STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT by and among CERTAIN OF THE STOCKHOLDERS OF U.S. EDUCATION CORPORATION, THE OPTIONHOLDERS OF U.S. EDUCATION CORPORATION, WILLIAM BLAIR CAPITAL PARTNERS VII QP, L.P. and CLEARLIGHT PARTNERS, LLC, together as Sellers'...
EXECUTION
COPY
by and
among
U.S.
EDUCATION CORPORATION,
CERTAIN
OF THE STOCKHOLDERS OF U.S. EDUCATION CORPORATION,
THE
OPTIONHOLDERS OF U.S. EDUCATION CORPORATION,
XXXXXXX
XXXXX CAPITAL PARTNERS VII QP, L.P. and CLEARLIGHT PARTNERS, LLC, together as
Sellers' Representative,
USEC
ACQUISITION INC.
and
Dated as
of July 30, 2008
This
document is not intended to create nor will it be deemed to create
a
legally binding or enforceable offer or agreement of any type or
nature,
unless
and until agreed to and executed by all parties.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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Page
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Article
1 DEFINITIONS
|
1 | ||||
Section
1.01
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Definitions
|
1 | |||
Section
1.02
|
Cross-References
to Other Defined Terms
|
8 | |||
Article
2 PURCHASE AND SALE
|
10 | ||||
Section
2.01
|
Estimated
Common Purchase Price
|
10 | |||
Section
2.02
|
Purchase
and Sale of Common Stock and Preferred Stock; Cash-Out of
Options
|
10 | |||
Section
2.03
|
The
Closing
|
12 | |||
Section
2.04
|
Post-Closing
Adjustment.
|
14 | |||
Section
2.05
|
Sellers'
Representative.
|
17 | |||
Article
3 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
|
19 | ||||
Section
3.01
|
Organization
and Qualification
|
19 | |||
Section
3.02
|
Subsidiaries;
Securities Owned
|
20 | |||
Section
3.03
|
Capitalization.
|
20 | |||
Section
3.04
|
Authority
of the Company.
|
21 | |||
Section
3.05
|
Compliance
with Laws
|
22 | |||
Section
3.06
|
Advisory
and Other Fees
|
22 | |||
Section
3.07
|
Taxes
|
22 | |||
Section
3.08
|
Litigation
|
25 | |||
Section
3.09
|
Financial
Statements
|
25 | |||
Section
3.10
|
Transactions
with Affiliates
|
26 | |||
Section
3.11
|
Real
Properties
|
26 | |||
Section
3.12
|
Absence
of Material Adverse Effect
|
27 | |||
Section
3.13
|
Absence
of Certain Changes
|
27 | |||
Section
3.14
|
Tangible
Personal Property
|
27 | |||
Section
3.15
|
Intellectual
Property
|
27 | |||
Section
3.16
|
Contracts
|
28 | |||
Section
3.17
|
Insurance
|
30 | |||
Section
3.18
|
Permits
|
31 | |||
Section
3.19
|
Employee
Benefit Plans
|
31 | |||
Section
3.20
|
Employees;
Labor Matters
|
32 | |||
Section
3.21
|
Environmental
Matters
|
33 | |||
Section
3.22
|
Employee
Relations
|
33 | |||
Section
3.23
|
Officers
and Directors
|
35 | |||
Section
3.24
|
Bank
Accounts
|
35 | |||
Section
3.25
|
Educational
Approvals and Compliance
|
35 | |||
Section
3.26
|
Student
Recruiting
|
36 | |||
Section
3.27
|
Control
Matters
|
37 | |||
Section
3.28
|
Recruitment;
Admissions Procedures; Attendance Reports.
|
37 | |||
Section
3.29
|
State
Financial Assistance Programs.
|
38 | |||
Section
3.30
|
Delivery
of Documents
|
38 | |||
Section
3.31
|
Internal
Controls
|
39 | |||
Section
3.32
|
No
Other Representations and Warranties
|
39 | |||
Article
4 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE SELLERS
|
39 | ||||
Section
4.01
|
Organizational
Authorization
|
39 | |||
Section
4.02
|
Governmental
Authorization
|
39 | |||
Section
4.03
|
Noncontravention
|
40 | |||
Section
4.04
|
Ownership
of Securities
|
40 | |||
Section
4.05
|
No
Other Representations and Warranties
|
40 | |||
Article
5 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE BUYER AND THE ACQUISITION
SUB
|
40 | ||||
Section
5.01
|
Existence
and Power
|
40 | |||
Section
5.02
|
Organizational
Authorization
|
41 | |||
Section
5.03
|
Governmental
Authorization
|
41 | |||
Section
5.04
|
Noncontravention
|
41 | |||
Section
5.05
|
Financing
|
41 | |||
Section
5.06
|
Purchase
for Investment
|
41 | |||
Section
5.07
|
Actions
and Proceedings
|
41 | |||
Section
5.08
|
Finder's
Fees
|
42 | |||
Section
5.09
|
Educational
Approvals
|
42 | |||
Section
5.10
|
Acknowledgment
by the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub
|
43 | |||
Section
5.11
|
No
Reliance
|
44 | |||
Section
5.12
|
No
Other Representations and Warranties
|
44 | |||
Article
6 COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY AND THE SELLERS
|
44 | ||||
Section
6.01
|
Conduct
of the Company and the Subsidiaries
|
44 | |||
Section
6.02
|
Regulatory
Authorizations; Consents.
|
47 | |||
Section
6.03
|
Access
|
48 | |||
Section
6.04
|
Subsequent
Actions
|
48 | |||
Section
6.05
|
Exclusivity.
|
49 | |||
Section
6.06
|
Confidentiality.
|
49 | |||
Section
6.07
|
Financial
Statements
|
50 | |||
Article
7 COVENANTS OF THE BUYER AND THE ACQUISITION SUB
|
50 | ||||
Section
7.01
|
Confidentiality
|
50 | |||
Section
7.02
|
Access
|
51 | |||
Section
7.03
|
Notification
|
51 | |||
Section
7.04
|
Director
and Officer Liability, Indemnification and Insurance
|
51 | |||
Section
7.05
|
Employment
and Benefit Arrangements
|
52 | |||
Section
7.06
|
Regulatory
Filings
|
52 | |||
Section
7.07
|
Letter
of Credit
|
53 | |||
Section
7.08
|
Claim
Proceeds
|
53 | |||
Article
8 ADDITIONAL COVENANTS OF THE PARTIES
|
53 | ||||
Section
8.01
|
Commercially
Reasonable Efforts; Further Assurances
|
53 | |||
Section
8.02
|
Further
Cooperation
|
54 | |||
Section
8.03
|
Public
Announcements
|
54 | |||
Section
8.04
|
Tax
Matters
|
54 | |||
Section
8.05
|
Disclosure
Generally
|
59 | |||
Section
8.06
|
Stockholder
Waiver; Termination of Certain Agreements
|
59 | |||
Section
8.07
|
Conflicts
and Privilege
|
60 | |||
Section
8.08
|
Assignment
of Claims
|
60 | |||
Article
9 CONDITIONS TO CLOSING
|
60 | ||||
Section
9.01
|
Conditions
to the Buyer's and the Acquisition Sub's Obligations
|
60 | |||
Section
9.02
|
Conditions
to the Sellers' Obligations
|
62 | |||
Article
10 TERMINATION
|
63 | ||||
Section
10.01
|
Termination
|
63 | |||
Section
10.02
|
Effect
of Termination
|
64 | |||
Article
11 ADDITIONAL COVENANTS
|
64 | ||||
Section
11.01
|
Survival
Period
|
64 | |||
Section
11.02
|
Indemnification.
|
64 | |||
Section
11.03
|
Limitation
of Recourse.
|
68 | |||
Section
11.04
|
Manner
of Payment.
