EXHIBIT 1.1
PLAINS EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION COMPANY
Common Stock, Par Value $ Per Share
Form of Underwriting Agreement
_____ __, 2002
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co.,
Xxxxxx Brothers Inc.,
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc.,
Xxxxxx Xxxx, a division of Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx, Inc.,
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co., Inc.,
As representatives of the several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto,
c/o Goldman, Sachs & Co.
00 Xxxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Plains Exploration and Production Company, a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), a subsidiary of Plains Resources Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Parent"), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue
and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the "Underwriters") an
aggregate of 5,000,000 shares (the "Firm Shares") and, at the election of the
Underwriters, up to 750,000 additional shares (the "Optional Shares") of Common
Stock ("Stock") of the Company (the Firm Shares and the Optional Shares that the
Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to Section 2 hereof being collectively
called the "Shares").
1. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the
Underwriters that:
(a) A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-90974) (the
"Initial Registration Statement") in respect of the Shares has been filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"); the Initial
Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in
the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding exhibits thereto, to
you for each of the other Underwriters, have been declared effective by the
Commission in such form; other than a registration statement, if any,
increasing the size of the offering (a "Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement"), filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "Act"), which became effective upon filing, no other
document with respect to the Initial Registration Statement has heretofore
been filed with the Commission; and no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement, any post-effective
amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, has
been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or
threatened by the
Commission (any preliminary prospectus included in the Initial Registration
Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules
and regulations of the Commission under the Act is hereinafter called a
"Preliminary Prospectus"; the various parts of the Initial Registration
Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, including all
exhibits thereto and including the information contained in the form of
final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under
the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof and deemed by virtue of Rule
430A under the Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the
time it was declared effective, each as amended at the time such part of
the Initial Registration Statement became effective or such part of the
Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became or hereafter becomes
effective, are hereinafter collectively called the "Registration
Statement"; and such final prospectus, in the form first filed pursuant to
Rule 424(b) under the Act, is hereinafter called the "Prospectus";
(b) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary
Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary
Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material
respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of
the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided,
however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any
statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with
information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co. expressly for use therein;
(c) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any
further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of
the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do
not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to the
Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, and as of the applicable
filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto,
contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and
warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance
upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company
by an Underwriter through Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein;
(d) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained
since the date of the latest unaudited financial statements included in the
Prospectus any material loss or interference with its business from fire,
explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or
from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree,
otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus; and, since
the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital
stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any
material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective
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material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, management,
financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operations of the
Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated
in the Prospectus;
(e) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company and its
subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real
property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by
them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects
except such as are described in the Prospectus or such as do not materially
affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made
and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its
subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the
Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and
enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not
interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and
buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries;
(f) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as
a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware,
with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and
conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has been duly
qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is
in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns
or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such
qualification, except as would not have a material adverse effect on the
current or future consolidated financial position, stockholders' equity or
results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries; and each
subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its
jurisdiction of incorporation;
(g) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the
Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company
have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and
non-assessable and conform to the description of the Stock contained in the
Prospectus; and all of the issued shares of capital stock of each
subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued,
are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by
the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims;
(h) The unissued Shares to be issued and sold by the Company to the
Underwriters hereunder have been duly and validly authorized and, when
issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be
duly and validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and will conform
to the description of the Stock contained in the Prospectus;
(i) The issue and sale of the Shares by the Company and the compliance
by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with
or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or
constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of
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trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company
or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its
subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the
Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, nor will such action result
in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or
By-laws of the Company or any statute or any order, rule or regulation of
