EXHIBIT 10.1
INDEMNITY AGREEMENT
This Indemnity Agreement, dated as of _______________, is made by and
between MitoKor, a California corporation (the "Company"), and
___________________________ (the "Indemnitee").
RECITALS
A. The Company is aware that competent and experienced persons are
increasingly reluctant to serve as directors, officers or agents of corporations
unless they are protected by comprehensive liability insurance or
indemnification, due to increased exposure to litigation costs and risks
resulting from their service to such corporations, and due to the fact that the
exposure frequently bears no reasonable relationship to the compensation of such
directors, officers and other agents.
B. The statutes and judicial decisions regarding the duties of directors
and officers are often difficult to apply, ambiguous, or conflicting, and
therefore fail to provide such directors, officers and agents with adequate,
reliable knowledge of legal risks to which they are exposed or information
regarding the proper course of action to take.
C. Plaintiffs often seek damages in such large amounts and the costs of
litigation may be so enormous (whether or not the case is meritorious), that the
defense and/or settlement of such litigation is often beyond the personal
resources of directors, officers and other agents.
D. The Company believes that it is unfair for its directors, officers and
agents and the directors, officers and agents of its subsidiaries to assume the
risk of large judgments and other expenses which may occur in cases in which the
director, officer or agent received no personal profit and in cases where the
director, officer or agent was not culpable.
E. The Company recognizes that the issues in controversy in litigation
against a director, officer or agent of a corporation such as the Company or its
subsidiaries are often related to the knowledge, motives and intent of such
director, officer or agent, that he is usually the only witness with knowledge
of the essential facts and exculpating circumstances regarding such matters, and
that the long period of time which usually elapses before the trial or other
disposition of such litigation often extends beyond the time that the director,
officer or agent can reasonably recall such matters; and may extend beyond the
normal time for retirement for such director, officer or agent with the result
that he, after retirement or in the event of his death, his spouse, heirs,
executors or administrators, may be faced with limited ability and undue
hardship in maintaining an adequate defense, which may discourage such a
director, officer or agent from serving in that position.
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F. Based upon their experience as business managers, the Board of
Directors of the Company (the "Board") has concluded that, to retain and attract
talented and experienced individuals to serve as directors, officers and agents
of the Company and its subsidiaries and to encourage such individuals to take
the business risks necessary for the success of the Company and its
subsidiaries, it is necessary for the Company to contractually indemnify its
directors, officers and agents and the directors, officers and agents of its
subsidiaries, and to assume for itself maximum liability for expenses and
damages in connection with claims against such directors, officers and agents in
connection with their service to the Company and its subsidiaries, and has
further concluded that the failure to provide such contractual indemnification
could result in great harm to the Company and its subsidiaries and the Company's
stockholders.
G. The California Corporations Code, under which the Company is organized
(the "Code"), empowers the Company to indemnify its directors, officers,
employees and agents by agreement and to indemnify persons who serve, at the
request of the Company, as the directors, officers, employees or agents of other
corporations or enterprises, and expressly provides that the indemnification
provided by the Code is not exclusive.
H. The Company desires and has requested the Indemnitee to serve or
continue to serve as a director, officer or agent of the Company and/or one or
more subsidiaries of the Company free from undue concern for claims for damages
arising out of or related to such services to the Company and/or one or more
subsidiaries of the Company.
I. Indemnitee is willing to serve, or to continue to serve, the Company
and/or one or more subsidiaries of the Company, provided that he is furnished
the indemnity provided for herein.
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby
agree as follows:
1. DEFINITIONS.
(a) AGENT. For the purposes of this Agreement, "agent" of the Company
means any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or other agent of
the Company or a subsidiary of the Company; or is or was serving at the request
of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of the Company or a
subsidiary of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise; or was a director, officer, employee or agent of a foreign or
domestic corporation which was a predecessor corporation of the Company or a
subsidiary of the
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Company, or was a director, officer, employee or agent of another enterprise at
the request of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of such
predecessor corporation.
(b) EXPENSES. For purposes of this Agreement, "expenses" include all
reasonable out-of-pocket costs of any type or nature whatsoever (including,
without limitation, all attorneys' fees and related disbursements), actually
incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with either the investigation, defense
or appeal of a proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to
indemnification under this Agreement or the Code or otherwise; provided,
however, that "expenses" shall not include any judgments, fines, ERISA excise
taxes or penalties, or amounts paid in settlement of a proceeding.
(c) PROCEEDING. For the purposes of this Agreement, "proceeding"
means any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit or other proceeding,
whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative.
(d) SUBSIDIARY. For purposes of this Agreement, "subsidiary" means
any corporation of which more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities is
owned directly or indirectly by the Company, by the Company and one or more
other subsidiaries, or by one or more other subsidiaries.
2. AGREEMENT TO SERVE. The Indemnitee agrees to serve and/or continue to
serve as agent of the Company, at its will (or under separate agreement, if such
agreement exists), in the capacity Indemnitee currently serves as an agent of
the Company, so long as he is duly appointed or elected and qualified in
accordance with the applicable provisions of the Bylaws of the Company or any
subsidiary of the Company or until such time as he tenders his resignation in
writing; provided, however, that nothing contained in this Agreement is intended
to create any right to continued employment by Indemnitee.
