INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.2
THIS
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”), dated as of , 2002 between RIVERSTONE NETWORKS, INC., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), and
(“Indemnitee”),
W I T N E S S E T
H:
WHEREAS, Indemnitee is either a member of the board of directors of the Corporation (the “Board of
Directors”) or an officer of the Corporation, or both, and in such capacity or capacities, or otherwise as an Agent (as hereinafter defined) of the Corporation, is performing a valuable service for the Corporation; and
WHEREAS, Indemnitee is willing to serve, continue to serve and to take an additional service for or on behalf of the Corporation on the
condition that he or she be indemnified as herein provided; and
WHEREAS, it is intended that Indemnitee shall be
paid promptly by the Corporation all amounts necessary to effectuate in full the indemnity provided herein:
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants in this Agreement, and of Indemnitee serving and continuing to serve the Corporation as an Agent and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Services by Indemnitee. Indemnitee agrees to serve (a) as a director
or an officer of the Corporation, or both, so long as Indemnitee is duly appointed or elected and qualified in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws of the Corporation, and until such time as
Indemnitee resigns or fails to stand for election or is removed from Indemnitee’s position, or (b) otherwise as an Agent of the Corporation. Indemnitee may from time to time also perform other services at the request or for the convenience of,
or otherwise benefiting the Corporation. Indemnitee may at any time and for any reason resign or be removed from such position (subject to any other contractual obligation or other obligation imposed by operation of law), in which event the
Corporation shall have no obligation under this Agreement to continue Indemnitee in any such position.
2. Indemnification. Subject to the limitations set forth herein and in Section 6 hereof, the Corporation hereby agrees to indemnify Indemnitee as follows:
The Corporation shall, with respect to any Proceeding (as hereinafter defined) associated with Indemnitee’s being an Agent of the
Corporation, indemnify Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation in effect on the date hereof or as such law or Certificate of Incorporation may from time to time be amended
(but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than the law or Certificate of Incorporation permitted the Corporation to provide before such amendment).
The right to indemnification conferred herein and in the Certificate of Incorporation shall be presumed to have been relied upon by Indemnitee in serving or continuing to serve the Corporation as an Agent and shall be enforceable as a contract
right. Without in any way diminishing the scope of the indemnification provided by this Section 2, the Corporation will indemnify Indemnitee to the full extent permitted by law if and wherever Indemnitee is or was a party or is threatened to
be made a party to any Proceeding, including any Proceeding brought by or in the right of the Corporation, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was an Agent or by reason of anything done or not done by Indemnitee in such capacity, against
Expenses (as hereinafter defined) and Liabilities (as hereinafter defined) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on his or her behalf in connection with the investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of such Proceeding. In addition to,
and not as a limitation of, the foregoing, the rights of indemnification of Indemnitee provided under this Agreement shall include those rights set forth in Sections 6 and 8 below. Notwithstanding the
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foregoing, the Corporation shall be required to indemnify Indemnitee in connection with a Proceeding commenced by Indemnitee (other than a
Proceeding commenced by Indemnitee to enforce Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement) only if the commencement of such Proceeding was authorized by the Board of Directors.
3. Advancement of Expenses; Letter of Credit.
(a) Advancement of Expenses. All reasonable Expenses incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee (including costs of enforcement of this Agreement) shall be advanced
from time to time by the Corporation to Indemnitee within thirty (30) days after the receipt by the Corporation of a written request for an advance of Expenses, whether prior to or after final disposition of a Proceeding (except to the extent that
there has been a Final Adverse Determination (as hereinafter defined) that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such Expenses), including without limitation any Proceeding brought by or in the right of the Corporation. The written
request for an advancement of any and all Expenses under this paragraph shall contain reasonable detail of the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee. In the event that such written request shall be accompanied by an affidavit of counsel to Indemnitee to
the effect that such counsel has reviewed such Expenses and that such Expenses are reasonable in such counsel’s view, then such expenses shall be deemed reasonable in the absence of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. By execution of
this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have made whatever undertaking as may be required by law at the time of any advancement of Expenses with respect to repayment to the Corporation of such Expenses. In the event that the Corporation shall
breach its obligation to advance Expenses under this Section 3, the parties hereto agree that Indemnitee’s remedies available at law would not be adequate and that Indemnitee would be entitled to specific performance.