any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the
Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties; and no
consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of
or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the
issue and sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration under
the Act of the Shares and such consents, approvals, authorizations,
registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities
or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the
Shares by the Underwriters;
(j) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of
its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or in default in the
performance or observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant
or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan
agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or
by which it or any of its properties may be bound;
(k) The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the caption
"Description of Capital Stock", insofar as they purport to constitute a
summary of the terms of the Stock, under the caption "Material United
States Federal Income Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders" and under the
caption "Underwriting", insofar as they purport to describe the provisions
of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and
fair;
(l) Other than as set forth in the Prospectus, there are no legal or
governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its
subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of
its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined adversely to the
Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate
have a material adverse effect on the current or future consolidated
financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operations of the
Company and its subsidiaries; and, to the Company's knowledge, no such
proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or
threatened by others;
(m) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and
sale of the Shares, will not be an "investment company" or an entity
"controlled" by an "investment company" within the meaning of the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended , and the rules and regulations
of the Commission thereunder (the "Investment Company Act");
(n) Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates does business with
the government of Cuba or with any person or affiliate located in Cuba
within the meaning of Section 517.075, Florida Statutes;
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(o) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who have certified certain financial
statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent public
accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder;
(p) The oil and gas reserve estimates of the Company and its
subsidiaries contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are
derived from reports that have been prepared by independent petroleum
consulting firms as set forth in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus, such reserve estimates fairly reflect the oil and gas reserves
of the Company and its subsidiaries at the dates indicated in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus and are in accordance with the
Commission guidelines applied in a consistent basis throughout the periods
involved;
(q) Each of the Master Separation Agreement, dated July 3, 2002,
between Plains Exploration & Production Company, L.P. and Plains Resources
Inc., the Plains Exploration and Production Company, L.P. Transition
Services Agreement, dated July 3, 2002, as amended on ________ __, 2002,
between Plains Exploration & Production Company, L.P. and Plains Resources
Inc., the Plains Resources Inc. Transition Services Agreement, dated July
3, 2002, between Plains Resources Inc. and Plains Exploration & Production
Company, L.P., the Technical Services Agreement, dated July 3, 2002,
between and Plains Exploration & Production Company, L.P. and Plains
Resources Inc., the Intellectual Property Agreement, dated July 3, 2002,
between Plains Exploration & Production Company, L.P. and Plains Resources
Inc., the Tax Allocation Agreement, dated July 3, 2002, as amended and
restated on ________ __, 2002, between Plains Exploration & Production
Company, L.P. and Plains Resources Inc., the Employee Matters Agreement,
dated July 3, 2002, between Plains Exploration & Production Company, L.P.
and Plains Resources Inc. and the Acknowledgement and Agreement, dated as
of July 3, 2002, among Plains Resources Inc., Xxxxxxx Resources Inc.,
Xxxxxxxx Inc., Plains Illinois Inc., Calumet Florida, Inc., Plains Holdings
Inc., Plains Holdings LLC, PMCT Inc. and Plains Resources International
Inc., each as more completely described in the Prospectus (collectively,
the "Transaction Documents") is duly and validly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company and any applicable subsidiaries and constitutes a
valid and legally binding obligation of the Company and any applicable
subsidiaries enforceable against the Company and any applicable
subsidiaries in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement, to
(i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general
applicability relating to or affecting creditors' rights and to general
equity principles (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered
in a proceeding in equity or at law) and (ii) any securities laws and
public policy underlying such laws with respect to rights to
indemnification and contribution;
(r) Except as described in the Prospectus or as would not materially
affect the general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders'
equity or results of operation of the Company and its subsidiaries, the
Company and its subsidiaries have such market-based rate authority,
operating rights, permits, licenses, franchises and authorizations of
governmental or regulatory authorities (collectively, the "Permits") as are
necessary to own their respective
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properties and to conduct their respective businesses in the manner
described in the Prospectus, subject to such qualifications as may be set
forth in the Prospectus; except as described in the Prospectus or as would
not materially affect the general affairs, management, financial position,
stockholders' equity or results of operation of the Company and its
subsidiaries, the Company and its subsidiaries have, fulfilled and
performed all their respective material obligations with respect to such
Permits and no event has occurred which allows (or after notice or lapse of
time or both would allow) revocation or termination thereof or results in
any other material impairment of the rights of the holder of any such
Permit, subject in each case to such qualification as may be set forth in
the Prospectus (and it being understood that certain Permits, by their
respective terms, lapse as described in the Prospectus) and other such
revocations and terminations which would not, singly or in aggregate, have
a materially affect on the general affairs, management, financial position,
stockholders' equity or results of operation of the Company and its
subsidiaries; and, except as described in the Prospectus, none of such
Permits contains any restriction that would have a materially affect on the
general affairs, management, financial position, stockholders' equity or
results of operation of the Company and its subsidiaries;
(s) Each Transaction Document conforms in all material respects to the
description thereof contained in the Prospectus;
(t) No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company
or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the best knowledge of Company, is
contemplated or threatened;
(u) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company and its
subsidiaries (i) are, and at all prior times have been, in compliance with
any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations,
decisions and orders relating to the protection of human health and safety,
the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or
contaminants (collectively, "Environmental Laws"), and none of them has
received notice of any outstanding violations of any Environmental Laws;
(ii) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses or
other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to
conduct their respective businesses; and (iii) have not received notice of
