AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT OF IGNIS BARNETT SHALE, LLC (A Delaware Limited Liability Company) November 15, 2006
AMENDED
AND RESTATED
LIMITED
LIABILITY COMPANY
AGREEMENT
OF
IGNIS
XXXXXXX SHALE, LLC
(A
Delaware Limited Liability Company)
November
15, 2006
THE
INTERESTS OF IGNIS XXXXXXX SHALE, LLC HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES
ACT”),
THE
SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS IN RELIANCE
UPON EXEMPTIONS FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND
SUCH LAWS. SUCH INTERESTS MUST BE ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT ONLY AND MAY NOT
BE
OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, HYPOTHECATED, SOLD, ASSIGNED, OR TRANSFERRED AT
ANY
TIME EXCEPT IN COMPLIANCE WITH (A) THE SECURITIES ACT, ANY APPLICABLE STATE
SECURITIES LAWS, AND ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS; AND (B) THE TERMS
AND
CONDITIONS OF THIS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT. SUCH INTERESTS MAY
NOT
BE TRANSFERRED OF RECORD EXCEPT IN COMPLIANCE WITH SUCH LAWS AND THIS LIMITED
LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT. THEREFORE, PURCHASERS OF SUCH INTERESTS WILL BE
REQUIRED TO BEAR THE RISK OF THEIR INVESTMENT FOR AN INDEFINITE PERIOD OF
TIME.
OF
IGNIS
XXXXXXX SHALE, LLC
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Page
|
||
ARTICLE
I GENERAL
|
||
1.1
|
Formation,
Continuation, Amendment, and Restatement
|
1
|
1.2
|
Name
|
2
|
1.3
|
Principal
Office
|
2
|
1.4
|
Registered
Agent and Office
|
2
|
1.5
|
Term
|
2
|
1.6
|
Purpose
|
2
|
1.7
|
Company
Property
|
2
|
1.8
|
Tax
Treatment
|
2
|
ARTICLE
II CERTAIN DEFINITIONS AND REFERENCES
|
||
2.1
|
Certain
Defined Terms
|
3
|
2.2
|
References
and Titles
|
3
|
2.3
|
Standard
of Care
|
3
|
ARTICLE
III MEMBERS
|
||
3.1
|
Members
|
3
|
3.2
|
Admission
of New Members
|
3
|
3.3
|
No
Liability of Members
|
3
|
3.4
|
Actions
by the Members
|
3
|
3.5
|
Other
Activities of the Class A Members
|
4
|
ARTICLE
IV MANAGEMENT AND VOTING
|
||
4.1
|
A
Manager
|
4
|
4.2
|
The
Plan
|
5
|
4.3
|
Financing
and Hedging
|
6
|
4.4
|
Delegation
to the B Manager
|
6
|
4.5
|
Class
B Member Approvals
|
7
|
4.6
|
Exculpation
and Indemnification
|
8
|
4.7
|
Insurance
|
10
|
ARTICLE
V CAPITALIZATION
|
||
5.1
|
Commitments
and Capital Contributions
|
10
|
5.2
|
Capital
Contributions
|
11
|
5.3
|
Return
of Unused Capital Contributions
|
11
|
5.4
|
Return
of Capital Contributions
|
11
|
ARTICLE
VI INVESTMENTS AND ACTIVITIES; OTHER FUNDS
|
||
6.1
|
The
PSA
|
11
|
6.2
|
Other
Activities
|
12
|
6.3
|
Confidential
Technology Information
|
12
|
ARTICLE
VII DISTRIBUTIONS, ALLOCATIONS, AND TAX
MATTERS
|
||
7.1
|
Distributions
|
13
|
i
7.2
|
Restrictions
on Distributions
|
14
|
7.3
|
Capital
Accounts
|
14
|
7.4
|
Allocations
to Capital Accounts
|
15
|
7.5
|
Tax
Allocations
|
17
|
7.6
|
Determinations
under Article VII
|
18
|
7.7
|
Restoration
of Negative Capital Accounts
|
18
|
7.8
|
Withholding
|
18
|
7.9
|
Tax
Elections
|
19
|
7.10
|
Tax
Matters Partner
|
19
|
ARTICLE
VIII FEES AND EXPENSES
|
||
8.1
|
Company
Expenses and Reimbursement
|
19
|
ARTICLE
IX CERTAIN MEMBER MATTERS
|
||
9.1
|
Rights
of the Members
|
20
|
9.2
|
Limitations
on Members
|
20
|
9.3
|
Liability
of Members
|
20
|
9.4
|
Agreements
of the Members
|
20
|
9.5
|
Representations
and Warranties of all Members
|
20
|
9.6
|
Additional
Representations and Warranties of the Class B Member
|
22
|
9.7
|
Anti-Money
Laundering Provisions
|
22
|
ARTICLE
X COVENANTS
|
||
10.1
|
Conduct
of Business
|
23
|
10.2
|
Notices
|
24
|
10.3
|
Further
Assurances
|
24
|
ARTICLE
XI TRANSFERS OF INTERESTS AND WITHDRAWALS
|
||
11.1
|
General
Transfer Provisions
|
24
|
11.2
|
Tag-Along
Rights
|
25
|
11.3
|
Drag-Along
Rights
|
27
|
11.4
|
Assignee’s
Rights
|
27
|
11.5
|
Withdrawal
by a Member
|
27
|
11.6
|
Removal
of the Class B Member for Cause or Death, Disability, or Voluntary
Termination
|
27
|
ARTICLE
XII BOOKS, RECORDS, REPORTS, BANK ACCOUNTS
|
||
12.1
|
Books
and Records
|
29
|
12.2
|
Reports
and Opinions
|
29
|
12.3
|
Tax
Returns; Tax Matters Partner
|
30
|
12.4
|
Bank
Accounts
|
30
|
ARTICLE
XIII DISSOLUTION, LIQUIDATION, AND TERMINATION
|
||
13.1
|
Dissolution
|
30
|
13.2
|
Winding-Up
|
30
|
13.3
|
Distributions
in Cash or in Kind or a Winding-Up
|
31
|
13.4
|
Time
for Liquidation
|
31
|
13.5
|
Cancellation
of Certificate
|
31
|
ARTICLE
XIV RIGHT OF FIRST OFFER
|
||
ARTICLE
XV AMI ACTIVITIES
|
||
15.1
|
Acreage
Purchase Limitation
|
32
|
15.2
|
AMI
Right of First Offer
|
32
|
ii
15.3
|
Pursuit
of Opportunity
|
32
|
15.4
|
Reimbursement
of Expenses
|
33
|
ARTICLE
XVI MISCELLANEOUS
|
||
16.1
|
Notices
|
33
|
16.2
|
Amendments
|
33
|
16.3
|
Entire
Agreement
|
33
|
16.4
|
No
Waiver
|
33
|
16.5
|
Applicable
Law; Submission to Jurisdiction
|
33
|
16.6
|
Successors
and Assigns
|
34
|
16.7
|
Exhibits,
etc.
|
34
|
16.8
|
Survival
of Representations and Warranties
|
34
|
16.9
|
No
Third-Party Benefit
|
34
|
16.10
|
Filings
|
34
|
16.11
|
WAIVER
OF TRIAL BY JURY
|
34
|
16.12
|
Arbitration
of Disputes
|
34
|
16.13
|
Remedies
|
36
|
16.14
|
Use
of Silver Point Name
|
36
|
16.15
|
Severability
|
36
|
16.16
|
Press
Releases
|
36
|
EXHIBITS
Exhibit
A
- Defined Terms
Exhibit
B
- Member Commitments and Percentage Interests
Exhibit
C
- Services Agreement
APPENDICES
Appendix
A
iii
AMENDED
AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT
OF
IGNIS
XXXXXXX SHALE, LLC
(A
Delaware Limited Liability Company)
THIS
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT (as amended, restated, or modified, this
“Agreement”)
OF
IGNIS XXXXXXX SHALE, LLC (the “Company”)
is
made and entered into this 15th
day of
November, 2006,
by
and between Ignis Petroleum Group, Inc., a Nevada corporation (“Ignis”
and
also the “Class
B Member”),
SPC
Ignis Inc., a Delaware corporation, SPC Ignis (Onshore) LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company, and SPC Ignis (Finance) LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company (each a “Class
A Member”)
(each
of Ignis and the Class A Members, a “Member”
and
jointly the “Members”).
In
consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the
parties hereto agree as follows:
WHEREAS,
the Company was formed as a Texas limited liability company by the filing
of a
Certificate of Formation (the “Texas
Certificate”)
with
the Secretary of State of the State of Texas on August 29, 2006 (the
“Formation
Date”),
and
the execution of that certain Limited Liability Company Agreement of the
Company, dated as of August 29, 2006 (the “Original
Agreement”);
and
WHEREAS,
the Company has entered into that certain Purchase and Sale Agreement with
X.X.
Xxxxxx Oil & Gas Operations, Ltd., d/b/a X.X. Xxxxxx Oil & Gas
Operations (“WBO”)
and
St. Jo Pipeline, Limited, both Texas limited partnerships, dated as of September
27, 2006 (as amended, the “PSA”);
WHEREAS,
the Company converted to a limited liability company under the laws of the
State
of Delaware by filing a Certificate of Conversion and Certificate of Formation
with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on November 13,
2006;
WHEREAS,
prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the admission of
the
Class A Members as members pursuant hereto, the Class B Member is, and always
has been the sole member of the Company;
WHEREAS,
the Class B Member desires to admit the Class A Members as a Members of the
Company; and
WHEREAS,
the Members desire to amend and restate the Original Agreement in its
entirety.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of these premises, it is hereby agreed as
follows:
ARTICLE
I
GENERAL
1.1 Formation,
Continuation, Amendment, and Restatement.
The
Members hereby agree to continue the Company as a limited liability company
pursuant to the Act upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
in
this Agreement. This Agreement amends and restates in its entirety and
supersedes the Original Agreement, effective as of the date hereof. The Members
agree that the Company shall be governed by the terms and conditions set
forth
in this Agreement and, except as provided herein, the Act.
1
1.2 Name.
The
name
of the Company shall be “Ignis Xxxxxxx Shale, LLC.” Subject to all applicable
laws, the business of the Company shall be conducted in the name of the Company
unless otherwise required under the laws of some jurisdiction in which the
Company does business, in which instance the business of the Company in such
jurisdiction may be conducted under such other name or names (except the
names
of the Class A Members or any Affiliate thereof or the name of the Class
B
Member or any Affiliate thereof) as the A Manager shall determine in its
sole
discretion to be necessary as long as it does not affect adversely the limited
liability of the Members hereunder or jeopardize in any manner the title
to or
ownership of any of the assets of the Company or result in liability to the
Company it would otherwise not have had. The A Manager shall cause to be
filed
on behalf of the Company qualification or such assumed or fictitious name
certificate or certificates or similar instruments as may from time to time
be
required by law.
1.3 Principal
Office.
The
principal office and place of business of the Company and its
street address shall be 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, 0xx
Xxxxx,
Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000. The A Manager, at any time and from time to time, may
change the location of the Company’s principal office and place of business and
may establish such additional place or places of business of the Company
as the
A Manager shall determine to be necessary or desirable; provided,
however,
the
location is in Texas and notice thereof is given concurrently to the
Members.
1.4 Registered
Agent and Office.
The
registered office of the Company in Delaware is 0000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxx 00000, New Castle County, and the registered agent for service of
process on the Company in Delaware is Corporation Trust Company. The registered
office of the Company in Texas is 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, 0xx
Xxxxx,
Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000, and the registered agent for service of process on the
Company in Texas is Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx. The A Manager, at any time and from
time
to time, may change the Company’s registered offices or registered agents or
both by complying with the applicable provisions of the Act or other applicable
law and by giving concurrent notice thereof to all Members and may establish,
appoint, and change additional registered offices and registered agents of
the
Company in such other states as the A Manager shall determine to be necessary
or
desirable.
1.5 Term.
The
Company was formed on the Formation Date and shall continue until terminated
following dissolution in accordance with Section 13.1.
1.6 Purpose.
Subject
to the other provisions of this Agreement, the business of the Company shall
be:
(a) exploring, developing, operating, investing in, acquiring, expanding,
selling, managing, and financing, directly or indirectly, oil and gas
properties, including those properties held by the Company as of the date
hereof
and properties acquired after the date hereof, and any gas pipeline gathering
system related to such properties, (b) the development, acquisition, and
improvement of technology, know-how, trade secrets, and other intellectual
property and rights therein relating to or used or useful in connection with
the
Project (including any horizontal drilling techniques acquired, developed,
or
improved in connection with the Project), and (c) taking all such other actions
incidental to any of the foregoing as may be necessary or desirable and in
which
a Delaware limited liability company may legally engage.
1.7 Company
Property.
No real
or other property of the Company shall be deemed to be owned by any Member
individually, but shall be owned by and title shall be vested solely in the
Company.
1.8 Tax
Treatment.
Unless
otherwise determined by the A Manager, the Company shall be treated as a
partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (as well as for any analogous
state or local tax purposes), and the A Manager shall cause the Company to
timely make any and all necessary elections and filings for the Company to
be
treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (as well as
for
any analogous state or local tax purposes).
2
ARTICLE
II
CERTAIN
DEFINITIONS AND REFERENCES
2.1 Certain
Defined Terms.
When
used in this Agreement, certain capitalized terms shall have the respective
meanings assigned to them on Exhibit A.
2.2 References
and Titles.
All
references in this Agreement to articles, sections, subsections, and other
subdivisions refer to corresponding articles, sections, subsections, and
other
subdivisions of this Agreement unless expressly provided otherwise. Titles
appearing at the beginning of any of such subdivisions are for convenience
only,
shall not constitute part of such subdivisions, and shall be disregarded
in
construing the language contained in such subdivisions. The words “this
Agreement,” “this instrument,” “herein,” “hereof,” “hereby,” “hereunder,” and
words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any
particular subdivision unless expressly so limited. Words in the singular
form
shall be construed to include the plural and vice
versa,
unless
the context otherwise requires. Examples shall not be construed to limit,
expressly or by implication, the matter they illustrate. No consideration
shall
be given to the fact or presumption that one party had a greater or lesser
hand
in drafting this Agreement. All references herein to “$” or “dollars” shall
refer to U.S. Dollars.
The word
“includes” and its variants mean including, without limitation. The phrase “the
date of this Agreement” or “the date hereof” shall mean November 15,
2006.
2.3 Standard
of Care.
Whenever in this Agreement any Person is permitted or required to make a
decision (a) in its “sole and absolute discretion,” “sole discretion,”
“discretion,” or under a grant of similar authority or latitude, such Person
shall be entitled to consider such interests and factors as it desires,
including its own interests, and such Person shall not have any duty or
obligation to give any consideration to any interest of or factors affecting
any
other Person, or (b) in its “good faith” or under another express standard, such
Person shall act under such express standard and shall not be subject to
any
other or different standard imposed by this Agreement or other applicable
law.
ARTICLE
III
MEMBERS
3.1 Members.
The
name, address, Commitment, Capital Contributions, and class of interest of
the
Members are set forth on Exhibit B hereto, which shall be amended from time
to
time to reflect the admission of new Members, additional Capital Contributions
of Members, or the Transfer of Interests of any Member.
3.2 Admission
of New Members.
No
Person shall be admitted as a Member of the Company other than as set forth
in
Article XI
of this
Agreement.
3.3 No
Liability of Members.
All
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, and no Member shall be obligated personally for any such debt,
obligations, or liability of the Company solely by reason of being a
Member.
3.4 Actions
by the Members.
(a) No
Member
(acting in its capacity as such) shall have any authority to bind the Company
to
any third party with respect to any matter. Meetings of Members may be called
by
the Managers upon at least five (5) days’ prior written notice of the time and
place of such meeting. For any meeting of Members, the presence in person
or by
proxy of all of the Members at the time of the action taken constitutes a
quorum
for the transaction of business.
3
(b) The
Members may vote, approve a matter, or take any action by the vote of the
Members at a meeting, in person or by proxy, or without a meeting by written
consent. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the
Members may be taken without a meeting if Members holding Interests sufficient
to approve the action pursuant to the terms of this Agreement consent thereto
in
writing, and the writing or writings are filed with the minutes of the
proceedings of the Members. In no instance where action is authorized by
written
consent shall a meeting of Members be called or notice be given; however,
a copy
of the action taken by written consent shall be sent promptly to all Members
and
filed with the records of the Company.
3.5 Other
Activities of the Class A Members.
(a) Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Class A Members and any of
their
Affiliates may engage independently or with others, for their own accounts
and
for the accounts of others, in other business ventures and activities of
every
nature and description whether such ventures are competitive with the business
of the Company or any other Member or otherwise; provided,
however,
(a) that
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx and Xxxxxxx Xxxxx, both employees of Silver Point, shall not
directly engage in any business ventures or activities that relate to gas
pipeline gathering systems in the AMI with competitors of the Company while
employed by Silver Point, and (b) this Section
3.5
will not
relieve the Class A Members of their obligations under Section
6.3.
