for Directors
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63 | |||
Section 11.9
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Conduct of a Meeting; Member Lists
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64 | |||
Section 11.10
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Action Without a Meeting
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64 | |||
Section 11.11
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Voting and Other Rights
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64 | |||
Section 11.12
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Proxies and Voting
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65 | |||
Section 11.13
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Notice of Member Business and Nominations
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66 | |||
ARTICLE XII
MERGER
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Section 12.1
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Authority
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69 | |||
Section 12.2
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Procedure for Merger or Consolidation
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69 | |||
Section 12.3
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Approval by Members of Merger or Consolidation
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70 | |||
Section 12.4
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Certificate of Merger
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71 | |||
Section 12.5
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Effect of Merger
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71 | |||
Section 12.6
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Business Combination Limitations
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72 | |||
ARTICLE XIII
RIGHT TO ACQUIRE MEMBER INTERESTS
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Section 13.1
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Right to Acquire Member Interests
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72 | |||
ARTICLE XIV
REGISTRATION RIGHTS
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Section 14.1
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Registration Rights
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74 | |||
Section 14.2
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Registrable Securities
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74 | |||
Section 14.3
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Shelf Registration
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74 | |||
Section 14.4
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Underwritten Offerings
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75 | |||
Section 14.5
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Registration Procedures
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78 | |||
Section 14.6
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Cooperation by Existing Investors
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81 | |||
Section 14.7
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Restrictions on Public Sale by Existing Investors of Registrable Securities
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81 | |||
Section 14.8
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Expenses
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81 | |||
Section 14.9
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Indemnification
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82 | |||
Section 14.10
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Rule 144 Reporting
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84 | |||
Section 14.11
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Transfer or Assignment of Registration Rights
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84 | |||
ARTICLE XV
GENERAL PROVISIONS
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Section 15.1
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Addresses and Notices
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85 | |||
Section 15.2
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Further Action
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85 | |||
Section 15.3
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Binding Effect
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85 | |||
Section 15.4
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Integration
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85 | |||
Section 15.5
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Creditors
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86 | |||
Section 15.6
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Waiver
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86 | |||
Section 15.7
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Counterparts
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86 | |||
Section 15.8
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Applicable Law
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86 | |||
Section 15.9
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Invalidity of Provisions
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86 | |||
Section 15.10
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Consent of Members
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86 |
iii
FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
AGREEMENT OF COPANO ENERGY, L.L.C.
This FOURTH AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT OF COPANO ENERGY, L.L.C., dated as of July 20, 2010 is entered into and effectuated by the Board of Directors of the Company pursuant to authority granted to it in Section 11.1 of the Third Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Company dated April 30, 2007. In consideration of the covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1Definitions. The following definitions shall be for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated to the contrary, applied to the terms used in this Agreement.
“Acquisition” means any transaction in which any Group Member acquires (through an asset acquisition, merger, stock acquisition or other form of investment) control over all or a portion of the assets, properties or business of another Person for the purpose of increasing the operating capacity or revenue of the Company Group from the operating capacity or revenue of the Company Group existing immediately prior to such transaction.
“Additional Member” means a Member admitted as a Member of the Company pursuant to Section 4.5 and who is shown as such on the books and records of the Company.
“Adjusted Capital Account” means the Capital Account maintained for each Member as of the end of each taxable period of the Company, (a) increased by any amounts that such Member is obligated to restore under the standards set by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704−1(b)(2)(ii)(c) (or is deemed obligated to restore under Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704−2(g) and 1.704−2(i)(5)) and (b) decreased by (i) the amount of all losses and deductions that, as of the end of such taxable period, are reasonably expected to be allocated to such Member in subsequent taxable periods under Sections 704(e)(2) and 706(d) of the Code and Treasury Regulation Section 1.751−1(b)(2)(ii), and (ii) the amount of all distributions that, as of the end of such taxable period, are reasonably expected to be made to such Member in subsequent taxable periods in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or otherwise to the extent they exceed offsetting increases to such Member’s Capital Account that are reasonably expected to occur during (or prior to) the taxable period in which such distributions are reasonably expected to be made (other than increases as a result of a minimum gain chargeback pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i) or Section 6.1(d)(ii)). The foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended to comply with the provisions of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704−1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith. The “Adjusted Capital Account” of a Member in respect of any Company Security shall be the amount that such Adjusted Capital Account would be if such Company Security were the only interest in the Company held by such Member from and after the date on which such Company Security was first issued.
1
“Adjusted Operating Surplus” means, with respect to any period, Operating Surplus generated with respect to such period (a) less (i) any net increase in Working Capital Borrowings with respect to such period and (ii) any net decrease in cash reserves for Operating Expenditures with respect to such period not relating to an Operating Expenditure made with respect to such period, and (b) plus (i) any net decrease in Working Capital Borrowings with respect to such period and (ii) any net increase in cash reserves for Operating Expenditures with respect to such period required by any debt instrument for the repayment of principal, interest or premium. Adjusted Operating Surplus does not include that portion of Operating Surplus included in clause (a)(i) and (a)(ii) of the definition of Operating Surplus.
“Adjusted Property” means any property the Carrying Value of which has been adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(i) or Section 5.5(d)(ii).
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the Person in question. As used herein, the term “control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
“Agreed Allocation” means any allocation, other than a Required Allocation, of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1, including, without limitation, a Curative Allocation (if appropriate to the context in which the term “Agreed Allocation” is used).
“Agreed Value” of any Contributed Property means the fair market value of such property or other consideration at the time of contribution as determined by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall use such method as it determines to be appropriate to allocate the aggregate Agreed Value of Contributed Properties contributed to the Company in a single or integrated transaction among each separate property on a basis proportional to the fair market value of each Contributed Property.
“Agreement” means this Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Copano Energy, L.L.C., as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
“Anniversary” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.13(b).
“Applicable Quarter” means a Quarter other than the first Quarter following the Closing Date.
“Associate” means, when used to indicate a relationship with any Person, (a) any corporation or organization of which such Person is a director, officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of any class of voting stock or other voting interest; (b) any trust or other estate in which such Person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity; and (c) any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same principal residence as such Person.
2
“Available Cash” means, with respect to any Quarter ending prior to the Liquidation Date:
(a) the sum of (i) all cash and cash equivalents of the Company Group on hand at the end of such Quarter, and (ii) all additional cash and cash equivalents of the Company Group on hand on the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter resulting from Working Capital Borrowings made subsequent to the end of such Quarter, less
(b) the amount of any cash reserves established by the Board of Directors to (i) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Company Group (including reserves for future capital expenditures and for anticipated future credit needs of the Company Group) subsequent to such Quarter, (ii) comply with applicable law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which any Group Member is a party or by which it is bound or its assets are subject or (iii) provide funds for distributions under Section 6.4 or Section 6.5 in respect of any one or more of the next four Quarters; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may not establish cash reserves pursuant to (iii) above if the effect of such reserves would be that the Company is unable to distribute the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all Common Units, plus any Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage on all Common Units, with respect to such Quarter; and, provided further, that disbursements made by a Group Member or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of such Quarter but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall be deemed to have been made, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining Available Cash, within such Quarter if the Board of Directors so determines.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Available Cash” with respect to the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero.
“Board of Directors” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.1(a).
“Book-Tax Disparity” means, with respect to any item of Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, as of the date of any determination, the difference between the Carrying Value of such Contributed Property or Adjusted Property and the adjusted basis thereof for federal income tax purposes as of such date. A Member’s share of the Company’s Book-Tax Disparities in all of its Contributed Property and Adjusted Property will be reflected by the difference between such Member’s Capital Account balance as maintained pursuant to Section 5.5 and the hypothetical balance of such Member’s Capital Account computed as if it had been maintained strictly in accordance with federal income tax accounting principles.
“Business Day” means Monday through Friday of each week, except that a legal holiday recognized as such by the government of the United States of America or the State of Texas shall not be regarded as a Business Day.
“Capital Account” means the capital account maintained for a Member pursuant to Section 5.5. The “Capital Account” of a Member in respect of any Company Security shall be the amount that such Capital Account would be if such Company Security were the only interest
3
in the Company held by such Member from and after the date on which such Company Security was first issued.
“Capital Contribution” means any cash, cash equivalents or the Net Agreed Value of Contributed Property that a Member contributes to the Company or that is contributed, directly or indirectly, to the Company on behalf of a Member; provided that in the case of an underwritten offering of Common Units, the amount of any underwriting discounts or commissions shall be treated as having been contributed to the Company.
“Capital Improvement” means any (a) addition or improvement to the capital assets owned by any Group Member or (b) acquisition of existing, or the construction of new, capital assets, in each case if such addition, improvement, acquisition or construction is made to increase the operating capacity or revenue of the Company Group from the operating capacity or revenue of the Company Group existing immediately prior to such addition, improvement, acquisition or construction.
“Capital Surplus” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.3(a).
“Carrying Value” means (a) with respect to a Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced (but not below zero) by all depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions charged to the Members’ Capital Accounts in respect of such Contributed Property, and (b) with respect to any other Company property, the adjusted basis of such property for federal income tax purposes, all as of the time of determination. The Carrying Value of any property shall be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 5.5(d)(i) and Section 5.5(d)(ii) and to reflect changes, additions or other adjustments to the Carrying Value for dispositions and acquisitions of Company properties, as deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors.
“Certificate” means a certificate (i) substantially in the form of Exhibit A to this Agreement, (ii) issued in global form in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Depositary or (iii) in such other form as may be adopted by the Board of Directors, issued by the Company evidencing ownership of one or more Common Units or a certificate, in such form as may be adopted by the Board of Directors, issued by the Company evidencing ownership of one or more other Company Securities.
“Certificate of Formation” means the Certificate of Formation of the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as referenced in Section 7.2, as such Certificate of Formation may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
“Chairman of the Board” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.1.
“Citizenship Certification” means a properly completed certificate in such form as may be specified by the Board of Directors by which a Member certifies that he (and if he is a nominee holding for the account of another Person, that to the best of his knowledge such other Person) is an Eligible Citizen.
“Closing Date” means November 15, 2004.
4
“Closing Price” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(a).
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of any successor law.
“Commenced Commercial Service” and “Commencement of Commercial Service” shall mean the date a Capital Improvement is first put into service following completion of construction and testing.
“Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common Unit” means a Company Security representing a fractional part of the Interests of all Members, and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to Common Units in this Agreement.
“Company” means Copano Energy, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company, and any successors thereto.
“Company Group” means the Company and any Subsidiary of the Company, treated as a single consolidated entity.
“Company Minimum Gain” means that amount determined in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(d).
“Company Security” means any class or series of equity interest in the Company (but excluding any options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to an equity interest in the Company), including without limitation, Common Units, which are a separate class of Interests.
“Conflicts Committee” means a committee of the Board of Directors composed entirely of two or more Independent Directors who are not (a) Officers or employees of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or (b) holders of any ownership interest in the Company Group other than Common Units.
“Contributed Property” means each property or other asset, in such form as may be permitted by the Delaware Act, but excluding cash, contributed to the Company. Once the Carrying Value of a Contributed Property is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d), such property shall no longer constitute a Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an Adjusted Property.
“Copano Partners” means Copano Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.
“Curative Allocation” means any allocation of an item of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(x).
“Current Market Price” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(a).
5
“Delaware Act” means the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, 6 Del. C. Section 18-101, et seq., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.
“Depositary” means, with respect to any Units issued in global form, The Depository Trust Company and its successors and permitted assigns.
“DGCL” means the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, 8 Del. C. Section 101, et seq., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.
“Director” means a member of the Board of Directors of the Company.
“EBITDA” means net income (loss) plus interest expense, provision for income taxes and depreciation and amortization expense.
“Economic Risk of Loss” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-2(a).
“Effectiveness Period” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.3(a).
“Eligible Citizen” means a Person qualified to own interests in real property in jurisdictions in which any Group Member does business or proposes to do business from time to time, and whose status as a Member does not or would not subject such Group Member to a significant risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any of its properties or any interest therein.
“Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.7.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Existing Investors” means (i) Copano Partners, (ii) R. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, an individual residing in Spring, Texas, and (iii) Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, an individual residing in Houston, Texas.
“Final Adjudication” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.7(e).
“Gross Liability Value” means, with respect to any liability of the Company described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-7(b)(3)(i), the amount of cash that a willing assignor would pay to a willing assignee to assume such liability in an arm’s-length transaction.
“Group” means a Person that with or through any of its Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a proxy or consent solicitation made to 10 or more Persons) or disposing of any Company Securities with any other Person that beneficially owns, or whose Affiliates or Associates beneficially own, directly or indirectly, Company Securities.
“Group Member” means a member of the Company Group.
6
“Group Member Agreement” means the partnership agreement of any Group Member that is a limited or general partnership, the limited liability company agreement of any Group Member, other than the Company, that is a limited liability company, the certificate of incorporation and bylaws or similar organizational documents of any Group Member that is a corporation, the joint venture agreement or similar governing document of any Group Member that is a joint venture and the governing or organizational or similar documents of any other Group Member that is a Person other than a limited or general partnership, limited liability company, corporation or joint venture, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
“Included Registrable Securities” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.4(c).
“Indemnitee” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.7(a).
“Independent” with respect to a Director means a Director who meets the then current independence standards required of directors who serve on an audit committee of a board of directors established by the Commission and the National Securities Exchange on which the Common Units are listed for trading.
“Initial Common Units” means the Common Units sold in the Initial Offering.
“Initial Members” means the Underwriters and the holders of Common Units received in exchange for the membership interests in the Company and the Warrants outstanding prior to the Initial Offering.
“Initial Offering” means the initial offering and sale of Common Units to the public, as described in the Registration Statement.
“Initial Unit Price” means (a) with respect to the Common Units, the initial public offering price per Common Unit at which the Underwriters offered the Common Units to the public for sale as set forth on the cover page of the prospectus included as part of the Registration Statement and first issued at or after the time the Registration Statement first became effective or (b) with respect to any other class or series of Units, the price per Unit at which such class or series of Units is initially sold by the Company, as determined by the Board of Directors, in each case adjusted as the Board of Directors determines to be appropriate to give effect to any distribution, subdivision or combination of Units.
“Interest” means the ownership interest of a Member in the Company, which may be evidenced by Common Units or other Company Securities or a combination thereof or interest therein, and includes any and all benefits to which such Member is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of such Member to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
“Interim Capital Transactions” means the following transactions if they occur prior to the Liquidation Date: (a) borrowings, refinancings or refundings of indebtedness (other than Working Capital Borrowings and other than for items purchased on open account in the ordinary
7
course of business) by any Group Member and sales of debt securities of any Group Member; (b) sales of equity interests of any Group Member (including the Common Units sold to the Underwriters pursuant to the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option); and (c) sales or other voluntary or involuntary dispositions of any assets of any Group Member other than (i) sales or other dispositions of inventory, accounts receivable and other assets in the ordinary course of business and (ii) sales or other dispositions of assets as part of normal retirements or replacements.
“Issue Price” means the price at which a Unit is purchased from the Company, after taking into account any sales commission or underwriting discount charged to the Company.
“Liquidation Date” means the date on which an event giving rise to the dissolution of the Company occurs.
“Liquidator” means one or more Persons selected by the Board of Directors to perform the functions described in Section 10.2 as liquidating trustee of the Company within the meaning of the Delaware Act.
“Losses” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.9(a).
“Managing Underwriter” means, with respect to any Underwritten Offering, the book running lead manager of such Underwritten Offering.
“Member” means, unless the context otherwise requires, each Initial Member, each Substituted Member, and each Additional Member.
“Member Nonrecourse Debt” has the meaning ascribed to the term “partner nonrecourse debt” set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(4).
“Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain” has the meaning ascribed to the term “partner nonrecourse debt minimum gain” set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(2).
“Member Nonrecourse Deductions” means any and all items of loss, deduction or expenditure (including, without limitation, any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code) that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i) with respect to “partner nonrecourse deductions,” are attributable to a Member Nonrecourse Debt.
“Merger Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 12.1.
“Minimum Quarterly Distribution” means $0.20 per Unit per Quarter, subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 6.6 and Section 6.7.
“National Securities Exchange” means an exchange registered with the Commission under Section 6(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.
“Net Agreed Value” means, (a) in the case of any Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced by any liabilities either assumed by the Company upon such
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contribution or to which such property is subject when contributed, and (b) in the case of any property distributed to a Member by the Company, the Company’s Carrying Value of such property (as adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(ii)) at the time such property is distributed, reduced by any indebtedness either assumed by such Member upon such distribution or to which such property is subject at the time of distribution, in either case, as determined under Section 752 of the Code.
“Net Income” means, for any taxable period, the excess, if any, of the Company’s items of income and gain (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period over the Company’s items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period. The items included in the calculation of Net Income shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
“Net Loss” means, for any taxable period, the excess, if any, of the Company’s items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period over the Company’s items of income and gain (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable period. The items included in the calculation of Net Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
“Net Termination Gain” means, for any taxable period, the sum, if positive, of all items of Company income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b)) that are (a) recognized (i) after the Liquidation Date or (ii) upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (excluding any disposition to a member of the Company Group), or (b) deemed recognized by the Company pursuant to Section 5.5(d); provided, however, the items included in the determination of Net Termination Gain shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
“Net Termination Loss” means, for any taxable period, the sum, if negative, of all items of Company income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b)) that are (a) recognized by the Company (i) after the Liquidation Date or (ii) upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (excluding any disposition to a member of the Company Group) or (b) deemed recognized by the Company pursuant to Section 5.5(d); provided, however, the items included in the determination of Net Termination Loss shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
“Non-citizen Assignee” means a Person whom the Board of Directors has determined does not constitute an Eligible Citizen and as to whose Interest the Board of Directors has become the Substituted Member, pursuant to Section 4.7.
“Nonrecourse Built-in Gain” means with respect to any Contributed Properties or Adjusted Properties that are subject to a mortgage or pledge securing a Nonrecourse Liability,
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the amount of any taxable gain that would be allocated to the Members pursuant to Section 6.2(b) if such properties were disposed of in a taxable transaction in full satisfaction of such liabilities and for no other consideration.
“Nonrecourse Deductions” means any and all items of loss, deduction or expenditure (including, without limitation, any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code) that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b), are attributable to a Nonrecourse Liability.
“Nonrecourse Liability” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-1(a)(2).
“Notice of Election to Purchase” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(b).
“Officer” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.4(a).
“Operating Expenditures” means all Company Group expenditures, including, but not limited to, taxes, repayment of Working Capital Borrowings, debt service payments, and capital expenditures, subject to the following:
(a) payments (including prepayments) of principal of and premium on indebtedness other than Working Capital Borrowings shall not constitute Operating Expenditures; and
(b) Operating Expenditures shall not include (i) capital expenditures made for Acquisitions or for Capital Improvements, (ii) payment of transaction expenses relating to Interim Capital Transactions or (iii) distributions to Members. Where capital expenditures are made in part for Acquisitions or for Capital Improvements and in part for other purposes, the Board of Directors, with the concurrence of the Conflicts Committee, shall determine the allocation between the amounts paid for each and, with respect to the part of such capital expenditures made for other purposes, the period over which the capital expenditures made for other purposes will be deducted as an Operating Expenditure in calculating Operating Surplus.
“Operating Surplus” means, with respect to any period ending prior to the Liquidation Date, on a cumulative basis and without duplication,
(a) the sum of (i) $12.0 million, (ii) all cash and cash equivalents of the Company Group on hand as of the close of business on the Closing Date, (iii) all cash receipts of the Company Group for the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the last day of such period, excluding cash receipts from Interim Capital Transactions (except to the extent specified in Section 6.5) and (iv) all cash receipts of the Company Group after the end of such period but on or before the date of determination of Operating Surplus with respect to such period resulting from Working Capital Borrowings, less
(b) the sum of (i) Operating Expenditures for the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the last day of such period and (ii) the amount of cash reserves established by the Company to provide funds for future Operating Expenditures; provided, however, that disbursements made (including contributions to a Group Member or disbursements on behalf of
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a Group Member) or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of such period but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such period shall be deemed to have been made, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining Operating Surplus, within such period if the Company so determines.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Operating Surplus” with respect to the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero.
“Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of counsel (who may be regular counsel to the Company or any of its Affiliates) acceptable to the Board of Directors.
“Outstanding” means, with respect to Company Securities, all Company Securities that are issued by the Company and reflected as outstanding on the Company’s books and records as of the date of determination; provided, however, that no Company Securities held by the Company (other than Company Securities representing Interests held by the Company on behalf of Non-Citizen Assignees) or any other Group Member shall be considered Outstanding.