any actual or potential liability for the investigation or remediation of
any disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes,
pollutants or contaminants, except in any such case for any such failure to
comply with, or failure to receive required permits, licenses or approvals,
or liability, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a
materially affect on the general affairs, management, financial position,
stockholders' equity or results of operation of the Company and its
subsidiaries;
(v) There has been no storage, generation, transportation, handling,
treatment, disposal, discharge, emission, or other release of any kind of
toxic wastes or hazardous substances, including, but not limited to, any
naturally occurring radioactive materials, brine, drilling mud, crude oil,
natural gas liquids and other petroleum materials, by, due to or caused by
the Company or any of its subsidiaries (or, to the Company's knowledge, any
other entity
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(including any predecessor) for whose acts or omissions the Company or any
of its subsidiaries is or could reasonably be expected to be liable) upon
any of the property now or previously owned or leased by the Company or any
of its subsidiaries, or upon any other property, in violation of any
Environmental Laws or in a manner or to a location that could reasonably be
expected to give rise to any liability under any Environment Laws, except
for any violation or liability which could not reasonably be expected to
have, individually or in the aggregate with all such violations and
liabilities, a material affect on the general affairs, management,
financial position, stockholders' equity or results of operation of the
Company and its subsidiaries;
(w) The Company and its subsidiaries have insurance covering their
respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses, including
business interruption, which insurance is in amounts and insures against
such losses and risks as are customary in the oil and gas industry; and
neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has (i) received notice
from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or
other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to
continue such insurance or (ii) any reason to believe that it will not be
able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage
expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar
insurers as may be necessary to continue its business;
(x) If conducted, the Spin-off will not materially adversely affect
the holders of the Shares and will not result in the imposition of any
material additional tax obligations on the holders of the Shares; and
(y) Netherland, Xxxxxx & Associates, Inc. and Xxxxx Xxxxx Company are
independent petroleum engineers with respect to the Company and its
subsidiaries and X.X. Xxxx and Associates, Inc. was an independent
petroleum engineer with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries for the
periods set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
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2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Company
agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the
Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at
a purchase price per share of $ , the number of Firm Shares set forth
opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and (b) in the event
and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to purchase
Optional Shares as provided below, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each
of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not
jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase price per share set forth
in clause (a) of this Section 2, that portion of the number of Optional Shares
as to which such election shall have been exercised (to be adjusted by you so as
to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying such number of
Optional Shares by a fraction, the numerator of which is the maximum number of
Optional Shares which such Underwriter is entitled to purchase as set forth
opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto and the denominator
of which is the maximum number of Optional Shares that all of the Underwriters
are entitled to purchase hereunder.
The Company hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to purchase at
their election up to 750,000 Optional Shares, at the purchase price per share
set forth in the paragraph above. Any such election to purchase Optional Shares
may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Company, given within a
period of 30 calendar days after the date of this Agreement, setting forth the
aggregate number of Optional Shares to be purchased and the date on which such
Optional Shares are to be delivered, as determined by you but in no event
earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) or,
unless you and the Company otherwise agree in writing, earlier than two or later
than ten business days after the date of such notice.
3. Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Firm Shares, the
several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Shares for sale upon the terms
and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.
4. (a) The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in
definitive form, and in such authorized denominations and registered in such
names as Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co. may request upon at least forty-eight hours' prior
notice to the Company shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Company to
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co., through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company
("DTC"), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of
such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal
(same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company to Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co.
at least forty-eight hours in advance. The Company will cause the certificates
representing the Shares to be made available for checking and packaging at least
twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined below) with respect
thereto at the office of Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co., 00 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx
Xxxx 00000 (the "Designated Office"). The time and date of such delivery and
payment shall be, with respect to the Firm Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York City
time, on , 2002, or such other time and date as Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co.
and the Company may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional
Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York time, on the date specified by Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co.
in the written notice given by Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co. of the Underwriters'
election to purchase such Optional Shares, or such other time and date as
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co. and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such
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time and date for delivery of the Firm Shares is herein called the "First Time
of Delivery", such time and date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the
First Time of Delivery, is herein called the "Second Time of Delivery", and each
such time and date for delivery is herein called a "Time of Delivery".
(b) The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf
of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 7 hereof, including the cross receipt
for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters
pursuant to Section 7(j) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx, 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx, 00000 (the
"Closing Location"), and the Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office,
all at such Time of Delivery. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at
2 p.m., New York City time, on the New York Business Day next preceding such
Time of Delivery, at which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be
delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be available for review by the
parties hereto. For the purposes of this Section 4, "New York Business Day"
shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a
day on which banking institutions in New York are generally authorized or
obligated by law or executive order to close.