(b) Letter of Credit. In order to secure the obligations of the Corporation to indemnify and
advance Expenses to Indemnitee pursuant to this Agreement, the Corporation shall obtain at the time of any Change in Control (as hereinafter defined) an irrevocable standby letter of credit naming Indemnitee as the sole beneficiary (the “Letter
of Credit”). The Letter of Credit shall be in an appropriate amount not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000), shall be issued by a commercial bank headquartered in the United States having assets in excess of $20 billion and capital
according to its most recent published reports greater than the then applicable minimum capital standards promulgated by such bank’s primary federal regulator and shall contain terms and conditions reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee. The
Letter of Credit shall provide that Indemnitee may from time to time draw certain amounts thereunder, upon written certification by Indemnitee to the issuer of the Letter of Credit that (i) Indemnitee has made written request upon the Corporation
for an amount not less than the amount Indemnitee is drawing under the Letter of Credit and that the Corporation has failed or refused to provide Indemnitee with such amount in full within thirty (30) days after receipt of the request, and (ii)
Indemnitee believes that he or she is entitled under the terms of this Agreement to the amount that Indemnitee is drawing upon under the Letter of Credit. The issuance of the Letter of Credit shall not in any way diminish the Corporation’s
obligation to indemnify Indemnitee against Expenses and Liabilities to the full extent required by this Agreement.
(c) Term of Letter of Credit. Once the Corporation has obtained the Letter of Credit, the Corporation shall maintain and renew the Letter of Credit or a substitute letter of credit meeting the
criteria of Section 3(b) during the term of this Agreement. The Letter of Credit shall have an initial term of five (5) years, be renewed for successive five-year terms, and always have at least one (1) year of its term remaining.
4. Presumptions and Effect of Certain Proceedings. Upon making a request for
indemnification, Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification under this Agreement and the Corporation shall have the burden of proof to overcome that presumption in reaching any contrary determination. The termination of any
Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, arbitration award or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not affect this presumption or, except as determined by a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to
Indemnitee, establish a presumption with regard to any factual matter relevant to determining Indemnitee’s rights to indemnification hereunder. If the person or persons so empowered to make a determination pursuant to Section 5 hereof shall
have failed to make the requested determination within ninety (90) days after any judgment, order, settlement, dismissal, arbitration award, conviction, acceptance of a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, or other disposition or partial
disposition of any Proceeding or any other event that could enable the Corporation to determine Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, the requisite determination that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification shall be deemed to have been
made.
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5. Procedure for Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification.
(a) Whenever Indemnitee believes that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification pursuant to this
Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit a written request for indemnification to the Corporation. Any request for indemnification shall include sufficient documentation or information reasonably available to Indemnitee for the determination of
entitlement to indemnification. In any event, Indemnitee shall submit Indemnitee’s claim for indemnification within a reasonable time, not to exceed five (5) years after any judgment, order, settlement, dismissal, arbitration award, conviction,
acceptance of a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, or final determination, whichever is the later date for which Indemnitee requests indemnification. The Secretary or other appropriate officer shall, promptly upon receipt of
Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, advise the Board of Directors in writing that Indemnitee has made such request. Determination of Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification shall be made not later than ninety (90) days after the
Corporation’s receipt of Indemnitee’s written request for such indemnification, provided that any request for indemnification for Liabilities, other than amounts paid in settlement, shall have been made after a determination thereof in a
Proceeding.