“Over-Allotment Option” means the over-allotment option granted to the Underwriters by the Company pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.
“Per Unit Capital Amount” means, as of any date of determination, the Capital Account, stated on a per Unit basis, as the case may be, underlying any class of Units held by a Person.
“Percentage Interest” means, as of any date of determination (a) as to any Unitholder holding Units, the product obtained by multiplying (i) 100% less the percentage applicable to paragraph (b) by (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the number of Units held by such Unitholder by (B) the total number of all Outstanding Units, and (b) as to the holders of other Company Securities issued by the Company in accordance with Section 5.6, the percentage established as a part of such issuance.
“Person” means an individual or a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization or other enterprise (including an employee benefit plan), association, government agency or political subdivision thereof or other entity.
“Piggyback Registration” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.4(c).
“Prime Rate” means the prime rate of interest as quoted from time to time by the Wall Street Journal or another source reasonably selected by the Company.
“Pro Rata” means (a) when modifying Units or any class thereof, apportioned equally among all designated Units in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests, and (b) when modifying Members, apportioned among all Members in accordance with their relative Percentage Interest.
“Purchase Date” means the date determined by the Board of Directors as the date for purchase of all Outstanding Units of a certain class pursuant to Article XIII.
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“Quarter” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal quarter, or, with respect to the first fiscal quarter after the Closing Date, the portion of such fiscal quarter after the Closing Date, of the Company.
“Recapture Income” means any gain recognized by the Company (computed without regard to any adjustment required by Section 734 or Section 743 of the Code) upon the disposition of any property or asset of the Company, which gain is characterized as ordinary income because it represents the recapture of deductions previously taken with respect to such property or asset.
“Record Date” means the date established by the Company for determining (a) the identity of the Record Holders entitled to notice of, or to vote at, any meeting of Members or entitled to exercise rights in respect of any lawful action of Members or (b) the identity of Record Holders entitled to receive any report or distribution or to participate in any offer.
“Record Holder” means the Person in whose name a Common Unit is registered on the books of the Transfer Agent as of the opening of business on a particular Business Day, or with respect to other Company Securities, the Person in whose name any such other Company Security is registered on the books that the Company has caused to be kept as of the opening of business on such Business Day.
“Redeemable Interests” means any Interests for which a redemption notice has been given, and has not been withdrawn, pursuant to Section 4.8.
“Registrable Security” means the Common Units until such time as such securities cease to be Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 14.2 of this Agreement.
“Registration Expenses” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.8.
“Registration Statement” means the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-117825) as it has been or as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, filed by the Company with the Commission under the Securities Act to register the offering and sale of the Common Units in the Initial Offering.
“Required Allocations” means (a) any limitation imposed on any allocation of Net Losses or Net Termination Losses under Section 6.1(b) or 6.1(c)(ii) and (b) any allocation of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i), 6.1(d)(ii), 6.1(d)(iv), 6.1(d)(vii) or 6.1(d)(ix).
“Residual Gain” or “Residual Loss” means any item of gain or loss, as the case may be, of the Company recognized for federal income tax purposes resulting from a sale, exchange or other disposition of a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, to the extent such item of gain or loss is not allocated pursuant to Section 6.2(b)(i)(A) or 6.2(b)(ii)(A), respectively, to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time and any successor to such statute.
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“Selling Expenses” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.8.
“Shelf Registration” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.3(a).
“Shelf Registration Statement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 14.3(a).
“Solicitation Notice” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.13(c).
“Special Approval” means approval by a majority of the members of the Conflicts Committee.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the partnership interests of such partnership (considering all of the partnership interests of the partnership as a single class) is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.
“Substituted Member” means a Person who is admitted as a Member of the Company pursuant to Sections 4.5 or 4.7 in place of and with all rights of a Member and who is shown as a Member on the books and records of the Company.
“Surviving Business Entity” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 12.2(b).
“Tax Matters Partner” means the Tax Matters Partner as defined in the Code.
“Third Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement” means the Third Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Copano Energy, L.L.C. dated as of April 30, 2007, as amended through the date of this Agreement.
“Trading Day” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(a).
“Transfer” when used in this Agreement with respect to an Interest, shall be deemed to refer to a transaction by which the holder of an Interest assigns such Interest to another Person who is or becomes a Member, and includes a sale, assignment, gift, exchange or any other disposition by law or otherwise, including any transfer upon foreclosure of any pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or mortgage.
“Transfer Agent” means such bank, trust company or other Person (including the Company or one of its Affiliates) as shall be appointed from time to time by the Company to act
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as registrar and transfer agent for the Common Units; provided that if no Transfer Agent is specifically designated for any other Company Securities, the Company shall act in such capacity.
“Underwriter” means each Person named as an underwriter in the Underwriting Agreement who purchases Common Units pursuant thereto.
“Underwriting Agreement” means that certain Underwriting Agreement, dated November 8, 2004, among the Underwriters, the Company and certain other parties, providing for the purchase of Common Units by the Underwriters.
“Underwritten Offering” means an offering (including an offering pursuant to a Shelf Registration Statement) in which Common Units are sold to an underwriter on a firm commitment basis for reoffering to the public or an offering that is a “bought deal” with one or more investment banks.
“Unit” means a Company Security that is designated as a “Unit” and shall include Common Units.
“Unit Majority” means at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units.
“Unitholders” means the holders of Units.
“Unrealized Gain” attributable to any item of Company property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.5(d)) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.5(d) as of such date).
“Unrealized Loss” attributable to any item of Company property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.5(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.5(d)).
“Unrecovered Capital” means at any time, with respect to a Unit, the Initial Unit Price less the sum of all distributions constituting Capital Surplus theretofore made in respect of an Initial Common Unit and any distributions of cash (or the Net Agreed Value of any distributions in kind) in connection with the dissolution and liquidation of the Company theretofore made in respect of an Initial Common Unit, adjusted as the Board of Directors determines to be appropriate to give effect to any distribution, subdivision or combination of such Units.
“U.S. GAAP” means United States generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied.
“Warrants” means the warrants to acquire common membership interests in the Company outstanding prior to the Initial Offering.
“Working Capital Borrowings” means borrowings used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to Members made pursuant to a credit facility or other
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arrangement to the extent such borrowings are required to be reduced to a relatively small amount each year for an economically meaningful period of time.
Section 1.2Construction. Unless the context requires otherwise: (a) any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice versa; (b) references to Articles and Sections refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement; and (c) the term “include” or “includes” means includes, without limitation, and “including” means including, without limitation.
ARTICLE II
ORGANIZATION
Section 2.1Formation. The Members have previously formed the Company as a limited liability company pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act and hereby amend and restate the Third Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement in its entirety. This amendment and restatement shall become effective on the date of this Agreement. Except as expressly provided to the contrary in this Agreement, the rights, duties (including fiduciary duties), liabilities and obligations of the Members and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Company shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes and a Member has no interest in specific Company property.
Section 2.2Name. The name of the Company shall be Copano Energy, L.L.C. The Company’s business may be conducted under any other name or names, as determined by the Board of Directors. The words “Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.,” or similar words or letters shall be included in the Company’s name where necessary for the purpose of complying with the laws of any jurisdiction that so requires. The Board of Directors may change the name of the Company at any time and from time to time and shall notify the Members of such change in the next regular communication to the Members.
Section 2.3Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices. Unless and until changed by the Board of Directors, the registered office of the Company in the State of Delaware shall be located at 0000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000, and the registered agent for service of process on the Company in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be Wilmington Trust SP Services, Inc. The principal office of the Company shall be located at 0000 Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000 or such other place as the Board of Directors may from time to time designate by notice to the Members. The Company may maintain offices at such other place or places within or outside the State of Delaware as the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate.
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Section 2.4Purposes and Business. The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Company shall be to (a) engage directly in, or enter into or form any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to engage indirectly in, any business activity that is approved by the Board of Directors and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited liability company organized pursuant to the Delaware Act and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon the Company pursuant to the agreements relating to such business activity; and (b) do anything necessary or appropriate to the foregoing, including the making of capital contributions or loans to a Group Member; provided, however, that the Company shall not engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the Board of Directors determines would cause the Company to be treated as an association taxable as a Corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes. The Board of Directors has no obligation or duty to the Company or the Members to propose or approve, and may decline to propose or approve, the conduct by the Company of any business.
Section 2.5Powers. The Company shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary and appropriate for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Company.
Section 2.6Power of Attorney. Each Member hereby constitutes and appoints each of the Chief Executive Officer, the President and the Secretary and, if a Liquidator shall have been selected pursuant to Section 10.2, the Liquidator (and any successor to the Liquidator by merger, transfer, assignment, election or otherwise) and each of their authorized officers and attorneys-in-fact, as the case may be, with full power of substitution, as his true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority in his name, place and xxxxx, to:
(a) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record in the appropriate public offices (i) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including this Agreement and the Certificate of Formation and all amendments or restatements hereof or thereof) that the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, determines to be necessary or appropriate to form, qualify or continue the existence or qualification of the Company as a limited liability company in the State of Delaware and in all other jurisdictions in which the Company may conduct business or own property; (ii) all certificates, documents and other instruments that the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect, in accordance with its terms, any amendment, change, modification or restatement of this Agreement; (iii) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including conveyances and a certificate of cancellation) that the Board of Directors or the Liquidator determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect the dissolution and liquidation of the Company pursuant to the terms of this Agreement; (iv) all certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the admission, withdrawal, removal or substitution of any Member pursuant to, or other events described in, Articles IV or X; (v) all certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the determination of the rights, preferences and privileges of any class or series of Company Securities issued
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pursuant to Section 5.6; and (vi) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including agreements and a certificate of merger) relating to a merger, consolidation or conversion of the Company pursuant to Article XII; and
(b) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record all ballots, consents, approvals, waivers, certificates, documents and other instruments that the Board of Directors or the Liquidator determines to be necessary or appropriate to (i) make, evidence, give, confirm or ratify any vote, consent, approval, agreement or other action that is made or given by the Members hereunder or is consistent with the terms of this Agreement or (ii) effectuate the terms or intent of this Agreement; provided, that when required by Section 11.2 or any other provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of the Members or of the Members of any class or series required to take any action, the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, may exercise the power of attorney made in this Section 2.6(b) only after the necessary vote, consent or approval of the Members or of the Members of such class or series, as applicable.
Nothing contained in this Section 2.6 shall be construed as authorizing the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, to amend this Agreement except in accordance with Article XI or as may be otherwise expressly provided for in this Agreement.
(c) The foregoing power of attorney is hereby declared to be irrevocable and a power coupled with an interest, and it shall survive and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, not be affected by the subsequent death, incompetency, disability, incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy or termination of any Member and the Transfer of all or any portion of such Member’s Interest and shall extend to such Member’s heirs, successors, assigns and personal representatives. Each such Member hereby agrees to be bound by any representation made by the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, acting in good faith pursuant to such power of attorney; and each such Member, to the maximum extent permitted by law, hereby waives any and all defenses that may be available to contest, negate or disaffirm the action of the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, taken in good faith under such power of attorney. Each Member shall execute and deliver to the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, within 15 days after receipt of the request therefor, such further designation, powers of attorney and other instruments as any of such Officers or the Liquidator, determines to be necessary or appropriate to effectuate this Agreement and the purposes of the Company.
Section 2.7Term. The Company’s existence shall be perpetual, unless and until it is dissolved in accordance with the provisions of Article X. The existence of the Company as a separate legal entity shall continue until the cancellation of the Certificate of Formation as provided in the Delaware Act.
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Section 2.8Title to Company Assets. Title to Company assets, whether real, personal or mixed and whether tangible or intangible, shall be deemed to be owned by the Company as an entity, and no Member, Director or Officer, individually or collectively, shall have any ownership interest in such Company assets or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Company assets may be held in the name of the Company or one or more nominees, as the Board of Directors may determine. The Company hereby declares and warrants that any Company assets for which record title is held in the name of one or more of its Affiliates or one or more nominees shall be held by such Affiliates or nominees for the use and benefit of the Company in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the Board of Directors shall use reasonable efforts to cause record title to such assets (other than those assets in respect of which the Board of Directors determines that the expense and difficulty of conveyancing makes transfer of record title to the Company impracticable) to be vested in the Company as soon as reasonably practicable. All Company assets shall be recorded as the property of the Company in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Company assets is held.
ARTICLE III
RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
Section 3.1Members.
(a) A Person shall be admitted as a Member and shall become bound by the terms of this Agreement if such Person purchases or otherwise lawfully acquires any Interest and becomes the Record Holder of such Interests in accordance with the provisions of Article IV hereof. A Person may become a Record Holder without the consent or approval of any of the Members. A Person may not become a Member without acquiring an Interest. The rights and obligations of a Person who is a Non-citizen Assignee shall be determined in accordance with Section 4.7 hereof.
(b) The name and mailing address of each Member shall be listed on the books and records of the Company maintained for such purpose by the Company or the Transfer Agent. The Secretary of the Company shall update the books and records of the Company from time to time as necessary to reflect accurately the information therein (or shall cause the Transfer Agent to do so, as applicable). A Member’s Interest shall be represented by a Certificate, as provided in Section 4.1 hereof.
(c) As provided in Section 18-303 of the Delaware Act, the debts, obligations and liabilities of the Company, whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise, shall be solely the debts, obligations and liabilities of the Company. The Members shall have no liability under this Agreement, or for any such debt, obligation or liability of the Company, in their capacity as a Member, except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.
(d) Members may not be expelled from or removed as Members of the Company. Members shall not have any right to withdraw from the Company; provided, that when a transferee of a Member’s Interest becomes a Record Holder of such Interest,
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such transferring Member shall cease to be a Member with respect to the Interest so transferred.
Section 3.2Management of Business. No Member, in its capacity as such, shall participate in the operation or management of the Company’s business, transact any business in the Company’s name or have the power to sign documents for or otherwise bind the Company by reason of being a Member.
Section 3.3Outside Activities of the Members. Any Member shall be entitled to and may have business interests and engage in business activities in addition to those relating to the Company, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the Company Group. Neither the Company nor any of the other Members shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in any business ventures of any Member.
Section 3.4Rights of Members.
(a) In addition to other rights provided by this Agreement or by applicable law, and except as limited by Section 3.4(b), each Member shall have the right, for a purpose reasonably related to such Member’s Interest as a Member in the Company, upon reasonable written demand containing a concise statement of purposes and at such Member’s own expense:
(i) to obtain true and full information regarding the status of the business and financial condition of the Company;
(ii) promptly after becoming available, to obtain a copy of the Company’s federal, state and local income tax returns for each year;
(iii) to have furnished to him a current list of the name and last known business, residence or mailing address of each Member;
(iv) to have furnished to him a copy of this Agreement and the Certificate of Formation and all amendments thereto, together with copies of the executed copies of all powers of attorney pursuant to which this Agreement, the Certificate of Formation and all amendments thereto have been executed;
(v) to obtain true and full information regarding the amount of cash and a description and statement of the Net Agreed Value of any other Capital Contribution by each Member and that each Member has agreed to contribute in the future, and the date on which each became a Member; and
(vi) to obtain such other information regarding the affairs of the Company as is just and reasonable.
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(b) The Board of Directors may keep confidential from the Members, for such period of time as the Board of Directors determines, (i) any information that the Board of Directors determines to be in the nature of trade secrets or (ii) other information the disclosure of which the Board of Directors determines (A) is not in the best interests of the Company Group, (B) could damage the Company Group or (C) that any Group Member is required by law or by agreement with any third party to keep confidential (other than agreements with Affiliates of the Company the primary purpose of which is to circumvent the obligations set forth in this Section 3.4).
ARTICLE IV
CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS;
ISSUANCE AND TRANSFER OF INTERESTS;
REDEMPTION OF INTERESTS
Section 4.1Certificates. Upon the Company’s issuance of Common Units to any Person, the Company shall issue one or more Certificates in the name of such Person evidencing the number of such Units being so issued. In addition, upon the request of any Person owning any other Company Securities other than Common Units, the Company shall issue to such Person one or more certificates evidencing such other Company Securities. Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by the Chairman of the Board, President or any Vice President and the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary. No Common Unit Certificate shall be valid for any purpose until it has been countersigned by the Transfer Agent; provided, however, that if the Board of Directors elects to issue Common Units in global form, the Common Unit Certificates shall be valid upon receipt of a certificate from the Transfer Agent certifying that the Common Units have been duly registered in accordance with the directions of the Company. Any or all of the signatures required on the Certificate may be by facsimile. If any Officer or Transfer Agent who shall have signed or whose facsimile signature shall have been placed upon any such Certificate shall have ceased to be such Officer or Transfer Agent before such Certificate is issued by the Company, such Certificate may nevertheless be issued by the Company with the same effect as if such Person were such Officer or Transfer Agent at the date of issue. Certificates shall be consecutively numbered and shall be entered on the books and records of the Company as they are issued and shall exhibit the holder’s name and number of Units.
Section 4.2Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates. If any mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the Transfer Agent, the appropriate Officers on behalf of the Company shall execute, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver in exchange therefor, a new Certificate evidencing the same number and type of Company Securities as the Certificate so surrendered.
(a) The appropriate Officers on behalf of the Company shall execute and deliver, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign a new Certificate in place of any Certificate previously issued if the Record Holder of the Certificate:
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(i) makes proof by affidavit, in form and substance satisfactory to the Company, that a previously issued Certificate has been lost, destroyed or stolen;
(ii) requests the issuance of a new Certificate before the Company has notice that the Certificate has been acquired by a purchaser for value in good faith and without notice of an adverse claim;
(iii) if requested by the Company, delivers to the Company a bond, in form and substance satisfactory to the Company, with surety or sureties and with fixed or open penalty as the Company may direct to indemnify the Company and the Transfer Agent against any claim that may be made on account of the alleged loss, destruction or theft of the Certificate; and
(iv) satisfies any other reasonable requirements imposed by the Company.
If a Member fails to notify the Company within a reasonable time after he has notice of the loss, destruction or theft of a Certificate, and a Transfer of the Interests represented by the Certificate is registered before the Company or the Transfer Agent receives such notification, the Member shall be precluded from making any claim against the Company or the Transfer Agent for such Transfer or for a new Certificate.
(b) As a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 4.2, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Transfer Agent) reasonably connected therewith.
Section 4.3Record Holders. The Company shall be entitled to recognize the Record Holder as the owner of an Interest and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such Interest on the part of any other Person, regardless of whether the Company shall have actual or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by law or any applicable rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which such Interests are listed for trading. Without limiting the foregoing, when a Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent of any of the foregoing) is acting as nominee, agent or in some other representative capacity for another Person in acquiring and/or holding Interests, as between the Company on the one hand, and such other Persons on the other, such representative Person shall be the Record Holder of such Interest.
Section 4.4Transfer Generally. No Interest shall be Transferred, in whole or in part, except in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Article IV. Any Transfer or purported Transfer of an Interest not made in accordance with this Article IV shall be null and void.
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Section 4.5 Registration and Transfer of Member Interests.
(a) The Company shall keep or cause to be kept on behalf of the Company a register that, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), will provide for the registration and Transfer of Interests. The Transfer Agent is hereby appointed registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of registering Common Units and Transfers of such Common Units as herein provided. The Company shall not recognize Transfers of Certificates evidencing Interests unless such Transfers are effected in the manner described in this Section 4.5. Upon surrender of a Certificate for registration of Transfer of any Interests evidenced by a Certificate, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), the appropriate Officers of the Company shall execute and deliver, and in the case of Common Units, the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver, in the name of the holder or the designated transferee or transferees, as required pursuant to the Record Holder’s instructions, one or more new Certificates evidencing the same aggregate number and type of Interests as was evidenced by the Certificate so surrendered.
(b) Except as provided in Section 4.7, the Company shall not recognize any Transfer of Interests until the Certificates evidencing such Interests are surrendered for registration of Transfer. No charge shall be imposed by the Company for such Transfer; provided, that as a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate under this Section 4.5(b), the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed with respect thereto.
(c) By acceptance of the Transfer of any Interest in accordance with this Section 4.5 or the issuance of any Interest in accordance with Section 5.6, and except as provided in Section 4.7, each acquiror or transferee of an Interest (including any nominee holder or an agent or representative acquiring such Interests for the account of another Person) (i) shall be admitted to the Company as a Member with respect to the Interests so acquired or Transferred to such Person when any such acquisition, Transfer or admission is reflected in the books and records of the Company, with or without execution of this Agreement, (ii) shall be deemed to agree to be bound by the terms of, and shall be deemed to have executed, this Agreement, (iii) shall become the Record Holder of the Interests so transferred, (iv) represents that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to enter into this Agreement, (v) grants powers of attorney to the Officers of the Company and any Liquidator of the Company and (vi) makes the consents and waivers contained in this Agreement. The issuance or Transfer of any Interests in accordance with this Agreement and the admission of any new Member shall not constitute an amendment to this Agreement.