|
68 | |||
Article
12 MISCELLANEOUS
|
69 | ||||
Section
12.01
|
Notices
|
69 | |||
Section
12.02
|
Amendments
and Waivers
|
70 | |||
Section
12.03
|
Construction;
Severability
|
70 | |||
Section
12.04
|
Expenses
|
70 | |||
Section
12.05
|
Successors
and Assigns
|
71 | |||
Section
12.06
|
Governing
Law
|
71 | |||
Section
12.07
|
Jurisdiction
|
71 | |||
Section
12.08
|
Waiver
of Jury Trial
|
71 | |||
Section
12.09
|
Prevailing
Party
|
72 | |||
Section
12.10
|
Specific
Performance
|
72 | |||
Section
12.11
|
Counterparts;
Third Party Beneficiaries
|
72 | |||
Section
12.12
|
Buyer
and Acquisition Sub
|
72 | |||
Section
12.13
|
Entire
Agreement
|
72 | |||
LIST
OF EXHIBITS
|
|
EXHIBIT
A
|
Terms
of Merger
|
EXHIBIT
B
|
Escrow
Agreement
|
LIST
OF SCHEDULES
|
|
Schedules:
|
|
Schedule
1.01(a)
|
Sale
Bonus Agreements
|
Schedule
1.01(b)
|
Agreements
Defining Unvested Shares
|
Schedule
2.03(b)(vii)
|
Indebtedness
|
Schedule
3.01
|
Corporate
Records
|
Schedule
3.02
|
Subsidiaries;
Securities Owned
|
Schedule
3.03
|
Capitalization
|
Schedule
3.04(b)(ii)(A)
|
Pre-Closing
Educational Consents
|
Schedule
3.04(b)(ii)(B)
|
Post-Closing
Educational Consents
|
Schedule
3.04(b)(iii)
|
Authorization
|
Schedule
3.05
|
Compliance
with Applicable Laws
|
Schedule
3.07
|
Taxes
|
Schedule
3.07(d)
|
Taxes
- Time Extensions
|
Schedule
3.07(f)
|
Taxes
– After Closing Date
|
Schedule
3.07(h)
|
Excess
Parachute Payments
|
Schedule
3.08
|
Litigation
|
Schedule
3.09
|
Financial
Statements
|
Schedule
3.10
|
Transactions
with Affiliates
|
Schedule
3.11(a)
|
Real
Property – Owned
|
Schedule
3.11(b)
|
Real
Property - Leased
|
Schedule
3.12
|
Absence
of Material Adverse Effect
|
Schedule
3.13
|
Absence
of Certain Changes
|
Schedule
3.14
|
Tangible
Personal Property
|
Schedule
3.15
|
Intellectual
Property
|
Schedule
3.16
|
Contracts
|
Schedule
3.18
|
Permits
|
Schedule
3.19
|
Employee
Benefit Plans
|
Schedule
3.21
|
Environmental
Matters
|
Schedule
3.22(b)
|
Labor
Matters – Pending or Threatened
|
Schedule
3.22(f)
|
Labor
Matters - Resolved
|
Schedule
3.23
|
Officers
and Directors
|
Schedule
3.25(a)
|
Educational
Approvals and Compliance
|
Schedule
3.25(b)
|
Educational
Approvals and Compliance - Exceptions
|
Schedule
3.25(c)
|
Addresses
|
Schedule
3.25(d)
|
Company
Schools
|
Schedule
3.25(e)
|
Compliance
with Educational Laws
|
Schedule
3.25(f)
|
Letter
of Credit
|
Schedule
3.25(g)
|
Compliance
Reviews
|
Schedule
3.26
|
Student
Recruiting
|
Schedule
3.28
|
Deviations
from Policy Guidelines
|
Schedule
3.29(a)
|
State
Financial Assistance Programs
|
Schedule
3.29(b)
|
Compliance
with State Financial Assistance Program Laws
|
Schedule
3.31
|
Internal
Controls
|
Schedule
6.01
|
Conduct
of the Company and the Subsidiaries
|
Schedule
6.01(k)
|
Capital
Expenditures
|
Schedule
6.01(l)
|
Claim
Proceeds
|
Schedule
8.06
|
Termination
of Certain Agreements
|
Schedule
9.01(c)
|
Required
Consents
|
Schedule
9.01(d)
|
Required
Governmental Consents
|
Schedule
9.01(g)
|
Required
Pre-Closing Educational Consents
|
Schedule
9.01(i)
|
Regulatory
Approvals
|
THIS
STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this "Agreement") is made
as of July 30, 2008, by and among U.S. Education Corporation, a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), the
Persons identified as "Stockholders" on the signature pages attached hereto
(collectively, the "Stockholders" and
each a "Stockholder"), the
Persons identified as "Optionholders" on the signature pages attached hereto
(collectively, the "Optionholders" and
each a "Optionholder"),
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Capital Partners VII QP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and
ClearLight Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, together as
Sellers' Representative (the "Sellers'
Representative"), DeVry Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Buyer") and USEC
Acquisition Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the
Buyer (the "Acquisition
Sub"). Unless otherwise provided, capitalized terms used
herein are defined in Article 1
below.
WHEREAS,
the Stockholders collectively own all of the issued and outstanding capital
stock of the Company, which as of the date hereof consists of 1,435,844.84 shares of Common Stock,
$0.001 par value (the "Common Stock"),
71,710.39282 shares of Class A Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the
"Class A
Preferred"), and 1,000 shares of Class B Preferred Stock, par value
$0.001 per share (the "Class B Preferred,"
and together with the Class A Preferred, the "Preferred Stock," and
together with the Class B Preferred and Common Stock, the "Shares").
WHEREAS,
upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, the Acquisition
Sub desires to acquire from the Stockholders (other than any Nonparticipating
Stockholder), and such Stockholders desire to sell to the Acquisition Sub, all
of the issued and outstanding Shares as of the Closing (other than any Remaining
Common Stock).
WHEREAS,
immediately following the purchase of the Shares by the Acquisition Sub, if
there is any Remaining Common Stock, the Acquisition Sub pursuant to Section 253
of the Delaware Code will merge with and into the Company, with the Company
surviving the merger and the Acquisition Sub ceasing to exist, all upon the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Merger attached
hereto as Exhibit
A (the "Terms
of Merger").
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein and other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE
1
DEFINITIONS
Section
1.01 Definitions
. The following
terms, as used herein, have the following meanings:
"Accrediting Body"
means any non-governmental entity, including without limitation institutional
and specialized accrediting agencies, which engages in the granting or
withholding of accreditation of postsecondary educational institutions or
programs in accordance with standards relating to the performance, operations,
financial condition or academic standards of such institutions.
"Affiliate" means
(except as otherwise specifically defined herein), as to any Person, any other
Person which, directly or indirectly, controls, or is controlled by, or is under
common control with, such Person. As used in this definition,
"control" (including, with its correlative meanings, "controlled by" and "under
common control with") means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power
to direct or cause the direction of management or policies of a Person, whether
through the ownership of securities or partnership or other ownership interests,
by contract or otherwise.
"Aggregate Preferred Stock
Purchase Price" means the sum of the Preferred Stock Per Share Prices for
all shares of Preferred Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the
Closing.
"Allocation
Percentage" means, (A) with respect to each Stockholder, the product of
(i) the Per Share Portion and (ii) the number of shares of Common
Stock held by such Stockholder after giving effect to the Unvested Share
Repurchase but before giving effect to the other transactions contemplated
hereby and (B) with respect to each Optionholder, the product of (i) the
Per Share Portion and (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock such
Optionholder could have purchased if such holder had exercised his or her Vested
Options in full immediately prior to the Closing.
"Antitrust
Authorities" means the Antitrust Division of the United States Department
of Justice, the United States Federal Trade Commission or the antitrust or
competition law authorities of any other jurisdiction (whether United States,
foreign or multinational).
"Baseline Net Working Capital
Amount" means $0.00.
"Cash" means cash,
cash equivalents and marketable securities.
"Cash Amount" means
the bank balance of all Cash held by the Company or any Subsidiary as of the
close of business on the Closing Date, after giving effect to the Unvested Share
Repurchase but before giving effect to the other transactions contemplated
hereby.
"Closing Sale Bonus
Amount" shall mean the aggregate amount of all cash bonuses due and
payable to applicable employees on the Closing Date pursuant to the Sale Bonus
Agreements.
"Code" means the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder, and any reference to any particular Code section shall
be interpreted to include any revision of or successor to that section
regardless of how numbered or classified.
"Company Intellectual
Property" means the Company Scheduled Intellectual Property and all other
Intellectual Property owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries.
"Company
School" means each of the four postsecondary educational institutions
owned and operated by the Company, which have been issued Office of Post-
Secondary Education Identification Numbers 009748, 021006, 030425, and 022180 by the DOE, respectively, including the main campus and any additional locations for each.
2
Secondary Education Identification Numbers 009748, 021006, 030425, and 022180 by the DOE, respectively, including the main campus and any additional locations for each.
"Compliance Date"
means January 1, 2005.
"Compliance Review"
means any program review, Office of Inspector General audit or investigation,
guaranty agency review or other compliance-related review or audit of any
Company School conducted by an Educational Agency.
"Delaware Code" means
the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
"DOE" means the United
States Department of Education and any successor agency administering student
financial assistance under Title IV.