3. MANDATORY INDEMNIFICATION. Subject to Section 8 below, the Company
shall indemnify the Indemnitee as follows:
(a) SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE. To the extent the Indemnitee has been
successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any proceeding (including,
without limitation, an action by or in the right of the Company) to which the
Indemnitee was a party related, directly or indirectly to his role as an agent
of the Company at any time, against all reasonable expenses of any type
whatsoever actually incurred by him in connection with the investigation,
defense or appeal of such proceeding.
(b) THIRD PARTY ACTIONS. If the Indemnitee is a person who was or is
a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding (other than an
action by or in the right of the Company) related, directly or indirectly, to
his role as an agent of the Company, or by reason of anything done or not done
by him in any such capacity, the Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee against
any and all reasonable expenses and liabilities of any type whatsoever
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(including, but not limited to, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and
penalties, and amounts paid in settlement) actually incurred by him in
connection with the investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of such
proceeding, provided the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company
and its stockholders, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding,
had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.
(c) DERIVATIVE ACTIONS. If the Indemnitee is a person who was or is a
party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding by or in the right
of the Company by reason of the fact that he is or was an agent of the Company,
or by reason of anything done or not done by him in any such capacity, the
Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee against all reasonable expenses actually
incurred by him in connection with the investigation, defense, settlement, or
appeal of such proceeding, provided the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a
manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of
the Company and its stockholders; except that no indemnification under this
subsection 3(c) shall be made in respect to any claim, issue or matter as to
which such person shall have been finally adjudged to be liable to the Company
by a court of competent jurisdiction unless and only to the extent that the
court in which such proceeding 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
amounts which the court shall deem proper.
(d) ACTIONS WHERE INDEMNITEE IS DECEASED. If the Indemnitee is a
person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any
proceeding by reason of the fact that he is or was an agent of the Company, or
by reason of anything done or not done by him in any such capacity, and if prior
to, during the pendency of after completion of such proceeding Indemnitee
becomes deceased, the Company shall indemnify the Indemnitee's heirs, executors
and administrators against any and all reasonable expenses and liabilities of
any type whatsoever (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines, ERISA
excise taxes and penalties, and amounts paid in settlement) actually incurred to
the extent Indemnitee would have been entitled to indemnification pursuant to
Sections 3(a), 3(b), or 3(c) above were Indemnitee still alive.
(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated
to indemnify the Indemnitee for expenses or liabilities of any type whatsoever
(including, but not limited to, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and
penalties, and amounts paid in settlement) for which payment is actually made to
or on behalf of Indemnitee under a valid and collectible insurance policy of D&O
Insurance, or under a valid and enforceable indemnity clause, by-law or
agreement.
4. PARTIAL INDEMNIFICATION. If the Indemnitee is entitled under any
provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a
portion of any expenses or liabilities of any type whatsoever (including, but
not limited to, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties, and amounts
paid in settlement) incurred by him in the investigation, defense, settlement or
appeal of a proceeding, but not entitled, however, to indemnification for
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all of the total amount hereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify the
Indemnitee for such total amount except as to the portion hereof to which the
Indemnitee is not entitled.
5. MANDATORY ADVANCEMENT OF EXPENSES. Subject to Section 7(a) below, the
Company shall advance all reasonable expenses incurred by the Indemnitee in
connection with the investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of any
proceeding to which the Indemnitee is a party or is threatened to be made a
party by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was an agent of the
Company. Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay such amounts advanced only if,
and to the extent that, it shall be determined ultimately that the Indemnitee is
not entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorized hereby. The advances
to be made hereunder shall be paid by the Company to the Indemnitee within
twenty (20) days following delivery of a written request therefor by the
Indemnitee to the Company.
6. NOTICE AND OTHER INDEMNIFICATION PROCEDURES.
(a) Promptly after receipt by the Indemnitee of notice of the
commencement of or the threat of commencement of any proceeding, the Indemnitee
shall, if the Indemnitee believes that indemnification with respect thereto may
be sought from the Company under this Agreement, notify the Company of the
commencement or threat of commencement thereof.
(b) If, at the time of the receipt of a notice of the commencement of
a proceeding pursuant to Section 6(a) hereof, the Company has D&O Insurance in
effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of the commencement of such
proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the
respective policies. The Company shall thereafter take all necessary or
desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of the Indemnitee, all
amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in accordance with the terms of
such policies.
(c) In the event the Company shall be obligated to pay the expenses
of any proceeding against the Indemnitee, the Company, if appropriate, shall be
entitled to assume the defense of such proceeding, with counsel approved by the
Indemnitee, upon the delivery to the Indemnitee of written notice of its
election so to do. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by
the Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company
will not be liable to the Indemnitee under this Agreement for any fees of
counsel subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee with respect to the same
proceeding, provided that (i) the Indemnitee shall have the right to employ his
counsel in any such proceeding at the Indemnitee's expense; and (ii) if (A) the
employment of counsel by the Indemnitee has been previously authorized by the
Company, (B) the Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that there may be a
conflict of interest between the Company and the Indemnitee in the conduct of
any such defense, or (C) the Company shall not, in fact, have employed counsel
to assume the defense of such proceeding, then the fees and expenses of
Indemnitee's counsel shall be at the expense of the Company.