5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:
(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file
such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the
Commission's close of business on the second business day following the
execution and delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier
time as may be required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Act; to make no
further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement or
Prospectus which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable
notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof,
of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed
or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended
Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to advise
you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the
Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the
use of any Preliminary Prospectus or prospectus, of the suspension of the
qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of
the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of
any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the
Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; and, in
the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or
suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or prospectus or
suspending any such qualification, promptly to use its best efforts to
obtain the withdrawal of such order;
(b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may
reasonably request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the
securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with
such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in
such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the
distribution of the Shares, provided that in connection therewith the
Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to
file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction;
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(c) Prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the New York Business
Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to
furnish the Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the
Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may reasonably
request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus is required at any time prior
to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus
in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at such time
any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then
amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any
other reason it shall be necessary during such period to amend or
supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act, to notify you
and upon your request to prepare and furnish without charge to each
Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic
copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended
Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such
statement or omission or effect such compliance, and in case any
Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus in connection with sales of
any of the Shares at any time nine months or more after the time of issue
of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such
Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and
electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented
Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;
(d) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as
practicable, but in any event not later than eighteen months after the
effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c)
under the Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries
(which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the
rules and regulations thereunder (including, at the option of the Company,
Rule 158);
(e) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to
and including the date 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, not to
offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of, except as provided
hereunder any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to
the Shares, including any securities that are convertible into or
exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock or any such
substantially similar securities (other than pursuant to employee stock
option plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible
or exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date of this Agreement),
without your prior written consent, except that the Parent can distribute
shares of Stock of the Company in a spin-off after 120 days of the
Prospectus without your consent;
(f) To furnish to its stockholders as soon as practicable after the
end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and
statements of income, stockholders' equity and cash flows of the Company
and its consolidated subsidiaries certified by independent public
accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each of the first
three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal quarter
ending after the effective date of the
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Registration Statement), to make available to its stockholders consolidated
summary financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for such
quarter in reasonable detail;
(g) During a period of five years from the effective date of the
Registration Statement, to furnish to you copies of all reports or other
communications (financial or other) furnished to stockholders, and to
deliver to you as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and
financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any
national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the
Company is listed;
(h) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares
pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Prospectus under
the caption "Use of Proceeds";
(i) To use its best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance,
the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange (the "Exchange");
(j) To file with the Commission such information on Form 10-Q or Form
10-K as may be required by Rule 463 under the Act;
(k) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall
file a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance
with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 p.m., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this
Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the
Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or
give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule
111(b) under the Act; and
(l) Upon request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be
furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Company's
trademarks, servicemarks and corporate logo for use on the website, if any,
operated by such Underwriter for the purpose of facilitating the on-line
offering of the Shares (the "License"); provided, however, that the License
shall be used solely for the purpose described above, is granted without
any fee and may not be assigned or transferred.
6. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the
Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements
and expenses of the Company's counsel, accountants and petroleum engineering
consultants in connection with the registration of the Shares under the Act and
all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing and filing of
the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and
amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies
thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing
any Agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the Blue Sky Memorandum,
closing documents (including any compilations thereof) and any other documents
in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares;
(iii) all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for
offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 5(b)
hereof, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in
connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey
(iv)
11
all fees and expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the New York
Stock Exchange; (v) the filings fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements
of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, securing any required review
by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. of the terms of the sale
of the Shares; (vi) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (vii) the cost and
charges of any transfer agent or registrar; and (viii) all other costs and
expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not
otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however,
that, except as provided in this Section, and Sections 8 and 11 hereof, the
Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of
their counsel, stock transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, and
any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.
7. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be
delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to
the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of
the Company herein are, at and as of such Time of Delivery, true and correct,
the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations
hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant
to Rule 424(b) within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing
by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section
5(a) hereof; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Rule
462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 p.m.,
Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement; no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part
thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall
have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for
additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been
complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;
(b) Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx, counsel for the Underwriters, shall
have furnished to you such written opinion or opinions (a draft of each
such opinion is attached as Annex II(a) hereto), dated such Time of
Delivery, with respect to the matters covered in paragraphs (A) (with
respect to the Company), (B) (with respect to the Shares), (C) (with
respect to tax matters), (D)(b) (with respect to this Agreement) and (L) of
Annex II(b)(2) hereto as well as such other related matters as you may
reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and
information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such
matters;
(c) (1) Akin, Gump, Strauss, Xxxxx & Xxxx, L.L.P., counsel for the
Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion (a draft of such
opinion is attached as Annex II(b)(1) hereto), dated such Time of Delivery,
in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect set forth in Annex
II(b)(2) hereto.