Neither
the Company nor any Member shall have any rights or obligations by virtue
of
this Agreement in and to such independent ventures and activities or the
income
or profits derived therefrom, and neither the Class A Members nor any of
their
Affiliates shall be under any obligation to refer any opportunities,
investments, ventures, or the like to the Company, the Class B Member, or
the B
Manager.
(b) Prior
to
the occurrence of an event in Xxxxxxx
00.0,
Xxxxxx
Xxxxx shall not sell short the common stock of Ignis.
ARTICLE
IV
MANAGEMENT
AND VOTING
4.1 A
Manager.
Except
as expressly set forth herein, the Company and its affairs will be managed,
operated, and controlled by or under the direction of the A Manager. Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, subject to Section 4.5, the A
Manager shall have exclusive power and authority to authorize and direct,
and to
prohibit, without limitation:
(a) the
approval of the annual budget of the Company and the incurrence of any
expenditures that would cause any line item in the annual budget to be exceeded
by more than 10% or cause the annual budget to be exceeded in the aggregate
by
more than 5%;
(b) any
cash
or non-cash distributions;
(c) any
modification or expansion of the Plan or the Company’s objectives, purposes,
activities, or strategy;
(d) any
related party transactions;
(e) the
establishment or creation of a class of interests other than Class A Interests
or Class B Interests, or issuance of any additional interests or options
or
rights to acquire any additional Interests in the Company to any third party
or
the acceptance by the Company of any additional capital contributions in
variation from the Plan or budget;
4
(f)
any
reduction in the amount of any reserves for liabilities;
(g) entering
into, amending, or terminating any contract or agreement outside of any budget
or exercising or waiving any material right under any contract or
agreement;
(h) entering
into any third-party consulting or services agreement or any material agreement,
notwithstanding that each such agreement may have been contemplated by the
budget;
(i)
borrowing
money, acting as a guarantor, encumbering any assets, or otherwise becoming
directly or indirectly liable with respect to any indebtedness;
(j)
the
sale
of any material asset(s) of the Company;
(k) the
Company becoming a party to a merger, exchange, or consolidation or similar
transaction;
(l)
taking
any material action under any operating agreements to which the Company is
a
party or to which any of its assets are subject (the “Operating
Agreements”);
(m) the
amendment or termination of any of the Operating Agreements;
(n) making
decisions relating to the management and monitoring of any Operating Agreement,
including quarterly budget approvals and risk management policies and decisions
under any Operating Agreement;
(o) making
any tax or legal decisions, including initiating, responding to, or settling
any
litigation or other proceeding;
(p) the
redemption or repurchase of any Interests in the Company;
(q) the
amendment or modification of any provision of this Agreement;
(r)
the
dissolution, liquidation, or winding up of the Company;
(s) the
purchase of any insurance policy;
(t)
the
approval of any regulatory filings required of the Company under applicable
law
or required by any governmental authority; and
(u) the
removal of the B Manager.
4.2 The
Plan.
Within
thirty (30) days of the execution of this Agreement, the B Manager shall
prepare
a detailed operating plan and forecast for the Project, which shall include
a
detailed (i.e., broken down by line items and nature of cost) month-by-month
budget, basic pro forma financial projections, and a description of the proposed
operations (including, without limitation, the number of xxxxx to be drilled,
the location of each well, the commencement date and expected completion
date
for the drilling of each well, the estimated costs of drilling of each well
and
other ancillary costs, and the estimated initial flow rates) (the “Plan”)
and
present such Plan to the A Manager for its review and approval. The B Manager
shall make itself available to the A Manager to discuss and review the Plan
and
shall provide such support and other documentation or explanation as the
A
Manager may reasonably request. The B Manager shall make any modifications
to
the Plan as are requested by the A Manager. The B Manager shall update the
Plan
semi-annually to take into consideration any developments (including, without
limitation, any change in any scheduled items under the PSA or the Operating
Agreements), change in circumstances, including any requests under the Operating
Agreements, and shall present the Plan, as revised, to the A Manager for
review,
modification, and approval at least 30 days prior to January 1 and July 1
of
each calendar year; provided,
however,
that, in
the event of any material development affecting the Plan or any element thereof
at any time during a year, the B Manager shall provide a revised Plan or
relevant element thereof to the A Manager for review and approval as soon
as
reasonably practicable after the occurrence of such development.
5
4.3 Financing
and Hedging.
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the A Manager
shall have the exclusive power to cause the Company to enter into, modify,
or
terminate any bank and other financing agreements, instruments, or other
arrangements, including any working capital facility, or any agreements,
arrangements, or programs designed to hedge the financial exposure of the
Company; provided,
however,
that the
A Manager shall consult with the B Manager prior to the taking of any such
action.
4.4 Delegation
to the B Manager.
(a) Initially,
the A Manager delegates to the B Manager, and the B Manager accepts the
delegation of the duties and responsibilities set forth in this Section
4.4,
subject
to the removal of such delegation at the A Manager’s discretion. The B Manager
shall:
(i)
manage
the day-to-day operations of the Company, which shall include the power and
duties to do the following:
(A) administer
the Project in accordance with the Plan (as approved by and incorporating
the
wishes of the A Manager) and approved annual budgets and operating
plans;
(B) develop
and implement risk management policies;
(C) implement
financial controls and reporting necessary for the management of the Project
and
the working capital facility; and
(D) provide
administration and recordkeeping for the Company (including causing to be
prepared audited financial statements by the Company’s auditors, the preparation
and filing of the Company’s tax returns, etc.).
(ii) monitor
WBO and any other operator under the Operating Agreements to ensure compliance
with the Operating Agreements and any and all laws and regulations applicable
to
the Project and the Properties, as that term is defined in the PSA;
(iii) present
to the A Manager on a timely basis any decisions to be made or opportunities
available to the Company under the Operating Agreements, together with the
B
Manager’s recommendation with respect to each such decision or opportunity, and
implement such decisions and proceed with such opportunities only in accordance
with the standards and directions provided by the A Manager;
(iv) take
all
actions necessary and desirable to maximize the value of the Project and
the
Company;
(v) implement,
administer, and enforce strategies to optimize the Project and the
Company;
6
(vi) develop,
perfect, improve, and protect horizontal drilling techniques, technology,
know-how, trade secrets, and other intellectual property, acquired, developed,
or improved in connection with the Project in order to maximize the value
of the
Project and exploit the assets of the Company;
(vii)
cooperate
with WBO in developing, perfecting, improving, and protecting horizontal
drilling techniques and other related and ancillary intellectual
property;
(viii)
develop
and implement strategies to assess and pursue opportunities to enhance the
Project;
(ix) provide
experienced personnel to manage the Company and to manage and develop and
exploit the Project and the Company’s Intellectual Property Rights at the
expense of the Class B Member, except as otherwise provided in the Services
Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, between Ignis and the Company attached
hereto as Exhibit
C
(the
“Services
Agreement”);
and
(x)
make
all
necessary regulatory filings required of the Company under applicable law
or
required by any governmental authority; provided
that all
such filings shall be delivered to the A Manager for approval prior to such
filing.
(b) When
the
B Manager is acting or refraining from taking any action on behalf of the
Company pursuant to the duties and responsibilities delegated in this
Section
4.4
it shall
act in accordance with the following:
(i)
exercise
all due care and diligence in carrying out its duties and obligations under
this
Agreement;
(ii) comply
with all applicable laws and regulations;
(iii) refrain
from taking any action which could reasonably be expected to have a detrimental
effect on the business of the Company or on the business or reputation of
Silver
Point or which could reasonably be expected to have an adverse tax or regulatory
effect on the business of the Company or on the business or reputation of
Silver
Point (and shall not fail to take an action where such failure could reasonably
be expected to have any such detrimental or adverse effect; and
(iv) conduct
its and the Company’s business honestly, in good faith, in the best interests of
the Company, in compliance with the best practices customary in the industry,
use its commercially reasonable best efforts to preserve intact the Company’s
business organizations and relationships with third parties, and keep available
the services of its present officers and employees.
4.5 Class
B Member Approvals.
The
consent of the B Member shall be required for the following:
(a) except
as
permitted in Section
4.5(b),
the
amendment or modification of any provision of this Agreement in a manner
that
would adversely affect the legal rights of the Class B Member;
(b) the
establishment or creation of a class of interests other than the Interests
to be
held by the Class A Member or the Class B Member or the issuance of any
additional interests or options or rights to acquire any additional interests
in
the Company to any third party, or the acceptance by the Company of any
additional capital contributions, in each case, if such actions would adversely
affect the Interests held by the Class B Member disproportionately more than
the
Interests held by the Class A Members;
7
(c) any
transaction between the Company and Silver Point or any of its Affiliates,
other
than on such terms and conditions that are at least as favorable to the Company
as would be expected to be obtained in an arm’s length transaction;
(d) any
change in the primary business purpose of the Company; and
(e) the
redemption or the repurchase by the Company of any Interests other than on
a pro
rata basis.
4.6 Exculpation
and Indemnification.
(a) Company
Liabilities.
(1) None
of
the Covered Persons (as defined below) shall be liable, responsible, or
accountable to the Company or to any of the Members, in damages or otherwise,
for any error of judgment, for any mistake of fact or of law, or for any
other
act or thing which it may do or refrain from doing in connection with the
operations, business, and affairs of the Company, except to the extent that
any
such damages are determined by an arbitral tribunal of competent jurisdiction
to
have been caused by such Covered Person’s intentional misconduct, gross
negligence, fraud, bad faith, material breach of this Agreement (except in
the
case of clauses (iv), (v), (vi), and (vii) of Section
4.4(a),
which
shall require a willful and material breach of this Agreement), or knowing
violation of law.
(ii) None
of
the Covered Persons shall have any liability for the return of any Member’s
Capital Contributions. All liabilities of the Company, including indemnity
obligations under Section 4.6(b),
shall
be liabilities of the Company as an entity, and shall be paid or satisfied
from
Company assets. No liability of the Company will be payable, in whole or
in
part, by any Member in its capacity as a Member.
(iii) Each
of
the Managers 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.
(b) Indemnity.
(i) To
the
fullest extent permitted by law, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless
each Member, each Manager, and the respective officers, directors, shareholders,
managers, members, employees, agents, subsidiaries, and assigns of each Member
or Manager (each, a “Covered
Person”),
from
and against any and all losses, claims, demands, liabilities, expenses,
judgments, fines, settlements, and other amounts arising from any and all
claims, demands, actions, suits, or proceedings civil, criminal, administrative,
or investigative (each a “Claim”),
in
which the Covered Person may be involved, or threatened to be involved, as
a
party or otherwise, that relates to or arises out of the Company or its
property, business, or affairs; provided,
however,
that a
Covered Person shall not be entitled to indemnification under this Section
4.6(b)
with
respect to (A) any Claim in which it ultimately is determined by an arbitral
tribunal of competent jurisdiction to have been caused by the Covered Person’s
fraud, intentional misconduct, bad faith, gross negligence, or material breach
of this Agreement (except in the case of clauses (iv), (v), (vi), and (vii)
of
Section
4.4(a),
which
shall require a willful and material breach of this Agreement), or knowing
violation of law, (B) any Claim initiated by a Covered Person unless that
Claim
(or part thereof) was brought to enforce that Covered Person’s rights to
indemnification under this Section 4.6(b),
or (C)
any Claim by the Company or any Member against a Member or that Member’s
officers, directors, shareholders, managers, members, employees, agents,
subsidiaries, and assigns unless the Covered Person is found not to be liable
for such Claim by an arbitral tribunal of competent jurisdiction.
8
(ii) The
Company shall pay in advance of the final disposition of any Claim for which
a
Covered Person is or may be entitled to indemnification under this Section
4.6(b)
(other
than those described in Section
4.6(b)(i)(C))
expenses incurred by that Covered Person in defending that Claim; provided
that the
Covered Person delivers to the Company an undertaking by or on behalf of
that
Covered Person to repay amounts so advanced if it ultimately is determined
that
the Covered Person is not entitled indemnification under this Section
4.6(b).
(iii) Notices
of Claims, etc.
Promptly
after receipt by a Covered Person of notice of the commencement of any
proceeding, such Covered Person shall, if a claim for indemnification in
respect
thereof is to be made against the Company, give written notice to the Company
of
the commencement of such proceeding, provided
that the
failure of any Covered Person to give such notice as provided herein shall
not
relieve the Company of its obligations under this Section 4.6(b),
except
to the extent the Company is actually prejudiced by such failure to give
such
notice. If any such proceeding is brought against a Covered Person (other
than a
derivative suit in right of the Company), the Company will be entitled to
participate in and to assume, at its expense, the defense thereof to the
extent
the Company may wish, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Covered
Person. After notice from the Company to such Covered Person of the Company’s
election to assume the defense of such proceeding, the Company will not be
liable for expenses subsequently incurred by such Covered Person in connection
with the defense thereof, provided
the
Company diligently pursues such defense. The Company will not consent to
entry
of any judgment or enter into any settlement of such proceeding that does
not
include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff
to such Covered Person of a release from all liability in respect to such
proceeding and the related claim.
(iv) Survival
of Protection.
The
provisions of this Section 4.6(b)
shall
continue to afford protection to each Covered Person regardless of whether
such
Covered Person remains in the position or capacity pursuant to which such
Covered Person became entitled to indemnification under this Section 4.6(b),
and no
amendment to this Agreement shall reduce or restrict the extent to which
these
indemnification provisions apply to actions taken or omissions made prior
to the
date of such amendment.
(v) Rights
Cumulative.
The
right of any Covered Person to the indemnification provided herein shall
be
cumulative with, and in addition to, any and all rights to which such Covered
Person may otherwise be entitled by contract or as a matter of law or equity
and
shall extend to such Covered Person’s successors, assigns, heirs, and legal
representatives. Notwithstanding anything else contained in this Agreement,
the
indemnity obligations of the Company under this Section 4.6(b)
shall:
(A) be
in
addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have;
(B) extend
upon the same terms and conditions to the officers, directors, members,
managers, employees, Affiliates, stockholders, owners, agents, and
representatives of each Covered Person;
9
(C) be
binding upon and inure to the benefit of any successors, assigns, heirs,
and
personal representatives of such Covered Person and any such Persons;
and
(D) be
limited to the sum of the assets of the Company.
(c) Other
Source of Recovery.
The A
Manager shall cause the Company to use its commercially reasonable efforts
to
obtain the funds needed to satisfy its indemnification obligations under
Section 4.6(b)
from
Persons other than the Members (for example, out of Company assets or pursuant
to insurance policies or Company indemnification arrangements) before causing
the Company to make payments pursuant to Section 4.6(b).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Section 4.6(c)
shall
prohibit the A Manager from causing the Company to make such payments if
the A
Manager determines, in its reasonable discretion, that the Company is not
likely
to obtain sufficient funds from such other sources in a timely fashion, or
that
attempting to obtain such funds would be futile, commercially unreasonable,
or
not in the best interests of the Company (for example, nothing in this
Section 4.6(c)
shall
require the A Manager to cause the Company to sell any assets outside the
ordinary course of business before such time as the A Manager shall determine
is
advisable).
(d) Limitation
by Law.
If any
Covered Person or the Company itself is subject to any federal or state law,
rule, or regulation which restricts the extent to which any Person may be
exonerated or indemnified by the Company, the exoneration provisions set
forth
in Section 4.6(a)
and the
indemnification provisions set forth in Section 4.6(b)
shall be
deemed to be amended, automatically and without further action by the Managers,
to the minimum extent necessary to conform to such restrictions.
(e) Arbitration.
It is a
condition to any Covered Person’s enforcement of indemnification under this
Section
4.6
that it
submits to arbitration under Section
16.12
with
respect to any issue regarding its entitlement to indemnification.
4.7 Insurance.
Subject
to the approval of the A Manager, the B Manager shall cause the Company,
at the
Company’s expense, to obtain (and maintain during the entire term of the
Company), insurance coverage in such amounts, with provisions for such
deductible amounts, and for such purposes, as the A Manager shall determine.
Such policies may in the A Manager’s discretion include coverage to protect the
Company and any Covered Person against any expense, liability, or loss, whether
or not the Company would have the power to indemnify such Covered Person
against
such expense, liability, or loss under this Agreement or the Act. The Company
shall include the Members, the Managers, and their respective Affiliates
as
additional insureds on any policies otherwise carried by the Company. The
policies shall, in all instances, require that any notice of cancellation
or
notice of proposed cancellation shall be sent to all Members.
ARTICLE
V
CAPITALIZATION
5.1 Commitments
and Capital Contributions.
(a) The
Class
A Members shall make contributions of capital to the Company (“Capital
Contributions”)
to fund
the Purchase Price (as that term is defined in the PSA)
at such
times and in such amounts as provided for in the PSA and shall make any
additional Capital Contributions as and in the amounts provided in any Plan
or
budget, as approved by the A Manager in accordance with Section
4.2.
The
Capital Contributions of the Class A Members, as increased by the out-of-pocket
costs incurred by the Class A Members in entering into this Agreement, shall
be
referred to as the “Aggregate
Capital Contributions”
of
the
Class A Members.