(d) Subject to (i) the foregoing provisions of this Section 4.5, (ii) Section 4.3, (iii) Section 4.6, (iv) with respect to any series of Interests, the provisions of any statement of designations establishing such series, (v) any contractual provision binding on any Member and (vi) provisions of applicable law including the Securities Act, Interests shall be freely transferable to any Person.
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Section 4.6 Restrictions on Transfers.
(a) The Company may impose restrictions on the Transfer of Interests if it receives an Opinion of Counsel providing that such restrictions are necessary to avoid a significant risk of any Group Member becoming taxable as a corporation or otherwise becoming taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes. The Board of Directors may impose such restrictions by amending this Agreement in accordance with Article XI; provided, however, that any amendment that would result in the delisting or suspension of trading of any class of Interests on the principal National Securities Exchange on which such class of Interests is then traded must be approved, prior to such amendment being effected, by the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Interests of such class. Notwithstanding Section 11.10, such approval may be obtained through a written consent of such holders.
(b) Nothing contained in this Article IV, or elsewhere in this Agreement, shall preclude the settlement of any transactions involving Interests entered into through the facilities of any National Securities Exchange on which such Interests are listed for trading.
Section 4.7Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees.
(a) If any Group Member is or becomes subject to any federal, state or local law or regulation that the Board of Directors determines would create a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which the Group Member has an interest based on the nationality, citizenship or other related status of a Member, the Board of Directors may request any Member to furnish to the Company, within 30 days after receipt of such request, an executed Citizenship Certification or such other information concerning his nationality, citizenship or other related status (or, if the Member is a nominee holding for the account of another Person, the nationality, citizenship or other related status of such Person) as the Company may request. If a Member fails to furnish to the Company, within the aforementioned 30-day period, such Citizenship Certification or other requested information or if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other requested information the Board of Directors determines that a Member is not an Eligible Citizen, the Interests owned by such Member shall be subject to redemption in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.8. In addition, the Board of Directors may require that the status of any such Member be changed to that of a Non-citizen Assignee and, thereupon, the Company shall be substituted for such Non-citizen Assignee as the Member in respect of the Non-Citizen Assignee’s Interests.
(b) The Company shall, in exercising voting rights in respect of Interests held by the Company on behalf of Non-citizen Assignees, distribute the votes in the same ratios or for the same candidates for election as Directors as the votes of Members in
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respect of Interests other than those of Non-citizen Assignees are cast, either for, against or abstaining as to the matter or election.
(c) Upon dissolution of the Company, a Non-citizen Assignee shall have no right to receive a distribution in kind pursuant to Section 10.3, but shall be entitled to the cash equivalent thereof, and the Company shall provide cash in exchange for an assignment of the Non-citizen Assignee’s share of any distribution in kind. Such payment and assignment shall be treated for Company purposes as a purchase by the Company from the Non-citizen Assignee of his Member Interest (representing his right to receive his share of such distribution in kind).
(d) At any time after he can and does certify that he has become an Eligible Citizen, a Non-citizen Assignee may, upon application to the Board of Directors, request that, with respect to any Interests of such Non-citizen Assignee not redeemed pursuant to Section 4.8, such Non-citizen Assignee be admitted as a Member, and upon approval of the Board of Directors, such Non-citizen Assignee shall be admitted as a Member and shall no longer constitute a Non-citizen Assignee and the Company shall cease to be deemed to be the Member in respect of such Interests.
Section 4.8Redemption of Interests of Non-citizen Assignees.
(a) If at any time a Member fails to furnish a Citizenship Certification or other information requested within the 30-day period specified in Section 4.7(a), or, if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other information the Board of Directors determines, with the advice of counsel, that a Member is not an Eligible Citizen, the Company may, unless the Member establishes to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors that such Member is an Eligible Citizen or has Transferred his Interests to a Person who is an Eligible Citizen and who furnishes a Citizenship Certification to the Board of Directors prior to the date fixed for redemption as provided below, redeem the Interest of such Member as follows:
(i) The Board of Directors shall, not later than the 30th day before the date fixed for redemption, give notice of redemption to the Member, at his last address designated on the records of the Company or the Transfer Agent, by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid. The notice shall be deemed to have been given when so mailed. The notice shall specify the Redeemable Interests, the date fixed for redemption, the place of payment, that payment of the redemption price will be made upon surrender of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests and that on and after the date fixed for redemption no further allocations or distributions to which the Member would otherwise be entitled in respect of the Redeemable Interests will accrue or be made.
(ii) The aggregate redemption price for Redeemable Interests shall be an amount equal to the Current Market Price (the date of determination of which shall be the date fixed for redemption) of Interests of the class to be so redeemed
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multiplied by the number of Interests of each such class included among the Redeemable Interests. The redemption price shall be paid, as determined by the Board of Directors, in cash or by delivery of a promissory note of the Company in the principal amount of the redemption price, bearing interest at the Prime Rate annually and payable in three equal annual installments of principal together with accrued interest, commencing one year after the redemption date.
(iii) Upon surrender by or on behalf of the Member, at the place specified in the notice of redemption, of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests, duly endorsed in blank or accompanied by an assignment duly executed in blank, the Member or his duly authorized representative shall be entitled to receive the payment therefor.
(iv) After the redemption date, Redeemable Interests shall no longer constitute issued and Outstanding Member Interests.
(b) The provisions of this Section 4.8 shall also be applicable to Interests held by a Member as nominee of a Person determined to be other than an Eligible Citizen.
(c) Nothing in this Section 4.8 shall prevent the recipient of a notice of redemption from Transferring his Interest before the redemption date if such Transfer is otherwise permitted under this Agreement. Upon receipt of notice of such a Transfer, the Board of Directors shall withdraw the notice of redemption, provided the transferee of such Interest certifies to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors in a Citizenship Certification that he is an Eligible Citizen. If the transferee fails to make such certification, such redemption shall be effected from the transferee on the original redemption date.
ARTICLE V
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND
ISSUANCE OF INTERESTS
Section 5.1Reserved.
Section 5.2Reserved.
Section 5.3Reserved.
Section 5.4Interest and Withdrawal. No interest shall be paid by the Company on Capital Contributions. No Member shall be entitled to the withdrawal or return of its Capital Contribution, except to the extent, if any, that distributions made pursuant to this Agreement or upon termination of the Company may be considered as such by law and then only to the extent provided for in this Agreement. Except to the extent expressly provided in this Agreement, no Member shall have priority over any other Member either as to the return of Capital Contributions or as to profits, losses or distributions.
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Section 5.5Capital Accounts.
(a) The Company shall maintain for each Member (or a beneficial owner of Interests held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of such owner to the Company in accordance with Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method acceptable to the Company) owning an Interest a separate Capital Account with respect to such Interest in accordance with the rules of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv). Such Capital Account shall be increased by (i) the amount of all Capital Contributions made to the Company with respect to such Interest pursuant to this Agreement and (ii) all items of Company income and gain (including, without limitation, income and gain exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and allocated with respect to such Interest pursuant to Section 6.1, and decreased by (x) the amount of cash or Net Agreed Value of all actual and deemed distributions of cash or property made with respect to such Interest pursuant to this Agreement and (y) all items of Company deduction and loss computed in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and allocated with respect to such Interest pursuant to Section 6.1.
(b) For purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain, loss or deduction which is to be allocated pursuant to Article VI and is to be reflected in the Members’ Capital Accounts, the determination, recognition and classification of any such item shall be the same as its determination, recognition and classification for federal income tax purposes (including, without limitation, any method of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization used for that purpose), provided, that:
(i) Solely for purposes of this Section 5.5, the Company shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the Board of Directors based upon the provisions of the applicable Group Member Agreement) of all property owned by (x) any other Group Member that is classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes and (y) any other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes of which a Group Member is, directly or indirectly, a partner, member or other equityholder.
(ii) All fees and other expenses incurred by the Company to promote the sale of (or to sell) a Membership Interest that can neither be deducted nor amortized under Section 709 of the Code, if any, shall, for purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as an item of deduction at the time such fees and other expenses are incurred and shall be allocated among the Members pursuant to Section 6.1.
(iii) Except as otherwise provided in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), the computation of all items of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be made without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code which may be made by the Company and, as to those items described in Section 705(a)(1)(B) or 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code, without regard to the fact that such items are not includable in gross income or are neither currently deductible nor capitalized for federal income tax purposes. To the extent an adjustment to
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the adjusted tax basis of any Company asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment in the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain or loss.
(iv) Any income, gain or loss attributable to the taxable disposition of any Company property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property as of such date of disposition were equal in amount to the Company’s Carrying Value with respect to such property as of such date.
(v) In accordance with the requirements of Section 704(b) of the Code, any deductions for depreciation, cost recovery or amortization attributable to any Contributed Property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property on the date it was acquired by the Company were equal to the Agreed Value of such property. Upon an adjustment pursuant to Section 5.5(d) to the Carrying Value of any Company property subject to depreciation, cost recovery or amortization, any further deductions for such depreciation, cost recovery or amortization attributable to such property shall be determined under the rules prescribed by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d)(2) as if the adjusted basis of such property were equal to the Carrying Value of such property immediately following such adjustment.
(vi) If the Company’s adjusted basis in a depreciable or cost recovery property is reduced for federal income tax purposes pursuant to Section 50(c)(1) or 50(c)(3) of the Code, the amount of such reduction shall, solely for purposes hereof, be deemed to be an additional depreciation or cost recovery deduction in the year such property is placed in service and shall be allocated among the Members pursuant to Section 6.1. Any restoration of such basis pursuant to Section 50(c)(2) of the Code shall, to the extent possible, be allocated in the same manner to the Members to whom such deemed deduction was allocated.
(vii) The Gross Liability Value of each liability of the Company described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-7(b)(3)(i) shall be adjusted at such times as provided in this Agreement for an adjustment to Carrying Values. The amount of any such adjustment shall be treated for purposes hereof as an item of loss (if the adjustment increases the Carrying Value of such liability of the Company) or an item of gain (if the adjustment decreases the Carrying Value of such liability of the Company).
(c) A transferee of an Interest shall succeed to a pro rata portion of the Capital Account of the transferor relating to the Interest so transferred.
(d) (i) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), on an issuance of additional Interests for cash or Contributed Property, the Capital Account of all Members and the Carrying Value of each Company property immediately prior to such issuance shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized
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Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Company property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized on an actual sale of each such property immediately prior to such issuance and had been allocated to the Members at such time pursuant to Section 6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized during such period would have been allocated. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss, the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all Company assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to the issuance of additional Interests shall be determined by the Board of Directors using such method of valuation as it may adopt; provided, however, that the Board of Directors, in arriving at such valuation, must take fully into account the fair market value of the Interests of all Members at such time. The Board of Directors shall allocate such aggregate value among the assets of the Company (in such manner as it determines) to arrive at a fair market value for individual properties.
(ii) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), immediately prior to any actual or deemed distribution to a Member of any Company property (other than a distribution of cash that is not in redemption or retirement of an Interest), the Capital Accounts of all Members and the Carrying Value of all Company property shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Company property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized in a sale of such property immediately prior to such distribution for an amount equal to its fair market value, and had been allocated to the Members, at such time, pursuant to Section 6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized during such period would have been allocated. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all Company assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a distribution shall (A) in the case of an actual distribution that is not made pursuant to Section 10.3 or in the case of a deemed distribution, be determined and allocated in the same manner as that provided in Section 5.5(d)(i) or (B) in the case of a liquidating distribution pursuant to Section 10.3, be determined and allocated by the Liquidator using such method of valuation as it may adopt.
Section 5.6Issuances of Additional Company Securities.
(a) The Company may issue additional Company Securities, and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to the Company Securities for any Company purpose at any time and from time to time to such Persons for such consideration and on such terms and conditions as the Board of Directors shall determine, all without the approval of any Members.
(b) Each additional Company Security authorized to be issued by the Company pursuant to Section 5.6(a) may be issued in one or more classes, or one or more series of any such classes, with such designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties
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(which may be senior to existing classes and series of Company Securities), as shall be fixed by the Board of Directors, including (i) the right to share Company profits and losses or items thereof; (ii) the right to share in Company distributions; (iii) the rights upon dissolution and liquidation of the Company; (iv) whether, and the terms and conditions upon which, the Company may redeem the Company Security; (v) whether such Company Security is issued with the privilege of conversion or exchange and, if so, the terms and conditions of such conversion or exchange; (vi) the terms and conditions upon which each Company Security will be issued, evidenced by certificates and assigned or transferred; (vii) the method for determining the Percentage Interest as to such Company Security; and (viii) the right, if any, of each such Company Security to vote on Company matters, including matters relating to the relative rights, preferences and privileges of such Company Security.
(c) The Board of Directors shall take all actions that it determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with (i) each issuance of Company Securities and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to Company Securities pursuant to this Section 5.6, (ii) the admission of Additional Members and (iii) all additional issuances of Company Securities. The Board of Directors shall determine the relative rights, powers and duties of the holders of the Units or other Company Securities being so issued. The Board of Directors shall do all things necessary to comply with the Delaware Act and is authorized and directed to do all things that it determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with any future issuance of Company Securities pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, including compliance with any statute, rule, regulation or guideline of any federal, state or other governmental agency or any National Securities Exchange on which the Units or other Company Securities are listed for trading.
Section 5.7Reserved
Section 5.8Reserved
Section 5.9No Preemptive Rights. No Person shall have any preemptive, preferential or other similar right with respect to the issuance of any Company Security, whether unissued, held in the treasury or hereafter created.
Section 5.10Splits and Combinations.
(a) Subject to Sections 5.10(d), 6.6 and 6.7 (dealing with adjustments of distribution levels), the Company may make a Pro Rata distribution of Company Securities to all Record Holders or may effect a subdivision or combination of Company Securities so long as, after any such event, each Member shall have the same Percentage Interest in the Company as before such event, and any amounts calculated on a per Unit basis or stated as a number of Units are proportionately adjusted retroactive to the date of formation of the Company.
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(b) Whenever such a distribution, subdivision or combination of Company Securities is declared, the Board of Directors shall select a Record Date as of which the distribution, subdivision or combination shall be effective and shall send notice thereof at least 20 days prior to such Record Date to each Record Holder as of a date not less than 10 days prior to the date of such notice. The Board of Directors also may cause a firm of independent public accountants selected by it to calculate the number of Company Securities to be held by each Record Holder after giving effect to such distribution, subdivision or combination. The Board of Directors shall be entitled to rely on any certificate provided by such firm as conclusive evidence of the accuracy of such calculation.
(c) Promptly following any such distribution, subdivision or combination, the Company may issue Certificates to the Record Holders of Company Securities as of the applicable Record Date representing the new number of Company Securities held by such Record Holders, or the Board of Directors may adopt such other procedures that it determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect such changes. If any such combination results in a smaller total number of Company Securities Outstanding, the Company shall require, as a condition to the delivery to a Record Holder of such new Certificate, the surrender of any Certificate held by such Record Holder immediately prior to such Record Date.
(d) The Company shall not issue fractional Units upon any distribution, subdivision or combination of Units. If a distribution, subdivision or combination of Units would result in the issuance of fractional Units but for the provisions of this Section 5.10(d), each fractional Unit shall be rounded to the nearest whole Unit (and a 0.5 Unit shall be rounded to the next higher Unit).
Section 5.11Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Interests. All Member Interests issued pursuant to, and in accordance with the requirements of, this Article V shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable Interests in the Company, except as such non-assessability may be affected by Sections 18-607 or 18-804 of the Delaware Act and except to the extent otherwise provided in this Agreement.
ARTICLE VI
ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Section 6.1Allocations for Capital Account Purposes. For purposes of maintaining the Capital Accounts and in determining the rights of the Members among themselves, the Company’s items of income, gain, loss and deduction (computed in accordance with Section 5.5(b)) for each taxable period shall be allocated among the Members as provided herein below.
(a) Net Income. After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d) and any allocations to other Company Securities, Net Income for each taxable period and all items of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in
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computing Net Income for such taxable period shall be allocated to the Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
(b) Net Losses. After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d) and any allocations to other Company Securities, Net Losses for each taxable period and all items of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Losses for such taxable period shall be allocated to the Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests; provided that Net Losses shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(b) to the extent that such allocation would cause any Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable period (or increase any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account).
(c) Net Termination Gains and Losses. After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d) and any allocations to other Company Securities, all items of income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss for such taxable period shall be allocated in the same manner as such Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss is allocated hereunder. All allocations under this Section 6.1(c) shall be made after Capital Account balances have been adjusted by all other allocations provided under this Section 6.1 and after all distributions of Available Cash provided under Section 6.4 and 6.5 have been made; provided, however, that solely for purposes of this Section 6.1(c), Capital Accounts shall not be adjusted for distributions made pursuant to Section 10.3.
(i) If a Net Termination Gain is recognized (or deemed recognized pursuant to Section 5.5(d)), such Net Termination Gain shall be allocated among the Members in the following manner (and the Capital Accounts of the Members shall be increased by the amount so allocated in each of the following subclauses, in the order listed, before an allocation is made pursuant to the next succeeding subclause):
(A) First, to each Member having a deficit balance in its Capital Account, in the proportion that such deficit balance bears to the total deficit balances in the Capital Accounts of all Members, until each such Member has been allocated Net Termination Gain equal to any such deficit balance in its Capital Account;
(B) Second, 100% to all Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
(ii) If a Net Termination Loss is recognized (or deemed recognized pursuant to Section 5.5(d)), such Net Termination Loss shall be allocated 100% to all Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
(d) Special Allocations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, the following special allocations shall be made for such taxable period:
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(i) Company Minimum Gain Chargeback. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, if there is a net decrease in Company Minimum Gain during any Company taxable period, each Member shall be allocated items of Company income and gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(f)(6), 1.704-2(g)(2) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(i), or any successor provision. For purposes of this Section 6.1(d), each Member’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of income or gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d) with respect to such taxable period (other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(vi) and 6.1(d)(vii)). This Section 6.1(d)(i) is intended to comply with the Company Minimum Gain chargeback requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.
(ii) Chargeback of Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 6.1 (other than Section 6.1(d)(i)), except as provided in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4), if there is a net decrease in Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain during any Company taxable period, any Member with a share of Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain at the beginning of such taxable period shall be allocated items of Company income and gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(ii), or any successor provisions. For purposes of this Section 6.1(d), each Member’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of income or gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d), other than Section 6.1(d)(i) and other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(vi) and 6.1(d)(vii), with respect to such taxable period. This Section 6.1(d)(ii) is intended to comply with the chargeback of items of income and gain requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.
(iii) Priority Allocations. If the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of any property distributed (except cash or property distributed pursuant to Section 10.3) to any Unitholder with respect to its Units for a taxable period is greater (on a per Unit basis) than the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of property distributed to the other Unitholders with respect to their Units (on a per Unit basis), then each Unitholder receiving such greater cash or property distribution shall be allocated gross income in an amount equal to the product of (A) the amount by which the distribution (on a per Unit basis) to such Unitholder exceeds the distribution (on a per Unit basis) to the Unitholders receiving the smallest distribution and (B) the number of Units owned by the Unitholder receiving the greater distribution.
(iv) Qualified Income Offset. In the event any Member unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5), or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Company gross income and gain shall be
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specially allocated to such Member in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the deficit balance, if any, in its Adjusted Capital Account created by such adjustments, allocations or distributions as quickly as possible; provided, that an allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(iv) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Member would have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account as adjusted after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if this Section 6.1(d)(iv) were not in this Agreement.
(v) Gross Income Allocations. In the event any Member has a deficit balance in its Capital Account at the end of any Company taxable period in excess of the sum of (A) the amount such Member is required to restore pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement and (B) the amount such Member is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5), such Member shall be specially allocated items of Company gross income and gain in the amount of such excess as quickly as possible; provided, that an allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(v) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Member would have a deficit balance in its Capital Account as adjusted after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if Section 6.1(d)(iv) and this Section 6.1(d)(v) were not in this Agreement.
(vi) Nonrecourse Deductions. Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated to the Members in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests. If the Board of Directors determines that the Company’s Nonrecourse Deductions should be allocated in a different ratio to satisfy the safe harbor requirements of the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the Board of Directors is authorized, upon notice to the other Members, to revise the prescribed ratio to the numerically closest ratio that does satisfy such requirements.