(2) Each of Manatt, Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx, LLP and ________________,
counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to you their written opinion
(a draft of such opinions are
12
attached as Annex II(b)(3) hereto), dated such Time of Delivery, in form
and substance satisfactory to you, with respect to the matters covered in
paragraphs (G), (H), (I) and (K) of Annex II(b)(2) hereto, as such matters
relate to permits, franchises and consents of the city and county of Los
Angeles, California, the county of Santa Barbara, California, the city of
Culver City, California and the county of Xxxx, California.
(3) Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, internal counsel for the Company, shall have
furnished to you his written opinion (a draft of such opinion is attached
as Annex II(b)(4) hereto), dated such Time of Delivers, in form and
substance satisfactory to you, to the effect that, to his knowledge,
neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its
Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or in default in the performance or
observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition
contained in any agreement or instrument listed as an Exhibit to the
Registration Statement.
(d) On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of
this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the effective date of
any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent
to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery,
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP shall have furnished to you a letter or letters,
dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance
satisfactory to you, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto (the
executed copy of the letter delivered prior to the execution of this
Agreement is attached as Annex I(a) hereto and a draft of the form of
letter to be delivered on the effective date of any post-effective
amendment to the Registration Statement and as of each Time of Delivery is
attached as Annex I(b) hereto);
(e) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have
sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements
included in the Prospectus any loss or interference with its business from
fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by
insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order
or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus,
and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the
Prospectus there shall not have been any change in the capital stock or
long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any change, or
any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the general
affairs, management, financial position, stockholders' equity or results of
operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth
or contemplated in the Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case
described in clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of the Representatives
so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to
proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Shares being
delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in the manner
contemplated in the Prospectus;
(f) On or after the date hereof (i) no downgrading shall have occurred
in the rating accorded the Company's debt securities or preferred stock by
any "nationally recognized statistical rating organization", as that term
is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Act,
and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has
13
under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its
rating of any of the Company's debt securities or preferred stock;
(g) On or after the date hereof there shall not have occurred any of
the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in
securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange; (ii) a suspension or
material limitation in trading in the Parent's securities on the New York
Stock Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities
declared by either Federal or New York State authorities or a material
disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance
services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of
hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United
States of a national emergency or war or (v) the occurrence of any other
calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic
conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such
event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in the judgment of the
Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the
public offering or the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time
of Delivery on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;
(h) The Shares to be sold at such Time of Delivery shall have been
duly listed, subject to notice of issuance, on the Exchange;
(i) The Company has obtained and delivered to the Underwriters
executed copies of an agreement from the Parent, Xxxxxxx Resources, Inc.,
EnCap Energy Capital Fund III, L.P., Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx Capital Advisors, L.P.,
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx X. Bay, Xxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxx X. Xxxx, Xxx X. Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxx X. Xxxxxx, D. Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, X. Xxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx and Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx,
substantially to the effect set forth in Subsection 5(e) hereof in form and
substance satisfactory to you;
(j) The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section
5(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New York
Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement;
(k) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you
at such Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company
satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and
warranties of the Company herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to
the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder to be
performed at or prior to such Time of Delivery, as to the matters set forth
in subsections (a) and (e) of this Section and as to such other matters as
you may reasonably request; and
(l) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a letter
from Netherland, Xxxxxx & Associates, Inc., Xxxxx Xxxxx Company and X.X.
Xxxx and Associates, Inc., addressed to the Representatives and dated each
Time & Delivery confirming that they are independent petroleum engineering
firm with respect to the Company's oil and gas reserves as described in the
Prospectus.
14
8. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter
against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which
such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out
of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise
out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or
other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are
incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such
case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of
or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or
alleged omission made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement
or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter
through Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co. expressly for use therein.
(b) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against
any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become
subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any
Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any
amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission
or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case
to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in any Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any such amendment
or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written information
furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co.
expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or
defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or
(b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party
shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying
party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the
commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall
not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party
otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such action shall be brought
against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the
commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate
therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other
indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with
counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the
consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and,
after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its
election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be
liable to such indemnified party under such
15
subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in
each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with
the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. In any such
proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own
counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of
such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified
party shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the indemnifying party
has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to
the indemnified party; (iii) the indemnified party shall have reasonably
concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different
from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party; or (iv) the
named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include
both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both
parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential
differing interests between them. No indemnifying party shall, without the
written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise
of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or
threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution
may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or
potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or
judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all
liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a
statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or
on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is unavailable to
or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or
(b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions
in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall
contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result
of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof)
in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received
by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the
offering of the Shares. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately
preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified
party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each
indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such
indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such
relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and
the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions
which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The
relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters
on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net
proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company
bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the
Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the
Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other
things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the
omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information
supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the
parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to
correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters
agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this
subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters
were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of
16
allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred
to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified
party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to
include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified
party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be
required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total
price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were
offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter
has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent
misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be
entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. The Underwriters' obligations in this subsection (d) to
contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting
obligations and not joint.