10
(b) The
Class
B Member’s Commitments shall be zero, and the Class B Member shall have no
obligation or liability to make any Capital Contributions.
5.2 Capital
Contributions.
The
Capital Contributions shall be paid in separate Drawdowns, at such times
as
shall be determined by the B Manager, subject to the provisions of Section
5.1
and the
following additional terms and conditions:
(a) Timing
of Drawdown Notices; Use of Drawdowns.
The B
Manager shall provide the Class A Members with a notice of each Drawdown
(a
“Drawdown
Notice”)
at
least 10 Business
Days prior to the date on which such Drawdown is due and payable to the Company
(the “Funding
Date”).
(b) Contents
of Drawdown Notices.
Each
Drawdown Notice shall include (i) a brief description of the transaction
or
purpose for which such Capital Contribution is required, (ii) the aggregate
amount of Capital Contributions, (iii) the Funding Date, (iv) wire
transfer or other remittance instructions, and (v) such other information
with respect to the Drawdown as the B Manager shall determine is appropriate
or
the Class A Members shall request.
(c) Payment of Drawdown.
The
Class A Members shall pay to the Company the Capital Contribution specified
in
the relevant Drawdown Notice, as the same may be revised pursuant to this
Section
5.2,
by wire
transfer in immediately available funds in U.S. dollars to the account specified
therein; provided,
however,
that the
aggregate amounts required to be contributed by the Class A Members to the
Company shall not exceed the amounts provided for in the first sentence of
Section
5.1(a).
(d) No
Third-Party Beneficiary.
The
provisions of this Section 5.2
are
intended solely to benefit the Company and the Members (and their Affiliates
and
Covered Persons, where applicable) and, except as provided in Section
4.6
(with
respect to Covered Persons), or as otherwise specifically agreed with any
third
party, shall not be construed as conferring any benefit upon any creditor
of the
Company (and no such creditor shall be a third-party beneficiary of this
Agreement), and no Member shall have any duty or obligation to any creditor
of
the Company to make any contributions to the capital of the Company pursuant
to
this Section 5.2
or to
cause the B Manager to deliver to any Member a Drawdown Notice.
5.3 Return
of Unused Capital Contributions.
If the
Company receives Capital Contributions in excess of the Company’s actual
requirements, the B Manager shall cause the Company to return the excess
portion
of such Capital Contributions to the Class A Members within 10 Business Days
after the funding of such Capital Contributions to the Company, and the
Commitments of the Class A Members shall be restored by such amount. Any
funds
returned to the Members pursuant to this Section 5.3 shall
not be treated as Capital Contributions, nor shall the return of such funds
be
treated as a Company distribution for purposes of
Section 7.1.
5.4 Return
of Capital Contributions.
No
interest shall accrue on any Capital Contributions and no Member shall have
the
right to withdraw or be repaid any Capital Contributions by that Member except
as provided in Sections 5.3,
and
no
Member shall be liable for the return of any other Member’s Capital
Contributions.
ARTICLE
VI
INVESTMENTS
AND ACTIVITIES; OTHER FUNDS
6.1 The
PSA.
The
B
Manager
shall cooperate with the A Manager to cause the Company to participate in
and
carry out the obligations of the PSA.
11
6.2 Other
Activities.
(a) Class
B Member and Technology.
(i)
The
Class
B Member hereby assigns, transfers, and conveys to the Company all Intellectual
Property Rights. The Class B Member hereby covenants that it shall cause
each of
its Affiliates to assign, transfer, and convey all Intellectual Property
Rights.
(ii) Any
Class
B Improvements shall be made for the benefit of the Company, and the Class
B
Member shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to, assign to the Company
exclusively throughout the world all right, title, and interest (xxxxxx or
inchoate) to the Class B Improvements during the term of this Agreement and
thereafter.
(iii) The
Class
B Member agrees, and shall cause its Affiliates, to assist the Company in
every
legal way to evidence, record, and perfect the assignment, transfer, and
conveyance of any Intellectual Property Rights and Class B Improvements to
the
Company and to apply for and obtain recordation of and from time to time
enforce, maintain, and defend the assigned rights. If the Company is unable
for
any reason whatsoever to secure the Class B Member’s (or its Affiliate’s)
signature to any document it is entitled to under this Section
6.2,
the
Class B Member hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Company and
its
duly authorized officers and agents, as its agents and attorneys-in-fact
with
full power of substitution to act for and on its behalf and in its stead,
to
execute and file any such document or documents and to do all other lawfully
permitted acts to further the purposes of the foregoing with the same legal
force and effect as if executed by the Class B Member.
(iv) The
Class
B Member represents that the Intellectual Property Rights transferred to
the
Company pursuant to Section
6.2(a)(i)
represent all right, title, and interest of the Class B Member and each of
its
Affiliates in and to intellectual property rights of any nature in and to
the
Technology.
(b) The
B
Manager shall undertake to license and exploit the Technology and exploit
the
Intellectual Property Rights of the Company. The B Manager shall present
to the
A Manager, for its review and approval, any agreement relating to the licensing
and exploitation of the Intellectual Property Rights and shall modify any
such
agreement as requested by the A Manager.
(c) All
Intellectual Property Rights of the Company shall be the property of the
Company
and not the property of any Member.
6.3 Confidential
Technology Information.
During
the term of this Agreement and thereafter, each Member shall treat the
Technology and the Company Intellectual Property Rights and all information,
data, reports, and other records relating to the Technology (collectively,
the
“Confidential
Technology Information”),
regardless of origin, as confidential information of the Company. No Member
shall disclose or use such Confidential Technology Information without the
A
Manager’s and the Class B Member’s prior written consent. Nothing in this
Agreement shall limit the right of the Company, or the A Manager on behalf
of
and in furtherance of the purposes of the Company, to use or disclose any
Confidential Technology Information to any third party, provided
that any
disclosure shall be subject to compliance with Section
6.3(d)
below.
(a) Confidential
Business Information.
During
the term of this Agreement and thereafter, each Member shall treat this
Agreement and all proprietary business information designated as confidential,
or which ought to be considered as confidential from its nature or from the
circumstances surrounding its disclosure, that it receives from another party
or
the Company (collectively, the “Confidential
Business Information”)
as
confidential information of the other party or the Company, as the case may
be,
and shall not disclose or use such information without the other party’s (or the
Company’s, as the case may be) prior written consent. Any such permitted
disclosure shall be subject to compliance with Section
6.3(d)
below.
12
(b) General
Exceptions.
Nothing
in this Agreement shall prevent the use or disclosure by the recipient of
any
Confidential Technology Information or Confidential Business Information
that:
(1) the
recipient can document is or has become generally available (through no fault
of
recipient) for disclosure to, and use by, the public without any charge,
license, or restriction;
(ii) the
recipient is permitted to use or disclose pursuant to a written agreement
between the recipient and the providing party; or
(ii) the
recipient is required by law, regulation, or order to disclose, provided
that the
recipient shall notify the disclosing party of such law, regulation, or order
and shall cooperate with the disclosing party in endeavoring to obtain
confidential treatment for any Confidential Technology Information or
Confidential Business Information required to be disclosed, including, without
limitation, making any court or regulatory filings reasonably requested by
the
disclosing party.
(c) Additional
Confidential Business Information Exceptions.
In
addition to the general exceptions listed above, nothing in this Agreement
shall
prevent the use or disclosure by the recipient of any Confidential Business
Information that:
(i)
the
recipient can document was already in its possession free of any obligation
of
confidence at the time of communication;
(ii) the
recipient can document was independently developed by the recipient;
or
(iii) the
recipient can document was provided by a third party that itself was not
in
breach of any confidentiality obligation.
(d) Nondisclosure
Procedures.
Each
party shall develop and implement such procedures as may be required to prevent
the inadvertent or negligent disclosure to third parties of Confidential
Technology Information or another party’s Confidential Business Information, as
applicable, by its employees, including, but not limited to, requiring each
of
its employees having access to the Confidential Technology Information or
Confidential Business Information under this Agreement to enter into a
confidentiality agreement no less restrictive than the terms of this
Section
6.3.
In the
event that Confidential Technology Information or Confidential Business
Information of another party is authorized to be disclosed to a third party,
the
disclosing party shall ensure that any third party being granted access to
any
confidential information enters into a confidentiality agreement no less
restrictive than the terms of this Section
6.3.
ARTICLE
VII
DISTRIBUTIONS,
ALLOCATIONS, AND TAX MATTERS
7.1 Distributions.
(a) Subject
to the approval of the A Manager, distributable cash from operations shall
be
distributed to the Members periodically. Cash distributions to the Members
(whether from operations or a sale of all or any portion of the Company’s
assets) shall be made in accordance with the following:
13
(i)
To
the
Class A Members pro rata until the Class A Members have received an amount
equal
to their Aggregate Capital Contributions; then
(ii) 100%
to
the Class A Members pro rata until they have received an amount representing
a
rate of return equal to 12%, compounded annually, on the Aggregate Capital
Contributions of the Class A Members calculated from the date of contribution
using the XIRR Function defined in Microsoft Excel; then
(iii) 100%
to
the Class B Member until the amount distributed to the Class B Member under
this
clause (iii) equals 12.5% of all amounts distributed pursuant to clauses
(ii)
and (iii); then
(iv) 87.5%
to
the Class A Members pro rata and 12.5% to the Class B Member until the amount
distributed to the Class A Members represents a return equal to 20%, compounded
annually, on the Aggregate Capital Contributions of the Class A Members
calculated from the date of contribution using the XIRR Function defined
in
Microsoft Excel; then
(v) 100%
to
the Class B Member until the amount distributed to the Class B Member under
clauses (iii), (iv), and (v) equals 20% of all amounts distributed pursuant
to
clauses (ii), (iii), (iv), and (v); then
(vi) 80%
to
the Class A Members pro rata and 20% to the Class B Member until the amount
distributed to the Class A Members represents a return equal to 30%, compounded
annually, on Aggregate Capital Contributions of the Class A Members calculated
from the date of contribution using the XIRR Function defined in Microsoft
Excel; then
(vii)
100%
to
the Class B Member until the amount distributed to the Class B Member under
clauses (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), and (vii) equals 25% of all amounts distributed
pursuant to clauses (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), and (vii); then
(viii)
75%
to
the Class A Members pro rata and 25% to the Class B Member until the amount
distributed to the Class A Members represents a return equal to 60%, compounded
annually, on the Aggregate Capital Contributions of the Class A Members
calculated from the date of contribution using the XIRR Function defined
in
Microsoft Excel; then
(ix) 50%
to
the Class A Members pro rata and 50% to the Class B Member.
For
these
purposes, the calculation of the return received by the Class A Members shall
be
made prior to reduction for any taxes imposed on the Class A
Members.
7.2 Restrictions
on Distributions.
The
provisions of this Article VII to the contrary notwithstanding, no distribution
shall be made (a) if such distribution would violate any contract or agreement
to which the Company is then a party or any applicable law, rule, regulation,
order, or directive of any governmental authority then applicable to the
Company, (b) to the extent that the A Manager, in its sole discretion,
determines that any amount otherwise distributable should be retained by
the
Company to pay, or to establish a reserve for the payment of, any liability
or
obligation of the Company, whether liquidated, fixed, contingent, or otherwise,
or (c) to the extent that the A Manager, in its sole discretion, determines
that
the cash available to the Company is insufficient to permit such
distribution.
7.3 Capital
Accounts.
A
capital account (a “Capital
Account”)
shall
be established and maintained for each Member to which shall be credited
the
Capital Contributions made by such Member and such Member’s allocable share of
Net Income (and items thereof), and Simulated Gain, and from which shall
be
deducted distributions to such Member of cash or other property and such
Member’s allocable share of Net Loss (and items thereof), Simulated Depletion,
and Simulated Losses. To the extent not provided for in the preceding sentence,
the Capital Accounts of the Member shall be adjusted and maintained in
accordance with Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b).
14
7.4 Allocations
to Capital Accounts.
(a) Net
Income and Net Loss.
Except
as provided in this Section
7.4(c),
Net
Loss (and items thereof) shall be allocated in a manner such that the Capital
Account of each Member, immediately after giving effect to such allocation,
is,
as nearly as possible, equal (proportionately) to the amount of the
distributions that would be made to such Member pursuant to Section
7.1,
if (i)
the Company were dissolved and terminated; (ii) its affairs were wound up
and
each Company asset was sold for cash equal to its Book Value; (iii) all Company
liabilities were satisfied (limited with respect to each nonrecourse liability
to the Book Value of the assets securing such liability); and (iv) the net
assets of the Company were distributed in accordance with Section 7.1 to
the
Members immediately after giving effect to such allocation.
(b) Net
Income and Simulated Gain.
Except
as provided in Section
7.4(c),
Net
Income (and items thereof) and Simulated Gain shall be allocated (i) first
to
the Members in proportion to and in an amount equal to the allocation of
Net
Loss under Section
7.4(a)
and
Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss under Section
7.(d)
until
the aggregate amount of Net Income and Simulated Gain allocated under this
clause (i) equals the aggregate amount of Net Loss allocated under Section
7.4(a)
and
Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss allocated under Section
7.4(d),
and
(ii) second in a manner such that the Capital Account of each Member,
immediately after giving effect to such allocation, is, as nearly as possible,
equal (proportionately) to the amount of the distributions that would be
made to
such Member pursuant to Section
7.1,
if (A)
the Company were dissolved and terminated, (B) its affairs were wound up
and
each Company asset was sold for cash equal to its Book Value, (C) all Company
liabilities were satisfied (limited with respect to each nonrecourse liability
to the Book Value of the assets securing such liability), and (D) the net
assets
of the Company were distributed in accordance with Section
7.1
to the
Members immediately after giving effect to such allocation.
(c) Allocations
Relating to Last Fiscal Year.
Except
as otherwise provided elsewhere in this Agreement, if upon the dissolution
and
termination of the Company pursuant to Article
XIII
and
after all other allocations provided for in Section
7.4
have
been tentatively made as if this Section
7.4(c)
were not
in this Agreement, a distribution to the Members under Article
XIII
would be
different from a distribution to the Members under Section
7.1,
then
Net Income (and items thereof) and Simulated Gain and Net Loss (and items
thereof), Simulated Loss, and Simulated Depletion for the Fiscal Year in
which
the Company dissolves and terminates pursuant to Article
XIII
shall be
allocated among the Members in a manner such that the Capital Account of
each
Member, immediately after giving effect to such allocation, is, as nearly
as
possible, equal (proportionately) to the amount of the distributions that
would
be made to such Member during such last Fiscal Year pursuant to Section
7.1.
At the
request of the A Manager, the B Manager shall apply the principles of this
Section
7.4(c)
to any
Fiscal Year preceding the Fiscal Year in which the Company dissolves and
terminates (including through application of Section 761(e) of the Code)
if
delaying application of the principles of this Section
7.4(c)
would
likely result in distributions under Article
XIII
that are
materially different from distributions under Section
7.1
in the
Fiscal Year in which the Company dissolves and terminates, provided
that the
terms of any application of such principles shall be approved by the A
Manager.
(d) Simulated
Basis, Simulated Depletion, and Simulated Loss.
The
Simulated Basis in each oil and gas property owned by the Company on the
date of
this Agreement and any Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss calculated with
respect thereto shall be allocated among the Members in proportion to their
Capital Percentages as in effect on the date of this Agreement, or in the
case
of properties acquired by the Company after the date of this Agreement, in
proportion to their Capital Percentages at the time of acquisition of such
property. For purposes of this Section
7.4(d),
“Capital
Percentage”
means
for each Member, a percentage of the Book Value of the oil and gas properties
owned by the Company equal to the percentage calculated by dividing such
Member’s Capital Contribution by the total Capital Contributions of all
Members.
15
(e) Allocations
in Special Circumstances.
The
following special allocations shall be made in the following order:
(i)
Member
Minimum Gain Chargeback.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this ARTICLE
VII,
if
there is a net decrease in Company minimum gain (as defined in Treasury
Regulations Section 1.704-2(b)(2) and (d)) during any Fiscal Year, the Members
shall be specially allocated items of Company income and gain for such Fiscal
Year (and, if necessary, subsequent Fiscal Years) in an amount equal to the
portion of such Member’s share of the net decrease in Company minimum gain,
determined in accordance with Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-2(f) and
(g).
This Section
7.3(c)(i)
is
intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in such section
of the Treasury Regulations and shall be interpreted consistently
therewith.
(ii) Minimum
Gain Chargeback.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this ARTICLE
VII,
if
there is a net decrease in Member nonrecourse debt minimum gain attributable
to
a Member nonrecourse debt (as defined in Treasury Regulations Section
1.704-2(i)) during any Fiscal Year, each Member shall be specially allocated
items of Company income and gain for such Fiscal Year (and, if necessary,
subsequent Fiscal Years) in an amount equal to the portion of such Member’s
share of the net decrease in Member nonrecourse debt minimum gain attributable
to such Member’s nonrecourse debt, determined in accordance with Treasury
Regulations Section 1.704-2(i). This Section
7.3(c)(ii)
is
intended to comply with the minimum gain chargeback requirement in such section
of the Treasury Regulations and shall be interpreted consistently
therewith.