"DOE Pre-Acquisition Review
Notice" means a written notice from the DOE following the DOE's review of
the applicable pre-acquisition review application that does
not identify any material impediment to issuing a temporary
provisional program participation agreement to the applicable Company School
following the Closing. For purposes of the preceding sentence,
conditions of the type customarily imposed by the DOE upon a buyer or an
educational institution it acquires, including but not limited to restrictions
upon new locations, restrictions upon program changes, and letter of credit
requirements shall not constitute material impediments.
"Educational Agency"
means any entity or organization, whether governmental, government chartered,
tribal, private, or quasi-private, that engages in granting or withholding
Educational Approvals for, administers financial assistance to or for students
of, or otherwise regulates private post-secondary schools in accordance with
standards relating to the performance, operation, financial condition, or
academic standards of such schools, including any Accrediting Body, or any
entity or organization whose approval is required for a school or educational
program to be eligible to participate in the Title IV programs.
"Educational Approval"
means any license, permit, consent, franchise, approval, authorization,
certification, accreditation, or similar approval, issued or required to be
issued by an Educational Agency to a Company School, but excluding any such
approvals or permits issued with respect to the activities of recruiters or
other individual employees or agents of a Company School.
"Educational Law"
means any Laws, regulations or binding standards issued or administered by, or
related to, any Educational Agency.
"Employee Benefit
Plan" means each retirement, welfare, severance, incentive or bonus,
deferred compensation, profit sharing, vacation or paid-time-off, stock
purchase, stock option or equity incentive plan, program, policy, agreement or
arrangement, and any other material employee benefit plan, program, policy,
agreement or arrangement, other than statutorily-mandated plans or programs,
that is maintained or contributed to by the Company or any Subsidiary or with
respect to which the Company or any Subsidiary has or could reasonably be
expected to have any liability.
3
"Escrow Agent" means
Xxxxx Fargo Bank, National Association, as escrow agent, or any successor escrow
agent appointed.
"Escrow Amount" means
$11,500,000.
"GAAP" means United
States generally accepted accounting principles, consistently
applied.
"Indebtedness" means, with
respect to any Person at any date, without duplication, all obligations of such
Person (a) under capitalized leases, (b) for borrowed money or in respect of
loans or advances evidenced by bonds, monies, debentures, or similar instruments
or secured by a Lien on a Person's assets, (c) for the deferred and purchase
price of property or services (excluding current trade payables incurred in the
ordinary course of business), (d) for unpaid management and transaction fees
owed to any Seller or its Affiliates, (e) under employee benefit arrangements,
employment agreements, deferred compensation or other similar arrangements which
come due as a result of the transactions contemplated hereby, including any
change of control, stay or transaction bonuses (but excluding, in each case, the
Closing Sale Bonus Amount and any amounts owed to employees of the Company or
its Subsidiaries pursuant to the Retention Agreements), provided that, for the
avoidance of doubt, obligations that are contingent upon both the consummation
of the transactions to occur at the Closing and the occurrence of another event
or action at the direction of the Buyer or solely within the Buyer's control
after the Closing ( e.g., continued employment or not being offered employment
in the same or a substantially similar job), shall be excluded for purposes of
this clause (e), (f) under any hedging, swap, or similar arrangement, (g)
guaranties of any of the foregoing, and (h) all accrued interest, prepayment
premiums or penalties and fees on the foregoing which would be payable if such
obligations were paid in full as of such date. For the avoidance of
doubt, Indebtedness shall not include any (i) guarantees, letters of credit
(e.g. the XxXxxxx XX), performance bonds, bid bonds or other sureties of any
kind or nature issued by or on behalf of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries
in the ordinary course of business in connection with any
customer contracts, proposals or otherwise, (ii) intercompany payables or
loans of any kind or nature or (iii) the Closing Sale Bonus Amount
and any amounts owed to employees of the Company or its Subsidiaries
pursuant to the Retention Agreements.
"Indebtedness Payoff
Amount" means the amount required to repay all outstanding Indebtedness
of the Company and any Subsidiary as of the Closing Date, before giving effect
to the transactions contemplated hereby. The foregoing shall be determined on a
consolidated basis for the Company and its Subsidiaries and in accordance with
GAAP (except as otherwise provided in the definition of Indebtedness),
consistent with the preparation of the Audited Financial Statements, and shall
exclude the effects of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement and the financing thereof.
"Indemnity Allocation
Percentage" means, (A) with respect to each Stockholder (other than any
Nonparticipating Stockholder), the product of (i) the Signatory Per Share
Portion and (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock held by such Stockholder
after giving effect to the Unvested Share Repurchase but before giving effect to
the other transactions contemplated hereby and (B) with respect to each
Optionholder, the product of (i) the Signatory Per Share
4
Portion
and (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock such Optionholder could have
purchased if such holder had exercised his or her Vested Options in full
immediately prior to the Closing.
"Intellectual
Property" means all of the following in any jurisdiction throughout the
world: (i) patents, patent applications and patent disclosures; (ii) trademarks,
service marks, trade dress, trade names, corporate names, logos, slogans and
Internet domain names, together with all goodwill associated with each of the
foregoing; (iii) copyrights and copyrightable works; (iv) registrations and
applications for registrations of the foregoing; (v) trade secrets, confidential
information, know-how and inventions; and (vi) other intellectual
property.
"Knowledge" when used
in the phrase "to the Knowledge of the Company" or similar phrases means, and
shall be limited to, the actual knowledge, after due inquiry, of the following
individuals: Xxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxx XxXxxxxx, Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx, Spring Zutes, Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxx Xxxxxx, and Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx.
"XxXxxxx XX" means
that certain Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit Number S570155 issued by
LaSalle Bank N.A. for the benefit of the U.S. Department of Education dated June
30, 2004 as amended on November 26, 2004.
"LIBOR" means the
London Interbank Offer Rate published in The Wall Street Journal on the date the
applicable interest calculation period begins (or if not published on that date,
on the next date published) that most closely matches the period between the
date the applicable interest calculation period begins to the date the
applicable interest calculation period ends (e.g. if the interest rate period is
three months long, the three-month LIBOR rate shall be chosen, etc.) and if such
period is greater than one year, one-year LIBOR shall be used.
"Material Adverse
Effect" means any event, change, circumstance or effect that individually
or in the aggregate has had or would reasonably be expected to have a material
adverse effect on the business, assets, results of operations or condition
(financial or otherwise) of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole,
except for any such effects resulting from (a) the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement or the announcement thereof, (b) changes in general economic or
political conditions or the securities markets in general, (c) changes, after
the date of this Agreement, in conditions generally applicable to businesses in
the same industries of the Company and its Subsidiaries including (i) changes in
Laws generally applicable to such businesses or industry and (ii) changes in
applicable Law or in GAAP or its application, or (d) national or international
hostilities, acts of terror, or acts of war, provided that in the case of the
foregoing clauses (a) - (d), except to the extent such event, change,
circumstance or effect disproportionately impacts the Company and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole relative to other companies in the industries in
which any the Company and its Subsidiaries
operate. Furthermore, the Buyer acknowledges and agrees that
conditions imposed by the DOE upon the Buyer or any Company School under Buyer's
new ownership, including but not limited to restrictions upon new locations,
restrictions upon program changes, and letter of credit requirements shall not
constitute a Material Adverse Effect.
5
"Net Working Capital"
means the excess of (a) the sum of the Company's current assets on a
consolidated basis (including all accounts receivable and, without double
counting, which shall include all outstanding student loans in favor of the
Company or its Subsidiaries) excluding (i) Cash and (ii) deferred tax assets,
over (b) the sum of the Company's current liabilities (including prepaid tuition
but excluding deferred tax liabilities, the Closing Sale Bonus Amount and
Indebtedness). The foregoing shall be determined on a consolidated
basis for the Company and its Subsidiaries and in accordance with GAAP (except
as otherwise provided in the immediately preceding sentence), consistent with
the preparation of the Audited Financial Statements, and shall exclude the
effects of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
and the financing thereof.
"Net Working Capital
Amount" means the Net Working Capital of the Company as of the close of
business on the Closing Date, before giving effect to the transactions
contemplated hereby.
"Nonparticipating
Stockholder" shall mean any Stockholder who does not execute a valid and
unconditional signature page hereto and therefore fails to become party to this
Agreement.
"Options" means all
options to acquire shares of Common Stock.
"Per Share Portion"
means a fraction, the numerator of which is one, and the denominator of which is
the sum of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding
immediately prior to the Closing, but after giving effect to the Unvested Share
Repurchase, plus (ii) the number
of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of all Vested
Options.