(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 8 shall be in
addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend,
upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any
Underwriter within the meaning of the Act; and the obligations of the
Underwriters under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which
the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same
terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each
person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.
9. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the
Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you may
in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase
such Shares on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such
default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares,
then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours
within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to
purchase such Shares on such terms. In the event that, within the respective
prescribed periods, you notify the Company that you have so arranged for the
purchase of such Shares, or the Company notifies you that it has so arranged for
the purchase of such Shares, you or the Company shall have the right to postpone
such Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to
effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the
Company agrees to file promptly any amendments to the Registration Statement or
the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term
"Underwriter" as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted
under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a
party to this Agreement with respect to such Shares.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the
Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as
provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which
remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all
the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the Company shall have
the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of
shares which such
17
Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in
addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata
share (based on the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase
hereunder) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for
which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a
defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the
Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as
provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Shares which
remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the
Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Company shall not
exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting
Underwriters to purchase Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters,
then this Agreement (or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the
obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the
Optional Shares) shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any
non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne
by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 6 hereof and the
indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 8 hereof; but nothing herein
shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
10. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and
other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in
this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this
Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any
investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf
of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company,
or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall
survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.
11. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 7(g)(ii) or 9
hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter
except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof; but, if for any other reason, any
Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the
Company will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket
expenses approved in writing by you, including fees and disbursements of
counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the
purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares not so delivered, but the Company
shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter except as provided
in Sections 6 and 8 hereof.
12. In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the
Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any
statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or
given by you jointly or by Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co. on behalf of you as the
representatives.
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in
writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or
facsimile transmission to you as the representatives in care of Xxxxxxx, Sachs &
Co., 00 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: Registration
Department; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail to the
18
address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention:
_______; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to
Section 8(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile
transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters'
Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be
supplied to the Company by you upon request. Any such statements, requests,
notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
13. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit
of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 8 and
10 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who
controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors,
administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or
have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the
Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason
merely of such purchase.
14. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the
term "business day" shall mean any day when the Commission's office in
Washington, D.C. is open for business.
15. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
the laws of the State of New York.
16. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto
in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original,
but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
17. The Company is authorized, subject to applicable law, to disclose any
and all aspects of this potential transaction that are necessary to support any
U.S. federal income tax benefits expected to be claimed with respect to such
transaction, and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax
analyses) related to those benefits, without the Underwriters imposing any
limitation of any kind.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and
return to us one for the Company and each of the Representatives plus one for
each counsel counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on
behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall
constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters and the Company.
It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the
Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among
Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for
examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority
of the signers thereof.
19
Very truly yours,
Plains Exploration and Production Company
By:
------------------------------
Name:
Title:
Accepted as of the date hereof:
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co.
Xxxxxx Brothers Inc.
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc
Xxxxxx Xxxx, a division of Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx, Inc.
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co., Inc.
By:
-------------------------------------
(Xxxxxxx, Sachs & Co.)
On behalf of each of the Underwriters
20
SCHEDULE I
Number of Optional
Shares to be
Total Number of Purchased if
Firm Shares Maximum Option
Underwriter to be Purchased Exercised
----------- ----------------- ------------------
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx & Co.
Xxxxxx Brothers Inc.
X.X. Xxxxxx Securities Inc.
Xxxxxx Xxxx, a division of Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxx, Inc.
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co., Inc.