(iii) Qualified
Income Offset.
In the
event any Member unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations, or
distributions described in Treasury Regulations Sections
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), (5) or (6), items of Company income and gain shall
be
specially allocated to each such Member in an amount and manner sufficient
to
eliminate, to the extent required by the Treasury Regulations, the deficit,
if
any, in such Member’s Capital Account (as determined under Treasury Regulations
Section 1.704-1 and after crediting such Capital Account for any amounts
that
such Member is obligated to restore or is deemed to restore pursuant to Treasury
Regulations Section 1.704-2) as quickly as possible; provided
that
an
allocation pursuant to this Section
7.3(f)(iii)
shall be
made only if and to the extent that such Member would have such Capital Account
deficit after all other allocations provided for in Section
7.3
have
been tentatively made as if this Section
7.3(f)(iii)
were not
in this Agreement. This Section
7.3(f)(iii)
is
intended to comply with the qualified income offset provisions in Treasury
Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently
therewith.
(iv) Gross
Income Allocation.
In the
event any Member has a deficit balance in such Member’s Capital Account (as
determined after crediting such Capital Account for any amounts that such
Member
is obligated to restore or is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to Treasury
Regulations Section 1.704-2), items of Company income and gain shall be
specially allocated to such Member in an amount and manner sufficient to
eliminate such deficit (as so determined) of such Member’s Capital Account as
quickly as possible; provided
that
an
allocation pursuant to this Section
7.4(f)(iv)
shall be
made only if and to the extent that such Member would have such Capital Account
deficit (as so determined) after all other allocations provided for in
Section
7.4
(other
than Section
7.4(f)(iii))
have
been tentatively made as if this Section
7.4(f)(iv)
were not
in this Agreement.
16
(v) Loss
Allocation Limitation.
No
allocation of Net Loss (or items thereof) Member shall be made to any Member
to
the extent that such allocation would create or increase a deficit in such
Member’s Capital Account (as determined after debiting such Capital Account for
the items described in Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4),(5)
and (6) and crediting such Capital Account for any amounts that such Member
is
obligated to restore or is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to Treasury
Regulations Section 1.704-2).
(f)
Transfer
of or Change in Interests.
The
Managers are authorized to adopt any convention or combination of conventions
likely to be upheld for federal income tax purposes regarding the allocation
and/or special allocation of items of Company income, gain, loss, deduction,
and
expense with respect to a newly issued Interest, a transferred Interest and
a
redeemed Interest. A transferee of an Interest in the Company shall succeed
to
the Capital Account of the transferor Member to the extent it relates to
the
transferred Interest.
(g) Syndication
and Organization Expenses.
Syndication and organization expenses (as defined in Section 709(a) of the
Code)
for any Fiscal Year shall be allocated to the Capital Accounts of the Members
so
that, as nearly as possible, the cumulative amount of such expenses allocated
with respect to such Member corresponds to the amount paid by such
Member.
7.5 Tax
Allocations.
(a) General
Rules.
Except
as otherwise provided in Section
7.5(b),
for
each fiscal period, items of Company income, gain, loss, deduction, and expense
shall be allocated, for federal, state, and local income tax purposes, among
the
Members in the same manner as the Net Income (and items thereof) or Net Loss
(and items thereof) of which such items are components were allocated pursuant
to Section
7.4.
(b) Section
613A(c)(7)(D) of the Code.
The
deduction for depletion with respect to each separate oil and gas property
(as
defined in Section 614 of the Code) shall in accordance with Section
613A(c)(7)(D) of the Code be computed separately by the Members rather than
the
Company. For such purpose, the adjusted tax basis of each such property shall
be
allocated among the Members in the same manner in which the Simulated Basis
of
such property is allocated. Each Member shall separately keep records of
its
share of the adjusted tax basis in each separate oil and gas property, adjust
such share of the adjusted tax basis for any cost or percentage depletion
allowable with respect to such property and use such adjusted tax basis in
the
computation of its cost depletion or in the computation of its gain or loss
on
the disposition of such property by the Company.
(c) Section
704(c) of the Code.
Income,
gains, losses, and deductions with respect to any property (other than cash)
contributed or deemed contributed to the capital of the Company shall, solely
for income tax purposes, be allocated among the Members so as to take account
of
any variation between the adjusted basis of such property to the Company
for
federal income tax purposes and its Fair Market Value at the time of the
contribution or deemed contribution in accordance with Section 704(c) of
the
Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder. Such allocations
shall
be made in such manner and utilizing such permissible tax elections as
determined in the discretion of the A Manager.
If
there
is a revaluation of Company property pursuant to the definition of Book Value,
subsequent allocations of income, gains, losses or deductions with respect
to
such property shall be allocated among the Members so as to take account
of any
variation between the adjusted tax basis of such property to the Company
for
federal income tax purposes and its Fair Market Value in accordance with
Section
704(c) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder. Such
allocations shall be made in such manner and utilizing such permissible tax
elections as determined in the discretion of the A Manager.
17
(d) Capital
Accounts Not Affected.
Allocations pursuant to this Section
7.5
are
solely for federal, state, and local tax purposes and shall not affect, or
in
any way be taken into account in computing, any Member’s Capital Account or
allocable share of Net Income (or items thereof) or Net Loss (or items
thereof).
(e) Tax
Allocations Binding.
The
Members acknowledge that they are aware of the tax consequences of the
allocations made by this Section
7.5
and
hereby agree to be bound by the provisions of this Section
7.5
in
reporting their respective shares of items of Company income, gain, loss,
deduction, and expense.
7.6 Determinations
under
Article VII.
All
matters concerning the computation of Capital Accounts, the allocation of
items
of Company income, gain, loss, deduction, and expense for all purposes of
this
Agreement and the adoption of any accounting procedures not expressly provided
for by the terms of this Agreement shall be determined by the B Manager and
subject to the approval of the A Manager, in the sole discretion of the A
Manager. Such determinations shall be final and conclusive as to all the
Members. Without in any way limiting the scope of the foregoing, if and to
the
extent that, for income tax purposes, any item of income, gain, loss, deduction,
or expense of any Member or the Company is constructively attributed to,
respectively, the Company or any Member, or any contribution to or distribution
by the Company or any payment by any Member or the Company is recharacterized,
the B Manager shall specially allocate items of Company income, gain, loss,
deduction, and expense and/or make correlative adjustments to the Capital
Accounts of the Members in a manner so that the net amount of income, gain,
loss, deduction, and expense realized by each relevant party (after taking
into
account such special allocations) and the net Capital Account balances of
the
Members (after taking into account such special allocations and adjustments)
shall, as nearly as possible, be equal, respectively, to the amount of income,
gain, loss, deduction, and expense that would have been realized by each
relevant party and the Capital Account balances of the Members that would
have
existed if such attribution and/or recharacterization and the application
of
this sentence of this Section
7.6
had not
occurred. Notwithstanding anything expressed or implied to the contrary in
this
Agreement, in the event the A Manager shall determine, in its discretion,
that
it is prudent for the B Manager to modify the manner in which the Capital
Accounts, or any debits or credits thereto, are computed in order to effectuate
the intended economic sharing arrangement of the Members, the B Manager shall
make such modification.
7.7 Restoration
of Negative Capital Accounts.
Except
as otherwise required by law, no Member shall have any obligation to the
Company
or the other Members or to any other Person, including creditors of the Company,
to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account.
7.8 Withholding.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the B Manager is
authorized to take any action that it determines to be necessary or appropriate
to cause the Company to comply with any foreign or United States federal,
state,
or local withholding or deduction, requirement with respect to any allocation,
payment, or distribution by the Company to any Member or other Person and
shall
inform the A Manager of such action. All amounts so withheld, and, in the
manner
determined by the B Manager in its discretion, amounts withheld with respect
to
any allocation, payment, or distribution by any Person to the Company, shall
be
treated as distributions to the applicable Members under the applicable
provisions of this Agreement. If any such withholding requirement with respect
to any Member exceeds the amount distributable to such Member under the
applicable provision of this Agreement, or if any such withholding requirement
was not satisfied with respect to any amount previously allocated or distributed
to such Member, such Member and any successor or assignee with respect to
such
Member’s Interest hereby indemnifies and agrees to hold harmless the Managers
and the Company for such excess amount or such withholding requirement, as
the
case may be.
18
7.9 Tax
Elections.
The A
Manager on behalf of the Company shall make the following
elections:
(a) to
elect
the accrual method of accounting;
(b) to
elect
to treat all organizational and start-up costs of the Company as deferred
expenses amortizable over 180 months under Code Section 709;
(c) the
calendar year as the Company’s fiscal year if permitted by applicable
law;
(d) in
accordance with Sections 734, 743, and 754 of the Code and applicable Treasury
Regulations and comparable state law provisions, to adjust basis in the event
any Interest, or any portion thereof, is transferred in accordance with this
Agreement or any Company property is distributed to any Member; and
(e) to
elect,
in accordance with Section 263(c) of the Code and applicable regulations
and
comparable state law provisions, to deduct as an expense all intangible drilling
and development costs with respect to productive and non-productive xxxxx
and
the preparation of xxxxx for the production of oil and gas.
In
addition, the B Manager, on behalf of the company, shall make any election
with
respect
to such other federal, state, and local tax matters as the A Manager shall
request, from time to time.
7.10
Tax
Matters Partner.
The B
Manager shall be designated the “Tax Matters Partner” under Code
Section 6231 and shall promptly notify the Members if any tax return or
report of the Company is audited or if any adjustments are proposed by any
governmental body. The B Manager shall not make any decision or take any
action
as Tax Matters Partner without the consent of the A Manager. In addition,
the B
Manager shall promptly furnish to the Members all notices concerning
administrative or judicial proceedings relating to federal income tax matters
as
required under the Code. During the pendency of any such administrative or
judicial proceeding, the B Manager shall furnish to the Members periodic
reports, not less often than monthly, concerning the status of any such
proceeding.
The B
Manager shall keep the A Manager informed of any such proceeding and shall
take
such action with respect thereto solely with the consent of the A Manager
and,
if requested by the A Manager, at the direction of the A Manager. The A Manager
shall be entitled to participate in any such proceedings.
ARTICLE
VIII
FEES
AND EXPENSES
8.1 Company
Expenses and Reimbursement.
(a) The
Company will bear all Company Expenses and shall reimburse the Members for
any
Company Expenses that they fund. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if a Member is reimbursed for any Company Expenses under an
Operating Agreement, the Services Agreement, or any other similar agreement
with
the Company, it may not again seek reimbursement under this Section 8.1
for such
expenses.
(b) Except
as
provided in the Services Agreement, if any Member, or any of its employees,
officers, or directors or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing receives
any
break-up fees, director’s fees, consulting or advisory fees, operating fees,
topping fees, commitment fees, success fees, development fees, or other fees
or
remuneration, in each case, related to the Project or the licensing, or other
fees related to any of the Company’s Intellectual Property Rights, such fees
shall be remitted to the Company, except to the extent otherwise agreed by
the
Managers.
19
ARTICLE
IX
CERTAIN
MEMBER
MATTERS
9.1 Rights
of the
Members.
In
addition to the other rights specifically set forth herein or by non-waivable
provisions of applicable law, each Member shall have the right to: (a) have
the Company books and records kept at the principal office of the Company
and at
all reasonable times to inspect any of them and (b) exercise all rights of
a member under the Act (except to the extent otherwise specifically provided
for
herein).
9.2 Limitations
on Members.
No
Member shall have the authority or power in its capacity as a Member to act
as
agent for or on behalf of the Company or any other Member, to do any act
which
would be binding on the Company or any other Member, or to incur any
expenditures on behalf of or with respect to the Company. No Manager shall
hold
out or represent to any third party that any Member has any such right or
power
in its capacity as a Member.
9.3 Liability
of Members.
No
Member shall be liable for the debts, liabilities, contracts, or other
obligations of the Company, and no Member shall be required to make any loans
to
the Company.
9.4 Agreements
of the Members.
Each
Member hereby agrees as follows:
(a) Further
Cooperation.
It will
promptly execute all certificates and other instruments as shall be reasonably
necessary for the Company to accomplish all filing, recording, publishing,
and
other acts appropriate to comply with all requirements for the formation
and
operation of a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware
and all other jurisdictions where the Company shall propose to conduct
business.
(b) Tax
Position.
It will
not adopt any position on its federal income tax returns as filed or amended
which relate to the Company, or on any request for administrative adjustment,
that is inconsistent with the Company’s Form 1065, Schedule K-1 as
filed with the Internal Revenue Service.
(c) Liens.
No
Member may, xxxxx x xxxx or otherwise pledge, hypothecate, or grant a security
interest or other encumbrance on any or all of its Interest.
9.5 Representations
and Warranties of all Members.
Each
Member represents and warrants to the Company and every other Member
that:
(a) If
it is
not a natural person, it is an entity duly formed, validly existing, and
(if
applicable) in good standing in the jurisdiction of its formation and has
all
power and authority to own its Interests and to enter into and perform its
obligations under this Agreement, and its execution, delivery, and performance
of this Agreement has been duly authorized by all necessary action of its
board
of directors or other governing authority and its equity owners to the extent
required.
(b) It
has
duly executed this Agreement, and this Agreement constitutes its valid and
binding obligation, enforceable in accordance with its terms.
(c) Its
execution and delivery of this Agreement and its performance of this Agreement
do not, and will not, (i) if it is not an individual, violate or conflict
with
any provision of its constituent documents, (ii) violate applicable law,
(iii)
result in a material violation or breach of, or constitute (with or without
due
notice or lapse of time or both) a default (or give rise to any right of
termination, cancellation, or acceleration) under, any note, bond, indenture,
lien, mortgage, lease, permit, guaranty, or other agreement, instrument,
or
obligation to which it or any of its Affiliates is a party or by which any
of
their respective properties may be bound, or (iv) require any material consent,
approval, authorization, or permission of, or filing with or notification
to,
any governmental authority or any other Person.
20
(d) It
is
acquiring its Interests solely for investment for its own account and not
for
distribution or sale to others in connection with any distribution or public
offering.
(e) It
understands and acknowledges that the Interests are being issued pursuant
to
exemptions from registration under the Securities Act and exemptions from
qualification under the securities laws of certain states for transactions
not
involving any public offering, and that the Company is relying on the
representations and warranties included herein.
(f)
It
understands that there will not be any public market for the Interests and
that
it must bear the economic risk of an investment in the Company for an indefinite
period of time because (i) its Interests have not been registered under the
Securities Act or any applicable state securities laws and (ii) it may Transfer,
in whole or in part, its Interests only in accordance with this Agreement
and
then only if its Interests are subsequently registered in accordance with
the
provisions of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, unless
registration is not required.
(g) It
understands that the Company is not obligated to register the Interests for
resale under the Securities Act or any applicable state securities
laws.
(h) It
is a
“qualified institutional buyer” within the meaning of rule 144A of the
Securities and Exchange Commission or an “accredited investor” within the
meaning of Regulation D of the Securities and Exchange Commission and is
able to
bear the economic risk of such an investment in the Company for an indefinite
period of time, and it has no need for liquidity of this investment, and
it
could bear a complete loss of this investment. If it is either a “qualified
purchaser” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940 or is an
entity formed and is being utilized primarily for the purpose of making an
investment in the Company, each of the shareholders, partners, members, or
other
holders of equity or beneficial interests in such member is such a qualified
purchaser.
(i)
It
has
the knowledge and sophistication to evaluate the risks of investing in the
Company. It has conducted its own investigation and due diligence into the
Company and is satisfied that its investment in the Company is appropriate.
It
understands and agrees that none of the other Members or their Affiliates,
or
the Company, has made or will make any representation or warranty with respect
to the worthiness, terms, value, or any other aspect of the Company or the
Interests, and it explicitly disclaims any warranty, express or implied,
with
respect to such matters. In addition, it specifically acknowledges, represents,
and warrants that, except to the extent set forth in this Agreement, it is
not
relying on any other Member or its Affiliates (i) for its investigation or
due
diligence concerning, or evaluation of, the Company or any related transaction
or (ii) with respect to tax and other economic considerations involved in
an
investment in the Company.
(j)
No
portion of the assets being used by it to purchase and hold its Interests
constitute assets of a plan within the meaning of Section 3(32) of Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
(k) No
broker, investment banker, financial advisor, or other Person is entitled
to any
broker’s, finder’s, financial advisor’s, or other similar fee or commission in
connection with the Company based upon arrangements made by or on behalf
of that
Member for which the Company, the other Members, or any of their respective
Affiliates may be liable.
21
(l)
It
has
been advised to consult with its attorney regarding all legal and other matters
concerning an investment in the Company, including the tax consequences of
participating in the Company, and such Member will look solely to, and rely
upon, its own advisors with respect to the legal, financial, and tax
consequences of this investment.
9.6 Additional
Representations and Warranties of the Class B Member.