(vii) Member Nonrecourse Deductions. Member Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated 100% to the Member that bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to the Member Nonrecourse Debt to which such Member Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i). If more than one Member bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to a Member Nonrecourse Debt, such Member Nonrecourse Deductions attributable thereto shall be allocated between or among such Members in accordance with the ratios in which they share such Economic Risk of Loss.
(viii) Nonrecourse Liabilities. For purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3), the Members agree that Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Company in excess of the sum of (A) the amount of Company Minimum Gain and (B) the total amount of Nonrecourse Built-in Gain shall be allocated among the Members in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
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(ix) Code Section 754 Adjustments. To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Company asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis), and such item of gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Members in a manner consistent with the manner in which their Capital Accounts are required to be adjusted pursuant to such Section of the Treasury Regulations.
(x) Curative Allocation.
(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, other than the Required Allocations, the Required Allocations shall be taken into account in making the Agreed Allocations so that, to the extent possible, the net amount of items of income, gain, loss and deduction allocated to each Member pursuant to the Required Allocations and the Agreed Allocations, together, shall be equal to the net amount of such items that would have been allocated to each such Member under the Agreed Allocations had the Required Allocations and the related Curative Allocation not otherwise been provided in this Section 6.1. In exercising its discretion under this Section 6.1(d)(x)(A), the Board of Directors may take into account future Required Allocations that, although not yet made, are likely to offset other Required Allocations previously made. Allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) shall only be made with respect to Required Allocations to the extent the Board of Directors reasonably determines that such allocations will otherwise be inconsistent with the economic agreement among the Members.
(B) The Board of Directors shall, with respect to each taxable period, (1) apply the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) in whatever order is most likely to minimize the economic distortions that might otherwise result from the Required Allocations, and (2) divide all allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) among the Members in a manner that is likely to minimize such economic distortions.
Section 6.2Allocations for Tax Purposes.
(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, for federal income tax purposes, each item of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be allocated among the Members in the same manner as its correlative item of “book” income, gain, loss or deduction is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
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(b) In an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, items of income, gain, loss, depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions shall be allocated for federal income tax purposes among the Members in the manner provided under Section 704(c) of the Code, and the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) and 704(c) of the Code, as determined appropriate by the Board of Directors (taking into account the Board of Directors’ discretion under Section 6.1(d)(x)(B); provided that the Board of Directors shall apply the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d) in all events.
(c) For the proper administration of the Company and for the preservation of uniformity of the Units (or any class or classes thereof), the Board of Directors shall (i) adopt such conventions as it deems appropriate in determining the amount of depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions; (ii) make special allocations for federal income tax purposes of income (including, without limitation, gross income) or deductions; and (iii) amend the provisions of this Agreement as appropriate (x) to reflect the proposal or promulgation of Treasury Regulations under Section 704(b) or Section 704(c) of the Code or (y) otherwise to preserve or achieve uniformity of the Units (or any class or classes thereof). The Board of Directors may adopt such conventions, make such allocations and make such amendments to this Agreement as provided in this Section 6.2(c) only if such conventions, allocations or amendments would not have a material adverse effect on the Members, the holders of any class or classes of Units issued and Outstanding or the Company, and if such allocations are consistent with the principles of Section 704 of the Code.
(d) The Board of Directors may determine to depreciate or amortize the portion of an adjustment under Section 743(b) of the Code attributable to unrealized appreciation in any Adjusted Property (to the extent of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity) using a predetermined rate derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity of such property, despite any inconsistency of such approach with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-l(a)(6) or any successor regulations thereto. If the Board of Directors determines that such reporting position cannot be taken, the Board of Directors may adopt depreciation and amortization conventions under which all purchasers acquiring Units in the same month would receive depreciation and amortization deductions, based upon the same applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in the Company’s property. If the Board of Directors chooses not to utilize such aggregate method, the Board of Directors may use any other depreciation and amortization conventions to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any Member Interests, so long as such conventions would not have a material adverse effect on the Members or the Record Holders of any class or classes of Units.
(e) Any gain allocated to the Members upon the sale or other taxable disposition of any Company asset shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 6.2, be characterized as Recapture Income in the same proportions and to the same extent as such Members (or their predecessors in interest) have been allocated any deductions directly or indirectly giving rise to the treatment of such gains as Recapture Income.
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(f) All items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit recognized by the Company for federal income tax purposes and allocated to the Members in accordance with the provisions hereof shall be determined without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code that may be made by the Company; provided, however, that such allocations, once made, shall be adjusted (in the manner determined by the Board of Directors) to take into account those adjustments permitted or required by Sections 734 and 743 of the Code.
(g) Each item of Company income, gain, loss and deduction shall, for federal income tax purposes, be determined for each taxable period and prorated on a monthly basis and shall be allocated to the Members as of the opening of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on the first Business Day of each month; provided, however, that gain or loss on a sale or other disposition of any assets of the Company or any other extraordinary item of income or loss realized and recognized other than in the ordinary course of business, as determined by the Board of Directors, shall be allocated to the Members as of the opening of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on the first Business Day of the month in which such gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes. The Board of Directors may revise, alter or otherwise modify such methods of allocation to the extent permitted or required by Section 706 of the Code and the regulations or rulings promulgated thereunder.
(h) Allocations that would otherwise be made to a Member under the provisions of this Article VI shall instead be made to the beneficial owner of Units held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of such owner to the Company in accordance with Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 6.3Requirement and Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders.
(a) Within 45 days following the end of each Quarter, an amount equal to 100% of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall be distributed in accordance with this Article VI by the Company to the Members as of the Record Date selected by the Board of Directors. All amounts of Available Cash distributed by the Company on any date from any source shall be deemed to be Operating Surplus until the sum of all amounts of Available Cash theretofore distributed by the Company to the Members pursuant to Section 6.4 equals the Operating Surplus from the Closing Date through the close of the immediately preceding Quarter. Any remaining amounts of Available Cash distributed by the Company on such date shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 6.5, be deemed to be “Capital Surplus.”
(b) Notwithstanding Section 6.3(a), in the event of the dissolution and liquidation of the Company, all receipts received during or after the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs, other than from borrowings described in (a)(ii) of the definition of Available Cash, shall be applied and distributed solely in accordance with, and subject to the terms and conditions of, Section 10.3(a).
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(c) The Board of Directors may treat taxes paid by the Company on behalf of, or amounts withheld with respect to, all or less than all of the Members, as a distribution of Available Cash to such Members.
(d) Each distribution in respect of an Interest shall be paid by the Company, directly or through the Transfer Agent or through any other Person or agent, only to the Record Holder of such Interest as of the Record Date set for such distribution. Such payment shall constitute full payment and satisfaction of the Company’s liability in respect of such payment, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such payment by reason of an assignment or otherwise.
Section 6.4Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus.. Available Cash with respect to any Quarter that is deemed to be Operating Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3 or 6.5, except as otherwise required by Section 5.6(b) in respect of other Company Securities issued pursuant thereto, shall be distributed 100% to the Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
Section 6.5Distributions of Available Cash from Capital Surplus. Available Cash that is deemed to be Capital Surplus pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3(a) shall be distributed, unless the provisions of Section 6.3 require otherwise, 100% to the Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests, until a hypothetical holder of a Common Unit acquired on the Closing Date has received with respect to such Common Unit, during the period since the Closing Date through such date, distributions of Available Cash that are deemed to be Capital Surplus in an aggregate amount equal to the Initial Unit Price. Thereafter, all Available Cash shall be distributed as if it were Operating Surplus and shall be distributed in accordance with Section 6.4.
Section 6.6Adjustment of Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels.
(a) The Minimum Quarterly Distribution shall be proportionately adjusted in the event of any distribution, combination or subdivision (whether effected by a distribution payable in Units or otherwise) of Units or other Company Securities in accordance with Section 5.10. In the event of a distribution of Available Cash that is deemed to be from Capital Surplus, the then applicable Minimum Quarterly Distribution shall be adjusted proportionately downward to equal the product obtained by multiplying the otherwise applicable Minimum Quarterly Distribution by a fraction of which the numerator is the Unrecovered Capital of the Common Units immediately after giving effect to such distribution and of which the denominator is the Unrecovered Capital of the Common Units immediately prior to giving effect to such distribution.
(b) The Minimum Quarterly Distribution shall also be subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 6.7.
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Section 6.7Entity Level Taxation. If legislation is enacted or the interpretation of existing language is modified by a governmental taxing authority so that a Group Member is treated as an association taxable as a corporation or is otherwise subject to an entity-level tax for federal, state or local income tax purposes, then the Board of Directors shall estimate for each Quarter the Company Group’s aggregate liability (the “Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount”) for all such income taxes that are payable by reason of any such new legislation or interpretation; provided that any difference between such estimate and the actual tax liability for such Quarter that is owed by reason of any such new legislation or interpretation shall be taken into account in determining the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount with respect to each Quarter in which any such difference can be determined. For each such Quarter, the Minimum Quarterly Distribution shall be the product obtained by multiplying (a) the amounts therefor that are set out herein prior to the application of this 0 times (b) the quotient obtained by dividing (i) Available Cash with respect to such Quarter by (ii) the sum of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter and the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount for such Quarter, as determined by the Board of Directors. For purposes of the foregoing, Available Cash with respect to a Quarter will be deemed reduced by the Estimated Incremental Quarterly Tax Amount for that Quarter.
Section 6.8Distributions Subject to Delaware Act. All distributions required to be made under this Agreement shall be made subject to Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware Act.
ARTICLE VII
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS
Section 7.1Board of Directors.
(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, the business and affairs of the Company shall be managed by or under the direction of a Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”). As provided in Section 7.4, the Board of Directors shall have the power and authority to appoint Officers of the Company. The Directors and Officers shall constitute “managers” within the meaning of the Delaware Act. No Member, by virtue of its status as such, shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Company or actual or apparent authority to enter into, execute or deliver contracts on behalf of, or to otherwise bind, the Company. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, the authority and functions of the Board of Directors, on the one hand, and of the Officers, on the other, shall be identical to the authority and functions of the board of directors and officers, respectively, of a corporation organized under the DGCL. In addition to the powers that now or hereafter can be granted to managers under the Delaware Act and to all other powers granted under any other provision of this Agreement subject to Section 7.3, the Board of Directors shall have full power and authority to do, and to direct the Officers to do, all things and on such terms as it determines to be necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the
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Company, to exercise all powers set forth in Section 2.5 and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4, including the following:
(i) the making of any expenditures, the lending or borrowing of money, the assumption or guarantee of, or other contracting for, indebtedness and other liabilities, the issuance of evidences of indebtedness, including indebtedness that is convertible into Company Securities, and the incurring of any other obligations;
(ii) the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or rendering of periodic or other reports to governmental or other agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the Company;
(iii) the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of any or all of the assets of the Company or the merger or other combination of the Company with or into another Person (the matters described in this clause (iii) being subject, however, to any prior approval that may be required by Section 7.3);
(iv) the use of the assets of the Company (including cash on hand) for any purpose consistent with the terms of this Agreement, including the financing of the conduct of the operations of the Company Group; subject to Section 7.6(a), the lending of funds to other Persons (including other Group Members); the repayment of obligations of the Company Group and the making of capital contributions to any member of the Company Group;
(v) the negotiation, execution and performance of any contracts, conveyances or other instruments (including instruments that limit the liability of the Company under contractual arrangements to all or particular assets of the Company);
(vi) the distribution of Company cash;
(vii) the selection and dismissal of officers, employees, agents, outside attorneys, accountants, consultants and contractors and the determination of their compensation and other terms of employment or hiring, the creation and operation of employee benefit plans, employee programs and employee practices;
(viii) the maintenance of insurance for the benefit of the Company Group and the Members;
(ix) the formation of, or acquisition of an interest in, and the contribution of property and the making of loans to, any limited or general partnerships, joint ventures, corporations, limited liability companies or other relationships (including the acquisition of interests in, and the contributions of property to, any Group Member from time to time) subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 2.4;
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(x) the control of any matters affecting the rights and obligations of the Company, including the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation, arbitration or remediation, and the incurring of legal expense and the settlement of claims and litigation;
(xi) the indemnification of any Person against liabilities and contingencies to the extent permitted by law;
(xii) the entering into of listing agreements with any National Securities Exchange and the delisting of some or all of the Interests from, or requesting that trading be suspended on, any such exchange (subject to any prior approval that may be required under Section 4.6);
(xiii) unless restricted or prohibited by Section 5.6, the purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of Company Securities, or the issuance of additional options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to Company Securities;
(xiv) the undertaking of any action in connection with the Company’s participation in any Group Member; and
(xv) the entering into of agreements with any of its Affiliates to render services to a Group Member.
(b) The Board of Directors shall consist of not fewer than three nor more than 11 natural Persons. Each Director shall be elected as provided in Section 7.1(c) and shall serve in such capacity until his successor has been duly elected and qualified or until such Director dies, resigns or is removed. A Director may resign at any time upon written notice to the Company. The Board of Directors may from time to time determine the number of Directors then constituting the whole Board of Directors, but the Board of Directors shall not decrease the number of Persons that constitute the whole Board of Directors if such decrease would shorten the term of any Director.
(c) Directors shall be elected at each annual meeting of Members to serve for a term expiring at the next annual meeting of Members. The nomination of Persons to serve as Directors and the election of the Board of Directors shall be in accordance with Article XI hereof.
(d) Subject to applicable law and the rights of the holders of any series of Interests, vacancies existing on the Board of Directors (including a vacancy created by virtue of an increase in the size of the Board of Directors) may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors then serving, even if less than a quorum. Any Director chosen to fill a vacancy shall hold office until the next annual meeting of Members and until his successor has been duly elected and qualified or until such Director’s earlier resignation or removal. Subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Interests, any Director, and the entire Board of Directors, may be removed from office at any time by the affirmative vote of Members holding a majority of the Percentage Interest of all Members entitled to vote; provided, however, that no Director may be
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removed (whether voting on the removal of an individual Director or the removal of the entire Board of Directors) without cause if the votes cast against such Director’s removal would be sufficient to elect such Director if then cumulatively voted at an election of the entire Board of Directors.
(e) Directors need not be Members. The Board of Directors may, from time to time and by the adoption of resolutions, establish qualifications for Directors.
(f) Unless otherwise required by the Delaware Act, other law or the provisions hereof,
(i) each member of the Board of Directors shall have one vote;
(ii) the presence at a meeting of the Board of Directors of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum at any such meeting for the transaction of business; and
(iii) the act of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which a quorum is present shall be deemed to constitute the act of the Board of Directors.
(g) Regular meetings of the Board of Directors and any committee thereof shall be held at such times and places as shall be designated from time to time by resolution of the Board of Directors or such committee. Notice of such regular meetings shall not be required. Special meetings of the Board of Directors or meetings of any committee thereof may be called by the Chairman of the Board or on the written request of any three Directors or committee members, as applicable, to the Secretary, in each case on at least twenty-four hours personal, written, facsimile, electronic, telegraphic, cable or wireless notice to each Director or committee member, which notice may be waived by any Director. Any such notice, or waiver thereof, need not state the purpose of such meeting except as may otherwise be required by law. Attendance of a Director at a meeting (including pursuant to the last sentence of this Section 7.2(g)) shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where such Director attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors, or any committee thereof, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, are signed by all members of the Board of Directors or committee. Members of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof may participate in and hold a meeting by means of conference telephone, video conference or similar communications equipment by means of which all Persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation in such meetings shall constitute presence in Person at the meeting.
(h) The Board of Directors may, by resolution of a majority of the full Board of Directors, designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the Directors. The Board of Directors may designate one or more Directors as
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alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified Director at any meeting of such committee. Any such committee, to the extent provided in the resolution of the Board of Directors or in this Agreement, shall have and may exercise all powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the business and affairs of the Company; but no such committee shall have the power or authority in reference to the following matters: approving or adopting, or recommending to the Members, any action or matter expressly required by this Agreement or the Delaware Act to be submitted to the Members for approval or adopting, amending or repealing any provision of this Agreement. Unless specified by resolution of the Board of Directors, any committee designated pursuant to this Section 7.2(h) shall choose its own chairman, shall keep regular minutes of its proceedings and report the same to the Board of Directors when requested, and, subject to Section 7.2(g), shall fix its own rules or procedures and shall meet at such times and at such place or places as may be provided by such rules. At every meeting of any such committee, the presence of a majority of all the members thereof shall constitute a quorum and the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present at a meeting of which a quorum is present shall be necessary for the adoption by the committee of any resolution.
(i) The Board of Directors may elect one of its members as Chairman of the Board (the “Chairman of the Board”). The Chairman of the Board, if any, and if present and acting, shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and of Members, unless otherwise directed by the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors does not elect a Chairman or if the Chairman is absent from the meeting, the Chief Executive Offer, if present and a Director, or any other Director chosen by the Board of Directors, shall preside. In the absence of a Secretary, the chairman of the meeting may appoint any Person to serve as Secretary of the meeting.
(j) Unless otherwise restricted by law, the Board of Directors shall have the authority to fix the compensation of the Directors. The Directors may be paid their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors and may be paid a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors or paid a stated salary or paid other compensation as Director. No such payment shall preclude any Director from serving the Company in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Members of special or standing committees may also be paid their expenses, if any, of and allowed compensation for attending committee meetings.
(k) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, the Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or regulation, each of the Members and each other Person who may acquire an interest in Company Securities hereby (i) approves, ratifies and confirms the execution, delivery and performance by the parties thereto of this Agreement and the Group Member Agreement of each other Group Member, the Underwriting Agreement and the other agreements described in or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are related to the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement; (ii) agrees that the Board of Directors (on its own or through any Officer of the Company) is authorized to execute, deliver and perform the agreements referred to in clause (i) of this sentence and the other agreements, acts, transactions and matters described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement on
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behalf of the Company without any further act, approval or vote of the Members or the other Persons who may acquire an interest in Company Securities; and (iii) agrees that the execution, delivery or performance by the Company, any Group Member or any Affiliate of any of them of this Agreement or any agreement authorized or permitted under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach by the Board of Directors or any Officer of any duty that the Board of Directors or any Officer may owe the Company or the Members or any other Persons under this Agreement (or any other agreements) or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity.
Section 7.2Certificate of Formation. The Certificate of Formation has been filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by the Delaware Act. The Board of Directors shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such other certificates or documents that it determines to be necessary or appropriate for the formation, continuation, qualification and operation of a limited liability company in the State of Delaware or any other state in which the Company may elect to do business or own property. To the extent that the Board of Directors determines such action to be necessary or appropriate, the Board of Directors shall direct the appropriate Officers of the Company to file amendments to and restatements of the Certificate of Formation and do all things to maintain the Company as a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware or of any other state in which the Company may elect to do business or own property. Subject to the terms of Section 3.4(a), the Company shall not be required, before or after filing, to deliver or mail a copy of the Certificate of Formation, any qualification document or any amendment thereto to any Member.
Section 7.3Restrictions on the Board of Directors’ Authority.
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the Board of Directors may not, without written approval of the specific act by holders of all of the Outstanding Member Interests or by other written instrument executed and delivered by holders of all of the Outstanding Member Interests subsequent to the date of this Agreement, take any action in contravention of this Agreement, including (i) committing any act that would make it impossible to carry on the ordinary business of the Company; (ii) possessing Company property, or assigning any rights in specific Company property, for other than a Company purpose; (iii) admitting a Person as a Member; or (iv) amending this Agreement in any manner.
(b) Except as provided in Articles X and XII, the Board of Directors may not sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination) without the approval of holders of a Unit Majority; provided, however, that this provision shall not preclude or limit the Board of Directors’ ability to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of the assets of the Company Group and shall not apply
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to any forced sale of any or all of the assets of the Company Group pursuant to the foreclosure of, or other realization upon, any such encumbrance.
Section 7.4Officers.
(a) The Board of Directors shall have the power and authority to appoint such officers with such titles, authority and duties as determined by the Board of Directors. Such Persons so designated by the Board of Directors shall be referred to as “Officers.” Unless provided otherwise by resolution of the Board of Directors, the Officers shall have the titles, power, authority and duties described below in this Section 7.4.
(b) The Officers of the Company shall include a Chairman of the Board, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, and a Secretary, and may also include a Vice Chairman, Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer, one or more Vice Presidents (who may be further classified by such descriptions as “executive,” “senior,” “assistant” or otherwise, as the Board of Directors shall determine), one or more Assistant Secretaries and one or more Assistant Treasurers. Officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors, which shall consider that subject at its first meeting after every annual meeting of Members and as necessary to fill vacancies. Each Officer shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal. Any number of offices may be held by the same Person. The compensation of Officers elected by the Board of Directors shall be fixed from time to time by the Board of Directors or by such Officers as may be designated by resolution of the Board of Directors.