"Permitted Liens"
means any (i) Liens in respect of Taxes the validity of which is being
contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which appropriate
reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP or Liens in respect of
Taxes not yet due and payable; (ii) mechanics', carriers', workmen's,
repairmen's, statutorily imposed or other like Liens arising or incurred in the
ordinary course of business; (iii) Liens arising under original purchase
price conditional sales contracts and equipment leases with third parties that
are contracts entered into in connection with the Company or the Subsidiaries;
(iv) limitations on the rights of the Company under any Contract or Real
Property Lease that are expressly set forth in such contract or lease;
(v) survey exceptions, imperfections of title, Liens or other title matters
affecting any tangible asset owned by the Company or the Subsidiaries that would
not, individually or in the aggregate have a Material Adverse Effect; and
(vi) with respect to the Owned Real Property and Leased Real Property,
zoning, building codes and other land use Laws regulating the use or occupancy
of such Owned Real Property and Leased Real Property or the activities conducted
thereon that are imposed by any governmental authority having jurisdiction over
such Owned Real Property or Leased Real Property that are not violated by the
operation of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
"Person" means an
individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association,
trust or other entity or organization, including a government or political
subdivision or any agency or instrumentality thereof.
6
"Preferred Stock Per Share
Price" means, with respect to a share of Preferred Stock, the Liquidation
Value (as defined in the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, as amended) of
such share plus all dividends on such share that are accrued and unpaid as of
immediately prior to the Closing in accordance with the Company's Certificate of
Incorporation, as amended.
"Reference Balance
Sheet" means the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of
June 30, 2007 contained in the Audited Financial Statements.
"Remaining Common
Stock" shall mean the Common Stock held by any Nonparticipating
Stockholder.
"Retention Agreements"
means, collectively, each of the agreements listed on Schedule 1.01(a)
attached hereto under the header "Retention Agreements".
"Sale Bonus Agreements"
means, collectively, each of the agreements listed on Schedule 1.01(a)
attached hereto under the header "Sale Bonus Agreements".
"Sellers" means,
collectively, the Stockholders and the Optionholders.
"Sellers' Representative
Amount" means that amount determined by the Sellers' Representative to be
sufficient to satisfy any potential fees, expenses or liabilities of the
Sellers' Representative or the Sellers, which amount shall be paid by the Buyer
to the Sellers' Representative in accordance with Section
2.03(b)(v).
"Signatory Per Share
Portion" means a fraction, the numerator of which is one, and the
denominator of which is the sum of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock
issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Closing (other than any shares
of Common Stock held by Nonparticipating Stockholders), but after giving effect
to the Unvested Share Repurchase, plus (ii) the number
of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of all Vested
Options.
"State Financial Assistance
Program" means solely those student financial assistance programs in
which a student attending a Company School participates and that are
administered by one of the following agencies: the Arizona Board for Private and
Postsecondary Education, California Student Aid Commission, the Oregon Student
Assistance Commission, and the Washington Higher Education Coordinating
Board.
"Subsidiary" means any
entity, the securities or other ownership interests of which having ordinary
voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors, or other persons
performing similar functions, are directly or indirectly owned by the
Company.
"Substantial Control"
means the ability or power to direct or cause the direction of the management or
policies of an institution of higher education, by contract, ownership interest
or otherwise, or has the meaning ascribed to it in 34 C.F.R. §
668.174(c)(3).
"Tax" means any
federal, state, local or foreign income, gross receipts, capital stock,
franchise, profits, withholding, social security, unemployment, disability, real
property, ad
7
valorem/personal
property, stamp, excise, occupation, sales, use, transfer, customs duties,
capital gain, severance, windfall profits, license, payroll, value added,
alternative minimum, estimated or other tax, assessment, duty, fee, levy or
other governmental charge (whether payable directly or by withholding and
whether or not requiring the filing of a Tax Return), including any interest,
penalty or addition thereto.
"Tax Returns" means
any return, report, claim for refund, declaration of estimated Tax, information
return or other document (including elections, waivers, extensions,
declarations, disclosures, estimates, schedules or any related or supporting
information) filed or required to be filed with any Governmental Authority or
other authority in connection with the determination, assessment or collection
of any Tax or the administration of any laws, regulations or administrative
requirements relating to any Tax.
"Title IV" means
Chapter 28, Subchapter IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20
U.S.C. §1001, et seq., and its implementing regulations, and any amendments or
successor statutes or regulations thereto.
"Title IV Program"
means any program of student financial assistance administered pursuant to Title
IV.
"Unvested Shares"
means, with respect to the Stockholders listed on Schedule 1.01(b)
hereto, all shares of Common Stock which would, but for the provisions of Section
2.02(a) below,
constitute "Unvested Shares" (as defined in the agreements listed on
Schedule
1.01(b) hereto) as of immediately following the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereby.
"Vested Options" means
all Options which are vested and exercisable (or will become vested and
exercisable as a result of, or in connection with, the transactions contemplated
hereby) as of the Closing.
Section 1.02
Cross-References to Other Defined
Terms. Each term listed below is defined in the Section of
this Agreement listed opposite such term
:
Term
|
Section
|
2007
Balance Sheet
|
|
Actual
Common Purchase Price
|
|
Adjusted
Excess Amount
|
|
Aggregate
Option Exercise Price
|
|
Agreement
|
Preface
|
Antitrust
Laws
|
|
Approvals
|
|
Audited
Financial Statements
|
|
Basket
|
|
Buyer
|
Preface
|
Buyer
Benefit Plans
|
|
Buyer
Indemnified Parties
|
|
Buyer's
Representatives
|
8
Cap
|
|
Claim
Proceeds
|
|
Class
A Preferred
|
Recitals
|
Class
B Preferred
|
Recitals
|
ClearLight
|
|
Closing
|
|
Closing
Date
|
|
Common
Stock
|
Recitals
|
Company
|
Preface
|
Company
Employees
|
|
Company
Option Plan(s)
|
|
Company
Scheduled Intellectual Property
|
|
Confidential
Information
|
|
Confidentiality
Agreement
|
|
Contracts
|
|
Draft
Computation
|
Section 2.04(a)
|
Environmental
Requirements
|
|
ERISA
|
|
ERISA
Affiliate
|
|
Escrow
Account
|
|
Escrow
Agreement
|
|
Estimated
Cash Amount
|
|
Estimated
Common Purchase Price
|
|
Estimated
Indebtedness Amount
|
|
Estimated
Net Working Capital Amount
|
|
Financial
Statements
|
|
Firm
|
|
Fundamental
Representations
|
|
Governmental
Authority
|
|
Indemnification
Claim
|
|
Indemnitee
|
|
Indemnitors
|
|
Insurance
Policies
|
|
K&E
|
|
Latest
Balance Sheet
|
|
Laws
|
|
Leased
Real Property; Leased Real Properties
|
|
Liens
|
|
Loss;
Losses
|
|
Objection
Notice
|
|
Optionholder;
Optionholders
|
Preface
|
Other
Documents
|
|
Owned
Real Property
|
|
Policy
Guidelines
|
|
Post-Closing
Educational Consents
|
|
Post-Closing
NOL
|
9
Pre-Closing
Educational Consents
|
|
Preferred
Stock
|
Recitals
|
Proposal
|
|
Real
Property Lease; Real Property Leases
|
|
Schedule;
Schedules
|
|
Section
280G Payments
|
|
Seller
Parties
|
|
Seller
Transaction Expenses
|
|
Sellers'
Representative
|
Preface
|
Shares
|
Recitals
|
Stockholder;
Stockholders
|
Preface
|
Straddle
Period
|
|
Survival
Period
|
|
Tax
Benefit
|
|
Tax
Contest
|
Section
8.04(h)
|
Third
Party Claim
|
|
Transaction
Value
|
|
Unaudited
Financial Statements
|
|
Unvested
Share Repurchase
|
|
WBCP
|
|
WBCP
QP
|
ARTICLE
2
PURCHASE AND
SALE
Section
2.01 Estimated Common Purchase Price. On
or before the third (3rd)
business day preceding the Closing Date, the Company shall in good faith
estimate, on a reasonable basis using the Company's then available financial
information, the Cash Amount (such estimate is referred to as the "Estimated Cash
Amount"), the Indebtedness Payoff Amount (such estimate is referred to as
the "Estimated
Indebtedness Amount") and the Net Working Capital Amount (such estimate
is referred to as the "Estimated Net Working
Capital Amount"). The "Estimated Common Purchase
Price" means an amount equal to (A) $290,000,000 (the "Transaction Value"),
(B) plus
the Estimated Cash Amount, (C) less the Estimated
Indebtedness Payoff Amount, (D) plus the excess of
the Estimated Net Working Capital Amount over the Baseline Net Working Capital
Amount or minus the excess of the Baseline Net Working Capital Amount over the
Estimated Net Working Capital Amount, (E) less the Aggregate
Preferred Stock Purchase Price, (F) less the Sellers'
Representative Amount, (G) plus the aggregate exercise price of all Vested
Options (the "Aggregate Option Exercise
Price"), (H) less the Closing Sale
Bonus Amount, and (I) less the Escrow
Amount.