The
Class B Member represents and warrants to the Company and the Class A Members
that:
(a) (i)
the
copies of documents and instruments that the Class B Member provided to the
Class A Members or their representatives prior to the date of this Agreement
relating to the Project and other activities of the Class B Member and the
Company conform to the originals and, in the case of agreements, include
all
amendments and modifications to them; and (ii) all other information that
the
Class B Member provided to the Class A Members or their representatives prior
to
the date of this Agreement relating to the Project and other activities of
the
Class B Member is true and correct in all material respects and, taken as
a
whole, does not omit any information required to make the factual statements
in
those materials not misleading in any material respect; provided,
however,
that
(A) in the case of projections, such projections were prepared in good faith
based on reasonable estimates and assumptions and (B) in the case of materials
furnished by third parties, the statement in this Section
9.6
is
correct to the best of the knowledge of the Class B Member and its Affiliates
after due inquiry.
(b) It
has
not breached, nor has it caused the Company to breach any provision of the
PSA
or any agreement attached to or incorporated into the PSA between the Execution
Date (as that term is defined in the PSA), and the date of this
Agreement.
(c) Since
the
Formation Date the Company has not conducted any business other than the
entering into the PSA and those agreements attached to or incorporated into
the
PSA.
9.7 Anti-Money
Laundering Provisions.
(a) Each
Member hereby agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to ensure
that:
(i)
none
of
the monies that such Member contributes to the Company shall be derived from,
or
related to, any activity that is deemed criminal under United States law;
and
(ii) no
contribution or payment by such Member to the Company, to the extent such
contribution or payment is within such Member’s control, shall cause the
Company, or the Members, or the Managers to be in violation of the United
States
Bank Secrecy Act, the United States Money Laundering Control Act of 1986,
or the
United States International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist
Financing Act of 2001, in each case, such statute as amended to date and
any
successor statute thereto and including all regulations promulgated thereunder
(the “Anti-Money
Laundering Laws”).
(b) Each
Member: (i) shall promptly notify the Managers if, to the knowledge of such
Member, such Member has made a contribution to the Company of money derived
from, or related to, any activity that is deemed criminal under United States
law or that could cause the Company or any Member to be in violation of the
Anti-Money Laundering Laws; (ii) shall provide the Managers, promptly upon
receipt of a Manager’s written request therefor, with any additional information
regarding such Member, but not its beneficial owner(s), that the Managers
reasonably deem necessary or advisable in order to determine or ensure
compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and administrative
pronouncements concerning money laundering and other criminal activities;
and
(iii) understands and agrees that if, at any time, such Member has made a
contribution to the Company of money derived from, or related to, any activity
that is deemed criminal under United States law or that could cause the Company
or any Member or its Affiliates to be in violation of the Anti-Money Laundering
Laws, or if otherwise required by any applicable law or regulation related
to
money laundering or other criminal activities, the Member may take appropriate
actions to ensure that the Company and the other Members and their Affiliates
are in compliance with all such applicable laws, regulations, and
pronouncements.
22
(c) Each
Member acknowledges and agrees that (i) the Company, with the approval of
the
Managers, may release confidential information regarding such Member to
governmental authorities if the Managers determine that releasing such
information is reasonably required in light of the Anti-Money Laundering
Laws,
and (ii) the Managers, without the consent of any Member and notwithstanding
any
other provision of this Agreement, may amend any provision of this Agreement
in
order to effectuate the intent of this Section
9.7(c),
provided
that the
Managers provide each Member with notice of such amendment.
ARTICLE
X
COVENANTS
10.1
Conduct
of Business.
During
the period from the date hereof to the Closing Date except (i) as contemplated
by this Agreement, (ii) as required by applicable law or the PSA, or (iii)
with
the consent of the A Manager, the B Manager shall conduct its business and
cause
the Company to conduct its business honestly, in good faith, in the best
interests of the Company, in compliance with the best practices customary
in the
industry and to use its commercially reasonable best efforts to preserve
intact
its business organizations and relationships with third parties and to keep
available the services of their present officers and employees. Without limiting
the generality of the foregoing, during the period from the date hereof to
the
Closing Date, the B Manager shall cause the Company not to:
(a) adopt
or
propose any change in its respective certificates of incorporation, bylaws,
or
other constitutional documents, except for changes which would not have an
adverse impact on the Class A Members or the Company;
(b) acquire,
sell, transfer, lease, or otherwise dispose of any assets of the
Company;
(c) make
any
material change in any financial reporting or accounting policy or accounting
practice regarding itself or the Company, other than such changes required
by
law or GAAP;
(d) incur,
except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices,
any
encumbrance on any assets of the Company;
(e) cause
the
Company to issue or sell any new debt securities, incur any long-term
indebtedness, or enter into any new credit facility;
(f)
merge
or
consolidate with any other Person or acquire any other Person or a business,
division, or product line of any other Person; or
(g) agree
or
commit to do any of the foregoing.
23
10.2
Notices.
The
Class B Member agrees to forward to the A Manager within two days of receipt
any
notice it receives between the date of this Agreement and the Closing Date
that
is related to the Project, the PSA, or any agreement attached to or incorporated
into the PSA.
10.3
Further
Assurances.
Each of
the Members agrees to use its reasonable best efforts before and after the
Closing Date to take or cause to be taken all action, to do or cause to be
done,
and to assist and cooperate with the other parties hereto in doing, all things
necessary, proper, or advisable under applicable laws to consummate and make
effective, in the most expeditious manner practicable, the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, including, but not limited to, (a) the
satisfaction of the conditions precedent to the obligations of any of the
parties hereto; and (b) the execution and delivery of such instruments, and
the
taking of such other actions, as the other parties hereto may reasonably
require
in order to carry out the intent of this Agreement.
ARTICLE
XI
TRANSFERS
OF INTERESTS AND WITHDRAWALS
11.1
General
Transfer Provisions.
(a) Class
A Member Transfer.
Any
Class A Member shall be entitled to transfer all or a portion of its Interests
in the Company at any time.
(b) Class
B Member Transfer.
The
Class B Member shall not be entitled to transfer its Interests in the Company
without the consent of the A Manager which consent may be withheld for any
reason whatsoever or for no reason.
(c) In
General.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, no Member may Transfer
in
any manner whatsoever all or any part of its Interest unless (i) such Member
has
fully complied with the provisions of this ARTICLE
XI
for the
Transfer, (ii) after giving effect thereto, such Transfer would not cause
the
Company to be classified as other than a partnership for U.S. federal income
tax
purposes, and (iii) such Transfer would not result in a violation of
applicable law, including U.S. federal or state securities laws, or any term
or
condition of this Agreement. Any purported Transfer by a Member or any Assignee
that is not in compliance with this Agreement is hereby declared to be null
and
void and of no force or effect whatsoever.
(d) Substitute
Members.
No
transferee of a Member’s Interest who is not already a Member shall become a
substitute member of the Company in place of the transferor unless and
until:
(i)
Such
Transfer is in compliance with the terms of this ARTICLE
XI;
(ii) the
transferee has executed an instrument in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to the A Manager accepting and adopting, and agreeing to be
bound
by, the terms and provisions of the Certificate and this Agreement;
and
(iii)
the
transferee has caused to be paid all reasonable expenses of the Company in
connection with the admission of the transferee as a substitute member of
the
Company.
Upon
satisfaction of all the foregoing conditions with respect to a particular
transferee, the Company shall cause its books and records to reflect the
admission of the transferee as a substitute member of the Company. If an
Interest is transferred to an existing Member, the Company will adjust its
books
and records to reflect the Interest so transferred.
24
(e) Effect
of Admission as a Substitute Member.
A
transferee who has become a substitute member of the Company has all the
rights,
powers, and benefits of, and is subject to the obligations, restrictions,
and
liabilities of the transferor Member under, the Certificate, this Agreement,
and
the Act. Upon admission of a transferee as a substitute member of the Company,
the transferor of the Interest so held by the substitute member of the Company
shall cease to be a Member of the Company; provided,
however,
that the
transferor of the Membership Interest shall continue to be bound by the
provisions of Section
6.3
for a
period of two years following such transfer.
(f)
Consent.
Each
Member hereby agrees that upon satisfaction of the terms and conditions of
Section
11.1(d)
with
respect to any proposed Transfer, the transferee may be admitted as a Member
without any further action by a Member hereunder.
(g) Additional
Members.
Any
Person acquiring Interests from the Company in accordance with the terms
of this
Agreement may become an additional member of the Company for such consideration
and on such terms, provided that such additional member of the Company complies
with all the requirements of a transferee under Section
11.1(d).
11.2
Tag-Along
Rights.
All
rights provided for in this Section 11.2 shall be subject to any rights granted
or established under the PSA and any agreements attached to or incorporated
into
the PSA.
(a) Rights
to Participate in Transfer.
If the
Class A Members (the “Transferring
Class A Members”)
propose to sell in one transaction or a series of related transactions, Class
A
Interests representing more than 50% of the then-outstanding Class A Interests,
other than any sale to an Affiliate of the Class A Members, and Section
11.3
of this
Agreement does not apply (such proposed sale herein referred to as a
“Tag-Along
Transfer”),
then
the Class B Member (the “Tag-Along
Member”)
shall
have the option to participate in such sale as set forth in this Section
11.2.
(b) In
the
event of a proposed Tag-Along Transfer:
(i)
The
Transferring Class A Members shall provide the Tag-Along Member with a written
notice of the terms and conditions of such proposed Tag-Along Transfer (
the
“Tag-Along
Notice”),
at
least ten (10) Business Days prior to the consummation of such proposed
Tag-Along Transfer and offer the Tag-Along Member the opportunity to participate
in such Tag-Along Transfer on the terms and conditions set forth in this
Section
11.2.
(ii) If
the
proposed purchaser is willing to increase its offer price to take into account
any Class B Interests proposed to be sold by the Tag-Along Member pursuant
to
this Section
11.2,
the
Tag-Along Member shall have the option to sell its Pro Rata Portion (as defined
below) of its Class B Interests at a price equal to the amount that would
be
distributed with respect to such Pro Rata Portion of its Class B Interests
upon
a hypothetical liquidation of the Company based on the valuation of the Company
implied by the consideration to be paid for such Class A Interests in such
Tag-Along Transfer (with respect to each Class B Interest, the “Class
B Purchase Price”)
and
otherwise on the same terms as the Class A Interest proposed to be sold by
the
Transferring Class A Members in such Tag-Along Transfer in accordance with
the
terms set forth in this Section
11.2.
The
“Pro-Rata
Portion”
of
the
Tag-Along Member’s Class B Interest shall be the percentage designated by
the Tag-Along Member; provided,
however,
in no
event shall the Pro-Rata Portion exceed the product of (x) such Tag-Along
Member’s Class B Interest and (y) a fraction, the numerator of which
is the percentage of Class A Interests proposed to be Transferred by the
Transferring Class A Members in such Tag-Along Transfer and the denominator
of which is the total percentage of Class A Interests beneficially owned by
the Transferring Class A Members immediately prior to Transferring such
Class A Interests.
25
(iii) If
the
proposed purchaser is not willing to increase its offer price to take into
account the additional Class B Interests it will also receive in such Tag-Along
Transfer, then each of the Transferring Class A Members and the Tag-Along
Member
shall receive that amount consisting of the product of (x) the amount the
proposed purchaser is willing to pay and (y) a fraction, the numerator of
which
is the amount each such Member would have received if the purchaser had
increased its offer price as contemplated in Section
11.2(b)(ii)
above
and the denominator of which is the aggregate amount that all the Members
would
have received if the purchaser had increased its offer price as contemplated
in
Section
11.2(b)(ii).
The
percentage of its Interests that each of the Transferring Class A Members
and
the Tag-Along Member sell will thus be proportionately reduced in accordance
with this Section
11.2(b)(iii)
such
that each will sell that percentage which is a fraction, the numerator of
which
is the amount such Member would have received under Section
11.2(b)(ii)
and the
denominator of which is the amount the proposed purchaser would pay under
Section
11.2(b)(ii).
(c) The
Tag-Along Notice shall identify the proposed transferee, the aggregate amount
of
all Class A Interests to be sold by the Transferring Class A Members
in the Tag-Along Transfer, the Pro Rata Portion of the Tag-Along Member’s
Class B Interest which such Tag-Along Member shall be entitled to Transfer
in such Tag-Along Transfer, the Class B Purchase Price, to whom the
Tag-Along Response Notice should be given, and all other material terms and
conditions of the proposed Tag-Along Transfer. From the date of the Tag-Along
Notice, the Tag-Along Member shall have the right (a “Tag-Along
Right”),
exercisable by written notice (the “Tag-Along
Response Notice”)
given
to the Person identified in the Tag-Along Notice within ten (10) Business
Days
from the date of the Tag-Along Notice (the “Tag-Along
Response Notice Period”),
to
request that the Transferring Class A Members participating in such
Tag-Along Transfer include in the proposed Transfer the Class B Interests
held by the Tag-Along Member (up to its Pro Rata Portion) as is specified
in
such Tag-Along Response Notice at the same price and on the same terms and
conditions set forth in the Tag Along Notice.
(d) Delivery
of a Tag-Along Response Notice by the Tag-Along Member to the Person identified
in the Tag-Along Notice pursuant to Section 11.2(b)
shall
constitute an irrevocable election by such Tag-Along Member to sell the
Interests beneficially owned by it as is specified in such Tag-Along Response
Notice in such Tag-Along Transfer. If, at the end of a one hundred and eighty
(180) day period after such delivery, the Tag-Along Transfer has not been
consummated on substantially the same terms and conditions set forth in the
Tag-Along Notice, all restrictions on Transfers of Interests contained in
this
Agreement or otherwise applicable at such time with respect to Interests
owned
by the Tag-Along Member shall continue to be in effect.
(e) If,
at
the termination of the Tag-Along Response Notice Period, the Tag-Along Member
shall not have exercised its Tag-Along Right by providing the Person identified
in the Tag-Along Notice with a Tag-Along Response Notice, the Tag-Along Member
shall be deemed to have waived its Tag-Along Right with respect to Transferring
its Interest pursuant to such Tag-Along Transfer.
(f)
The
Person identified in the Tag-Along Notice may sell, on behalf of the
Transferring Class A Members and the Tag-Along Member, if such Member
exercises its Tag-Along Right pursuant to this Section 11.2,
the
Interests entitled to be Transferred in the Tag-Along Transfer on the terms
and
conditions set forth in the Tag-Along Notice within ninety (90) days of the
date
on which Tag-Along Rights shall have been waived or exercised.
26
(g) The
Class
A Members shall not consummate any proposed Tag-Along Transfer without
compliance with this Section
11.2,
and the
Company shall not recognize or give effect to any purported Tag-Along Transfer
of any Interests not made in compliance with this Section
11.2.
(h) To
the
extent there is to be granted any indemnification or other post-closing
liability assumed in connection with a Tag-Along Transfer, the selling Members
shall do so severally and not jointly.
11.3 Drag-Along
Rights.
All
rights provided for in this Section 11.3 shall be subject to any rights granted
or established under the PSA and any agreements attached to or incorporated
into
the PSA.
(a) If
the
Class A Members propose to Transfer all of their Interests to any Person
and
intend to exercise their right under this Section
11.3
(the
“Drag-Along
Rights”)
to
include all Class B Interests in the Transfer (a “Drag-Along
Transfer”),
then
the Class A Members will promptly provide the Class B Member written notice
(a
“Drag-Along
Transfer Notice”)
of
such proposed Drag-Along Transfer (a “Proposed
Drag-Along Transfer”)
and
all of the terms of the Proposed Drag-Along Transfer as of the date of such
Drag-Along Transfer Notice. The Class A Members shall not consummate any
Proposed Drag-Along Transfer without compliance with this Section
11.3,
and the
Company shall not recognize or give effect to any purported Drag-Along Transfer
of any Interests not made in compliance with this Section
11.3.
(b) Interests
subject to a Drag-Along Transfer Notice will be included in a proposed
Drag-Along Transfer pursuant hereto on the same terms and subject to the
same
conditions applicable to the Interests which the Class A Members propose
to
Transfer in the proposed Drag-Along Transfer. Such terms and conditions shall
be
determined in the sole discretion of the Class A Members.
(c) The
proceeds of any sale pursuant to this Section
11.3
shall be
apportioned in accordance with Section
7.1.
(d) To
the
extent there is to be granted any indemnification or other post closing
liability assumed in connection with a Drag-Along Transfer, the selling Members
shall do so severally and not jointly.
11.4 Assignee’s
Rights.
(a) An
Assignee shall not be entitled to any of the rights (including voting rights)
granted to a Member hereunder or under the Act, other than the right to receive
the share of distributions and any other items attributable to a Member’s
Interest to which its assignor would otherwise be entitled.
(b) Any
Member that Transfers all of its Interest in compliance with the provisions
of
this Agreement shall cease to be a Member.
11.5 Withdrawal
by a
Member.
No
Member shall be entitled to (a) withdraw from the Company, except upon the
Transfer by the Member of all of its Interest and the substitution of that
Member’s assignee as a Member of the Company in accordance with this
ARTICLE
XI,
or
(b) the return of its Capital Contributions, except to the extent expressly
provided for in this Agreement.