7. EXCEPTIONS. Any other provision herein to the contrary
notwithstanding, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement:
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(a) CLAIMS INITIATED BY INDEMNITEE. To indemnify or advance expenses
to the Indemnitee with respect to proceedings or claims initiated or brought
voluntarily by the Indemnitee and not by way of defense, unless (i) such
indemnification is expressly required to be made by law, (ii) the proceeding was
authorized by the Board, (iii) such indemnification is provided by the Company,
in its sole discretion, pursuant to the powers vested in the Company under the
Code or (iv) the proceeding is brought to establish or enforce a right to
indemnification under this Agreement or any other statute or law or otherwise as
required under the Code.
(b) LACK OF GOOD FAITH. To indemnify the Indemnitee for any expenses
incurred by the Indemnitee with respect to any proceeding instituted by the
Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, if a court of competent
jurisdiction determines that each of the material assertions made by the
Indemnitee in such proceeding was not made in good faith or was frivolous; or
(c) UNAUTHORIZED SETTLEMENTS. To indemnify the Indemnitee under this
Agreement for any amounts paid in settlement of a proceeding unless the
settlement includes an unconditional release of the Company and the Company
consents to such settlement, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
8. NON-EXCLUSIVITY. The provisions for indemnification and advancement of
expenses set forth in this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other
rights which the Indemnitee may have under any provision of law, the Company's
Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, the vote of the Company's stockholders
or disinterested directors, other agreements, or otherwise, both as to action in
his official capacity and to action in another capacity while occupying his
position as an agent of the Company, and the Indemnitee's rights hereunder shall
continue after the Indemnitee has ceased acting as an agent of the Company and
shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of the
Indemnitee.
9. ENFORCEMENT. Any right to indemnification or advances granted by
this Agreement to Indemnitee shall be enforceable by or on behalf of
Indemnitee in any court of competent jurisdiction if (i) the claim for
indemnification or advances is denied, in whole or in part, or (ii) no
disposition of such claim is made within ninety (90) days of request
therefor. Indemnitee, in such enforcement action, if successful in whole or
in part, shall be entitled to be paid also the expense of prosecuting his
claim. It shall be a defense to any action for which a claim for
indemnification is made under this Agreement (other than an action brought to
enforce a claim for expenses pursuant to Section 5 hereof, provided that the
required undertaking has been tendered to the Company) that Indemnitee is not
entitled to indemnification because of the limitations set forth in Sections
3 and 7 hereof. Neither the failure of the Company (including its Board of
Directors or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the
commencement of such enforcement action that indemnification of Indemnitee is
proper in the circumstances, nor an actual determination by the Company
(including its Board of Directors or its stockholders)
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that such indemnification is improper, shall be a defense to the action or
create a presumption that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under
this Agreement or otherwise.
10. SUBROGATION. In the event of payment under this Agreement, the Company
shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of
recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all documents required and shall do
all acts that may be necessary to secure such rights and to enable the Company
effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.
11. SURVIVAL OF RIGHTS.
(a) All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein
shall continue during the period Indemnitee is an agent of the Company and shall
continue thereafter so long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible claim
or threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil,
criminal, arbitrational, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact
that Indemnitee was serving in the capacity referred to herein.
(b) The Company shall require any successor to the Company (whether
direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or
substantially all of the business or assets of the Company, expressly to assume
and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent
that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken
place.
12. INTERPRETATION OF AGREEMENT. It is understood that the parties hereto
intend this Agreement to be interpreted and enforced so as to provide
indemnification to the Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by law
including those circumstances in which indemnification would otherwise be
discretionary.
13. SEVERABILITY. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall
be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever, (i)
the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of the
Agreement (including without limitation, all portions of any paragraphs of this
Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or
unenforceable, that are not themselves invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall
not in any way be affected or impaired thereby, and (ii) to the fullest extent
possible, the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, all
portions of any paragraph of this Agreement containing any such provision held
to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that are not themselves invalid,
illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent
manifested by the provision held invalid, illegal or unenforceable and to give
effect to Section 12 hereof.
14. MODIFICATION AND WAIVER. No supplement, modification or amendment of
this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both of the
parties hereto. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be
deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provisions hereof (whether or
not similar) nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver.
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15. NOTICE. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under
this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed duly given (i) if
delivered by hand and receipted for by the party addressee or (ii) if mailed by
certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day
after the mailing date. Addresses for notice to either party are as shown on the
signature page of this Agreement, or as subsequently modified by written notice.
16. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed exclusively by and
construed according to the laws of the State of California as applied to
contracts between California residents entered into and to be performed entirely
within California.
The parties hereto have entered into this Indemnity Agreement effective as
of the date first above written.
THE COMPANY:
MITOKOR
By:
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(Printed Name)
Title
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Address:
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INDEMNITEE:
By:
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(Indemnitee's Printed Name)
Address:
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