(b) The Corporation shall be entitled to select the forum in which Indemnitee’s
entitlement to indemnification will be heard; provided, however, that if there is a Change in Control of the Corporation, Independent Legal Counsel (as hereinafter defined) shall determine whether Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification. The forum
shall be any one of the following:
(i) the stockholders of the Corporation;
(ii) a majority vote of Disinterested Directors (as hereinafter defined), even though
less than a quorum;
(iii) Independent Legal Counsel, whose determination shall be made
in a written opinion; or
(iv) a panel of three arbitrators, one selected by the
Corporation, another by Indemnitee and the third by the first two arbitrators; or if for any reason three arbitrators are not selected within thirty (30) days after the appointment of the first arbitrator, then selection of additional arbitrators
shall be made by the American Arbitration Association. If any arbitrator resigns or is unable to serve in such capacity for any reason, the American Arbitration Association shall select such arbitrator’s replacement. The arbitration shall be
conducted pursuant to the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association now in effect.
6. Specific Limitations on Indemnification. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Corporation shall not be obligated under this Agreement to make any payment to
Indemnitee with respect to any Proceeding:
(a) To the extent that payment is actually made to
Indemnitee under any insurance policy, or is made to Indemnitee by the Corporation or an affiliate otherwise than pursuant to this Agreement. Notwithstanding the availability of such insurance, Indemnitee also may claim indemnification from the
Corporation pursuant to this Agreement by assigning to the Corporation any claims under such insurance to the extent Indemnitee is paid by the Corporation;
(b) Provided there has been no Change in Control, for Liabilities in connection with Proceedings settled without the Corporation’s consent, which consent, however, shall not be
unreasonably withheld;
(c) For an accounting of profits made from the purchase or sale by Indemnitee
of securities of the Corporation within the meaning of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or similar provisions of any state statutory or common law; or
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(d) To the extent it would be otherwise prohibited by law, if so
established by a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to Indemnitee.
7. Fees and Expenses
of Independent Legal Counsel or Arbitrators. The Corporation agrees to pay the reasonable fees and expenses of Independent Legal Counsel or a panel of three arbitrators should such Independent Legal Counsel or such
arbitrators be retained to make a determination of Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification pursuant to Section 5(b) of this Agreement, and to fully indemnify such Independent Legal Counsel or arbitrators against any and all expenses and
losses incurred by any of them arising out of or relating to this Agreement or their engagement pursuant hereto.
8. Remedies of Indemnitee.
(a) In the event that (i) a determination
pursuant to Section 5 hereof is made that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification, (ii) advances of Expenses are not made pursuant to this Agreement, (iii) payment has not been timely made following a determination of entitlement to
indemnification pursuant to this Agreement, or (iv) Indemnitee otherwise seeks enforcement of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to a final adjudication in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware of the remedy sought. Alternatively,
unless (i) the determination was made by a panel of arbitrators pursuant to Section 5(b)(iv) hereof, or (ii) court approval is required by law for the indemnification sought by Indemnitee, Indemnitee at Indemnitee’s option may seek an award in
arbitration to be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association now in effect, which award is to be made within ninety (90) days following the filing of the demand for
arbitration. The Corporation shall not oppose Indemnitee’s right to seek any such adjudication or arbitration award. In any such proceeding or arbitration Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification and advancement of
Expenses under this Agreement and the Corporation shall have the burden of proof to overcome that presumption.
(b) In the event that a determination that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification, in whole or in part, has been made pursuant to Section 5 hereof, the decision in the judicial proceeding or arbitration provided in
paragraph (a) of this Section 8 shall be made de novo and Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of a determination that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification.
(c) If a determination that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification has been made pursuant to Section 5 hereof, or is deemed to have been made pursuant to
Section 4 hereof or otherwise pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, the Corporation shall be bound by such determination in the absence of a misrepresentation or omission of a material fact by Indemnitee in connection with such determination.
(d) The Corporation shall be precluded from asserting that the procedures and presumptions of this
Agreement are not valid, binding and enforceable. The Corporation shall stipulate in any such court or before any such arbitrator that the Corporation is bound by all the provisions of this Agreement and is precluded from making any assertion to the
contrary.