11.6 Removal
of the Class B Member for Cause
or
Death, Disability, or Voluntary Termination.
(a) Removal
for Cause.
Subject
to the provisions hereof, the A Manager may remove the Class B Member for
Cause
at any time upon notice to the Class B Member or in the event of the Bankruptcy
of the Class B Member. The A Manager shall give written notice to the Class
B
Member of such removal. Upon the removal of the Class B Member as a Member
of
the Company, the Class B Member shall forfeit its Interest in the Company
without the payment of any consideration in respect thereof and shall be
entitled to no further distributions with respect to its Interest; provided,
however, if the Class B Member is removed for Cause as provided in Section
11.6(c)(i)(B),
the
Class B Member shall be entitled to a distribution equal to the amount it
would
have received if the A Manager had elected to make a distribution pursuant
to
Section
7.1
on the
date the Class A Member gave written notice of removal as provided in
this
Section 11.6(a).
Following removal for Cause as provided in this Section
11.6(a),
the
Class B Member shall have no further rights against the Company or any of
its
Members or Managers or any Affiliates of any of the foregoing.
27
(b) Removal
for Death, Disability. or Voluntary Termination.
Upon
the occurrence of Death, Disability, or Voluntary Termination, the A Manager
may
elect to reduce the Interest of the Class B Member in the Company upon notice
to
the Class B Member; provided, however, the A Manager shall discuss the
possibility of a suitable replacement for such Person with the Class B Member,
and the A Manager shall not unreasonably refuse such replacement. If the
A
Manager makes an election to reduce the Interest of the Class B Member, the
amounts distributable to the Class B Member pursuant to Section
7.1
shall be
reduced as set forth in Appendix A.
(c) “Cause”
and “Death, Disability, or Voluntary Termination” Defined.
As
used
in this Agreement, “Cause”
shall
mean the occurrence of any of the following by any of Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxx Xxxxx, or their replacements, the Class B Member, the B Manager
(as
long as the B Manager is Ignis or one of its Affiliates), any of their officers,
or any employee of or independent contractor/consultant to Ignis or any of
its
Affiliates whose aggregate cash and non-cash compensation from Ignis or any
of
its Affiliates exceeds $150,000 per year: (i) the conviction or the entry
of a
nolo contendere plea by any of the foregoing with respect to a felony, crime
of
moral turpitude, or a criminal violation of any federal, state, or foreign
securities laws; provided, however, that if such conviction or plea relates
to
activities that are unrelated to the Company or its business, such conviction
or
plea shall not constitute “Cause” unless the A Manager determines in good faith
that such conviction or the particular circumstances relating thereto could
reasonably be expected to result in (A) harm to the Company or the A Members
or
any of their Affiliates or (B) harm to the reputation of the Company or the
A
Members or any of their Affiliates or employees; (ii) the commission by any
of
the foregoing of fraud, bad faith, willful or intentional misconduct, or
gross
negligence in the performance of its duties and obligations hereunder (or,
in
the case of officers and directors, the duties and obligations of the Class
B
Member or the B Manager); (iii) a material breach by any of the foregoing
in the
performance or observation of any other material agreement, covenant, term,
condition, or obligation hereunder (except in the case of clauses (iv), (v),
(vi), and (vii) of Section
4.4(a),
which
shall require a willful and material breach of this Agreement); (iv) the
Transfer or attempted Transfer by the Class B Member of its Interest in
violation of this Agreement; (v) the termination of employment of Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxx
or, in the case of Xxxx Xxxxx, the independent contractor/consultant
relationship (unless replaced by an employment relationship) or employment
with
the Class B Member, other than as a result of Death, Disability, or Voluntary
Termination, or (vi) the termination of the independent contractor/consultant
relationship of Xxxx Xxxxxx (whether directly or through Lifestyles Integration,
Inc., (provided
that a
majority of the equity interests in Lifestyles Integration, Inc. are owned
by
Xxxx Xxxxxx and his spouse) unless replaced with an employment relationship)
or
employment with the Class B Member, other than as a result of Death, Disability,
or Voluntary Termination of Xxxx Xxxxxx. As used in this Agreement,
“Death,
Disability, or Voluntary Termination”
shall
mean (a) the occurrence of the death of Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxx Xxxxxx, or Xxxx
Xxxxx; (b) the termination of employment of Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx or, in the case
of
Xxxx Xxxxx, employment or the independent contractor/consultant relationship,
with the Class B Member (whether initiated by such Person or not) at a time
that
such Person is subject to a Disability (as defined herein); (c) the termination
of employment or the independent contractor/consultant relationship of Xxxx
Xxxxxx (whether directly or through Lifestyles Integration, Inc. (provided
that a
majority of the equity interests in Lifestyles Integration, Inc. are owned
by
Xxxx Xxxxxx and his spouse)) with the Class B Member (whether initiated by
such
Person or not) at a time that such Person is subject to a Disability; (d)
the
voluntary termination of employment of Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx or, in the case of
Xxxx
Xxxxx, the independent contractor/consultant relationship (unless replaced
by an
employment relationship) or employment with the Class B Member; or (e) the
voluntary termination of the independent contractor/consultant relationship
with
Xxxx Xxxxxx (whether directly or through Lifestyles Integration, Inc.,
(provided
that a
majority of the equity interests in Lifestyles Integration, Inc. are owned
by
Xxxx Xxxxxx and his spouse) unless replaced by an employment relationship)
or
employment with the Class B Member.
28
ARTICLE
XII
BOOKS,
RECORDS, REPORTS, BANK ACCOUNTS
12.1 Books
and Records.
Except
as may otherwise be required by this Agreement, the B Manager shall keep
books
of account in accordance with GAAP and in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement. Such books shall be maintained at the principal office of the
Company
and shall be maintained for review by the Members and their representatives
at
their respective expense during the term of the Company and for a period
of four
years thereafter. The calendar year shall be selected as the accounting year
of
the Company, and the books of account shall be maintained on an accrual basis.
Upon request, the B Manager shall supply to the Members information reasonably
requested regarding the Company or its activities. During ordinary business
hours, the Members and their authorized agents and representatives shall
have
reasonable access to all books, records, and materials in the Company’s offices
regarding the Company and its activities.
12.2 Reports
and Opinions.
The B
Manager shall deliver to the Members, the following financial statements,
reports, legal opinions, and other information at the times indicated
below:
(a) Accounting
Reports.
(i)
Unless
otherwise directed by the A Manager, within 120 days after the end of each
Fiscal Year, the B Manager shall cause the Company’s independent certified
public accountants to prepare and deliver to each Member an audited financial
report for such Fiscal Year, prepared in accordance with GAAP, setting forth:
(A) a statement of assets, liabilities, and members’ equity of the Company
as of the end of such Fiscal Year, (B) a statement of earnings for such
Fiscal Year; and (C) a statement of cash flows for such Fiscal Year, and
any other information which the Class B Manager shall deem necessary, desirable,
or appropriate, together with a statement of each Member’s Capital Account. The
independent certified public accountants for the Company shall be a firm
of
independent certified public accountants selected by the A Manager.
(ii) Unless
otherwise directed by the A Manager, within 45 days after the end of each
of the
Company’s Fiscal Quarters in each Fiscal Year, the B Manager shall cause to be
prepared and delivered to each Member an unaudited financial report for such
Fiscal Quarter, prepared in accordance with GAAP, setting forth: (A) a
statement of assets, liabilities, and members’ equity of the Company as of the
end of such Fiscal Quarter, (B) a statement of earnings for such Fiscal
Quarter, and (C) a statement of cash flows for such Fiscal Quarter,
together with a statement of each Member’s Capital Account.
(b) Other
Reports and Opinions.
(i)
Annual
tax reporting information, as set forth in Section 12.3.
29
(ii) Unless
otherwise directed by the A Manager, within 5 Business Days following receipt
of
WBO’s monthly accounting under the Operating Agreements, the B Manager shall
cause to be prepared and delivered to each Member a report for such month,
setting forth: (A) a statement of cash flows for such month, together with
a
statement of each Member’s Capital Account, (B) a description of any deviations
or variation of the monthly activity from the Plan or the budget for such
month,
(C) a description of any unanticipated developments for such month, (D) any
other material information, and (E) any other information requested by the
A
Manager.
(iii) Such
other reports and financial statements as the A Manager may require from
time to
time.
12.3 Tax
Returns; Tax Matters Partner.
The
Class B Manager shall cause to be prepared and shall timely file all federal,
state, and local income and other tax returns and reports as may be required
as
a result of the business of the Company. The B Manager shall use its
commercially reasonable efforts to (a) provide the Members a good faith
estimate of the Members’ allocable shares of taxable income, loss, gain, and
credits on or before April 1 of each year, (b) provide to each Member
a copy of the federal income tax return it intends to file on or before
June 15 of each year, and (c) furnish to each Member its
Schedule K-1 to Form 1065 on or before June 15 of each year, and
(d) file the Company’s federal income tax return on or before June 15
of each year; provided,
however,
in no
event shall the B Manager deliver the information set forth in this
Section 12.3
later
than August 1 of each year.
12.4 Bank
Accounts.
The B
Manager shall maintain one or more accounts in the name of the Company in
one or
more banks, which accounts shall be used for the payment of expenditures
incurred by the Company in connection with the business of the Company and
in
which shall be deposited any and all receipts of the Company. All amounts
shall
be and shall remain the property of the Company and shall be received, held,
and
disbursed by the B Manager only for the purposes specified in this Agreement.
The A Manager shall receive copies of any statements received by the Company
with respect to any accounts maintained by the Company. There shall not be
deposited in any of such accounts any funds other than funds belonging to
the
Company, and no other funds shall in any way be commingled with such
funds.
ARTICLE
XIII
DISSOLUTION,
LIQUIDATION, AND TERMINATION
13.1 Dissolution.
The
Company shall be dissolved upon the occurrence of any of the following (each,
an
“Event
of Dissolution”):
(a) determination
by the Class A Members to dissolve the Company;
(b) the
sale
or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s
assets
unless
otherwise determined by the A Manager; or
(c) the
entry
of a judicial order dissolving the Company.
13.2 Winding-Up.
Upon
the occurrence of an Event of Dissolution, the Company shall be dissolved
and
wound-up. In connection with the dissolution and winding-up of the Company,
a
liquidator or other representative (the “Liquidation
Representative”)
appointed by the Managers shall proceed with the sale or liquidation of all
of
the assets of the Company (including the conversion to cash or cash equivalents
of its notes or accounts receivable) and shall apply and distribute the proceeds
of such sale or liquidation in the following order of priority, unless otherwise
required by mandatory provisions of applicable law:
30
(a) first,
to pay
(or to make provision for payment) in satisfaction of all obligations of
the
Company for all expenses of such liquidation;
(b) second,
to pay
(or to make provision for the payment of) all creditors of the Company
(including Members who are creditors of the Company) in the order of priority
provided by law or otherwise, in satisfaction of all debts, liabilities,
or
obligations of the Company due such creditors;
(c) third,
to the
establishment of any reserve which the Liquidation Representative may deem
reasonably necessary for any contingent or unforeseen liabilities or obligations
of the Company (such reserve may be paid over by the Liquidation Representative
to an escrow agent acceptable to the Liquidation Representative, to be held
for
disbursement in payment of any of the aforementioned liabilities and, at
the
expiration of such period as shall be deemed advisable by the Liquidation
Representative for distribution of the balance in the manner hereinafter
provided in this Section
13.2);
and
(d) fourth,
after
the payment (or the provision for payment) of all debts, liabilities, and
obligations of the Company in accordance with each of the clauses above,
to the
Members or their legal representatives in accordance with the positive balances
in their respective Capital Accounts, after taking into account all adjustments
to Capital Accounts for all periods, no later than the end of the Fiscal
Year in
which the Event of Dissolution occurs or, if later, within ninety (90) days
after the date of the liquidation of the Company.
13.3 Distributions
in Cash or in Kind or a Winding-Up.
Upon
dissolution, the Liquidation Representative may in its sole and absolute
discretion (a) liquidate all or a portion of the Company assets and apply
the
proceeds of such liquidation in the manner set forth in Section 13.2 and/or
(b)
hire independent appraisers to appraise the value of Company assets not sold
or
otherwise disposed of (the cost of such appraisal to be considered a Company
Expense) or determine the Book Value of such assets, and allocate any unrealized
gain or loss determined by such appraisal to the Members respective Capital
Accounts as though the properties in question had been sold on the date of
distribution and, after giving effect to any such adjustment, distribute
said
assets in the manner set forth in Section 13.2; provided
that the
Liquidation Representative shall in good faith attempt to liquidate sufficient
Company assets to satisfy in cash the debts and liabilities described in
Section
13.2.
If
a
Member shall, upon the advice of counsel, determine that there is a reasonable
likelihood that any distribution in kind of an asset would cause such Member
to
be in violation of any law, regulation, or order, such Member and the
Liquidation Representative shall each use its reasonable best efforts to
make
alternative arrangements for the sale or transfer into an escrow account
of any
such distribution on mutually agreeable terms.
13.4 Time
for Liquidation.
A
reasonable amount of time shall be allowed for the orderly liquidation of
the
assets of the Company and the discharge of liabilities to creditors so as
to
enable the Liquidation Representative to minimize the losses attendant upon
such
liquidation.
13.5 Cancellation
of Certificate.
Upon the
completion of the distribution of Company assets as provided herein, the
Company
shall be terminated, and the Liquidation Representative (or the Members if
necessary) shall cause the cancellation of the Certificate of the Company
and
shall take such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the
Company.
31
ARTICLE
XIV
RIGHTS
OF FIRST OFFER
Subject
to any prior obligations of the Class B Member to Cornell Capital Partners,
LP,
for two years following the date of this Agreement, the Class B Member and
its
Affiliates shall not sell any Security or enter into any financing arrangement,
whether it be for debt or equity (including, without limitation, any hybrid
or
derivative of either debt or equity), without first submitting a written
offer
of such Security or financing arrangement to Silver Point. If Silver Point
declines such offer in writing, the Class B Member and/or its Affiliates,
as the
case may be, may enter into such sale of Securities or financing arrangement
if,
but only if, on terms no less favorable to the Class B Member than the terms
declined by Silver Point.
ARTICLE
XV
AMI
ACTIVITIES
15.1 Acreage
Purchase Limitation.
The
Class B Member shall not, and it shall cause each of its Affiliates not to,
directly or indirectly, engage in or become Financially Interested in any
Person
that engages directly or indirectly in a Restricted Business in the portion
of
the AMI defined in the Operating Agreement attached to the PSA (the
“AMI”)
until
the Company has satisfied all additional acreage purchase obligations under
the
PSA.
15.2 AMI
Right of First Offer.
After
the Company has satisfied all additional acreage purchase obligations under
the
PSA, the Class B Member shall not, and it shall cause each of its Affiliates
not
to, directly or indirectly, engage in or become Financially Interested in
any
Person that engages directly or indirectly in a Restricted Business in the
AMI,
unless the Class B Member first notifies the A Manager in writing of such
opportunity and offers (or causes such Affiliate to offer) the Company in
writing such opportunity to engage in or become Financially Interested in
such
Restricted Business on the terms and conditions available to the Class B
Member.
15.3 Pursuit
of Opportunity.
As soon
as practicable, but in any event, within 15 days after receipt of such
notification pursuant to Section 15.2, the A Manager shall notify the Class
B
Member that either (a) the A Manager has determined to cause the Company to
pursue such opportunity or (b) the A Manager has determined not to cause
the
Company to pursue such opportunity. If the A Manager notifies the Class B
Member
that it has determined not to cause the Company to pursue such opportunity,
or
if having provided the notice contemplated in clause (a) of the preceding
sentence, the Company ceases to actively pursue such opportunity, the Class
B
Member or its Affiliate shall be free to engage in such Restricted Business
or
become Financially Interested in such Person, provided,
however,
that
during the 18-month period after the Company has satisfied all additional
acreage purchase obligations under the PSA, the Class B Member shall not,
and it
shall cause each of its Affiliates not to, directly or indirectly, engage
in
such Restricted Business or become Financially Interested in such Person
unless
the A Manager and the Class B Member reach a mutually acceptable agreement
that
would protect the interests of the Company and enable the Class B Member
or its
Affiliate to pursue such opportunity independently or in concert with others
without adversely affecting the Company (in the judgment of the A Manager),
provided
that in
no event shall the A Manager be required to consent to the Class B Member
or its
Affiliate pursuing such opportunity. If the A Manager determines to cause
the
Company to pursue any opportunity offered to the Company pursuant to Section
15.2, the Class B Member shall have the right to co-invest up to 50% of the
aggregate capital necessary for all such opportunities and any related drilling
and development costs associated with all such opportunities up to an aggregate
cap of $10,000,000 on terms to be agreed upon between the A Manager and the
Class B Member.
32
15.4 Reimbursement
of Expenses.