(c) Any Officer may resign at any time upon written notice to the Company. Any Officer, agent or employee of the Company may be removed by the Board of Directors with or without cause at any time. The Board of Directors may delegate the power of removal as to Officers, agents and employees who have not been appointed by the Board of Directors. Such removal shall be without prejudice to a Person’s contract rights, if any, but the appointment of any Person as an Officer, agent or employee of the Company shall not of itself create contract rights.
(d) The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Company unless the Board of Directors designates the Chairman of the Board as Chief Executive Officer. Subject to the control of the Board of Directors and the executive committee (if any), the Chief Executive Officer shall have general executive charge, management and control of the properties, business and operations of the Company with all such powers as may be reasonably incident to such responsibilities; he may employ and discharge employees and agents of the Company except such as shall be appointed by the Board of Directors, and he may delegate these powers; he may agree upon and execute all leases, contracts, evidences of indebtedness and other obligations in the name of the Company, and shall have such other powers and duties as designated in accordance with this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to him by the Board of Directors.
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(e) If elected, the Chairman of the Board shall preside at all meetings of the Members and of the Board of Directors; and shall have such other powers and duties as designated in this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to him by the Board of Directors.
(f) Unless the Board of Directors otherwise determines, the President shall have the authority to agree upon and execute all leases, contracts, evidences of indebtedness and other obligations in the name of the Company; and, unless the Board of Directors otherwise determines, shall, in the absence of the Chairman of the Board or if there be no Chairman of the Board, preside at all meetings of the Members and (should he be a Director) of the Board of Directors; and he shall have such other powers and duties as designated in accordance with this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to him by the Board of Directors.
(g) In the absence of the President, or in the event of his inability or refusal to act, a Vice President designated by the Board of Directors shall perform the duties of the President, and when so acting shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. In the absence of a designation by the Board of Directors of a Vice President to perform the duties of the President, or in the event of his absence or inability or refusal to act, the Vice President who is present and who is senior in terms of uninterrupted time as a Vice President of the Company shall so act. The Vice President shall perform such other duties and have such other powers as the Board of Directors may from time to time prescribe. Unless otherwise provided by the Board of Directors, each Vice President will have authority to act within his or her respective areas and to sign contracts relating thereto.
(h) The Treasurer shall have responsibility for the custody and control of all the funds and securities of the Company and shall have such other powers and duties as designated in this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to the Treasurer by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall perform all acts incident to the position of Treasurer, subject to the control of the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors. Each Assistant Treasurer shall have the usual powers and duties pertaining to his office, together with such other powers and duties as designated in this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to him by the Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors. The Assistant Treasurers shall exercise the powers of the Treasurer during that Officer’s absence or inability or refusal to act. An Assistant Treasurer shall also perform such other duties as the Treasurer or the Board of Directors may assign to him.
(i) The Secretary shall issue all authorized notices for, and shall keep minutes of, all meetings of the Members and the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall have charge of the corporate books and shall perform such other duties as the Board of Directors may from time to time prescribe. In the absence or inability to act of the Secretary, any Assistant Secretary may perform all the duties and exercise all the powers of the Secretary. The performance of any such duty shall, in respect of any other Person dealing with the Company, be conclusive evidence of his power to act. An Assistant
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Secretary shall also perform such other duties as the Secretary or the Board of Directors may assign to him.
(j) The Board of Directors may from time to time delegate the powers or duties of any Officer to any other Officers or agents, notwithstanding any provision hereof.
(k) Unless otherwise directed by the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or any Officer of the Company authorized by the Chief Executive Officer shall have power to vote and otherwise act on behalf of the Company, in person or by proxy, at any meeting of Members of or with respect to any action of equity holders of any other entity in which the Company may hold securities and otherwise to exercise any and all rights and powers which the Company may possess by reason of its ownership of securities in such other entities.
Section 7.5Outside Activities. (a) It shall be deemed not to be a breach of any duty (including any fiduciary duty) or any other obligation of any type whatsoever of any Director for Affiliates of such Director to engage in outside business interests and activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Company or in direct competition with the Company; provided such Affiliate does not engage in such business or activity as a result of or using confidential information provided by or on behalf of the Company to such Director and (b) Directors shall have no obligation hereunder or as a result of any duty expressed or implied by law to present business opportunities to the Company that may become available to Affiliates of such Director. None of any Group Member, any Member or any other Person shall have any rights by virtue of a Director’s duties as a Director, this Agreement or any Group Member Agreement in any business ventures of any Director.
Section 7.6Loans or Contributions from the Company or Group Members.
(a) The Company may lend or contribute to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the Company, funds on terms and conditions determined by the Board of Directors.
(b) No borrowing by any Group Member or the approval thereof by the Board of Directors shall be deemed to constitute a breach of any duty (including any fiduciary duty), expressed or implied, of the Board of Directors to the Company or the Members by reason of the fact that the purpose or effect of such borrowing is directly or indirectly to enable distributions to the Members.
Section 7.7Indemnification.
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law as it currently exists and to such greater extent as applicable law hereafter may permit, but subject to the limitations
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expressly provided in this Agreement, the Company shall indemnify any Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to, or otherwise requires representation of counsel in connection with, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Company) by reason of the fact that such Person is or was a Director or Officer of the Company, or, while serving as a Director or Officer of the Company, is or was serving as a Tax Matters Partner or, at the request of the Company, as a director, officer, tax matters partner, employee, partner, managers, fiduciary or trustee of any Group Member or any other Person (each an “Indemnitee”) or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against losses, expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, damages, penalties, interest, liabilities and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the Person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the Person acted in good faith and in a manner the Person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that such Person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the Person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the Person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the Person’s conduct was unlawful.
(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, the Company shall indemnify any Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to, or otherwise requires representation of counsel in connection with, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that such Person was serving as an Indemnitee, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against losses, expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, damages, penalties, interest, liabilities and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the Person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the Person acted in good faith and in a manner the Person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such Person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Company unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such Person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Delaware Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
(c) To the extent an Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 7.7(a) or Section 7.7(b), or in the defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such Person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such Person in connection therewith.
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(d) Any indemnification under Section 7.7(a) or Section 7.7(b) (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Company only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the Person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in such section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a Person who is a Director or Officer at the time of such determination, (i) by a majority vote of the Directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, (ii) by a committee of such Directors designated by majority vote of such Directors, even though less than a quorum, (iii) if there are no such Directors, or if such Directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in an Opinion of Counsel, or (iv) by the Members.
(e) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an Indemnitee in defending any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 7.7(a) or Section 7.7(b) shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding and in advance of any determination that such Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (a “Final Adjudication”) that such Person is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorized in this Section 7.7.
(f) The indemnification, advancement of expenses and other provisions of this Section 7.7 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, pursuant to any vote of the holders of Outstanding Interests, as a matter of law or otherwise, both as to actions in the Indemnitee’s capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity (including any capacity under the Underwriting Agreement), and shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to serve in such capacity and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, successors, assigns and administrators of the Indemnitee.
(g) The Company may purchase and maintain insurance, on behalf of its Directors and Officers, and such other Persons as the Board of Directors shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Company’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Company, regardless of whether the Company would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.
(h) For purposes of the definition of Indemnitee in Section 7.7(a), the Company shall be deemed to have requested a Person to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance by such Person of his duties to the Company also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, such Person to the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on an Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law shall constitute “fines” within the meaning of Section 7.7(a); and action taken or omitted by such Person with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of such Person’s duties for a purpose reasonably believed by him to be in the interest of the participants and
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beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company.
(i) Any indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.7 shall be made only out of the assets of the Company, it being agreed that the Members shall not be personally liable for such indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Company to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.
(j) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 7.7 because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.
(k) If a claim under Section 7.7 of this Agreement is not paid in full by the Company within 60 days after a written claim has been received by the Company, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be 20 days, the Indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Company to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Company to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid also the reasonable expenses of prosecuting or defending such suit. In (i) any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (ii) in any suit brought by the Company to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Company shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a Final Adjudication that, the Indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in this Agreement. Neither the failure of the Company (including its Directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such Directors, independent legal counsel, or its Members) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Agreement, nor an actual determination by the Company (including its Directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such Directors, independent legal counsel, or its Members) that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct shall create a presumption that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct, or, in the case of such a suit brought by the Indemnitee, be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of expenses hereunder, or brought by the Company to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified or to such advancement of expenses, under this Section 7.7 or otherwise shall be on the Company.
(l) The Company may indemnify any Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (whether or not an action by or in the right of the Company) by reason of the fact that the Person is or was an employee (other than an Officer) or agent of the Company, or, while serving as an
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employee (other than an Officer) or agent of the Company is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, partner, fiduciary, trustee or agent of another Group Member or another Person to the extent (i) permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware as from time to time in effect, and (ii) authorized by the Board of Directors. The Company may, to the extent permitted by Delaware law and authorized by the Board of Directors, pay expenses (including attorneys’ fees) reasonably incurred by an such employee or agent in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding, upon such terms and conditions as the Board of Directors determine. The provisions of this Section 7.7(l) shall not constitute a contract right for any such employee or agent.
(m) The indemnification, advancement of expenses and other provisions of this Section 7.7 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees, their heirs, successors, assigns and administrators and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other Persons.
(n) Except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 7.7(l), the right to be indemnified and to receive advancement of expenses in this Section 7.7 shall be a contract right. No amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.7 or any provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair the right of any past, present or future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Company, nor the obligations of the Company to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.7 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.
(o) The Board of Directors, acting alone and without the approval of any Member, in the event of any amendment to Section 145 of the DGCL or the amendment or addition of any other provision of the DGCL relating to indemnification by Delaware corporations of Persons of the type referenced in this Section 7.7, may amend this Agreement to, entirely or in part, reflect such amendment or addition in the indemnification provisions of this Agreement.
Section 7.8Exculpation of Liability of Indemnitees.
(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, no Director shall be liable to the Company or the Members for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a Director, except
(i) for a breach of the Director’s duty of loyalty to the Company or the Members;
(ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; or
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(iii) for any transaction from which the Director derived an improper personal benefit.
If the DGCL is amended after the date of this Agreement to authorize Delaware corporations to further eliminate or limit the personal liability of directors of Delaware corporations beyond that permitted under Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, then the liability of a Director to the Company or the Members, in addition to the personal liability limitation provided herein, shall be further limited to the fullest extent permitted under the DGCL as so amended.
(b) Subject to its obligations and duties as Board of Directors set forth in this Article VII, the Board of Directors may exercise any of the powers granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either directly or by or through its agents, and the Board of Directors shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent appointed by the Board of Directors in good faith.
(c) To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnitee has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Company or to the Members, the Directors and any other Indemnitee acting in connection with the Company’s business or affairs shall not be liable to the Company or to any Member for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they restrict or eliminate or otherwise modify the duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities of an Indemnitee otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the Members to replace such other duties and liabilities of such Indemnitee.
(d) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.8 or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability of any Indemnitee under this Section 7.8 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.
Section 7.9Resolution of Conflicts of Interest; Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties.
(a) Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or any Group Member Agreement, whenever a potential conflict of interest exists or arises between one or more Directors or their respective Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Company or any Group Member, on the other, any resolution or course of action by the Board of Directors or its Affiliates in respect of such conflict of interest shall be permitted and deemed approved by all Members, and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, of any Group Member Agreement, of any agreement contemplated herein or therein, or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity, including any fiduciary duty, if the resolution or course of action in respect of such conflict of interest is (i) approved by Special
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Approval, (ii) approved by the vote of a majority of the Outstanding Units held by disinterested parties, (iii) on terms no less favorable to the Company than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or (iv) fair and reasonable to the Company, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Company). The Board of Directors shall be authorized but not required in connection with its resolution of such conflict of interest to seek Special Approval of such resolution, and the Board of Directors may also adopt a resolution or course of action that has not received Special Approval. If Special Approval is not sought and the Board of Directors determines that the resolution or course of action taken with respect to a conflict of interest is on terms no less favorable to the Company than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or that the resolution or course of action taken with respect to a conflict of interest is fair and reasonable to the Company, then such resolution or course of action shall be permitted and deemed approved by all the Members, and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, of any Group Member Agreement, of any agreement contemplated herein or therein, or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity, including any fiduciary duty. In connection with any such approval by the Board of Directors, it shall be presumed that, in making its decision, the Board of Directors acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by any Member or by or on behalf of such Member or any other Member or the Company challenging such approval, the Person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding shall have the burden of overcoming such presumption. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the existence of the conflicts of interest described in the Registration Statement are hereby approved by all Members.
(b) The Members hereby authorize the Board of Directors, on behalf of the Company as a partner or member of a Group Member, to approve of actions by the Board of Directors or managing member of such Group Member similar to those actions permitted to be taken by the Board of Directors pursuant to this Section 7.9.
Section 7.10Duties of Officers and Directors.
(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in Section 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8 and 7.9 or elsewhere in this Agreement, the duties and obligations owed to the Company and to the Members by the Officers and Directors, shall be the same as the respective duties and obligations owed to a corporation organized under DGCL by its officers and directors, respectively.
(b) A Director shall, in the performance of his duties, be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of the Company and on such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Company by any of the Company’s Officers or employees, or committees of the Board of Directors, or by any other Person as to matters the Director reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Company.
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(c) The Board of Directors shall have the right, in respect of any of its powers or obligations hereunder, to act through a duly appointed attorney or attorneys-in-fact or the duly authorized Officers of the Company.
Section 7.11Purchase or Sale of Company Securities. The Board of Directors may cause the Company to purchase or otherwise acquire Company Securities.
Section 7.12Reliance by Third Parties. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Person dealing with the Company shall be entitled to assume that the Board of Directors and any Officer authorized by the Board of Directors to act on behalf of and in the name of the Company has full power and authority to encumber, sell or otherwise use in any manner any and all assets of the Company and to enter into any authorized contracts on behalf of the Company, and such Person shall be entitled to deal with the Board of Directors or any Officer as if it were the Company’s sole party in interest, both legally and beneficially. Each Member hereby waives any and all defenses or other remedies that may be available against such Person to contest, negate or disaffirm any action of the Board of Directors or any Officer in connection with any such dealing. In no event shall any Person dealing with the Board of Directors or any Officer or its representatives be obligated to ascertain that the terms of this Agreement have been complied with or to inquire into the necessity or expedience of any act or action of the Board of Directors or any Officer or its representatives. Each and every certificate, document or other instrument executed on behalf of the Company by the Board of Directors or any Officer or its representatives shall be conclusive evidence in favor of any and every Person relying thereon or claiming thereunder that (a) at the time of the execution and delivery of such certificate, document or instrument, this Agreement was in full force and effect, (b) the Person executing and delivering such certificate, document or instrument was duly authorized and empowered to do so for and on behalf of the Company and (c) such certificate, document or instrument was duly executed and delivered in accordance with the terms and provisions of this Agreement and is binding upon the Company.
ARTICLE VIII
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
Section 8.1Records and Accounting. The Board of Directors shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Company appropriate books and records with respect to the Company’s business, including all books and records necessary to provide to the Members any information required to be provided pursuant to this Agreement. Any books and records maintained by or on behalf of the Company in the regular course of its business, including the record of the Record Holders of Units or other Company Securities, books of account and records of Company proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of, computer disks, hard drives, punch cards, magnetic tape, photographs, micrographics or any other information storage device; provided, that the books and records so maintained are convertible into clearly legible written form within a reasonable period of time.
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The books of the Company shall be maintained, for financial reporting purposes, on an accrual basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
Section 8.2Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Company shall be a fiscal year ending December 31.
Section 8.3Reports.
(a) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 120 days after the close of each fiscal year of the Company, the Board of Directors shall cause to be mailed or made available to each Record Holder of a Unit as of a date selected by the Board of Directors, an annual report containing financial statements of the Company for such fiscal year of the Company, presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, including a balance sheet and statements of operations, equity and cash flows, such statements to be audited by a firm of independent public accountants selected by the Board of Directors.
(b) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 90 days after the close of each Quarter except the last Quarter of each fiscal year, the Board of Directors shall cause to be mailed or made available to each Record Holder of a Unit, as of a date selected by the Board of Directors, a report containing unaudited financial statements of the Company and such other information as may be required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, or as the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate.
ARTICLE IX
TAX MATTERS
Section 9.1Tax Returns and Information. The Company shall timely file all returns of the Company that are required for federal, state and local income tax purposes on the basis of the accrual method and a taxable year ending on December 31. The tax information reasonably required by Record Holders for federal and state income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable year shall be furnished to them within 90 days of the close of the calendar year in which the Company’s taxable year ends. The classification, realization and recognition of income, gain, losses and deductions and other items shall be on the accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes.
Section 9.2Tax Elections.
(a) The Company shall make the election under Section 754 of the Code in accordance with applicable regulations thereunder, subject to the reservation of the right to seek to revoke any such election upon the Board of Directors’ determination that such revocation is in the best interests of the Members. Notwithstanding any other provision
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herein contained, for the purposes of computing the adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code, the Board of Directors shall be authorized (but not required) to adopt a convention whereby the price paid by a transferee of a Member Interest will be deemed to be the lowest quoted closing price of the Member Interests on any National Securities Exchange on which such Member Interests are traded during the calendar month in which such transfer is deemed to occur pursuant to Section 6.2(g) without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.
(b) The Company shall elect to deduct expenses incurred in organizing the Company ratably over a sixty-month period as provided in Section 709 of the Code.
(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, the Board of Directors shall determine whether the Company should make any other elections permitted by the Code.
Section 9.3Tax Controversies. Subject to the provisions hereof, the Board of Directors shall designate one Member as the Tax Matters Partner (as defined in the Code). The Tax Matters Partner is authorized and required to represent the Company (at the Company’s expense) in connection with all examinations of the Company’s affairs by tax authorities, including resulting administrative and judicial proceedings, and to expend Company funds for professional services and costs associated therewith. Each Member agrees to cooperate with the Tax Matters Partner and to do or refrain from doing any or all things reasonably required by the Tax Matters Partner to conduct such proceedings.
Section 9.4Withholding. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Board of Directors is authorized to take any action that may be required to cause the Company and other Group Members to comply with any withholding requirements established under the Code or any other federal, state or local law including, without limitation, pursuant to Sections 1441, 1442, 1445 and 1446 of the Code. To the extent that the Company is required or elects to withhold and pay over to any taxing authority any amount resulting from the allocation or distribution of income to any Member (including, without limitation, by reason of Section 1446 of the Code), the Board of Directors may treat the amount withheld as a distribution of cash pursuant to Section 6.3 in the amount of such withholding from such Member.
Section 9.5Board of Directors Authority to Delegate. The Board of Directors may from time to time delegate any of its powers or obligations under Section 5.5, Article VI or this Article IX to any Officers, notwithstanding any provision hereof.
ARTICLE X
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
Section 10.1Dissolution. The Company shall not be dissolved by the admission of Substituted Members or Additional Members. The Company shall dissolve, and its affairs shall be wound up, upon:
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(a) an election to dissolve the Company by the Board of Directors that is approved by the holders of a Unit Majority;
(b) the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets and properties of the Company and the Company’s Subsidiaries; or
(c) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Company pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act.
Section 10.2Liquidator. Upon dissolution of the Company, the Board of Directors shall select one or more Persons to act as Liquidator. The Liquidator (if other than the Board of Directors) shall be entitled to receive such compensation for its services as may be approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units voting as a single class. The Liquidator (if other than the Board of Directors) shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days’ prior notice and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by notice of removal approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units voting as a single class. Upon dissolution, removal or resignation of the Liquidator, a successor and substitute Liquidator (who shall have and succeed to all rights, powers and duties of the original Liquidator) shall within 30 days thereafter be approved by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units voting as a single class. The right to approve a successor or substitute Liquidator in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to refer also to any such successor or substitute Liquidator approved in the manner herein provided. Except as expressly provided in this Article X, the Liquidator approved in the manner provided herein shall have and may exercise, without further authorization or consent of any of the parties hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the Board of Directors under the terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.3(b)) necessary or appropriate to carry out the duties and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during the period of time required to complete the winding up and liquidation of the Company as provided for herein.