(e) Expenses reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with Indemnitee’s request
for indemnification under, seeking enforcement of or to recover damages for breach of this Agreement shall be borne by the Corporation when and as incurred by Indemnitee irrespective of any Final Adverse Determination that Indemnitee is not entitled
to indemnification.
9. Contribution. To the fullest extent permissible
under applicable law, if the indemnification provided for in this Agreement is unavailable to Indemnitee for any reason whatsoever, the Corporation, in lieu of indemnifying Indemnitee, shall contribute to the amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether
for judgments, fines, penalties, excise taxes, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for Expenses, in connection with any claim relating to an indemnifiable event under this Agreement, in such proportion as is deemed fair and reasonable in
light of all of the circumstances of such Proceeding in order to reflect (i) the relative benefits received by the Corporation and Indemnitee as a result of the event(s) and/or transaction(s) giving cause to such Proceeding; and/or (ii) the
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relative fault of the Corporation (and its directors, officers, employees and agents) and Indemnitee in connection with such event(s) and/or
transaction(s).
10. Maintenance of Insurance. The Corporation represents
that it presently has in place certain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policies covering its directors and officers. Subject only to the provisions within this Section 10, the Corporation agrees that so long as Indemnitee
shall have consented to serve or shall continue to serve as a director or officer of the Corporation, or both, or as an Agent of the Corporation, and thereafter so long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible Proceeding (such periods being
hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “Indemnification Period”), the Corporation will use all reasonable efforts to maintain in full force and effect for the benefit of Indemnitee one or more valid, binding and enforceable policies of
directors’ and officers’ liability insurance from established and reputable insurers, providing, in all respects, coverage both in scope and amount which is no less favorable than that presently provided. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Corporation shall not be required to maintain said policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance during any time period if during such period such insurance is not reasonably available or if it is determined in good faith by the
then directors of the Corporation either that:
(i) The premium cost of maintaining
such insurance is substantially disproportionate to the amount of coverage provided thereunder and the premiums paid by other corporations similarly situated; or
(ii) The protection provided by such insurance is so limited by exclusions, deductions or otherwise that there is insufficient benefit to warrant
the cost of maintaining such insurance.
Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, to the extent
that and for so long as the Corporation shall choose to continue to maintain any policies of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance during the Indemnification Period, the Corporation shall maintain similar and equivalent insurance
for the benefit of Indemnitee during the Indemnification Period (unless such insurance shall be less favorable to Indemnitee than the Corporation’s existing policies).
11. Modification, Waiver, Termination and Cancellation. No supplement, modification, termination, cancellation 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.
12. Subrogation. In the
event of payment under this Agreement, the Corporation shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all papers required and shall do everything that may be necessary to secure
such rights, including the execution of such documents necessary to enable the Corporation effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.
13. Notice by Indemnitee and Defense of Claim. Indemnitee shall promptly notify the Corporation in writing upon being served with any summons, citation,
subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document relating to any matter, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, but the omission so to notify the Corporation will not relieve it from any liability that it may have to
Indemnitee if such omission does not prejudice the Corporation’s rights. If such omission does prejudice the Corporation’s rights, the Corporation will be relieved from liability only to the extent of such prejudice. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, such omissions will not relieve the Corporation from any liability that it may have to Indemnitee otherwise than under this Agreement. With respect to any Proceeding as to which Indemnitee notifies the Corporation of the commencement
thereof:
(a) The Corporation will be entitled to participate therein at its own expense; and
(b) The Corporation jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified will be entitled to
assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee; provided, however, that the Corporation shall not be entitled to assume the defense of any Proceeding if there has been a Change in Control or if
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Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict of interest between the Corporation and Indemnitee with respect to such
Proceeding. After notice from the Corporation to Indemnitee of its election to assume the defense thereof, the Corporation will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any Expenses subsequently incurred by Indemnitee in connection with
the defense thereof, other than reasonable costs of investigation or as otherwise provided below. Indemnitee shall have the right to employ Indemnitee’s own counsel in such Proceeding, but the fees and expenses of such counsel incurred after
notice from the Corporation of its assumption of the defense thereof shall be at the expense of Indemnitee unless:
(i) the employment of counsel by Indemnitee has been authorized by the Corporation;
(ii) Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that counsel engaged by the Corporation may not adequately represent Indemnitee due to, among other things, actual or potential differing interests; or
(iii) the Corporation shall not in fact have employed counsel to assume the defense in such
Proceeding or shall not in fact have assumed such defense and be acting in connection therewith with reasonable diligence; in each of which cases the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of the Corporation.