Section 2.02 Purchase and Sale of Common Stock and
Preferred Stock; Cash-Out of Options.
(a) Pre-Closing Repurchase of
Unvested Shares. As of the Closing, immediately before the consummation
of the other transactions contemplated hereby, but following the written
approval of each Sellers' Representative, each Stockholder holding any Unvested
Shares shall sell, assign, transfer and convey to the Company, and the Company
shall purchase and
10
acquire
from each such Stockholder, all of the Unvested Shares held by such Stockholder
(the "Unvested Share
Repurchase"). The purchase price to be paid by the Company to
each such Stockholder for the Unvested Shares held by such Stockholder shall
consist of a payment at the Closing, by wire transfer of immediately available
funds to the account designated by such Stockholder, of an amount of cash equal
to $1.00 multiplied by the number of Unvested Shares held by such
Stockholder.
(b) Purchase and Sale of Common
Stock. As of the Closing, immediately after the consummation
of the Unvested Share Repurchase, upon the terms and subject to the conditions
set forth in this Agreement, each Stockholder (other than any Nonparticipating
Stockholder) shall sell, assign, transfer and convey to the Acquisition Sub, and
the Acquisition Sub shall purchase and acquire from each such Stockholder, all
of the shares of Common Stock held by such Stockholder. Subject to Section 2.04(b),
the purchase price to be paid by the Acquisition Sub to each Stockholder (other
than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) for the Common Stock held by such
Stockholder shall consist of a payment at the Closing, by wire transfer of
immediately available funds to the account designated by such Stockholder, of an
amount of cash equal to the excess of the Estimated Common Purchase Price,
multiplied by such Stockholder's Allocation Percentage. In addition,
each Stockholder shall be entitled to receive (i) from the Sellers'
Representative, payment of an amount in cash equal to the portion of the
Sellers' Representative Amount, if any, ultimately determined by the Sellers'
Representative, in its sole discretion, as no longer needed to satisfy certain
obligations of the Sellers' Representative and/or the Stockholders, multiplied
by such Stockholder's Allocation Percentage and (ii) the aggregate
distributions, if any, to the Stockholders pursuant to the Escrow Agreement
multiplied by such Stockholder's Allocation Percentage.
(c) Purchase and Sale of
Preferred Stock. As of the Closing, upon the terms
and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, each Stockholder
shall sell, assign, transfer and convey to the Acquisition Sub, and the
Acquisition Sub shall purchase and acquire from each Stockholder, all of the
shares of Preferred Stock held by such Stockholder. The purchase
price to be paid by the Acquisition Sub to each Stockholder for the Preferred
Stock held by such Stockholder shall consist of a payment at the Closing, by
wire transfer of immediately available funds to the account designated by such
Stockholder, of an amount of cash equal to the sum of the Preferred Stock Per
Share Price for all shares of Preferred Stock held by such
Stockholder.
(d) Cash Out of the
Options. The Optionholders hereby agree that, as of the
Closing, each outstanding Option shall expire, be forfeited and shall be
cancelled automatically (other than Vested Options), without any further action
on the part of the Company or the Optionholders and without payment of any
consideration. Immediately prior to the Closing, the Company shall
cause the U.S. Education Corporation 2004 Stock Option Plan and the U.S.
Education Corporation 2006 Stock Option Plan and any other stock option or
similar equity plan (each a "Company Option Plan"
and together, the "Company Option Plans"
) to be terminated. In addition, the Optionholders hereby agree that,
as of the Closing, each Vested Option shall be cancelled automatically without
any further action on the part of the Company or the Optionholders in return for
the consideration set forth herein. Upon the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub shall
cause the Company to pay to each Optionholder, for each of the Optionholder's
Vested Options cancelled pursuant to this Section 2.02(d) (by providing
funds to the Company or otherwise), in
11
cancellation
of such Optionholder's Vested Options, an amount in cash equal to the excess of
(i) the Estimated Common Purchase Price, multiplied by such Optionholder's
Allocation Percentage, over (ii) the applicable exercise price per share of such
Vested Option, multiplied by the number of shares of Common Stock such holder
could have purchased if such holder had exercised such Vested Option in full
immediately prior to such time, minus all applicable withholding taxes (which
taxes will include taxes on such holder's Allocation Percentage of the Seller's
Representative Amount). In addition, the Buyer and the Acquisition
Sub shall cause the Company to make all applicable withholdings (by providing
funds to the Company's payroll agent or otherwise) and to issue all applicable
IRS form W-2s to each Optionholder. Furthermore, each Optionholder
shall be entitled to receive from the Sellers' Representative payment of an
amount in cash equal to the portion of the Sellers' Representative Amount, if
any, ultimately determined by the Sellers' Representative, in its sole
discretion, as no longer needed to satisfy certain obligations of the Sellers'
Representative and/or the Optionholders, multiplied by such Optionholder's
Allocation Percentage, net of all applicable withholding.
(e) Withholding. The
Buyer or the Acquisition Sub, as the case may be, shall be entitled to deduct
and withhold from any and all payments made under the Agreement such amounts as
may be required to be deducted and withheld under applicable Laws. To
the extent such amounts are withheld and paid to the appropriate Governmental
Authority in accordance with applicable Laws, such withheld amount shall be
treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the Person to
whom such amounts would have otherwise been paid.
Section 2.03
The Closing.
(a) The
closing of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (the "Closing") shall take
place at the offices of Xxxxxxxx & Xxxxx LLP ("K&E") in Chicago,
Illinois, at 10:00 a.m. on the third (3rd)
business day following full satisfaction or due waiver of all of the closing
conditions set forth in Article 9 hereof
(other than those to be satisfied at the Closing) or on such other date as is
mutually agreeable to the Buyer and the Sellers' Representative. The
date of the Closing is referred to herein as the "Closing
Date."
(b) Upon
the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, the parties
hereto shall consummate the following transactions as of the
Closing:
(i) each
Stockholder (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) shall deliver to the
Acquisition Sub all of the stock certificates representing Common Stock held by
such Stockholder duly endorsed for transfer or accompanied by duly executed
stock powers or other form of assignment and transfer;
(ii) each
Stockholder shall deliver to the Acquisition Sub all of the stock certificates
representing Preferred Stock held by such Stockholder duly endorsed for transfer
or accompanied by duly executed stock powers or other form of assignment and
transfer;
(iii) the
Acquisition Sub shall deliver to each Stockholder (other than any
Nonparticipating Stockholder), by wire transfer of immediately available funds
to the account designated by such Stockholder, cash in an amount equal to the
excess of the
12
Estimated
Common Purchase Price, multiplied by such Stockholder's Allocation
Percentage;
(iv) the
Acquisition Sub shall deliver to each Stockholder, by wire transfer of
immediately available funds to the account designated by such Stockholder, cash
in an amount equal to the sum of the Preferred Stock Per Share Price for all
shares of Preferred Stock held by such Stockholder;
(v) the
Acquisition Sub shall deliver to the Sellers' Representative, by wire transfer
of immediately available funds to the account designated by the Sellers'
Representative, cash in an amount equal to the Sellers' Representative
Amount;
(vi) the
Acquisition Sub shall deposit, for the benefit of the Stockholders and the
Optionholders, the Escrow Amount, which will be available to satisfy any amounts
owed to the Buyer pursuant to Section 2.04 and
Section 11.02(a),
in an escrow account (the "Escrow Account")
established pursuant to the terms and conditions of an escrow agreement (the
"Escrow
Agreement"), by and among the Escrow Agent, the Buyer, the Acquisition
Sub and the Sellers' Representatives substantially in the form of Exhibit B
hereto.