The
Class B Member may seek reimbursement from the A Manager for any origination
expenses or due diligence expenses incurred in the furtherance of any additional
acreage purchases pursuant to Section 15.2; provided
that
such reimbursement shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
ARTICLE
XVI
MISCELLANEOUS
16.1 Notices.
All
notices, elections, demands, or other communications required or permitted
to be
made or given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be
considered as properly given or made if given by (a) personal delivery,
(b) overnight delivery service with proof of delivery, (c) facsimile
(provided
that
such facsimile is confirmed), or (d) electronic transmission if
acknowledgement thereof is received by the sender. When in this Agreement
it is
provided that a time period shall commence when a notice is received, such
time
period shall commence (x) upon actual receipt by the addressee if by
personal delivery or overnight delivery service, (y) at the time of the
confirmation of receipt, if by facsimile, or (z) upon telephone
confirmation by the sender that an addressee has received an electronic
transmission. Each Member’s address for notices and other communications
hereunder shall be that set forth opposite such Member’s signature hereto. A
Member may change its address by giving notice in writing to the other Members
of its new address.
16.2 Amendments. Except
as
otherwise provided herein, this Agreement may be amended, or any provision
hereof waived, only with the written consent of each Member.
16.3 Entire
Agreement.
This
Agreement constitutes the complete and exclusive statement of the agreement
between and among the Members and replaces and supersedes all prior agreements.
Except as otherwise provided herein, this Agreement supersedes all written
and
oral statements, and no representation, statement, condition, or warranty
not
contained in this Agreement shall be binding on the Members or have any force
or
effect whatsoever. No Member has rendered any services to or on behalf of
any
other Member or the Company, and no Member shall have any rights with respect
to
any services that might be alleged to have been rendered prior to the date
hereof.
16.4 No
Waiver.
The
failure of any Member to insist upon strict performance of a covenant hereunder
or of any obligation hereunder, irrespective of the length of time for which
such failure continues, shall not be a waiver of that Member’s right to demand
strict compliance in the future. No consent or waiver, express or implied,
to or
of any breach or default in the performance of any obligation hereunder shall
constitute a consent or waiver to or of any other breach or default in the
performance of the same or any other obligation hereunder.
16.5 Applicable
Law; Submission to Jurisdiction.
THIS
AGREEMENT AND THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER SHALL BE
GOVERNED BY AND INTERPRETED, CONSTRUED, AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
LAWS
OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ITS CONFLICT OF LAWS RULES.
EACH
MEMBER IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS AND AGREES THAT (a)
ANY
ACTION BROUGHT TO COMPEL ARBITRATION OR IN AID OF ARBITRATION IN ACCORDANCE
WITH
THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, (b)
ANY
ACTION CONFIRMING AND ENTERING JUDGMENT UPON ANY ARBITRATION AWARD, AND
(c)
ANY
ACTION FOR TEMPORARY INJUNCTIVE RELIEF TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO OR PREVENT
IRREPARABLE HARM, MAY BE BROUGHT IN THE STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS OF THE STATE
OF
DELAWARE, AND, BY EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF THIS AGREEMENT, EACH MEMBER HEREBY
SUBMITS TO AND ACCEPTS FOR ITSELF AND IN RESPECT OF ITS PROPERTY, GENERALLY
AND
UNCONDITIONALLY, THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE AFORESAID COURTS AND
APPELLATE COURTS THEREOF. EACH MEMBER FURTHER IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS TO THE
SERVICE OF PROCESS OUT OF ANY OF THE AFOREMENTIONED COURTS IN ANY SUCH ACTION
OR
PROCEEDING BY THE MAILING OF COPIES THEREOF BY CERTIFIED OR REGISTERED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED OR BY RECEIPTED COURIER SERVICE IN THE MANNER SET
FORTH
IN SECTION 16.1
33
16.6 Successors
and Assigns.
Except
as otherwise provided herein, this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure
to
the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and
assigns.
16.7 Exhibits,
etc.
All of
Exhibits, Schedules, Annexes, and Appendices attached hereto are incorporated
herein by reference and made a part hereof for all purposes, and references
to
this Agreement shall also include such Exhibits unless the context in which
used
shall otherwise require.
16.8 Survival
of Representations and Warranties.
All
representations, warranties, and covenants made by any party to this Agreement
or any other document contemplated thereby or hereby shall be considered
to have
been relied upon by the other parties hereto and shall survive the execution
and
delivery of this
Agreement or such other document, regardless of any investigation made by
or on
behalf of any such party.
16.9 No
Third-Party Benefit.
Except
for the rights of the Covered Persons provided in this Agreement, nothing
in
this Agreement, either express or implied, is intended to or shall confer
upon
any Person other than the parties hereto, and their respective successors
and
permitted assigns, any rights, benefits, or remedies of any nature whatsoever
under or by reason of this Agreement.
16.10
Filings.
Prior to
conducting any business in any jurisdiction, the Class B Manager shall to
the
full extent necessary to establish limited liability for the Members under
the
laws of such jurisdiction and otherwise to comply with the laws of that
jurisdiction, cause the Company to comply with all requirements for the
registration or qualification of the Company to conduct business as a limited
liability Company in that jurisdiction. Thereafter, the Class B Manager shall
cause the Company to continue to comply with all such requirements and all
other
requirements necessary to maintain the limited liability of the Members in
each
jurisdiction where the Company does business.
16.11
WAIVER
OF TRIAL BY JURY.
EACH
PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ALL RIGHT OF TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY
ACTION,
PROCEEDING, OR COUNTERCLAIM, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT
OR ANY MATTER ARISING HEREUNDER.
16.12
Arbitration
of Disputes.
(a) Requirement
to Arbitrate. Any disagreement, dispute, controversy, or claim arising out
of or relating to this Agreement or the interpretation of any terms provided
herein or any arrangements relating hereto or contemplated herein or the
breach,
termination, or invalidity of any provision herein shall be settled exclusively
and finally by arbitration. It is specifically understood and agreed that
any
disagreement, dispute, or controversy which cannot be resolved between the
parties, including, without limitation, any matter relating to the
interpretation of this Agreement, shall be arbitrated irrespective of the
magnitude or the amount in controversy thereof or whether such disagreement,
dispute, or controversy would otherwise be considered justifiable or ripe
for
resolution.
34
(b) Arbitration
Rules.
The
arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration
Rules (the “Arbitration
Rules”)
of the
American Arbitration Association (the “AAA”),
except as those Arbitration Rules conflict with the provisions of this
Section 16.12,
in
which event the provisions of this section shall control.
(c) The
Arbitrators.
(i)
The
arbitration shall be conducted before a tribunal composed of
three arbitrators.
(ii) Each
party to the dispute shall appoint an arbitrator, obtain its appointee’s
acceptance of such appointment, and deliver written notification of such
appointment and acceptance to the other party within 30 days after delivery
of
the response (as defined in and in accordance with the Arbitration
Rules).
(iii) The
two arbitrators appointed by the parties shall jointly appoint the third
arbitrator, obtain the appointee’s acceptance of such appointment, and notify
the parties in writing of such appointment and acceptance within 30 days
after
their appointment and acceptance. The third arbitrator shall serve as the
chairperson of the tribunal.
(iv) If
the
appointment and acceptance of any appointed arbitrator appointed by a party
or
the chairperson are not timely effected, then, upon the joint request of
the
parties or the request of either of them, the AAA shall appoint the arbitrator
or the chairperson, as the case may be, and obtain acceptance of such
appointment.
(v) Each
arbitrator appointed pursuant to Section
16.12(c)(ii)
shall be
admitted either to the Bar of the State of New York or the Bar of the State
of
Texas and shall have been a partner of either a Texas-headquartered law firm
with at least 500 lawyers or a New York-headquartered law firm with at least
500
lawyers and shall have expertise in the field of corporate transactions
(including mergers and acquisitions and investment funds); provided,
however,
such
arbitrator shall not have been a partner at Akin Gump Xxxxxxx Xxxxx & Xxxx
LLP. The third arbitrator, who shall serve as the chairperson of the tribunal
pursuant to Section
16.12(c)(iii),
shall
be admitted to the Bar of the State of Delaware and shall have been a partner
at
a nationally recognized Delaware law firm and shall have expertise in the
field
of corporate transactions (including mergers and acquisitions and investment
funds).
(vi) The
parties intend that each of the arbitrators be independent and impartial.
To
this end, each arbitrator shall disclose to the parties and to the other
members
of the tribunal, any professional, familial, or social relationships, present
or
past, with any party or counsel. In the event that either party believes
that
any arbitrator is not independent and impartial, such party may apply for
the
removal of such arbitrator. Such application shall be made (a) if the arbitrator
being challenged is the chairperson or if no chairperson is then in office,
to
the AAA, and (b) in any other case, to the chairperson. The AAA or the
chairperson, as the case may be, shall reach and render a decision in writing
regarding such application, which decision shall be final. If such decision
includes a finding that the challenged arbitrator is not independent and
impartial, such arbitrator shall automatically be removed from the tribunal.
The
vacancy arising from such removal shall be filled by the party who was
originally entitled to appoint such arbitrator or, in the case of the
chairperson, by the other arbitrators (or if they are unable to agree, by
the
President of the AAA).
35
(d) Fees
and Expenses of Arbitration, Including Attorney̓
s
Fees.
Each
party shall bear its own attorney’s fees and expenses.
(e) Limitation
on Award.
The
arbitrators shall not be permitted to award punitive damages.
(f)
Location
of Arbitration.
The
arbitration shall be conducted in Wilmington, Delaware or in such other city
in
the United States of America as the parties to the dispute may designate
by
mutual written consent.
(g) Evidentiary
Matters.
At any
oral hearing of evidence in connection with the arbitration, each party thereto
or its legal counsel shall have the right to examine its witnesses and to
cross-examine the witnesses of any opposing party. No evidence of any witness
shall be presented in any form unless the opposing party or parties shall
have
the opportunity to cross-examine such witness, except as the parties to the
dispute otherwise agree in writing or except under extraordinary circumstances
where the interests of justice require a different procedure. The question
of
whether the interests of justice so require shall be determined by the
arbitrators.
(h) Finality
of Award.
Any
decision or award of the arbitral tribunal shall be final and binding upon
the
parties to the arbitration proceeding. The parties hereto hereby waive to
the
extent permitted by law any rights to appeal or to seek review of such award
by
any court or tribunal. The parties also agree that judgment upon such award
may
be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
16.13
Remedies.
Any
remedies provided for in this Agreement shall be cumulative in nature and
shall
be in addition to any other remedies whatsoever (whether by operation of
law,
equity, contract, or otherwise) which any party may otherwise have.
16.14
Use
of
Silver Point Name.
Without
the prior written consent of the A Manager, which consent may be withheld
in its
sole discretion, none of the other Members or their respective Affiliates
will
use or otherwise disclose (whether orally or in writing) the name “Silver Point”
or any variation thereof. For the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing shall
not
restrict use of the name “Silver Point” that is required to be disclosed by
applicable law, regulatory body, legal process, or court order, provided
the
party proposing such disclosure gives the A Manager notice of any such required
disclosure and a reasonable opportunity to contest the requirement for
disclosure.
16.15
Severability.
In case
any one or more of the provisions contained herein for any reason shall be
held
to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity,
illegality, or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision of this
Agreement, but this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal,
or
unenforceable provision or provisions had never been contained
herein.
16.16
Press
Releases.
The
Class B Member may not make any public announcements regarding this Agreement
or
the Company or its business to the financial community, the press, or the
general public, except as required by applicable law; provided,
however,
the
Class B Member may consult with and obtain prior approval of the A Manager,
which approval, if given, shall be provided in a timely manner, before
issuing such a press release or other public announcement with respect to
this
Agreement and may issue a press release or make a public announcement following
such consultation and approval.
The
Class A Members may, at any time, make any public announcement regarding
this
Agreement or the Company or its business to the financial community, the
press,
or the general public; provided
it shall
consult with the Class B Member prior to such announcement.
36
Remainder
of Page Intentionally Left Blank.
Signature
Page Follows.
37
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF,
the
undersigned have executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above
written.
CLASS
A MEMBERS:
|
|||||
SPC
IGNIS INC.
|
|||||
A
Delaware corporation
|
|||||
By:
|
SP
Ignis Offshore, Ltd.
|
||||
By:
|
|||||
Name:
|
|||||
Title:
|
|||||
ADDRESS
FOR NOTICE PURPOSES:
|
|||||
x/x
Xxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, X.X.
|
|||||
0
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
|
|||||
Xxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
|
|||||
SPC
IGNIS (ONSHORE) LLC
|
|||||
A
Delaware limited liability company
|
|||||
By:
|
|||||
Name:
|
|||||
Title:
|
|||||
ADDRESS
FOR NOTICE PURPOSES:
|
|||||
x/x
Xxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, X.X.
|
|||||
0
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
|
|||||
Xxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
|
|||||
SPC
IGNIS (FINANCE) LLC
|
|||||
A
Delaware limited liability company
|
|||||
By:
|
|||||
Name:
|
|||||
Title:
|
|||||
ADDRESS
FOR NOTICE PURPOSES:
|
|||||
x/x
Xxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, X.X.
|
|||||
0
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
|
|||||
Xxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
|
CLASS
B MEMBER:
|
|||||
By:
|
|||||
Name:
|
|||||
Title:
|
|||||
ADDRESS
FOR NOTICE PURPOSES:
|
|||||
000
Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, 0xx
Xxxxx
|
|||||
Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx 00000
|
|||||
Attn:
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, President
|
EXHIBIT
A
Defined
Terms
“AAA”
means
the American Arbitration Association.
“Act”
means
the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, as amended from time to time,
or any
successor statute or statutes thereto.
“Affiliate”
means,
with respect to any Person, (a) any Person directly or indirectly owning,
controlling, or holding with power to vote 10% or more of the outstanding
voting
securities of that Person, (b) any Person 10% or more of whose outstanding
voting securities are directly or indirectly owned, controlled, or held with
power to vote by that Person, (c) any Person directly or indirectly
controlling, controlled by, or under common control with that Person, and
(d)
any officer, director, partner, member, or manager of any Person described
in
subsections (a),
(b),
or
(c)
of this
paragraph, and the term “control” shall mean the possession, directly or
indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management,
activities, or policies of any Person whether through the ownership of voting
securities, by contract, employment, or otherwise.
“Aggregate
Capital Contribution”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
5.1(a).
“Agreement”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“A
Manager”
means
Silver point Capital, L.P. or, in the event of the resignation of Silver
Point
Capital, L.P., a Person selected by a majority of the Class A
Members.
“Anti-Money
Laundering Laws”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
9.7.
“Arbitration
Rules”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
16.12.
“Assignee”
means
the transferee of all or any portion of a Member’s Interest.
“Bankruptcy”
means,
for any Member, the taking by such Member or the acquiescing by such Member
in
the taking of an action seeking relief under, or advantage of, an applicable
debtor relief, liquidation, receivership, conservatorship, bankruptcy,
moratorium, rearrangement, insolvency, reorganization, or similar law affecting
the rights or remedies of creditors generally, as in effect from time to
time.
“Bankruptcy
Code”
means
Title 11 of the United States Code entitled “Bankruptcy,” as the same may be
hereafter amended from time to time, and any successor statute or statutes
thereto.
“B
Manager”
means
the Class B Member.
“Book
Value”
means
with respect to any Company asset, the asset’s adjusted basis for federal income
tax purposes, except that the Book Values of all Company assets shall be
adjusted to equal their respective Fair Market Values, in accordance with
the
rules set forth in Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f) of the Treasury Regulations,
except as otherwise provided herein, immediately prior to: (a) the date of
the
acquisition of any additional Interest by any new or existing Member in exchange
for more than a de minimis Capital Contribution; (b) the date of the actual
distribution of more than a de minimis amount of Company property (other
than a
pro rata distribution) to a Member; or (c) the date of the actual liquidation
of
the Company within the meaning of Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) of the Treasury
Regulations; provided
that
adjustments pursuant to clauses (a) and (b) above shall be made only if the
A
Manager determines in its sole discretion that such adjustments are necessary
or
appropriate to reflect the relative economic interests of the Members. The
Book
Value of any Company asset distributed to any Member shall be adjusted
immediately prior to such distribution to equal its Fair Market
Value.
A-1
“Business
Day”
means
a
day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or a day on which banks in New York,
New
York are authorized or required by law to close.
“Capital
Account”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
7.3.
“Capital
Contributions”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
5.1(a).
“Capital
Percentage”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
7.4(d).
“Cause”
has
the
meaning provided in Section 11.6(c).
“Claim”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
4.6(b)(i).
“Class
A Interest”
means
the Interest of the Class A Members.
“Class
A Member”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“Class
B Interest”
means
the Interest of the Class B Member.
“Class
B Improvements”
means
all forms of Intellectual Property Rights that originate with or are acquired
by
the Class B Member (or its Affiliates) (whether directly or pursuant to cost
sharing or other similar agreements or arrangements) based upon, derived
from,
guided by, selected using, tested with, using, employing, including, practicing,
exploiting, enabled by or otherwise relating to, in any manner whatsoever,
the
Technology.
“Class
B Member”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“Class
B Purchase Price”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.2(b)(ii).
“Closing
Date”
means
the Closing Date as that term is defined in the PSA.