(c) The Corporation shall not settle any Proceeding in any manner that would impose any penalty or limitation on
Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s written consent; provided, however, that Indemnitee will not unreasonably withhold his or her consent to any proposed settlement.
14. Notices. All notices, requests, demands and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been
duly given if (i) delivered by hand and receipted for by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, or (ii) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date on
which it is so mailed:
(a) If to Indemnitee, to:
(b) If to the Corporation, to:
Riverstone Networks, Inc.
0000 Xxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: General Counsel
or to such other address as may have been furnished to Indemnitee by the Corporation or to the Corporation by Indemnitee, as the case may be.
15. Nonexclusivity. The rights of Indemnitee hereunder shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which Indemnitee may be
entitled under applicable law, the Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation or bylaws, or any agreements, vote of stockholders, resolution of the Board of Directors or otherwise, and to the extent that during the Indemnification Period the
rights of the then existing directors and officers are more favorable to such directors or officers than the rights currently provided to Indemnitee thereunder or under this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to the full benefits of such more
favorable rights.
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16. Certain Definitions.
(a) “Agent” shall mean any person who is or was, or who has consented to serve as, a director, officer,
employee, agent, fiduciary, joint venturer, partner, manager or other official of the Corporation or a subsidiary or an affiliate of the Corporation, or any other entity (including without limitation, an employee benefit plan) either at the request
of, for the convenience of, or otherwise to benefit the Corporation or a subsidiary of the Corporation.
(b) “Change in Control” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following:
(i) Both (A) any “person” (as defined below) is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Corporation
representing at least 20% of the total voting power represented by the Corporation’s then outstanding voting securities; and (B) the beneficial ownership by such person of securities representing such percentage has not been approved by a
majority of the “continuing directors” (as defined below);
(ii) Any
“person” is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Corporation representing at least 50% of the total voting power represented by the
Corporation’s then outstanding voting securities;
(iii) A change in the
composition of the Board of Directors occurs, as a result of which fewer than two-thirds of the incumbent directors are directors who either (A) had been directors of the Corporation on the “look-back date” (as defined below) (the
“Original Directors”) or (B) were elected, or nominated for election, to the Board of Directors with the affirmative votes of at least a majority in the aggregate of the Original Directors who were still in office at the time of the
election or nomination and directors whose election or nomination was previously so approved (the “continuing directors”);
(iv) The stockholders of the Corporation approve a merger or consolidation of the Corporation with any other corporation, if such merger or consolidation would result in the voting
securities of the Corporation outstanding immediately prior thereto representing (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) 50% or less of the total voting power represented by the voting
securities of the Corporation or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or
(v) The stockholders of the Corporation approve (A) a plan of complete liquidation of the Corporation or (B) an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Corporation of all or substantially all of the
Corporation’s assets.
For purposes of Subsection (i) above, the term “person” shall have the same
meaning as when used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act, but shall exclude (x) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Corporation or of a parent or subsidiary of the Corporation or (y) a
corporation owned directly or indirectly by the stockholders of the Corporation in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the common stock of the Corporation.
For purposes of Subsection (iii) above, the term “look-back date” shall mean the later of (x) [insert date of the initial indemnification agreement] or (y) the
date 24 months prior to the date of the event that may constitute a “Change in Control.”