--------- -------
Total 5,000,000 750,000
========= =======
ANNEX I
DESCRIPTION OF COMFORT LETTER
Pursuant to Section 7(d) of the Underwriting Agreement, the accountants
shall furnish letters to the Underwriters to the effect that:
(i) They are independent certified public accountants with respect to
the Company and its subsidiaries within the meaning of the Act and the
applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Commission;
(ii) In their opinion, the combined financial statements audited by
them and included in the Prospectus or the Registration Statement comply as
to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting
requirements of the Act and the related published rules and regulations
adopted by the Commission;
(iii) They have performed the procedures specified by the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants for a review of interim financial
information as described in SAS 71, Interim Financial Information, on the
unaudited combined statements of income, combined balance sheets and
combined statements of cash flows included in the Prospectus and on the
basis of specified procedures including inquiries of officials of the
Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters
regarding whether the unaudited combined financial statements referred to
in paragraph (vi)(A)(i) below comply as to form in all material respects
with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related
published rules and regulations adopted by the Commission, nothing came to
their attention that cause them to believe that the unaudited combined
financial statements do not comply as to form in all material respects with
the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related rules and
regulations adopted by the Commission;
(iv) They have compared the information in the Prospectus under
selected captions with the disclosure requirements of Regulation S-K and on
the basis of limited procedures specified in such letter nothing came to
their attention as a result of the foregoing procedures that caused them to
believe that this information does not conform in all material respects
with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related
rules and regulations adopted by the Commission;
(v) On the basis of limited procedures, not constituting an
examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards,
consisting of a reading of the unaudited combined financial statements and
other information referred to below, a reading of the latest available
unaudited interim combined financial data for the period from the latest
balance sheet included in the Prospectus of the Company and its
subsidiaries, reading the minutes of meetings of the stockholders, the
Board of Directors and applicable committees of the Board of Directors
through a specified date not more than five business days prior to the date
of delivery of such
AI-1
letter, inquiries of officials of the Company and its subsidiaries
responsible for financial and accounting matters and such other inquiries
and procedures as may be specified in such letter, nothing came to their
attention that caused them to believe that:
(A) (i) the unaudited combined statements of income, combined
balance sheets and combined statements of cash flows included in the
Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the
applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the related
published rules and regulations adopted by the Commission, or (ii) any
material modifications should be made to the unaudited combined
statements of income, combined balance sheets and combined statements
of cash flows included in the Prospectus for them to be in conformity
with generally accepted accounting principles;
(B) any other unaudited income statement data and balance sheet
items included in the Prospectus do not agree with the corresponding
items in the unaudited combined financial statements from which such
data and items were derived, and any such unaudited data and items
were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with the basis
for the corresponding amounts in the audited consolidated financial
statements included in the Prospectus;
(C) the unaudited financial statements which were not included in
the Prospectus but from which were derived any unaudited combined
financial statements referred to in clause (A) and any unaudited
income statement data and balance sheet items included in the
Prospectus and referred to in clause (B) were not determined on a
basis substantially consistent with the basis for the audited combined
financial statements included in the Prospectus;
(D) any unaudited pro forma combined financial statements
included in the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material
respects with the applicable accounting requirements of Rule 11-02 of
Regulation S-X or the pro forma adjustments have not been properly
applied to the historical amounts in the compilation of those
statements;
(E) as of a specified date not more than five days prior to the
date of such letter, there have been any changes in the capital stock
or any increase in the consolidated long-term debt of the Company and
its subsidiaries, or any decreases in any items specified by the
Representatives, or any increases in any items specified by the
Representatives, in each case as compared with amounts shown in the
latest balance sheet included in the Prospectus, except in each case
for changes, increases or decreases which the Prospectus discloses
have occurred or may occur or which are described in such letter; and
(F) for the period from the date of the latest financial
statements included in the Prospectus to the specified date referred
to in clause (E) there were any decreases in
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combined net revenues or other items specified by the Representatives,
or any increases in any items specified by the Representatives, in
each case as compared with the comparable period of the preceding year
and with any other period of corresponding length specified by the
Representatives, except in each case for decreases or increases which
the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or which are
described in such letter; and
(vi) In addition to the audit referred to in their report included in
the Prospectus and the limited procedures, reading of minutes,
inquiries and other procedures referred to in paragraphs (iii) and
(vi) above, they have carried out certain specified procedures, not
constituting an examination in accordance with generally accepted
auditing standards, with respect to certain amounts, percentages and
financial information specified by the Representatives, which are
derived from the general accounting records of the Company and its
subsidiaries, which appear in the Prospectus, or in Part II of, or in
exhibits and schedules to, the Registration Statement specified by the
Representatives, and have compared certain of such amounts,
percentages and financial information with the accounting records of
the Company and its subsidiaries and have found them to be in
agreement.
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ANNEX II(b)(2)
Opinion of Counsel for the Company
Counsel for the Company shall express their opinion as to (i) the Laws of
the State of New York, (ii) the Laws of the State of Texas, (iv) the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, and (v) the Federal Laws of the United
States of America (the "Included Laws," as specified in such opinion).