“Code”
means
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and any successor statute or
statutes.
“Commitment”
means,
with respect to each Member, the amount set forth opposite such Member’s name on
Exhibit
B
in the
column entitled “Commitment.”
“Company”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction.
“Company
Expenses”
means
all bona
fide
costs
and expenses relating to the Company’s activities, to the extent included in the
approved Plan, including (a) reasonable Organizational Expenses of the
Company and reasonable legal, auditing, consulting, and accounting expenses
associated with the preparation of and amendments to this Agreement, the
Company’s financial statements, reports to Members, tax returns, and IRS Form
K-1s; (b) meetings of the Members; (c) reasonable expenses of the
Managers; (d) premiums for liability insurance to protect the Company, the
Managers, and the Members, and in each case, any of their respective partners,
members, managers, stockholders, officers, directors, employees, agents,
or
Affiliates in connection with activities of the Company; (e) reasonable
expenses associated with the management or operation of the Project, including
those incurred or payable under the PSA or the Operating Agreements;
(f) any taxes and other governmental charges, fees, and duties payable by
the Company; (g) all reasonable expenses incurred in connection with any
litigation, claim, arbitration, or other proceeding involving the Company
(including the cost of any investigation and preparation) and the amount
of any
judgment or settlement paid in connection therewith; (h) all principal,
interest, fees, expenses, and other amounts payable in respect of or in
connection with borrowings, financings, or derivate transactions approved
in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement; (i) expenses to wind-up and
liquidate the Company; (j) reasonable travel and entertainment expenses
related to the on-going management of the Project; and (k) all direct and
indirect costs, expenses, and liabilities incurred in connection with the
acquisition, ownership, and disposition of the Project; provided,
however,
Company
Expenses shall not include overhead, administrative, salary, or other related
expenses of the Class B Member.
A-2
“Confidential
Business Information”
has
the
meaning provided in Section 6.3(a).
“Confidential
Technology Information”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
6.3.
“Copyrights”
shall
mean all U.S. and foreign registered and unregistered copyrighted or
copyrightable works, all applications, registrations, and renewals in connection
therewith, and all rights in or with respect to the foregoing to the extent
any
of the foregoing relate to the Technology, including, without limitation,
the
copyrights in the Works of Authorship.
“Covered
Person”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
4.6(b).
“Death,
Disability, or Voluntary Termination”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.6.
“Disability”
means a
physical or mental incapacity that prevents the Person in question from
performing the essential functions of his position, with reasonable
accommodation, for a period of six consecutive months as documented by a
licensed healthcare professional selected by the A Manager to determine,
at the
A Manager’s expense, whether a Disability exists. In addition, the Class B
Member may submit to the A Manager documentation of Disability from a licensed
healthcare professional of its choice. In the event that the medical opinions
of
such licensed healthcare professionals conflict, such licensed healthcare
professionals shall appoint a third licensed healthcare professional to examine
the Person in question, and the opinion of such third licensed healthcare
professional shall be dispositive.
“Drawdown
Notice”
has
the
meaning provided in Section 5.2(a).
“Drawdowns”
means
the Capital Contributions provided for in Section
5.1
and
pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 5.2
from
time to time by the Members pursuant to Drawdown Notices.
“Drag-Along
Rights”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.3(a).
“Drag-Along
Transfer”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.3(a).
“Drag-Along
Transfer Notice”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.3(a).
“Event
of Dissolution”
means
any event set forth in Section
13.1.
“Execution
Date”
means
the Execution Date as that term is defined in the PSA.
“Fair
Market Value”
means
(a) as to any Securities which are listed or admitted to trading on any national
securities exchange on any trading day, the amount equal to (i) the last
sale
price of such Securities, regular way, on such date or, if no such sale takes
place on such date, the average of the closing bid and asked prices thereof
on
such date, in each case as officially reported on the principal national
securities exchange on which such Securities are then listed or admitted
to
trading, or (ii) if such Securities are not then listed or admitted to trading
on any national securities exchange but are reported through the automated
quotation system of a registered securities association, the last trading
price
of such Securities on such date, or if there shall have been no trading on
such
date, the average of the closing bid and asked prices of such Securities
on such
date as shown by such automated quotation system, and (b) as to any other
property on any date, the fair market value of such property on such date
as
determined in good faith by the A Manager.
A-3
“Financially
Interested”
means
interested financially as a principal, employee, partner, shareholder, agent,
manager, owner, advisor, consultant, lender, or guarantor; provided,
however,
a Person
will not be deemed Financially Interested solely by reason of owning less
than
1% of the common stock of a publicly traded company with a market capitalization
in excess of $1,000,000,000.
“Fiscal
Quarter”
means
(a) the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on December 31,
2006,
and (b) any subsequent three-month period commencing on the first day of
each of
January, April, July, and October and ending on the last day of the next
of
March, June, September, and December; provided,
however,
the
last Fiscal Quarter shall end on the date on which all Company property is
distributed pursuant to Section 13.2
and the
Certificate has been canceled pursuant to the Act.
“Fiscal
Year”
means
(a) the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on December 31,
2006, and (b) any subsequent period commencing on January 1st
and
ending on the earlier to occur of (i) the following December 31st,
or (ii)
the date on which all Company property is distributed pursuant to Section 13.2
and the
Certificate has been canceled pursuant to the Act.
“Formation
Date”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“Funding
Date”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
5.2(a).
“GAAP”
means
those generally accepted accounting principles and practices consistently
applied that are recognized in the United States of America as such by the
Financial Accounting Standards Board (or any generally recognized successor
thereto).
“Ignis”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“Intellectual
Property Rights”
shall
mean, as to any Person, any and all of the following that are (a) related
to the
Technology and (b) owned by such Person: patents (including, but not limited
to,
existing patent and pending patent applications, improvement patents, patents
of
addition, as well as divisions, reissues, contributions, and extensions of
any
of the foregoing), inventions, disclosures, Copyrights, Trademarks, Know
How,
trade secrets, designs, and other intellectual property rights (whether
registered or unregistered, and all applications for the same), as well as
all
contract rights related thereto.
“Interest”
means
a
Member’s entire ownership interest in the Company and all rights and liabilities
associated therewith, at any particular time, including the right of each
Member
to any and all benefits to which a Member may be entitled as provided in
this
Agreement and the rights to distributions (liquidating or otherwise) and
allocations as provided in this Agreement.
“Investment
Company Act”
means
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
A-4
“Know-How”
shall
mean any and all know-how, technical information, proprietary ideas, concepts,
methods, processes, inventions (whether patentable or not), improvements,
experience, data (including without limitation, drawings, specifications,
computer programs, abandoned and expired patents, and documentation) or other
information, and all rights in or to any of the foregoing presently available
or
generated during the term of this Agreement relating to the
Technology.
“Liquidation
Representative”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
13.2.
“Manager”
means
the A Manager or the B Manager and “Managers” means the A Manager and the B
Manager.
“Member”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“Net
Income and Net Loss”
means
for each Fiscal Year or other period, the taxable income or loss of the Company,
or particular items thereof, determined in accordance with the accounting
method
used by the Company for federal income tax purposes with the following
adjustments: (a) all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, or expense
specially allocated pursuant to this Agreement (including Section
5.3)
shall
not be taken into account in computing such taxable income or loss; (b) any
income of the Company that is exempt from federal income taxation and not
otherwise taken into account in computing Net Income and Net Loss shall be
added
to such taxable income or loss; (c) if the Book Value of any asset differs
from
its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes, any gain or loss
resulting from a disposition of such asset shall be calculated with reference
to
such Book Value; (d) upon an adjustment to the Book Value of any asset pursuant
to the definition of Book Value, the amount of the adjustment shall be included
as gain or loss in computing such taxable income or loss; (e) if the Book
Value
of any asset differs from its adjusted tax basis for federal income tax purposes
the amount of depreciation, amortization, or cost recovery deductions with
respect to such asset for purposes of determining Net Income and Net Loss
shall
be an amount which bears the same ratio to such Book Value as the federal
income
tax depreciation, amortization, or other cost recovery deductions bears to
such
adjusted tax basis (provided
that if
the federal income tax depreciation, amortization, or other cost recovery
deduction is zero, the B Manager may use any (subject to the approval of
the A
Manager reasonable method for purposes of determining depreciation,
amortization, or other cost recovery deductions in calculating Net Income
and
Net Loss); and (f) except for items in (a) above, any expenditures of the
Company not deductible in computing taxable income or loss, not properly
capitalizable, and not otherwise taken into account in computing Net Income
and
Net Loss pursuant to this definition, shall be treated as deductible
items.
“Operating
Agreements”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
4.1(l).
“Organizational
Expenses”
means
reasonable legal, auditing, consulting, and accounting expenses of the Company
associated with the formation of the Company.
“Original
Agreement”
has the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“Person”
means
an individual, an estate, a corporation, a company, a partnership, a limited
partnership, a limited liability company, an association, a joint stock company,
a trust, or other legal entity.
“Plan”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
4.2.
“Project”
means
owning, holding, managing, operating, and producing and disposing of oil,
gas
and other hydrocarbons from the oil and gas leases and other interests subject
to the PSA or otherwise acquired by the Company, exercising the Company’s rights
and performing its obligations under the PSA, and matters incidental to those
activities, including operation of the gas pipeline gathering system acquired
pursuant to the PSA.
A-5
“Proposed
Drag-Along Transfer”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.3(a).
“Pro
Rata Portion”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.2(b)(ii).
“PSA”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“Purchase
Price”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
5.1(a).
“Remaining
Commitment”
means,
as to any Member on any date, an amount equal to the positive excess, if
any, of
(a) such Member’s Commitment, over (b) the aggregate amount of all Capital
Contributions made by such Member to the Company in accordance with this
Agreement, including Sections
5.1,
5.2
and
5.3,
as
adjusted from time to time pursuant to Sections
5.4
and
7.4(h).
“Restricted
Business”
means
(i) the exploration, exploitation or production of any natural resource
deposits, or (ii) any activities related or incidental thereto.
“Securities”
means
any (a) privately or publicly issued capital stock, bonds, notes, debentures,
commercial paper, bank acceptances, trade acceptances, trust receipts and
other
obligations, chooses in action, partnership or limited liability company
interests, instruments or evidences of indebtedness commonly referred to
as
securities, warrants, options, including puts and calls or any combination
thereof and the writing of such options, and (b) claims or other causes of
action, matured or unmatured, contingent or otherwise, of creditors and/or
equity holders of any Person against such Person, including “claims” and
“interests”, in each case as defined under the Bankruptcy Code, and all rights
and options relating to the foregoing.
“Securities
Act”
means
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Services
Agreement”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
4.4(a)(ix).
“Silver
Point”
means
Silver Point Capital, L.P. or any of its Affiliates.
“Simulated
Basis”
shall
mean the Book Value of any oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614
of
the Code) as adjusted from time to time for Simulated Depletion.
“Simulated
Depletion”
shall
mean, with respect to each oil and gas property, a depletion allowance computed
in accordance with federal income tax principles and in the manner specified
in
Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(k)(2). For purposes of computing
Simulated Depletion with respect to any property, the Simulated Basis of
such
property shall be deemed to be the Book Value of such property, and in no
event
shall such allowance, in the aggregate, exceed such Simulated
Basis.
“Simulated
Gain”
shall
mean the excess of the amount realized from the sale or other disposition
of an
oil or gas property over the Book Value of such property. If the Book Value
of
any property the sale of which would result in Simulated Gain is adjusted
as
provided in this Agreement, the amount of such adjustment shall be taken
into
account as gain from the disposition of such property for purposes of computing
Simulated Gain.
“Simulated
Loss”
shall
mean the excess of the Book Value of an oil or gas property over the amount
realized from the sale or other disposition of such property. If the Book
Value
of any property the sale of which would result in Simulated Loss is adjusted
as
provided in this Agreement, the amount of such adjustment shall be taken
into
account as loss from the disposition of such property for purposes of computing
Simulated Loss.
A-6
“Tag-Along
Member”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.2.
“Tag-Along
Notice”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.2.
“Tag-Along
Response Notice”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.2.
“Tag-Along
Response Notice Period”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.2.
“Tag-Along
Right”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.2.
“Tag-Along
Transfer”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.2.
“Texas
Certificate”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“Technology”
means
any technology that is acquired, developed, or improved in connection with
the
Project and any horizontal drilling technology acquired, developed, or improved
in connection with the Project.
“Trademarks”
shall
mean U.S., state and foreign trademarks, service marks, logos, slogans, trade
dress, traded names, and other designations of origin used in connection
with
the Technology, including all goodwill associated therewith and symbolized
thereby, any common law rights, registrations and applications to register
the
foregoing, and all rights in or with respect to any of the
foregoing.
“Transfer”
means,
with respect to an Interest, a sale, exchange, transfer, assignment,
hypothecation, mortgage, pledge, or other disposition, granting of a security
interest in, encumbering, or permitting any encumbrance of, the Interest
in
question.
“Transferring
Class A Members”
has
the
meaning provided in Section
11.2.
“Treasury
Regulations”
means
the Income Tax Regulations promulgated under the Code, as the same may be
hereafter amended from time to time.
“WBO”
has
the
meaning provided in the introduction hereto.
“Works
of Authorship”
shall
mean all works of authorship reduced to tangible form describing or relating
to
the Technology.
A-7
EXHIBIT
B
Member
Commitments
Member
|
Commitment
|
Initial
Capital
Contributions
|
Interest
Percentage
|
Class
A Members
|
|||
SPC
Ignis Inc.
|
|||
x/x
Xxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, X.X.
|
$9,784,934.17
|
$7,600,039.80
|
37.5%
|
0
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
|
|||
Xxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
|
|||
SPC
Ignis (Onshore) LLC
|
|||
c/o
Silver Point Capital, L.P.
|
$9,784,934.17
|
$7,600,039.80
|
37.5%
|
0
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
|
|||
Xxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
|
|||
SPC
Ignis (Finance) LLC
|
|||
c/o
Silver Point Capital, L.P.
|
$6,523,289.45
|
$5,066,693.19
|
25%
|
0
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
|
|||
Xxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
|
|||
Class
B Member
|
|||
000
Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, 0xx
Xxxxx
|
$0.00
|
$0.00
|
0%
|
Xxxxxx,
XX 00000
|
|||
Attn:
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, President
|
|||
Total
|
$26,093,157.79
|
$20,266,772.79
|
100%
|
B-1
EXHIBIT
C
Services
Agreement
C-1
APPENDIX
A
Xxxx
Xxxxxx
- If
Xxxx Xxxxxx is removed pursuant to Section
11.6(b),
distributions to the Class B Member shall be thereafter reduced as
follows:
(i)
If
prior
to the 1 year anniversary of this Agreement, by 25%
(ii) If
after
the 1 year anniversary but before the 2 year anniversary of this Agreement,
by
20%
(iii) If
after
the 2 year anniversary but before the 3 year anniversary of this Agreement,
by
15%
(iv) If
after
the 3 year anniversary of this Agreement, by 5%
Xxxx
Xxxxxx
- If
Xxxx Xxxxxx is removed pursuant to Section
11.6(b),
distributions to the Class B Member shall be thereafter reduced as
follows:
(i)
If
prior
to the 1 year anniversary of this Agreement, by 20%
(ii) If
after
the 1 year anniversary but before the 2 year anniversary of this Agreement,
by
15%
(iii) If
after
the 2 year anniversary but before the 3 year anniversary of this Agreement,
by
10%
(iv) If
after
the 3 year anniversary of this Agreement, by 5%
Xxxx
Xxxxx
- If
Xxxx Xxxxx is removed pursuant to Section
11.6(b),
distributions to the Class B Member shall be thereafter reduced as
follows:
(i)
If
prior
to the 1 year anniversary of this Agreement, by 30%
(ii) If
after
the 1 year anniversary but before the 2 year anniversary of this Agreement,
by
25%
(iii) If
after
the 2 year anniversary but before the 3 year anniversary of this Agreement,
by
20%
(iv) If
after
the 3 year anniversary of this Agreement, by 5%
Provided,
however,
if Xxxx
Xxxxx retires from Ignis after the 3 year anniversary of this Agreement,
such
retirement shall be considered a Disability, but there shall be no subsequent
reduction in distributions to the Class B Member due to such
retirement.
Reductions
Cumulative
- All
reductions provided for in this Appendix A shall be cumulative.
Example
1
- If
Xxxx Xxxxxx and Xxxx Xxxxxx are both removed pursuant to Section
11.6(b)
prior to
the 1 year anniversary of this Agreement, distributions to the Class B Member
shall be thereafter reduced by 45%.
Example
2
- If
Xxxx Xxxxxx is removed pursuant to Section
11.6(b)
after
the 1 year anniversary but before the 2 year anniversary of this Agreement,
distributions to the Class B Member shall be thereafter reduced by 15%, and
if
thereafter Xxxx Xxxxx is removed pursuant to Section
11.6(b)
after
the 2 year anniversary but before the 3 year anniversary of this Agreement,
there shall be a subsequent reduction of an additional 20% aggregating to
a
combined reduction of 35%.
Appendix
A-1