(vii) the
Acquisition Sub or the Buyer shall pay on behalf of itself or the Company and
the Subsidiaries, or cause the Company to repay, all Indebtedness of the Company
and the Subsidiaries set forth on Schedule 2.03(b)(vii)
in accordance with the terms thereof;
(viii) the
Company shall cause the Company Option Plans to be terminated and the Buyer or
the Acquisition Sub shall cause the Company to pay to each Optionholder an
amount equal to the net of (A) the Estimated Company Purchase Price,
multiplied by such Optionholder's Allocation Percentage, over (B) the applicable
exercise price per share of such holder's Vested Option, multiplied by the
number of shares of Common Stock such holder could have purchased if such holder
had exercised such Vested Option in full immediately prior to such time, such
amount net of all applicable withholding taxes (including withholding taxes on
the portion of the amount deposited in the Escrow Account that relates to such
Optionholder's Allocation Percentage);
(ix) the
Acquisition Sub shall pay to the Company and the Company shall promptly pay to
each applicable employee the portion of the Closing Sale Bonus Amount
due and payable to such employee on the Closing Date pursuant to the Sale Bonus
Agreements (net of all applicable withholding taxes) as set forth on Schedule 1.01(a) and
the Company shall cause the Sale Bonus Agreements to be terminated;
(x) the
Company shall deliver to the Buyer copies of the charter and bylaws of the
Company and each Subsidiary, certified by an officer of the Company or such
Subsidiary;
(xi) the
Company shall deliver to the Buyer copies of resolutions of the Company's board
of directors, certified by an officer of the Company, authorizing
the
13
execution,
delivery and performance of this Agreement and the other agreements contemplated
hereby;
(xii) the
Company shall deliver to the Buyer certificates of good standing with respect to
the Company and each Subsidiary issued by such entity's jurisdiction of
organization;
(xiii) the
Company shall deliver to the Buyer copies of signed resignations (to be
effective upon the Closing) from each director of the Company and the
Subsidiaries;
(xiv) the
Company shall deliver to the Buyer an affidavit, under penalties of perjury,
stating that the Company is not and has not been a United States real property
holding corporation, dated as of the Closing Date, and in the form and
containing the substance required under Treasury Regulation Section 1.897-2(h);
and
(xv) the
Buyer, the Acquisition Sub, the Company and the Sellers shall make such other
deliveries as are required by and in accordance with Article 9
hereof.
(c) Merger. Immediately
following the purchase and sale of Shares contemplated by Section 2.02 above,
if there is any Remaining Common Stock, then on the same day as the Closing
occurs the Acquisition Sub will adopt the resolutions set forth in the Terms of
Merger and will merge with and into the Company (the "Merger") pursuant to
Section 253 of the Delaware Code with the Company surviving the Merger and the
Acquisition Sub ceasing to exist, all upon the terms and subject to the
conditions set forth in the Terms of Merger
For the
avoidance of doubt, the transactions contemplated hereby shall include the
transactions contemplated by the Terms of Merger, including the
Merger.
Section
2.04 Post-Closing
Adjustment.
(a) Post-Closing
Determination. Within 90 days after the Closing Date, the
Buyer shall prepare, and deliver to the Sellers' Representative, (i) the
Buyer's determinations of the Cash Amount, the Indebtedness Payoff Amount and
the Net Working Capital Amount, and (ii) the Buyer's calculation of the
Actual Common Purchase Price (collectively, the "Draft
Computation"). The Draft Computation shall be prepared and the
Cash Amount, the Indebtedness Payoff Amount, and the Net Working Capital Amount
shall be determined on aconsolidated basis using the same accounting methods,
policies, principles, practices and procedures, with consistent classifications,
judgments and estimation methodology, as were used in preparation of the audited
consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2007 (the "2007 Balance Sheet")
or, to the extent applicable, in accordance with any changes to such accounting
methods, policies, principles, practices and procedures which are documented in
the Company's books and records prior to the Closing, and shall not include any
changes in assets or liabilities as a result of purchase or other changes
arising from or resulting as a consequence of the transactions contemplated
hereby. The parties agree that the purpose of preparing the Draft
Computation and determining the Cash Amount, the Indebtedness Payoff Amount, and
the Net Working Capital Amount and the related purchase
14
price
adjustment contemplated by this Section 2.04 is
to measure the amount of Cash and Indebtedness and changes in Net Working
Capital, and such processes are not intended to permit the introduction of
different judgments, accounting methods, policies, principles, practices,
procedures, classifications or estimation methodologies for the purpose of
preparing the Draft Computation or determining Cash, Indebtedness or Net Working
Capital. The Buyer and its auditors will make available to the
Sellers' Representative and its auditors all records and work papers used in
preparing the Draft Computation, and its employees and advisors, provided that
such access shall be upon reasonable notice and at reasonable times so as not to
interfere unduly with the business of the Buyer, the Company, and their
Subsidiaries. If the Sellers' Representative disagrees with any
aspect of the Draft Computation, the Sellers' Representative may, within 60 days
after receipt of the Draft Computation, deliver a notice (an "Objection Notice") to
the Buyer setting forth the Sellers' Representative's determination of the Cash
Amount, the Indebtedness Payoff Amount and/or the Net Working Capital Amount and
the Sellers' Representative's calculation of the Actual Common Purchase Price,
and identifying the specific items and amounts of disagreement. The
Sellers' Representative and its auditors will upon request make available to the
Buyer and its auditors reasonable access to all records and work papers used in
preparing the Objection Notice, and to its employees and advisors, provided that
such access shall be upon reasonable notice and at reasonable times so as not to
interfere unduly with the business of the Sellers' Representative. If
the Sellers' Representative does not deliver an Objection Notice to the Buyer
within 60 days after receipt of the Draft Computation, then the parties hereto
will be deemed to have agreed to the Draft Computation and the components of
such Draft Computation shall be deemed to be finally determined as set forth
therein. The Buyer and the Sellers' Representative shall use
reasonable efforts to resolve any disagreements as to the Draft Computation and
the Objection Notice, but if they do not obtain a final resolution within 60
days after the Buyer has received the Objection Notice, the Buyer and the
Sellers' Representative shall jointly retain Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx LLP (the "Firm") to resolve any
remaining disagreements. The Buyer and the Sellers' Representative
shall direct the Firm to render a determination within 30 days after its
retention and the Buyer, the Sellers' Representative and their respective agents
shall cooperate with the Firm during its engagement. The Firm may
consider only those items and amounts in the Draft Computation or Objection
Notice which the Buyer and the Sellers' Representative are unable to
resolve. In resolving any disputed item, the Firm may not assign a
value to any item greater than the greatest value for such item claimed by
either party or less than the smallest value for such item claimed by either
party. The Firm's determination shall be based solely on written
submissions by the Buyer and the Sellers' Representative (i.e., not on
independent review) and on the definitions included herein. The
determination of the Firm shall be conclusive and binding upon the Buyer, the
Sellers' Representative and the Sellers. Until the Firm makes its
determination, the costs and expenses of the Firm shall be borne equally by the
Buyer, on the one hand, and the Sellers' Representative (on behalf of the
Sellers in accordance with their respective Indemnity Allocation Percentages),
on the other hand; provided that, when the Firm makes its determination, any
costs and expenses (including costs and expenses previously advanced) of the
Firm that are allocable to the party whose determination of the Actual Common
Purchase Price was closest to the Firm's determination of the same shall be paid
by the other party.
The "Actual Common Purchase
Price" means an amount equal to (A) the Transaction Value,
(B) plus
the Cash Amount, (C) less the Indebtedness
Payoff Amount, (D) plus the excess of
the Net Working Capital Amount over the Baseline Net Working Capital Amount or
minus
15
.
the
excess of the Baseline Net Working Capital Amount over the Net Working Capital
Amount, (E) less the Aggregate
Preferred Stock Purchase Price, (F) less the Sellers'
Representative Amount, (G) plus the Aggregate
Option Exercise Price, (H) less the Closing Sale
Bonus Amount, and (I) less the Escrow
Amount, in each case as finally determined pursuant to this Section
2.04.
(b) Post-Closing
Adjustment.
(i) Payment by the Buyer and the
Company. If the Actual Common Purchase Price is greater than
the Estimated Common Purchase Price, within five (5) business days after the
final determination of the Actual Common Purchase Price (i) the Buyer shall pay
to the Sellers' Representative (on behalf of each Stockholder in accordance with
their respective Allocation Percentages), by wire transfer or delivery of other
immediately available funds, an amount equal to the product of (I) such
difference plus simple interest thereon from the Closing Date to the date of
payment at an interest rate equal to LIBOR (the "Adjusted Excess
Amount") multiplied by (II)
the sum of all Stockholders' Allocation Percentages; (ii) the Buyer shall cause
the Company to pay to each Optionholder, by wire transfer or delivery of other
immediately available funds, an amount equal to the product of (I) the
Adjusted Excess Amount multiplied by
(II) such Optionholder's Allocation Percentage, net of all applicable
withholding taxes; and (iii) the Sellers' Representative and the Buyer shall
jointly instruct the Escrow Agent to release to the Sellers (based on their
Stockholder's Allocation Percentage and Optionholder's Allocation Percentage )
$1,500,000 from the Escrow Account.