Section 10.3Liquidation. The Liquidator shall proceed to dispose of the assets of the Company, discharge its liabilities, and otherwise wind up its affairs in such manner and over such period as determined by the Liquidator, subject to Section 18-804 of the Delaware Act and the following:
(a) The assets may be disposed of by public or private sale or by distribution in kind to one or more Members on such terms as the Liquidator and such Member or Members may agree. If any property is distributed in kind, the Member receiving the property shall be deemed for purposes of Section 10.3(c) to have received cash equal to its fair market value; and contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash distributions must be made to the other Members. The Liquidator may defer liquidation or distribution of the Company’s assets for a reasonable time if it determines that an immediate sale or distribution of all or some of the Company’s assets would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Members. The Liquidator may distribute the Company’s assets, in
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whole or in part, in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Members.
(b) Liabilities of the Company include amounts owed to the Liquidator as compensation for serving in such capacity (subject to the terms of Section 10.2) and amounts to Members otherwise than in respect of their distribution rights under Article VI. With respect to any liability that is contingent, conditional or unmatured or is otherwise not yet due and payable, the Liquidator shall either settle such claim for such amount as it thinks appropriate or establish a reserve of cash or other assets to provide for its payment. When paid, any unused portion of the reserve shall be distributed as additional liquidation proceeds.
(c) All property and all cash in excess of that required to discharge liabilities as provided in Section 10.3(b) shall be distributed to the Members in accordance with, and to the extent of, the positive balances in their respective Capital Accounts, as determined after taking into account all Capital Account adjustments (other than those made by reason of distributions pursuant to this Section 10.3(c)) for the taxable period of the Company during which the liquidation of the Company occurs (with such date of occurrence being determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g)), and such distribution shall be made by the end of such taxable period (or, if later, within 90 days after said date of such occurrence).
Section 10.4Cancellation of Certificate of Formation. Upon the completion of the distribution of Company cash and property as provided in Section 10.3 in connection with the liquidation of the Company, the Company shall be terminated and the Certificate of Formation and all qualifications of the Company as a foreign limited liability company in jurisdictions other than the State of Delaware shall be canceled and such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the Company shall be taken.
Section 10.5Return of Contributions. None of any member of the Board of Directors or any Officer of the Company will be personally liable for, or have any obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Company to enable it to effectuate, the return of the Capital Contributions of the Members or Unitholders, or any portion thereof, it being expressly understood that any such return shall be made solely from Company assets.
Section 10.6Waiver of Partition. To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Member hereby waives any right to partition of the Company property.
Section 10.7Capital Account Restoration. No Member shall have any obligation to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of the Company.
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ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENT OF AGREEMENT; MEETINGS OF MEMBERS; RECORD DATE
Section 11.1Amendment of Limited Liability Company Agreement.
(a) General Amendments. Except as provided in Section 11.1(b) and Section 11.1(c), the Board of Directors may amend any of the terms of this Agreement but only in compliance with the terms, conditions and procedures set forth in this Section 11.1(a). If the Board of Directors desires to amend any provision of this Agreement other than pursuant to Section 11.1(c), then it shall first adopt a resolution setting forth the amendment proposed, declaring its advisability, and either calling a special meeting of the Members entitled to vote in respect thereof for the consideration of such amendment or directing that the amendment proposed be considered at the next annual meeting of the Members. Amendments to this Agreement may be proposed only by or with the consent of the Board of Directors. Such special or annual meeting shall be called and held upon notice in accordance with Section 11.2 and Section 11.3 of this Agreement. The notice shall set forth such amendment in full or a brief summary of the changes to be effected thereby, as the Board of Directors shall deem advisable. At the meeting, a vote of Members entitled to vote thereon shall be taken for and against the proposed amendment. A proposed amendment shall be effective upon its approval by a Unit Majority, unless a greater percentage is required under this Agreement or by Delaware law.
(b) Super-Majority Amendments. Notwithstanding Section 11.1(a) but subject to Section 11.1(c), the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of all Outstanding Units, voting together as a single class, shall be required to alter, amend, adopt any provision inconsistent with or repeal subsection (d) of Section 7.1, subsection (e) of Section 11.2, subsection (d) of Section 11.3, subsections (b), (c) or (d) of Section 11.8, Section 11.10 or Section 11.13.
(c) Amendments to be Adopted Solely by the Board of Directors. Notwithstanding Section 11.1(a) and Section 11.1(b), the Board of Directors, without the approval of any Member, may amend any provision of this Agreement, and execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record whatever documents may be required in connection therewith, to reflect:
(i) a change in the name of the Company, the location of the principal place of business of the Company, the registered agent of the Company or the registered office of the Company;
(ii) admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of Members in accordance with this Agreement;
(iii) a change that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate to qualify or continue the qualification of the Company as a limited liability company under the laws of any state or to ensure that the Group Members
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will not be treated as associations taxable as corporations or otherwise taxed as entities for federal income tax purposes;
(iv) a change that the Board of Directors determines (A) does not adversely affect the Members (including any particular class of Interests as compared to other classes of Interests) in any material respect, (B) to be necessary or appropriate to (1) satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute (including the Delaware Act) or (2) facilitate the trading of the Units (including the division of any class or classes of Outstanding Units into different classes to facilitate uniformity of tax consequences within such classes of Units) or comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are or will be listed for trading, compliance with any of which the Board of Directors deems to be in the best interests of the Company and the Members, (C) to be necessary or appropriate in connection with action taken by the Board of Directors pursuant to Section 5.10 or (D) is required to effect the intent expressed in the Registration Statement or the intent of the provisions of this Agreement or is otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
(v) a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Company and any other changes that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate as a result of a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Company including, if the Board of Directors shall so determine, a change in the definition of “Quarter” and the dates on which distributions are to be made by the Company;
(vi) an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of Counsel, to prevent the Company or its Directors, Officers, trustees or agents from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, regardless of whether such are substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the United States Department of Labor;
(vii) an amendment that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with the authorization of issuance of any class or series of Company Securities pursuant to Section 5.6;
(viii) any amendment expressly permitted in this Agreement to be made by the Board of Directors acting alone;
(ix) an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a Merger Agreement approved in accordance with Section 12.3;
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(x) an amendment that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect and account for the formation by the Company of, or investment by the Company in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity, in connection with the conduct by the Company of activities permitted by the terms of Section 2.4;
(xi) a merger or conveyance pursuant to Section 12.3(d); or
(xii) any other amendments substantially similar to the foregoing.
Section 11.2Amendment Requirements.
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 11.1, no provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of Outstanding Units required to take any action shall be amended, altered, changed, repealed or rescinded in any respect that would have the effect of reducing such voting percentage unless such amendment is approved by the affirmative vote of holders of Outstanding Units whose aggregate Outstanding Units constitute not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 11.1, no amendment to this Agreement may (i) enlarge the obligations of any Member without its consent, unless such shall be deemed to have occurred as a result of an amendment approved pursuant to Section 11.2(c), (ii) change Section 10.1(a), or (iii) change the term of the Company or, except as set forth in Section 10.1(a), give any Person the right to dissolve the Company.
(c) Except as provided in Section 12.3, and without limitation of the Board of Directors’ authority to adopt amendments to this Agreement without the approval of any Members as contemplated in Section 11.1, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class of Interests in relation to other classes of Interests must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the Outstanding Interests of the class affected.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except for amendments pursuant to Section 11.1 and except as otherwise provided by Section 12.3(b), no amendments shall become effective without the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Units voting as a single class unless the Company obtains an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such amendment will not affect the limited liability of any Member under applicable law.
(e) Except as provided in Section 11.1, this Section 11.2 shall only be amended with the approval of the holders of at least 75% of the Outstanding Units voting together as a single class.
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Section 11.3Unitholder Meetings.
(a) All acts of Members to be taken hereunder shall be taken in the manner provided in this Article XI. An annual meeting of the Members for the election of Directors and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Board of Directors shall specify, which date shall be within 13 months of the last annual meeting of Members. If authorized by the Board of Directors, and subject to such guidelines and procedures as the Board of Directors may adopt, Members and proxyholders not physically present at a meeting of Members, may by means of remote communication participate in such meeting, and be deemed present in person and vote at such meeting provided that the Company shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each Person deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a Member or proxyholder, to provide such Members or proxyholders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to record the votes or other action made by such Members or proxyholders.
(b) A failure to hold the annual meeting of the Members at the designated time or to elect a sufficient number of Directors to conduct the business of the Company shall not affect otherwise valid acts of the Company or work a forfeiture or dissolution of the Company. If the annual meeting for election of Directors is not held on the date designated therefor, the Directors shall cause the meeting to be held as soon as is convenient. If there is a failure to hold the annual meeting for a period of 30 days after the date designated for the annual meeting, or if no date has been designated, for a period of 13 months after the latest to occur of the date of this Agreement or its last annual meeting, the Delaware Court of Chancery may summarily order a meeting to be held upon the application of any Member or Director. The Outstanding Units present at such meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereat, shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of such meeting, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary. The Delaware Court of Chancery may issue such orders as may be appropriate, including orders designating the time and place of such meeting, the record date for determination of Unitholders entitled to vote, and the form of notice of such meeting.
(c) All elections of Directors will be by written ballots; if authorized by the Board of Directors, such requirement of a written ballot shall be satisfied by a ballot submitted by electronic transmission, provided that any such electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by the Member or proxyholder.
(d) Special meetings of the Members may be called only by a majority of the Board of Directors. No Members or group of Members, acting in its or their capacity as Members, shall have the right to call a special meeting of the Members.
Section 11.4Notice of Meetings of Members.
(a) Notice, stating the place, day and hour of any annual or special meeting of the Members, as determined by the Board of Directors, and (i) in the case of a special meeting of the Members, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, as
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determined by the Board of Directors or (ii) in the case of an annual meeting, those matters that the Board of Directors, at the time of giving the notice, intends to present for action by the Members, shall be delivered by the Company not less than 10 calendar days nor more than 60 calendar days before the date of the meeting, in a manner and otherwise in accordance with Section 15.1 to each Record Holder who is entitled to vote at such meeting. Such further notice shall be given as may be required by Delaware law. The notice of any meeting of the Members at which directors are to be elected shall include the name of any nominee or nominees who, at the time of the notice, the Board of Directors intends to present for election. Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of Members as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting. Any previously scheduled meeting of the Members may be postponed, and any special meeting of the Members may be canceled, by resolution of the Board of Directors upon public notice given prior to the date previously scheduled for such meeting of the Members.
(b) The Board of Directors shall designate the place of meeting for any annual meeting or for any special meeting of the Members. If no designation is made, the place of meeting shall be the principal office of the Company.
Section 11.5Record Date. For purposes of determining the Members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Members, the Board of Directors may set a Record Date, which shall not be less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting (unless such requirement conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern). If no Record Date is fixed by the Board of Directors, the Record Date for determining Members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of Members shall be at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given. A determination of Members of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of Members shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may fix a new Record Date for the adjourned meeting.
Section 11.6Adjournment. When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting and a new Record Date need not be fixed, if the time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless such adjournment shall be for more than 30 days. At the adjourned meeting, the Company may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 30 days or if a new Record Date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with this Article XI.
Section 11.7Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting. Whenever notice to the Members is required to be given under this Agreement, a written waiver, signed by the Person entitled to notice, whether before or after the time stated therein,
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shall be deemed equivalent to notice. Attendance of a Person at any such meeting of the Members shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the Person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the Members need be specified in any written waiver of notice unless so required by resolution of the Board of Directors. All waivers and approvals shall be filed with the Company records or made part of the minutes of the meeting.
Section 11.8Quorum; Required Vote for Member Action; Cumulative Voting for Directors.
(a) At any meeting of the Members, the holders of a majority of the Outstanding Units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum of such class or classes unless any such action by the Members requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of Outstanding Units, in which case the quorum shall be such greater percentage. The submission of matters to Members for approval and the election of Directors shall occur only at a meeting of the Members duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present; provided, however, that the Members present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Members to leave less than a quorum, if any action taken (other than adjournment) is approved by the required percentage of Interests specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum any meeting of Members may be adjourned from time to time by the chairman of the meeting to another place or time.
(b) Each Outstanding Common Unit shall be entitled to one vote per Unit and, except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, shall vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to Members for approval and in the election of Directors.
(c) All matters (other than the election of Directors) submitted to Members for approval shall be determined by a majority of the votes cast affirmatively or negatively by Members holding Outstanding Units unless a greater percentage is required with respect to such matter under the provisions of this Agreement in which case the approval of Members holding Outstanding Units that in the aggregate represent at least such greater percentage shall be required.
(d) At all elections of Directors, each holder of an Outstanding Unit entitled to vote in such election shall be entitled to as many votes as shall equal the number of votes which (absent the provision as to cumulative voting in this Section 11.8(d)) such holder would be entitled to cast for the election of Directors with respect to such holder’s Outstanding Units multiplied by the number of Directors to be elected by such holder at such election, and such holder may cast all of such votes for a single candidate for Director or may distribute them among the number of candidates to be voted for, or any
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for two or more of them, as such holder may see fit. Directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast for a particular position.
Section 11.9Conduct of a Meeting; Member Lists.
(a) The Board of Directors shall have full power and authority concerning the manner of conducting any meeting of the Members, including the determination of Persons entitled to vote, the existence of a quorum, the satisfaction of the requirements of this Article XI, the conduct of voting, the validity and effect of any proxies and the determination of any controversies, votes or challenges arising in connection with or during the meeting or voting. The Board of Directors shall designate a Person to serve as chairman of any meeting and shall further designate a Person to take the minutes of any meeting. All minutes shall be kept with the records of the Company maintained by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may make such other regulations consistent with applicable law and this Agreement as it may deem advisable concerning the conduct of any meeting of the Members, including regulations in regard to the appointment of proxies, the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies and other evidence of the right to vote.
(b) A complete list of Members entitled to vote at any meeting of Members, arranged in alphabetical order for each class of Interests and showing the address of each such Member and the number of Outstanding Units registered in the name of such Member, shall be open to the examination of any Member, for any purpose germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours, for a period of at least 10 days before the meeting, at the principal place of business of the Company. The Member list shall also be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any Member who is present.
Section 11.10Action Without a Meeting. No action permitted or required to be taken at a meeting of Members may be taken by written consent or by any other means or manner than a meeting of Members called and conducted in accordance with this Agreement.
Section 11.11Voting and Other Rights.
(a) Only those Record Holders of Outstanding Units on the Record Date set pursuant to Section 11.5 shall be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, a meeting of Members or to act with respect to matters as to which the holders of the Outstanding Units have the right to vote or to act. All references in this Agreement to votes of, or other acts that may be taken by, the Outstanding Units shall be deemed to be references to the votes or acts of the Record Holders of such Outstanding Units.
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(b) With respect to Outstanding Units that are held for a Person’s account by another Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation, or an agent of any of the foregoing), in whose name such Outstanding Units are registered, such other Person shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such Outstanding Units on any matter, and unless the arrangement between such Persons provides otherwise, vote such Outstanding Units in favor of, and at the direction of, the Person who is the beneficial owner, and the Company shall be entitled to assume it is so acting without further inquiry. The provisions of this Section 11.11(b) (as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are subject to the provisions of Section 4.3.
Section 11.12Proxies and Voting.
(a) At any meeting of the Members, every holder of an Outstanding Unit entitled to vote may vote in person or by proxy authorized by an instrument in writing or by a transmission permitted by law filed in accordance with the procedure established for the meeting. Any copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reliable reproduction of the writing or transmission created pursuant to this paragraph may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or transmission for any and all purposes for which the original writing or transmission could be used, provided that such copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing or transmission.
(b) The Company may, and to the extent required by law, shall, in advance of any meeting of Members, appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting and make a written report thereof. The Company may designate one or more alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspector or alternate is able to act at a meeting of Members, the Person presiding at the meeting may, and to the extent required by law, shall, appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Each inspector, before entering upon the discharge of his or her duties, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of his or her ability. Every vote taken by ballots shall be counted by a duly appointed inspector or inspectors.
(c) With respect to the use of proxies at any meeting of Members, the Company shall be governed by paragraphs (b), (c), (d) and (e) of Section 212 of the DGCL and other applicable provisions of the DGCL, as though the Company were a Delaware corporation.
(d) With respect to any contested matter relating to any election, appointment, removal or resignation of any Director, the Company shall be governed by Section 225 of the DGCL and any other applicable provision of the DGCL, as though the Company were a Delaware corporation.
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Section 11.13Notice of Member Business and Nominations.
(a) Subject to Section 7.1(d) of this Agreement, nominations of Persons for election to the Board of Directors of the Company and the proposal of business to be considered by the Members may be made at an annual meeting of Members (i) pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting delivered pursuant to Section 11.4 of this Agreement, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, (iii) for nominations to the Board of Directors only, by any holder of Outstanding Units who is entitled to vote at the meeting, who complied with the notice procedures set forth in paragraph (b) or (d) of this Section 11.13 and who was a Record Holder of a sufficient number of Outstanding Units as of the Record Date for such meeting to elect one or more members to the Board of Directors assuming that such holder cast all of the votes it is entitled to cast in such election pursuant to Section 11.8(d) in favor of a single candidate and such candidate received no other votes from any other holder of Outstanding Units (or, in the case where such holder holds a sufficient number of Outstanding Units to elect more than one Director, such holder votes its Units as efficiently as possible for such candidates and such candidates receive no further votes from holders of Outstanding Units), or (iv) by any holder of Outstanding Units who is entitled to vote at the meeting, who complied with the notice procedures set forth in paragraphs (c) or (d) of this Section 11.13 and who is a Record Holder of Outstanding Units at the time such notice is delivered to the Secretary of the Company.
(b) For nominations to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a Unitholder pursuant to Section 11.13(a)(iii), the Unitholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Company. To be timely, a Unitholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company not less than 90 or more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary (the “Anniversary”) of the date on which the Company first mailed its proxy materials for the preceding year’s annual meeting of Members; provided, however, that if the date of the annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days prior to or delayed by more than thirty (30) days after the anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the Unitholder to be timely must be so delivered not later than the close of business on the later of (x) the ninetieth day prior to such annual meeting or (y) the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Such Unitholder’s notice shall set forth: (A) as to each Person whom the Unitholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a Director all information relating to such Person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of Directors, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, including such Person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a Director if elected and (B) as to the Unitholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made the name and address of such Unitholder, as they appear on the Company’s books, and of such beneficial owner, the class and number of Units of the Company which are owned beneficially and of record by such Unitholder and such beneficial owner. Such holder shall be entitled to nominate as many candidates for election to the Board of Directors as would be elected assuming such holder cast the precise number of votes necessary to elect each candidate and no more votes were cast by such holder or any other holder for such candidates.
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(c) For nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a Unitholder pursuant to Section 11.13(a)(iv), (i) the Unitholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Company, (ii) such business must be a proper matter for Member action under this Agreement and the Delaware Act, (iii) if the Unitholder, or the beneficial owner on whose behalf any such proposal or nomination is made, has provided the Company with a Solicitation Notice, such Unitholder or beneficial owner must, in the case of a proposal, have delivered a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Company’s Outstanding Units required under this Agreement or Delaware law to carry any such proposal, or, in the case of a nomination or nominations, have delivered a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of a percentage of the Company’s Outstanding Units reasonably believed by such Unitholder or beneficial holder to be sufficient to elect the nominee or nominees proposed to be nominated by such Unitholder, and must, in either case, have included in such materials the Solicitation Notice and (iv) if no Solicitation Notice relating thereto has been timely provided pursuant to this Section 11.13, the Unitholder or beneficial owner proposing such business or nomination must not have solicited a number of proxies sufficient to have required the delivery of such a Solicitation Notice. To be timely, a Unitholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company not less than 90 or more than 120 days prior to the first Anniversary; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced more than thirty (30) days prior to or delayed by more than thirty (30) days after the anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the Unitholder to be timely must be so delivered not later than the close of business on the later of (x) the ninetieth day prior to such annual meeting or (y) the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Such Unitholder’s notice shall set forth: (A) as to each Person whom the Unitholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a Director all information relating to such Person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of Directors, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, including such Person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a Director if elected; (B) as to any other business that the Unitholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of such Unitholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; and (C) as to the Unitholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made the name and address of such Unitholder, as they appear on the Company’s books, and of such beneficial owner, the class and number of Units of the Company which are owned beneficially and of record by such Unitholder and such beneficial owner, and whether either such Unitholder or beneficial owner intends to deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of, in the case of a proposal, at least the percentage of the Company’s Outstanding Units required under this Agreement or Delaware law to carry the proposal or, in the case of a nomination or nominations, a sufficient number of holders of the Company’s Outstanding Units to elect such nominee or nominees (an affirmative statement of such intent, a “Solicitation Notice”).
(d) Notwithstanding anything in the second sentence of Section 11.13(b) or the second sentence of Section 11.13(c) to the contrary, if the number of Directors to be elected to the Board of Directors is increased and there is no public announcement naming all of the nominees for Director or specifying the size of the increased Board of Directors made by the Company at least 90 days prior to the Anniversary, then a Unitholder’s notice required by this Section 11.13 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Company.