A. The Company and each of its subsidiaries has been duly incorporated
and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of
the jurisdiction of its incorporation and is duly qualified and is in good
standing in the jurisdictions listed on Annex A. The Company has the
corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its
business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into the Underwriting
Agreement and the Transaction Documents to which it is party and to perform
its obligations thereunder.
B. The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the
Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company
(including the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery) have been
duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and
non-assessable; and the Shares conform to the description of the Capital
Stock contained in the Prospectus. All of the issued shares of capital
stock of each of the Company's subsidiaries have been duly and validly
authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, and, based on an
examination of such subsidiaries' stock books, are owned directly or
indirectly by the Company, and to such counsel's knowledge, except as
disclosed in the Prospectus, are free and clear of all liens, encumbrances,
equities or claims.
C. The statements in the Prospectus under the heading "Material United
States Federal Income Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders" and "Business -
Regulation" to the extent that they constitute summaries of matters of law
or regulation or legal conclusions fairly summarize the matters described
therein in all material respects.
D. (a) The execution and delivery of the Underwriting Agreement and
each Transaction Document by the Company and any applicable subsidiary
signatory thereto, and the performance by the Company and any applicable
subsidiary signatory thereto of its obligations under the Underwriting
Agreement and each Transaction Document, as applicable, have been duly
authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and
any applicable subsidiary signatory thereto. (b) The Underwriting Agreement
and each Transaction Document has been duly executed and delivered by the
Company and any applicable subsidiary signatory thereto.
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E. Each Transaction Document is a valid and binding obligation of the
Company and any applicable subsidiary signatory thereto, enforceable
against the Company and any applicable subsidiary signatory thereto in
accordance with its terms.
F. The Underwriting Agreement and each of the Transaction Documents
conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in
the Prospectus.
G. The issue and sale of the Shares being delivered at such Time of
Delivery by the Company and the execution and delivery of the Underwriting
Agreement by the Company does not, and the performance by the Company of
its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement will not, (a) violate the
Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws of the Company, (b) breach or
result in a default of any currently existing agreement or instrument
listed as an Exhibit to the Registration Statement or (c) violate any
Included Law.
H. The issue and sale of the Shares being delivered at such Time of
Delivery by the Company and the execution and delivery of the Underwriting
Agreement by the Company does not, and the performance by the Company of
its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement will not, result in any
violation of any order, writ, judgment or decree known to such counsel.
I. No authorization or approval or other action by, and no notice to
or filing with, any governmental authority or regulatory body (each, a
"Filing") is required under any of the Included Laws for the due execution
and delivery of the Underwriting Agreement by the Company and the
performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder, except the
registration under the Act and the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
"Exchange Act") of the Shares, and such consents, approvals,
authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under
state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and
distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters.
J. Neither of the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is an
"investment company" or a company "controlled by" an investment company
within the meaning of the Investment Company Act and the rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder, without taking account of any
exemption under the Investment Company Act arising out of the number of
holders of the Company's securities.
K. Except as described in the Registration Statement, to such
counsel's actual knowledge, the Company is not a party to any adversarial
action, suit, or proceeding pending or threatened overtly by a written
communication, at law or in equity, or before any Federal, state, municipal
or other governmental department, commission, board, bureau, agency or
instrumentality, which action, suit or proceeding seeks either to enjoin
the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement or to recover
monetary damages from the Company in excess of $1,000,000.
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L. Such counsel shall also state that they have participated in
conferences with representatives of the Company and with representatives of
its independent accountants and counsel at which conferences the contents
of the Registration Statement and Prospectus and any amendment and
supplement thereto and related matters were discussed and, although such
counsel assumes no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or
fairness of the Registration Statement and Prospectus and any amendment or
supplement thereto (except as expressly provided above), (i) the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus (other than, in each case, the
financial statements and other financial information contained therein, as
to which such counsel expresses no view), at the time it was filed with the
Commission, appeared on its face to be appropriately responsive in all
material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the
Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, and such counsel
does not know of any contracts or other documents of a character required
to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or
required to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
that are not filed or described as required, and (ii) nothing has come to
such counsel's attention to cause it to believe that the Registration
Statement, as of its date, contained any untrue statement of a material
fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading, or that the Prospectus or any
amendment or supplement thereto, as of its date and the Time of Delivery,
contained or contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to
state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading
(other than, in each case, the financial statements and other financial
information contained therein, as to which such counsel expresses no view).
In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact on
certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials that
are furnished to the Underwriters.
The opinion of Akin Gump Xxxxxxx Xxxxx & Xxxx LLP described above shall be
rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company and shall so state
therein.
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