Any other
provision of this Section 16(b) notwithstanding, the term “Change in Control” shall not include a transaction, if undertaken at the election of the Corporation, the result of which is to sell all or substantially all of the assets of the
Corporation to another corporation (the “surviving corporation”); provided that the surviving corporation is owned directly or indirectly by the stockholders of the Corporation immediately following such transaction in
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substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Corporation’s common stock immediately preceding such transaction; and
provided, further, that the surviving corporation expressly assumes this Agreement.
(c) “Disinterested Director” shall mean a director of the Corporation who is not or was not a party to or otherwise involved in the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is being sought by
Indemnitee.
(d) “Expenses” shall include all direct and indirect costs (including,
without limitation, attorneys’ fees, retainers, court costs, transcripts, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, all other disbursements
or out-of-pocket expenses and reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which Indemnitee is otherwise not compensated by the Corporation or any third party) actually and reasonably incurred in connection with either the investigation,
defense, settlement or appeal of a Proceeding or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this Agreement, applicable law or otherwise; provided, however, that “Expenses” shall not include any Liabilities.
(e) “Final Adverse Determination” shall mean that a determination that Indemnitee is not entitled
to indemnification shall have been made pursuant to Section 5 hereof and either (1) a final adjudication in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or decision of an arbitrator pursuant to Section 8(a) hereof shall have denied
Indemnitee’s right to indemnification hereunder, or (2) Indemnitee shall have failed to file a complaint in a Delaware court or seek an arbitrator’s award pursuant to Section 8(a) for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days after
the determination made pursuant to Section 5 hereof.
(f) “Independent Legal Counsel”
shall mean a law firm or a member of a firm selected by the Corporation and approved by Indemnitee (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) or, if there has been a Change in Control, selected by Indemnitee and approved by the Corporation
(which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld), that neither is presently nor in the past five (5) years has been retained to represent: (i) the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, or Indemnitee or any corporation of which
Indemnitee was or is a director, officer, employee or agent, or any subsidiary or affiliate of such a corporation, in any material matter, or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Legal Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the
Corporation or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s right to indemnification under this Agreement.
(g) “Liabilities” shall mean liabilities of any type whatsoever including, but not limited to, any judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including
all interest assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such judgments, fines, penalties or amounts paid in settlement) of any Proceeding.
(h) “Proceeding” shall mean any threatened, pending or completed action, claim, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism,
investigation, administrative hearing or any other proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, that is associated with Indemnitee’s being an Agent of the Corporation.
17. Binding Effect; Duration and Scope of Agreement. This Agreement shall be binding upon and
inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns (including any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business or
assets of the Corporation), spouses, heirs and personal and legal representatives. This Agreement shall continue in effect during the Indemnification Period, regardless of whether Indemnitee continues to serve as an Agent.
18. Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement (or any portion thereof) shall
be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever:
(a) the validity, legality
and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby; and
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(b) to the fullest extent legally possible, the provisions of this
Agreement shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent of any provision held invalid, illegal or unenforceable.
19. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, as applied to contracts between Delaware residents
entered into and to be performed entirely within the State of Delaware, without regard to conflict of laws rules.
20. Consent to Jurisdiction. The Corporation and Indemnitee each irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware for all purposes in connection with any action
or proceeding that arises out of or relates to this Agreement and agree that any action instituted under this Agreement shall be brought only in the state courts of the State of Delaware.
21. Entire Agreement. This Agreement represents the entire agreement between the parties hereto, and there are no other agreements,
contracts or understandings between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement, except as specifically referred to herein or as provided in Section15 hereof.
22. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be
an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the
Company has caused this Agreement to be executed by a duly authorized officer and Indemnitee has execute this Agreement as of the date first above written.
| RIVERSTONE NETWORKS, INC., a
Delaware corporation | ||
| By: |
| |
| INDEMNITEE | ||
| | ||
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