(ii) Payment on behalf of the
Sellers.
(A)
If the Actual Common Purchase Price is less than the Estimated Common Purchase
Price by an amount equal to or less than the Escrow Amount, then within five (5)
business days after the final determination thereof, the Sellers' Representative
and the Buyer shall jointly instruct the Escrow Agent (i) to distribute to the
Buyer an amount equal to such difference plus simple interest thereon from the
Closing Date to the date of payment at an interest rate equal to LIBOR and (ii)
to distribute to the Sellers (based on their Stockholder's Allocation Percentage
and Optionholder's Allocation Percentage) the amount, if any, by which
$1,500,000 exceeds the amount distributed to the Buyer pursuant to the foregoing
clause (i). If the amount distributed by the Escrow Agent to the
Buyer
pursuant to clause (i) of the immediately preceding sentence is greater than
$1,500,000, then the Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder), pro
rata on a several basis based on their relative Indemnity Allocation
Percentages, shall simultaneously deposit into the Escrow Account an amount
equal to such difference.
(B) If the
Actual Common Purchase Price is less than the Estimated Common Purchase Price by
an amount in excess of the Escrow Amount, then within five (5) business days
after the final determination thereof, (i) the Sellers' Representative and the
Buyer shall jointly instruct the Escrow Agent to distribute to the Buyer an
amount equal to $1,500,000 plus simple
16
interest
thereon from the Closing Date to the date of payment at an interest rate equal
to LIBOR and (ii) the Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder), pro
rata on a several basis based on their relative Indemnity Allocation
Percentages, shall pay to the Buyer an amount equal to any remaining difference
plus simple interest thereon from the Closing Date to the date of payment at an
interest rate equal to LIBOR.
(iii) Dispute. If,
pursuant to this Section 2.04,
there is a dispute as to the final determination of the Actual Common Purchase
Price, the Buyer shall promptly pay to the Sellers' Representative (on behalf of
the Stockholders) and cause the Company to pay to the Optionholders, on the one
hand, and the Sellers (pro rata in accordance with their respective Allocation
Percentages) shall pay to the Buyer, on the other hand, as appropriate, such
amounts as are not in dispute, together with interest thereon from the Closing
Date to the date of payment at an interest rate equal to LIBOR, pending final
determination of such dispute pursuant to this Section
2.04.
Section
2.05 Sellers'
Representative.
(a) Appointment. Each
Seller (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) hereby irrevocably
constitutes and appoints Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Capital Partners VII QP, L.P. ("WBCP QP"), and
ClearLight Partners, LLC ("ClearLight"), acting
together and not individually, as Sellers' Representative, as his, her or its
agent and attorney in fact with full power of substitution to act from and after
the date hereof and to do any and all things and execute any and all documents
which, as approved by each of WBCP QP, and ClearLight together, may be
necessary, convenient or appropriate to facilitate the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Escrow Agreement, including
but not limited to: (i) execution of the documents and certificates
pursuant to this Agreement; (ii) receipt of payments under or pursuant to
this Agreement or the Escrow Agreement and disbursement thereof to the Sellers
and others, as contemplated by this Agreement or the Escrow Agreement;
(iii) receipt and forwarding of notices and communications pursuant to this
Agreement or the Escrow Agreement; (iv) administration of the provisions of
this Agreement; (v) giving or agreeing to, on behalf of all or any of the
Sellers, any and all consents, waivers, amendments or modifications deemed by
the Sellers' Representative, in its sole and absolute discretion, to be
necessary or appropriate under this Agreement or the Escrow Agreement and the
execution or delivery of any documents that may be necessary or appropriate in
connection therewith; (vi) amending this Agreement or any of the
instruments to be delivered to the Buyer pursuant to this Agreement;
(vii) taking actions the Sellers' Representative is expressly authorized to
take pursuant to the other provisions of this Agreement;
(viii) (A) dispute or refrain from disputing, on behalf of each Seller
relative to any amounts to be received by such Seller under this Agreement or
any agreements contemplated hereby, any claim made by the Buyer under this
Agreement or other agreements contemplated hereby, (B) negotiate and
compromise, on behalf of each such Seller, any dispute that may arise under, and
exercise or refrain from exercising any remedies available under, this Agreement
or any other agreement contemplated hereby, and (C) execute, on behalf of
each such Seller, any settlement agreement, release or other document with
respect to such dispute or remedy; and (ix) engaging attorneys,
accountants, agents or consultants on behalf of the Sellers in connection with
this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby and paying any fees
related thereto; provided that any amendment,
17
modification,
consent, waiver or other action taken with respect to this Agreement by the
Sellers' Representative on behalf of all Sellers pursuant to the authority
granted under this Section 2.05(a) shall treat
all of the Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) the same unless
the Sellers' Representative has obtained the written consent of a majority in
interest of the group of Sellers that is disadvantaged as compared to the other
Sellers by such amendment. For the avoidance of doubt, no action or
approval by the Sellers' Representative pursuant to this Agreement shall be
effective or may be relied upon by Buyer unless such action or approval is
agreed upon and taken by each of WBCP QP and ClearLight, acting together and not
individually.
(b) Authorization. Notwithstanding
Section 2.05(a),
in the event that the Sellers' Representative, with the advice of counsel, is of
the opinion that it requires further authorization or advice from the Sellers on
any matters concerning this Agreement, the Sellers' Representative shall be
entitled to seek such further authorization from the Sellers prior to acting on
their behalf. In such event, each Seller shall have a number of votes
equal to such Seller's Allocation Percentage and the authorization of a majority
of such number of votes shall be binding on all of the Sellers and shall
constitute the authorization of the Sellers.
(c) Reliance. The
Buyer shall be fully protected in dealing with the Sellers' Representative under
this Agreement and may rely upon the authority of the Sellers' Representative to
act as the agent of the Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder),
and the Buyer shall have no liability whatsoever to the Sellers for any action
or omission of the Buyer, taken in reliance on the authority of the Sellers'
Representative. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any
payment by the Buyer to the Sellers' Representative to the extent authorized
under this Agreement shall be considered a payment by the Buyer to the Sellers,
and any consent, waiver and amendment, modification or other action of the
Sellers' Representative under this Agreement shall be considered the consent,
waiver, amendment, modification or other action of all the Sellers, as
applicable. The appointment of the Sellers' Representative is coupled
with an interest and shall be irrevocable by any Seller in any manner or for any
reason. This power of attorney shall not be affected by the death,
illness, dissolution, disability, incapacity or other inability to act of the
principal pursuant to any applicable law.
(d) Acts of the Sellers'
Representative. The Sellers' Representative may resign from
its capacity as Sellers' Representative at any time by written notice delivered
to the Buyer. If there is a vacancy at any time in the position of
Sellers' Representative for any reason, such vacancy shall be promptly filled by
a Seller vote in the manner contemplated by Section
2.05(b).
(e) No
Liability. The Sellers' Representative shall not be liable to
the Buyer or the Sellers in its capacity as the Sellers' Representative for any
liability of a Seller or for any error of judgment, or any act done or step
taken or omitted by it in good faith or for any mistake in fact or law, or for
anything which it may do or refrain from doing in connection with this Agreement
except in the case of fraud or willful misconduct by it. The Sellers'
Representative may seek the advice of reputable legal counsel in the event of
any dispute or question as to the construction of any of the provisions of this
Agreement or its duties hereunder, and it shall incur no liability in its
capacity as Sellers' Representative to the Buyer or the Sellers and shall be
fully protected with respect to any action taken, omitted or suffered by it in
good faith in accordance with the opinion of such counsel.
18
(f) Expenses. Any
expenses or liabilities incurred by the Sellers' Representative in connection
with the performance of its duties under this Agreement shall not be the
personal obligation of the Sellers' Representative but shall be payable by the
Sellers based on each Seller's Indemnity Allocation Percentage. The
Sellers' Representative may from time to time submit invoices to the Sellers
covering such expenses and/or liabilities and, upon the request of any Seller,
shall provide such Seller with an accounting of all expenses paid. In
addition to any other rights or remedies, the Sellers' Representative may offset
any amounts owed by the Sellers to it against funds to be paid to the Sellers
hereunder.