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(e) Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of Members as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting pursuant to Section 11.4 of this Agreement. Subject to Section 7.1(d) of this Agreement, nominations of Persons for election to the Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of Members at which Directors are to be elected pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting (i) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, (ii) by any holder of Outstanding Units who is entitled to vote at the meeting, who complied with the notice procedures set forth in paragraph (b) or (d) of this Section 11.13 and who was a Record Holder of a sufficient number of Outstanding Units as of the Record Date for such meeting to elect one or more members to the Board of Directors assuming that such holder cast all of the votes it is entitled to cast in such election pursuant to Section 11.8(d) in favor of a single candidate and such candidate received no other votes from any other holder of Outstanding Units (or, in the case where such holder holds a sufficient number of Outstanding Units to elect more than one Director, such holder votes its shares as efficiently as possible for such candidates and such candidates receive no further votes from holders of Outstanding Units), or (iii) by any holder of Outstanding Units who is entitled to vote at the meeting, who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 11.13 and who is a Record Holder of Outstanding Units at the time such notice is delivered to the Secretary of the Company. Nominations by Unitholders of Persons for election to the Board of Directors may be made at such a special meeting of Members if the Unitholder’s notice as required by Section 11.13(b) or Section 11.13(c) shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Company not earlier than the ninetieth day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the seventieth day prior to such special meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting. Holders of Outstanding Units making nominations pursuant to Section 11.13(d)(ii) shall be entitled to nominate the number of candidates for election at such special meeting as provided in Section 11.13(b) for an annual meeting.
(f) Except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 7.1(d) with respect to vacancies, only Persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 11.13 shall be eligible to serve as Directors and only such business shall be conducted at a meeting of Members as shall have been brought before the meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 11.13. Except as otherwise provided herein or required by law, the chairman of the meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether a nomination or any business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 11.13
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and, if any proposed nomination or business is not in compliance with this Section 11.13, to declare that such defective proposal or nomination shall be disregarded.
(g) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 11.13, a Member shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Section 11.13. Nothing in this Section 11.13 shall be deemed to affect any rights of Members to request inclusion of proposals in the Company’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
ARTICLE XII
MERGER
Section 12.1Authority. The Company may merge or consolidate with one or more limited liability companies or “other business entities” as defined in Section 18-209 of the Delaware Act, formed under the laws of the State of Delaware or any other state of the United States of America, pursuant to a written agreement of merger or consolidation (“Merger Agreement”) in accordance with this Article XII.
Section 12.2Procedure for Merger or Consolidation. Merger or consolidation of the Company pursuant to this Article XII requires the prior approval of the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors shall determine to consent to the merger or consolidation, the Board of Directors shall approve the Merger Agreement, which shall set forth:
(a) the names and jurisdictions of formation or organization of each of the business entities proposing to merge or consolidate;
(b) the name and jurisdiction of formation or organization of the business entity that is to survive the proposed merger or consolidation (the “Surviving Business Entity”);
(c) the terms and conditions of the proposed merger or consolidation;
(d) the manner and basis of exchanging or converting the rights or securities of, or interests in, each constituent business entity for, or into, cash, property, rights, or securities of or interests in, the Surviving Business Entity; and if any rights or securities of, or interests in, any constituent business entity are not to be exchanged or converted solely for, or into, cash, property, rights, or securities of or interests in, the Surviving Business Entity, the cash, property, rights, or securities of or interests in, any limited liability company or other business entity which the holders of such rights, securities or interests are to receive;
(e) a statement of any changes in the constituent documents or the adoption of new constituent documents (the certificate of formation or limited liability company agreement, articles or certificate of incorporation, articles of trust, declaration of trust,
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certificate or agreement of limited partnership or other similar charter or governing document) of the Surviving Business Entity to be effected by such merger or consolidation;
(f) the effective time of the merger, which may be the date of the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 12.4 or a later date specified in or determinable in accordance with the Merger Agreement (provided, that if the effective time of the merger is to be later than the date of the filing of the certificate of merger, the effective time shall be fixed no later than the time of the filing of the certificate of merger and stated therein); and
(g) such other provisions with respect to the proposed merger or consolidation that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate.
Section 12.3Approval by Members of Merger or Consolidation.
(a) Except as provided in Section 12.3(d), the Board of Directors, upon its approval of the Merger Agreement, shall direct that the Merger Agreement be submitted to a vote of Members, whether at an annual meeting or a special meeting, in either case in accordance with the requirements of Article XI. A copy or a summary of the Merger Agreement shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of meeting.
(b) Except as provided in Section 12.3(d), the Merger Agreement shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a Unit Majority unless the Merger Agreement contains any provision that, if contained in an amendment to this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement or the Delaware Act would require for its approval the vote or consent of a greater percentage of the Outstanding Units or of any class of Members, in which case such greater percentage vote or consent shall be required for approval of the Merger Agreement.
(c) Except as provided in Section 12.3(d), after such approval by vote or consent of the Members, and at any time prior to the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 12.4, the merger or consolidation may be abandoned pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger Agreement.
(d) Notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XII or in this Agreement, the Board of Directors is permitted without Member approval, to convert the Company or any Group Member into a new limited liability entity, to merge the Company or any Group Member into, or convey all of the Company’s assets to, another limited liability entity which shall be newly formed and shall have no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of such conversion, merger or conveyance other than those it receives from the Company or other Group Member if (i) the Board of Directors has received an Opinion of Counsel that the conversion, merger or conveyance, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of the limited liability of any Member or any Group Member or cause the Company or any Group Member to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax
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purposes (to the extent not previously treated as such), (ii) the sole purpose of such conversion, merger or conveyance is to effect a mere change in the legal form of the Company into another limited liability entity and (iii) the governing instruments of the new entity provide the Members and the Board of Directors with the same rights and obligations as are herein contained.
(e) Members are not entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal in the event of a merger or consolidation pursuant to Section 12.1, a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or the Company’s Subsidiaries, or any other transaction or event.
Section 12.4Certificate of Merger. Upon the required approval by the Board of Directors and the Unitholders of a Merger Agreement, a certificate of merger shall be executed and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in conformity with the requirements of the Delaware Act.
Section 12.5Effect of Merger.
(a) At the effective time of the certificate of merger:
(i) all of the rights, privileges and powers of each of the business entities that has merged or consolidated, and all property, real, personal and mixed, and all debts due to any of those business entities shall be vested in the Surviving Business Entity and after the merger or consolidation shall be the property of the Surviving Business Entity and all other things and causes of action belonging to each of those business entities, shall be vested in the Surviving Business Entity to the extent they were of each constituent business entity;
(ii) the title to any real property vested by deed or otherwise in any of those constituent business entities shall not revert and is not in any way impaired because of the merger or consolidation;
(iii) all rights of creditors and all liens on or security interests in property of any of those constituent business entities shall be preserved unimpaired; and
(iv) all debts, liabilities and duties of those constituent business entities shall attach to the Surviving Business Entity and may be enforced against it to the same extent as if the debts, liabilities and duties had been incurred or contracted by it.
(b) A merger or consolidation effected pursuant to this Article XII shall not be deemed to result in a transfer or assignment of assets or liabilities from one entity to another.
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Section 12.6Business Combination Limitations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, with respect to any “Business Combination” (as such term is defined in Section 203 of the DGCL), the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL shall be applied with respect to the Company as though the Company were a Delaware corporation.
ARTICLE XIII
RIGHT TO ACQUIRE MEMBER INTERESTS
Section 13.1Right to Acquire Member Interests.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if at any time any Person holds more than 90% of the total Member Interests of any class then Outstanding, such Person shall then have the right, which right it may assign and Transfer in whole or in part to the Company or any of its Affiliates, exercisable at its option, to purchase all, but not less than all, of such Member Interests of such class then Outstanding held by other holders, at the greater of (x) the Current Market Price as of the date three days prior to the date that the notice described in Section 13.1(b) is mailed and (y) the highest price paid by such Person or any of its Affiliates for any such Interest of such class purchased during the 90-day period preceding the date that the notice described in Section 13.1(b) is mailed. As used in this Agreement, (i) “Current Market Price” as of any date of any class of Interests listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange means the average of the daily Closing Prices (as hereinafter defined) per Interest of such class for the 20 consecutive Trading Days (as hereinafter defined) immediately prior to such date; (ii) “Closing Price” for any day means the average of the high bid and low asked prices on such day, regular way, or in the case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system for securities listed or admitted for trading on the principal national securities exchange on which the units of that class are listed or admitted to trading, or if the units of that class are not listed or admitted for trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price on that day, or if no quoted price exists, the average of the high bid low asked price on that day in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC or such other system then in use, or, if on any such day such Interests of such class are not quoted by any such organization of that type, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such Interests of such class selected by the Board of Directors, or if on any such day no market maker is making a market in such Interests of such class, the fair value of such Interests on such day as determined by the Board of Directors; and (iii) “Trading Day” means a day on which the principal National Securities Exchange on which such Interests of any class are listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if Interests of a class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, a day on which banking institutions in New York City generally are open.
(b) If any Person elects to exercise the right to purchase Interests granted pursuant to Section 13.1(a), the Board of Directors shall deliver to the Transfer Agent
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notice of such election to purchase (the “Notice of Election to Purchase”) and shall cause the Transfer Agent to mail a copy of such Notice of Election to Purchase to the Record Holders of Interests of such class (as of a Record Date selected by the Board of Directors) at least 10, but not more than 60, days prior to the Purchase Date. Such Notice of Election to Purchase shall also be published for a period of at least three consecutive days in at least two daily newspapers of general circulation printed in the English language and published in the Borough of Manhattan, New York. The Notice of Election to Purchase shall specify the Purchase Date and the price (determined in accordance with Section 13.1(a)) at which Interests will be purchased and state that such Person elects to purchase such Interests, upon surrender of Certificates representing such Interests in exchange for payment, at such office or offices of the Transfer Agent as the Transfer Agent may specify, or as may be required by any National Securities Exchange on which such Interests are listed or admitted to trading. Any such Notice of Election to Purchase mailed to a Record Holder of Interests at his address as reflected in the records of the Transfer Agent shall be conclusively presumed to have been given regardless of whether the owner receives such notice. On or prior to the Purchase Date, the Person exercising the right to purchase hereunder shall deposit with the Transfer Agent cash in an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate purchase price of all of such Interests to be purchased in accordance with this Section 13.1. If the Notice of Election to Purchase shall have been duly given as aforesaid at least 10 days prior to the Purchase Date, and if on or prior to the Purchase Date the deposit described in the preceding sentence has been made for the benefit of the holders of Interests subject to purchase as provided herein, then from and after the Purchase Date, notwithstanding that any Certificate shall not have been surrendered for purchase, all rights of the holders of such Interests (including any rights pursuant to Articles IV, V, VI, and X) shall thereupon cease, except the right to receive the purchase price (determined in accordance with Section 13.1(a)) for Interests therefor, without interest, upon surrender to the Transfer Agent of the Certificates representing such Interests, and such Interests shall thereupon be deemed to be Transferred to the Person exercising the right to purchase hereunder on the record books of the Transfer Agent and the Company, and such Person shall be deemed to be the owner of all such Interests from and after the Purchase Date and shall have all rights as the owner of such Interests (including all rights as owner of such Interests pursuant to Articles IV, V, VI and X).
(c) At any time from and after the Purchase Date, a holder of an Outstanding Interest subject to purchase as provided in this Section 13.1 may surrender his Certificate evidencing such Interest to the Transfer Agent in exchange for payment of the amount described in Section 13.1(a), therefor, without interest thereon.
(d) Upon the exercise by any Person of the right to purchase Interests granted pursuant to Section 13.1(a), no Member shall be entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal.
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ARTICLE XIV
REGISTRATION RIGHTS
Section 14.1Registration Rights. Subject to the terms and limitations set forth in this Article XIV, Copano Partners is entitled to one demand registration right related to filing a Shelf Registration Statement (defined below).
Section 14.2Registrable Securities. Any Registrable Security will cease to be a Registrable Security when (a) a registration statement covering such Registrable Security has been declared effective by the Commission and such Registrable Security has been sold or disposed of pursuant to such effective registration statement; (b) such Registrable Security has been disposed of pursuant to any section of Rule 144 (or any similar provision then in force under the Securities Act); or (c) such Registrable Security is held by the Company or one of its Subsidiaries.
Section 14.3Shelf Registration.
(a) Shelf Registration. Within 60 days following receipt of a written request for the benefit of all the Registrable Securities held by Copano Partners, the Company shall prepare and file a registration statement under the Securities Act to permit the public resale of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such registration statement, including a registration statement permitting the public resale of the Registrable Securities from time to time pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act (the “Shelf Registration Statement”). Such written request shall describe the plan of distribution for such Registrable Securities, which plan may include, without limitation, sales through the facilities of the principal trading market on which securities of the same class as the Registrable Securities are then traded, sales pursuant to an Underwritten Offering, or both. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Shelf Registration Statement to become effective no later than 120 days after the date of filing such Shelf Registration Statement (the “Shelf Registration”). A Shelf Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Section 14.3(a) shall be on such appropriate registration form of the Commission as shall be selected by the Company; provided, however, that if a prospectus supplement will be used in connection with the marketing of an Underwritten Offering from the Shelf Registration Statement and the Managing Underwriter at any time notifies the Company in writing that, in the sole judgment of such Managing Underwriter, inclusion of detailed information to be used in such prospectus supplement is of material importance to the success of the Underwritten Offering of such Registrable Securities, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to include such information in the prospectus. The Company will cause the Shelf Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Section 14.3(a) to be continuously effective under the Securities Act until all Registrable Securities covered by the Shelf Registration Statement have been distributed in the manner set forth and as contemplated in the Shelf Registration Statement or there are no longer any Registrable Securities outstanding (the “Effectiveness Period”). The Shelf Registration Statement when declared effective by the Commission (including the documents incorporated therein by reference) will comply as to form in all material respects with all applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and will 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.
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(b) Delay Rights. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Company: (i) may delay its obligation to file any Shelf Registration Statement if (1) within 30 days of receipt of a written request from Copano Partners, the Company notifies Copano Partners of the Company’s intention of effecting a public offering within 60 days, (2) the Company is pursuing an acquisition, merger, reorganization, disposition or other similar transaction and the Company determines in good faith that the Company’s ability to pursue or consummate such a transaction would be materially adversely affected by any required disclosure of such transaction in the Shelf Registration Statement, or (3) the Company has experienced some other material non-public event the disclosure of which at such time is not required by law or, in the good faith judgment of the Company, would materially adversely affect the Company, then, in each case, the Company may defer filing the Shelf Registration Statement for up to 60 days; provided, however, that the Company shall not exercise its right to delay filing the Shelf Registration Statement more than once in any 12 month period (excluding any delays in filing a registration statement or post-effective amendment pursuant to Section 14.11 hereof); (ii) may, upon written notice to Copano Partners, suspend such Copano Partners’ use of any prospectus which is a part of the Shelf Registration Statement (in which event the Copano Partners shall discontinue sales of the Registrable Securities pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement) for up to 60 days if (1) the Company is pursuing an acquisition, merger, reorganization, disposition or other similar transaction and the Company determines in good faith that the Company’s ability to pursue or consummate such a transaction would be materially adversely affected by any required disclosure of such transaction in the Shelf Registration Statement or (2) the Company has experienced some other material non-public event the disclosure of which at such time is not required by law or, in the good faith judgment of the Company, would materially adversely affect the Company; provided, however, that the Company shall not exercise its right to suspend Copano Partners use of any prospectus more than twice in any 12-month period. Upon disclosure of such information or the termination of the condition described in this Section 14.3(b), the Company shall provide prompt notice to Copano Partners, and shall promptly terminate any suspension of sales it has put into effect and shall take such other actions to permit registered sales of Registrable Securities as contemplated in this Agreement.
Section 14.4Underwritten Offerings.
(a) Shelf Registration. If an Existing Investor elects to dispose of Registrable Securities in an Underwritten Offering, the Company shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Managing Underwriter or Underwriters, which shall include, among other provisions, indemnities to the effect and to the extent provided in Section 14.9, and shall take all such other reasonable actions as are requested by the Managing Underwriter in order to expedite or facilitate the registration and disposition of the Registered Securities.
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(b) General Procedures. In connection with any Underwritten Offering pursuant to a Shelf Registration Statement filed at the request of Copano Partners pursuant to Section 14.3 hereof, Copano Partners, with the consent of the Company, shall be entitled to select the Managing Underwriter or Underwriters. The consent of the Company to the selection of the Managing Underwriter or Underwriters shall not be unreasonably withheld. In all other cases, the Company shall select the Managing Underwriter or Underwriters. In connection with an Underwritten Offering pursuant to Section 14.3 hereof, each Existing Investor and the Company shall be obligated to enter into an underwriting agreement that contains such representations, covenants, indemnities and other rights and obligations as are customary in underwriting agreements for firm commitment offerings of securities. No Existing Investor may participate in such Underwritten Offering unless such Existing Investor agrees to sell its Registrable Securities on the basis provided in such underwriting agreement and completes and executes all questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities and other documents reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting agreement. Each Existing Investor may, at its option, require that any or all of the representations and warranties by, and the other agreements on the part of, the Company to and for the benefit of such underwriters also be made to and for such Existing Investor’s benefit and that any or all of the conditions precedent to the obligations of such underwriters under such underwriting agreement also be conditions precedent to its obligations. If any Existing Investor disapproves of the terms of an underwriting, such Existing Investor may elect to withdraw therefrom by notice to the Company and the Managing Underwriter; provided, however, that such withdrawal must be made on or before the pricing of any such Underwritten Offering. No such withdrawal or abandonment shall affect the Company’s obligation to pay Registration Expenses.
(c) Piggyback Registration Participation. If the Company at any time proposes to file a registration statement (including a Shelf Registration Statement and including any registration statement intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 14.3(a) of this Agreement) for the sale of Common Units to the public for its own account or the account of any Unitholder other than (x) a registration relating solely to employee benefit plans, (y) a registration relating solely to a Rule 145 transaction, or (z) a registration on any registration form which does not permit secondary sales, then, as soon as practicable following the engagement of counsel to the Company to prepare the registration statement, the Company shall give notice of such proposed filing for the registration to the Existing Investors and such notice shall offer the Existing Investors the opportunity to include in such registration such number of Registrable Securities as each such Existing Investor may request in writing (a "Piggyback Registration"). Each Existing Investor shall have 15 days after receipt of such notice to elect to have all (or such portion as the Existing Investor shall specify) of its Registrable Securities included in such registration. In addition, if the Company at any time proposes to file a prospectus supplement with respect to an Underwritten Offering to a Shelf Registration Statement under which the Existing Investors have registered the sale of Registrable Securities, then, as soon as practicable following the engagement of counsel to the Company to prepare the
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documents to be used in connection with an Underwritten Offering, the Company shall give notice of such proposed Underwritten Offering to each Existing Investor and such notice shall offer each Existing Investor the opportunity to include in such Underwritten Offering such number of Registrable Securities as each such Existing Investor may request in writing; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to offer such opportunity to Existing Investors if the Company has been advised by the Managing Underwriter that the inclusion of Registrable Securities for sale for the benefit of the Existing Investors will have an adverse effect on the price, timing or distribution of the Common Units. No Existing Investor may exercise its right to participate in a Piggyback Registration with respect to sales to be made from an effective shelf registration on which such Existing Investors' Registrable Securities are not registered for resale, except that if the Board of Directors determines that it is in the best interest of the Company, then the Company may use the net proceeds from any Underwritten Offering to repurchase some or all Registrable Securities from any of the Existing Investors. Subject to the provisions in this Section 14.4(c) and Section 14.4(d), the Company shall include in such Underwritten Offering all such Registrable Securities ("Included Registrable Securities") with respect to which the Company has received requests within (i) one business day in the event of the filing of a prospectus supplement and (ii) five business days with respect to the use of a preliminary prospectus supplement after the Company's notice has been delivered in accordance with Section 14.4. If no request for inclusion from an Existing Investor is received within the specified time, such Existing Investor shall have no further right to participate in such Piggyback Registration. If, at any time after giving written notice of its intention to undertake an Underwritten Offering and prior to the closing of such Underwritten Offering, the Company shall determine for any reason not to undertake or to delay such Underwritten Offering, the Company may, at its election, give written notice of such determination to the selling Existing Investors and, (x) in the case of a determination not to undertake such Underwritten Offering, shall be relieved of its obligation to sell any Included Registrable Securities in connection with such terminated Underwritten Offering, and (y) in the case of a determination to delay such Underwritten Offering, shall be permitted to delay offering any Included Registrable Securities for the same period as the delay in the Underwritten Offering.
(d) Priority of Piggyback Registration. If the Managing Underwriter or Underwriters of any proposed Underwritten Offering of Common Units included in a Piggyback Registration advises the Company that the total amount of Common Units which the selling Existing Investors and any other Persons intend to include in such Underwritten Offering exceeds the number which can be sold in such offering without being likely to have an adverse effect on the price, timing or distribution of the Common Units offered or the market for the Common Units, then the Common Units to be included in such Underwritten Offering shall include all of the Common Units that the Company intends to include in such Underwritten Offering, plus the number of Registrable Securities that such Managing Underwriter or Underwriters advises the Company can be sold without having such adverse effect, with such number to be allocated pro rata among the selling Existing Investors who have requested participation in the Piggyback Registration (based, for each such selling Existing Investor, on the percentage derived by dividing (A) the number of Registrable Securities proposed to be
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sold by such selling Existing Investor in such offering; by (B) the aggregate number of Common Units proposed to be sold by the selling Existing Investors and any other Persons participating in the Piggyback Registration to be included in such offering). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the registration statement was filed to meet the requirements of Section 6.03(a), then the Registration Rights Group that requested such registration shall have priority over the Company and any other selling Existing Investors in determining the number of Common Units that may be included in such Underwritten Offering.
Section 14.5Registration Procedures. In connection with its obligations contained in Section 14.3 hereof, the Company will, as expeditiously as possible:
(a) prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and supplements to the Shelf Registration Statement and the prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep the Shelf Registration Statement effective and as may be necessary to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all securities covered by the Shelf Registration Statement;
(b) furnish to each Existing Investor (i) as far in advance as reasonably practicable before filing the Shelf Registration Statement or any other registration statement contemplated by this Agreement or any supplement or amendment thereto, upon request, copies of reasonably complete drafts of all such documents proposed to be filed (including exhibits and each document incorporated by reference therein to the extent then required by the rules and regulations of the Commission), and provide each such Existing Investor the opportunity to object to any information pertaining to such Existing Investor and its plan of distribution that is contained therein and make the corrections reasonably requested by such Existing Investor with respect to such information prior to filing the Shelf Registration Statement or such other registration statement or supplement or amendment thereto, and (ii) such number of copies of the Shelf Registration Statement or such other registration statement and the prospectus included therein and any supplements and amendments thereto as such Persons may reasonably request in order to facilitate the public sale or other disposition of the Registrable Securities covered by such Shelf Registration Statement or other registration statement;
(c) if applicable, use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Shelf Registration Statement or any other registration statement contemplated by this Agreement under the securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Existing Investors or, in the case of an Underwritten Offering, the Managing Underwriter, shall reasonably request, provided that the Company will not be required to qualify generally to transact business in any jurisdiction where it is not then required to so qualify or to take any action which would subject it to general service of process in any such jurisdiction where it is not then so subject;
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(d) promptly notify each Existing Investor and each underwriter, at any time when a prospectus relating thereto is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of (i) the filing of the Shelf Registration Statement or any other registration statement contemplated by this Agreement or any prospectus or prospectus supplement to be used in connection therewith, or any amendment or supplement thereto, and, with respect to such Shelf Registration Statement or any other registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, when the same has become effective; and (ii) any written comments from the Commission with respect to any filing referred to in clause (i) and any written request by the Commission for amendments or supplements to the Shelf Registration Statement or any other registration statement or any prospectus or prospectus supplement thereto;
(e) immediately notify each Existing Investor and each underwriter, at any time when a prospectus relating thereto is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of (i) the happening of any event as a result of which the prospectus or prospectus supplement contained in the Shelf Registration Statement or any other registration statement contemplated by this Agreement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances then existing; (ii) the issuance or threat of issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Shelf Registration Statement or any other registration statement contemplated by this Agreement, or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; or (iii) the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of any Registrable Securities for sale under the applicable securities or blue sky laws of any jurisdiction. Following the provision of such notice, the Company agrees to as promptly as practicable amend or supplement the prospectus or prospectus supplement or take other appropriate action so that the prospectus or prospectus supplement does not include 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 in the light of the circumstances then existing and to take such other action as is necessary to remove a stop order, suspension, threat thereof or proceedings related thereto;
(f) furnish to each Existing Investor copies of any and all transmittal letters or other correspondence with the Commission or any other governmental agency or self-regulatory body or other body having jurisdiction (including any domestic or foreign securities exchange) relating to such offering of Registrable Securities;
(g) in the case of an Underwritten Offering, furnish upon request, (i) an opinion of counsel for the Company, dated the effective date of the applicable registration statement or the date of any amendment or supplement thereto, and a letter of like kind dated the date of the closing under the underwriting agreement, and (ii) a “cold comfort” letter, dated the effective date of the applicable registration statement or the date of any amendment or supplement thereto and a letter of like kind dated the date of the closing under the underwriting agreement, in each case, signed by the independent public accountants who have certified the Company’s financial statements included or incorporated by reference into the applicable registration statement, and each of the
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opinion and the “cold comfort” letter shall be in customary form and covering substantially the same matters with respect to such registration statement (and the prospectus and any prospectus supplement included therein) as are customarily covered in opinions of issuer’s counsel and in accountants’ letters delivered to the underwriters in Underwritten Offerings of securities, and such other matters as such underwriters may reasonably request;
(h) otherwise use its commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission, and make available to the Existing Investors, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least 12 months, but not more than 18 months, beginning with the first full calendar month after the effective date of such registration statement, which earnings statement shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 promulgated thereunder;
(i) make available to the appropriate representatives of the Managing Underwriter and Existing Investors access to such information and the Company personnel as is reasonable and customary to enable such parties to establish a due diligence defense under the Securities Act; provided that the Company need not disclose any information to any such representative unless and until such representative has entered into a confidentiality agreement with the Company;
(j) cause all such Registrable Securities registered pursuant to this Agreement to be listed on each securities exchange or nationally recognized quotation system on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed;
(k) use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registrable Securities to be registered with or approved by such other governmental agencies or authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company to enable the Existing Investors to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities;
(l) provide a transfer agent and registrar for all Registrable Securities covered by such registration statement not later than the effective date of such registration statement; and
(m) enter into customary agreements and take such other actions as are reasonably requested by the Existing Investors or the underwriters, if any, in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities.
Each Existing Investor, upon receipt of notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in subsection (e) of this Section 14.5, shall forthwith discontinue disposition of the Registrable Securities until such Existing Investor’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended prospectus contemplated by subsection (e) of this Section 14.5 or until it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the prospectus may be resumed, and has received copies of any additional or supplemental filings incorporated by reference in the prospectus, and, if so directed by the Company, such Existing Investor will, or will request the Managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, to deliver to the Company (at the Company’s
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expense) all copies in their possession or control, other than permanent file copies then in such Existing Investor’s possession, of the prospectus covering such Registrable Securities current at the time of receipt of such notice.
Section 14.6Cooperation by Existing Investors. The Company shall have no obligation to include in the Shelf Registration Statement Units of an Existing Investor who has failed to timely furnish such information which, in the opinion of counsel to the Company, is reasonably required in order for the registration statement or prospectus supplement, as applicable, to comply with the Securities Act.
Section 14.7Restrictions on Public Sale by Existing Investors of Registrable Securities. Each Existing Investor that is a holder of Registrable Securities that are included in a registration statement agrees not to effect any public sale or distribution of the Registrable Securities, other than in an Underwritten Offering, during the 90 calendar day period beginning on the date of a prospectus supplement filed with the Commission with respect to the pricing of such Underwritten Offering, provided that the duration of the foregoing restrictions shall be no longer than the duration of the shortest restriction generally imposed by the underwriters on the officers or directors or any other unitholder of the Company on whom a restriction is imposed.
Section 14.8Expenses. The Company will pay all Registration Expenses in connection with the Shelf Registration Statement filed pursuant to Section 14.3(a) of this Agreement, whether or not the Shelf Registration Statement becomes effective or any sale is made pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement. Each Existing Investor shall pay all Selling Expenses in connection with any sale of its Registrable Securities hereunder. “Registration Expenses” means all expenses incident to the Company’s performance under or compliance with this Agreement to effect the registration of Registrable Securities in a Shelf Registration, and the disposition of such securities, including, without limitation, all registration, filing, securities exchange listing and Nasdaq Stock Market LLC fees, all registration, filing, qualification and other fees and expenses of complying with securities or blue sky laws, fees of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., transfer taxes and fees of transfer agents and registrars, all word processing, duplicating and printing expenses, and the fees and disbursements of counsel and independent public accountants for the Company, including the expenses of any special audits or “cold comfort” letters required by or incident to such performance and compliance. Except as otherwise provided in Section 14.9 hereof, the Company shall not be responsible for legal fees incurred by Existing Investors in connection with the exercise of such Existing Investors’ rights hereunder. The Company shall not be responsible for any “Selling Expenses,” which means all underwriting fees, discounts and selling commissions allocable to the sale of the Registrable Securities.
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Section 14.9 Indemnification.
(a) By the Company. In the event of a registration of any Registrable Securities under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement, the Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Existing Investor thereunder, its directors and officers, and each underwriter, pursuant to the applicable underwriting agreement with such underwriter, of Registrable Securities thereunder and each Person, if any, who controls such Existing Investor or underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, against any losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) (collectively, “Losses”), joint or several, to which such Existing Investor or underwriter or controlling Person may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Losses (or actions or proceedings, whether commenced or threatened, in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Shelf Registration Statement or any other registration statement contemplated by this Agreement, any preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained therein, or any amendment or supplement thereof, 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 (in the case of a prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, and will reimburse each such Existing Investor, its directors and officers, each such underwriter and each such controlling Person for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such Loss or actions or proceedings; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case if and to the extent that any such Loss arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission so made in conformity with information furnished by such Existing Investor, such underwriter or such controlling Person in writing specifically for use in the Shelf Registration Statement or such other registration statement, or prospectus supplement, as applicable. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of such Existing Investor or any such director, officer or controlling Person, and shall survive the Transfer of such securities by such Existing Investor.
(b) By Each Existing Investor. Each Existing Investor agrees severally and not jointly to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors and officers, each Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or of the Exchange Act, and each other Existing Investor, its directors, officers, and controlling Persons within the meaning of the Securities Act or of the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the selling Existing Investors, but only with respect to information regarding such Existing Investor furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Existing Investor expressly for inclusion in the Shelf Registration Statement or prospectus supplement relating to the Registrable Securities, or any amendment or supplement thereto; provided, however, that the liability of each Existing Investor shall not be greater in amount than the dollar amount of the proceeds (net of any Selling Expenses) received by such Existing Investor from the sale of the Registrable Securities giving rise to such indemnification.
(c) Notice. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party hereunder 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 hereunder, notify the indemnifying party in writing 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
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other than under this Section 14.9. In any action brought against any indemnified party, it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate in and, to the extent it shall wish, to assume and undertake the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume and undertake the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 14.9 for any legal expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation and of liaison with counsel so selected; provided, however, that, (i) if the indemnifying party has failed to assume the defense and employ counsel or (ii) if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and counsel to the indemnified party shall have concluded that there may be reasonable defenses available to the indemnified party that are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, or if the interests of the indemnified party reasonably may be deemed to conflict with the interests of the indemnifying party, then the indemnified party shall have the right to select a separate counsel and to assume such legal defense and otherwise to participate in the defense of such action, with the reasonable expenses and fees of such separate counsel and other reasonable expenses related to such participation to be reimbursed by the indemnifying party as incurred. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, no indemnified party shall settle any action brought against it with respect to which it is entitled to indemnification hereunder without the consent of the indemnifying party, unless the settlement thereof imposes no liability or obligation on, and includes a complete and unconditional release from all liability of, the indemnifying party.
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this Section 14.9 is held by a court or government agency of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to the Company or any Existing Investor or is insufficient to hold them harmless in respect of any Losses, then each such indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such Losses as between the Company on the one hand and such Existing Investor on the other, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of such Existing Investor on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such Losses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations; provided, however, that in no event shall such Existing Investor be required to contribute an aggregate amount in excess of the dollar amount of proceeds (net of Selling Expenses) received by such Existing Investor from the sale of Registrable Securities giving rise to such indemnification. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and each Existing Investor 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 has been made by, or relates to, information supplied by such party, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this paragraph were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in the first sentence of this paragraph. The amount paid by an indemnified party as a result of
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the Losses referred to in the first sentence of this paragraph shall be deemed to include any legal and other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any Loss which is the subject of this paragraph. 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 is not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
(e) Other Indemnification. The provisions of this Section 14.9 shall be in addition to any other rights to indemnification or contribution which an indemnified party may have pursuant to law, equity, contract or otherwise.
Section 14.10Rule 144 Reporting. With a view to making available the benefits of certain rules and regulations of the Commission that may permit the sale of the Registrable Securities to the public without registration, the Company agrees to use its commercially reasonable efforts to:
(a) Make and keep public information regarding the Company available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144 of the Securities Act, at all times from and after the date hereof;
(b) File with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act at all times from and after the date hereof; and
(c) So long as an Existing Investor owns any Registrable Securities, furnish to such Existing Investor forthwith upon request a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Company, and such other reports and documents so filed as such Existing Investor may reasonably request in availing itself of any rule or regulation of the Commission allowing such Existing Investor to sell any such securities without registration.
Section 14.11Transfer or Assignment of Registration Rights. The rights to cause the Company to register Registrable Securities granted to the Existing Investors by the Company pursuant to Section 14.3 may be Transferred by the Existing Investors to one or more transferee(s) of such Registrable Securities, provided that (a) each such transferee holds Registrable Securities representing at least 306,085 shares of Registrable Securities, (b) the Company is given written notice prior to any said Transfer, stating the name and address of each such transferee and identifying the securities with respect to which such registration rights are being Transferred, and (c) each such transferee assumes in writing responsibility for its portion of the obligations of the Existing Investors under this Agreement. In no event shall the Company be required to file a post-effective amendment to a Shelf Registration Statement or a new Shelf Registration Statement for the benefit of such transferee(s) unless such transferring Existing Investor notifies the Company in writing that it will pay all of the additional Registration Expenses incurred by the Company in connection with filing a post-effective amendment to a Shelf Registration Statement or a new Shelf Registration Statement for the benefit of such
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transferee(s); provided, however, that the Company shall be entitled to delay any such filing as provided in Section 14.3(b) hereof.
ARTICLE XV
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 15.1Addresses and Notices. Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials required or permitted to be given or made to a Member under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given or made when delivered in person or when sent by first class United States mail or by other means of written communication to the Member at the address described below. Any notice, payment or report to be given or made to a Member hereunder shall be deemed conclusively to have been given or made, and the obligation to give such notice or report or to make such payment shall be deemed conclusively to have been fully satisfied, upon sending of such notice, payment or report to the Record Holder of such Company Securities at his address as shown on the records of the Transfer Agent or as otherwise shown on the records of the Company, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such Company Securities by reason of any assignment or otherwise. An affidavit or certificate of making of any notice, payment or report in accordance with the provisions of this Section 15.1 executed by the Company, the Transfer Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie evidence of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report. If any notice, payment or report addressed to a Record Holder at the address of such Record Holder appearing on the books and records of the Transfer Agent or the Company is returned by the United States Postal Service marked to indicate that the United States Postal Service is unable to deliver it, such notice, payment or report and any subsequent notices, payments and reports shall be deemed to have been duly given or made without further mailing (until such time as such Record Holder or another Person notifies the Transfer Agent or the Company of a change in his address) if they are available for the Member at the principal office of the Company for a period of one year from the date of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report to the other Members. Any notice to the Company shall be deemed given if received by the Secretary at the principal office of the Company designated pursuant to Section 2.3. The Board of Directors and the Officers may rely and shall be protected in relying on any notice or other document from a Member or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.
Section 15.2Further Action. The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.
Section 15.3Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns.
Section 15.4Integration. This Agreement constitute the entire agreement among the parties hereto pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior agreements and understandings pertaining thereto.
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Section 15.5 Creditors. None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of, or shall be enforceable by, any creditor of the Company.
Section 15.6Waiver. No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition.
Section 15.7Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which together shall constitute an agreement binding on all the parties hereto, notwithstanding that all such parties are not signatories to the original or the same counterpart. Each party shall become bound by this Agreement immediately upon affixing its signature hereto or, in the case of a Person acquiring a Unit, upon accepting the certificate evidencing such Unit.
Section 15.8Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law.
Section 15.9Invalidity of Provisions. If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein shall not be affected thereby.
Section 15.10Consent of Members. Each Member hereby expressly consents and agrees that, whenever in this Agreement it is specified that an action may be taken upon the affirmative vote or consent of less than all of the Members, such action may be so taken upon the concurrence of less than all of the Members and each Member shall be bound by the results of such action.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
By:
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/s/ R. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
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R. Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
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President and
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Chief Executive Officer
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MEMBERS:
All Members now and hereafter admitted as Members of the Company, pursuant to powers of attorney now and hereafter executed in favor of, and granted and delivered to, the Board of Directors.
Signature Page to Fourth Amended and Restated
Limited Liability Company Agreement
EXHIBIT A
to the Fourth Amended and
Restated Agreement of Limited Liability Company of
Certificate Evidencing Common Units
Representing Member Interests in
No. [ ] [ ] Common Units
In accordance with Section 4.1 of the Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Copano Energy, L.L.C., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the “Company Agreement”), Copano Energy , L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), hereby certifies that [ ] (the “Holder”) is the registered owner of Common Units representing Interests in the Company (the “Common Units”) transferable on the books of the Company, in person or by duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate properly endorsed. The rights, preferences and limitations of the Common Units are set forth in, and this Certificate and the Common Units represented hereby are issued and shall in all respects be subject to the terms and provisions of, the Company Agreement. Copies of the Company Agreement are on file at, and will be furnished without charge on delivery of written request to the Company at, the principal office of the Company located at 0000 Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000. Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meanings given them in the Company Agreement.
The Holder, by accepting this Certificate, is deemed to have (i) requested admission as, and agreed to become, a Member and to have agreed to comply with and be bound by and to have executed the Company Agreement, (ii) represented and warranted that the Holder has all right, power and authority and, if an individual, the capacity necessary to enter into the Company Agreement, (iii) granted the powers of attorney provided for in the Company Agreement and (iv) made the waivers and given the consents and approvals contained in the Company Agreement.
This Certificate shall not be valid for any purpose unless it has been countersigned and registered by the Transfer Agent and Registrar.
Dated:
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Copano Energy, L.L.C.
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Countersigned and Registered by:
_____________________________________
as Transfer Agent and Registrar
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By:
By:____________________________________
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By:__________________________________
Authorized Signature
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Name:__________________________________
By:____________________________________
Secretary
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n
Reverse of Certificate
ABBREVIATIONS
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this Certificate, shall be construed as follows according to applicable laws or regulations:
TEN COM–
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as tenants in common
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UNIF GIFT/TRANSFERS MIN ACT
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TEN ENT –
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as tenants by the entireties
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Custodian
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(Cust) (Minor)
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JT TEN –
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as joint tenants with right of
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under Uniform Gifts/Transfers to CD
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survivorship and not as
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Minors Act (State)
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tenants in common
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Additional abbreviations, though not in the above list, may also be used.
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n
ASSIGNMENT OF COMMON UNITS
in
COPANO ENERGY, L.L.C.
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, hereby assigns, conveys, sells and transfers unto
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[Missing Graphic Reference]
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[Missing Graphic Reference]
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(Please print or typewrite name
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(Please insert Social Security or other
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and address of Assignee)
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identifying number of Assignee)
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Common Units representing Member Interests evidenced by this Certificate, subject to the Company Agreement, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint as its attorney-in-fact with full power of substitution to transfer the same on the books of Copano Energy, L.L.C.
Date:
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NOTE:
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The signature to any endorsement hereon must correspond with the name as written upon the face of this Certificate in every particular, without alteration, enlargement or change.
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SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY A MEMBER FIRM OF THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY REGULATORY AUTHORITY, INC. OR BY A COMMERCIAL BANK OR TRUST COMPANY SIGNATURE(S) GUARANTEED
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[Missing Graphic Reference]
(Signature)
[Missing Graphic Reference]
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(Signature)
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[Missing Graphic Reference]
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No transfer of the Common Units evidenced hereby will be registered on the books of the Company, unless the Certificate evidencing the Common Units to be transferred is surrendered for registration of transfer.
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