(g) Indemnification of the
Sellers' Representative. The Sellers shall indemnify and hold
harmless, pro-rata based on each Seller's Indemnity Allocation Percentage, the
Sellers' Representative from any and all losses, liabilities and expenses
(including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) arising out of or in
connection with the Sellers' Representative's execution and performance (solely
in its capacity as the Sellers' Representative and not in its capacity as a
Stockholder) of this Agreement, except for fraud, gross negligence or willful
misconduct by the Sellers' Representative.
(h) Withholding
Rights. The Buyer, the Acquisition Sub, the Company, any
Subsidiary and the Sellers' Representative shall be entitled to deduct and
withhold (without duplication) from any and all payments made under this
Agreement to a Seller that is or was an employee or other service provider of
the Company or its Subsidiaries such amounts as may be required to be deducted
and withheld under applicable Laws. To the extent such amounts are withheld and
paid to the appropriate taxing authority in accordance with applicable laws,
such withheld amount shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as
having been paid to the Person to whom such amounts would have otherwise been
paid.
ARTICLE
3
REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES OF THE
COMPANY
The
Company represents and warrants to the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub, as of the
date hereof and as of the Closing that each statement contained in this Article 3 is
correct and complete, except as set forth in the Schedules (as updated or
supplemented pursuant to Section 6.04)
accompanying this Agreement (each a "Schedule" and,
collectively, the "Schedules"). Capitalized
terms used in the Schedules and not otherwise defined therein shall have the
meanings ascribed to such terms in this Agreement.
Section
3.01 Organization and Qualification. Except as
set forth on Schedule
3.01, each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is a corporation, limited
liability company or other entity duly organized, validly existing and, where
applicable, in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdiction of
organization. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries has full
corporate, limited liability company or other entity power and authority to own
or lease its respective properties and to conduct its respective businesses in
the manner and in the places where such properties are owned or leased and where
such businesses are currently conducted, except where the failure to have such
power and authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be
expected to materially harm the business of the Company or its Subsidiaries or
result in a Material Adverse Effect. The copies of the Company's and
each Subsidiary's articles of incorporation and by-laws or other equivalent
governing documents, each
19
as
amended to date and each heretofore made available to the Buyer and/or its
agents, are complete and correct, and no amendments thereto are
pending. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.01, the
copies of the Company's and each Subsidiary's minute books containing the
records of meetings of the shareholders, board of directors, the stock
certificate books, the stock record books and similar organizational records of
the Company and each Subsidiary, in the form made available to the Buyer and/or
its agents, and are complete and correct in all material
respects. The Company and each Subsidiary are duly licensed and
qualified to do business and in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the
properties owned or leased by it or the operation of its business makes such
licensing or qualification to do business necessary, except where the failure to
have such power and authority would not, individually or in the aggregate,
reasonably be expected to materially harm the business of the Company or its
Subsidiaries or result in a Material Adverse Effect.
Section
3.02 Subsidiaries;
Securities Owned
. The Company has
no direct or indirect Subsidiaries other than those listed on Schedule 3.02
hereto. Schedule 3.02
correctly sets forth the name of each Subsidiary, the jurisdiction of its
incorporation or formation, and the classification or type as designated by such
Subsidiary's jurisdiction of incorporation or formation. Except as
set forth on Schedule 3.02
hereto, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary owns, or holds the right to
acquire, any securities, partnership interest, joint venture interest or other
security or interest in any other Person or Governmental Authority (other than
Cash and securities of other Subsidiaries of the Company).
Section
3.03 Capitalization.
(a) The
total authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 120,000 shares of
Class A Preferred, 71,710.39282 of which are issued and outstanding as of the
date hereof, 1,000 shares of Class B Preferred, 1,000 of which are issued and
outstanding as of the date hereof, and 2,100,000 shares of Common Stock,
1,435,844.84 of which are issued and outstanding as of the date
hereof. All of the issued and outstanding shares of Preferred Stock
and Common Stock are duly and validly issued and outstanding, and are fully paid
and non-assessable. On the date hereof, all of the issued and
outstanding shares of Preferred Stock and Common Stock are held of record by the
Stockholders as set forth on Schedule 3.03 hereto,
free and clear of all pledges, liens, encumbrances or other claims or charges,
except pledges, liens, encumbrances
or other claims or charges that will be released at the
Closing. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.03, there
are no authorized or outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants, commitments,
preemptive rights, subscription rights, exchange rights, agreements,
arrangements, commitments or obligations (contingent or otherwise) of any kind
for or relating to the repurchase, acquisition, issuance, sale, registration or
voting of, or outstanding securities convertible into or exchangeable for, any
shares of capital stock of any class or other equity interests of the
Company. On the date hereof, all of the issued and outstanding
Options are held of record by the Optionholders as set forth on Schedule 3.03 hereto,
free and clear of all pledges, liens, encumbrances or other claims or charges,
except pledges, liens, encumbrances or other claims or charges that will be
released at the Closing.
(b) All
of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or other ownership
interest of each Subsidiary of the Company are duly and validly issued and
outstanding, and are fully paid (in compliance with applicable Laws) and, to the
extent applicable, non-assessable.
20
All
of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or other ownership
interest of each Subsidiary of the Company are directly or indirectly owned by
the Company, free and clear of all pledges, liens, encumbrances or other claims
or charges, except pledges, liens, encumbrances or other claims or charges that
will be released at the Closing. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.03
hereof, there are no authorized or outstanding subscriptions, options, warrants,
commitments, preemptive rights, subscription rights, exchange rights,
agreements, arrangements, commitments or obligations (contingent or otherwise)
of any kind for or relating to the repurchase, acquisition, issuance, sale,
registration or voting of, or outstanding securities convertible into or
exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock of any class or other equity
interests of any Subsidiary of the Company. Schedule 3.03 sets
forth a true and complete list of all outstanding Options, indicating with
respect to each such Option (i) the name of the Optionholder thereof, (ii) the
Company Option Plan under which it was granted, (iii) the number of shares of
Common Stock subject to such Option, (iv) the exercise price, and (v) the date
of grant.
Section
3.04 Authority
of the Company.
(a) The
Company has full right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and
each agreement, document and instrument to be executed and delivered by it
pursuant to or as contemplated by this Agreement (the "Other Documents") and
to carry out the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. The
execution and delivery of this Agreement and each Other Document and the
performance of the Company's obligations hereunder and thereunder have been duly
authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company, and no
other corporate proceedings on the part of the Company and no other stockholder
votes are necessary to authorize the execution, delivery and performance of this
Agreement and each Other Document. This Agreement and each Other
Document constitute, or will when executed and delivered constitute, valid and
binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their
respective terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
moratorium and similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally, and subject,
as to enforceability, to general principles of equity (regardless of whether
enforcement is sought in a proceeding at law or in equity).
(b) The
execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and each
Other Document to which it is a party:
(i) do not and
will not violate any provision of the articles of incorporation or by-laws or
other equivalent governing document of the Company or any
Subsidiary;
(ii) do
not and will not violate any Laws of the United States, or any state or other
jurisdiction applicable to the Company or any Subsidiary, or require the Company
or any Subsidiary to obtain any approval, consent or waiver of, or make any
filing with, or provide notice to, any Person (governmental or otherwise) that
has not been obtained or made, which violation would, individually or in the
aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, except for
any actions required under the Xxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Antitrust Improvements Act of
1976, as amended, or other competition or anti-trust related legal or regulatory
requirements of foreign jurisdictions, commissions or governing bodies (the
"Antitrust
Laws") and except as set forth on
21
Schedule
3.04(b)(ii)(A) hereto (the "Pre-Closing Educational
Consents") and Schedule
3.04(b)(ii)(B) hereto (the "Post-Closing Educational
Consents"); and
(iii) do
not and will not result in a breach of, constitute a default under, accelerate
any obligation under, or give rise to a right of termination, acceleration,
modification, cancellation of, or require any notice, consent, authorization,
approval or exemption under any indenture, loan or credit agreement, or any
other material agreement, contract, understanding, commitment, instrument,
mortgage, deed of trust, lien, lease, permit, authorization, order, writ,
judgment, injunction, decree, determination or arbitration award, whether
written or oral, to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which
the property of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound (or result in the
imposition of any Liens upon any of their assets), except as otherwise set forth
on Schedule 3.04(b)(iii)
hereto.
Section
3.05 Compliance with Laws
. Except as set
forth on Schedule 3.05
hereto, the Company and each Subsidiary is in compliance with all applicable
laws, judgments, decrees, injunctions, statutes, ordinances, orders, rules and
regulations ("Laws") promulgated by
any governmental, regulatory or administrative body, agency or authority, any
court or judicial authority, any arbitral tribunal or any other public
authority, whether foreign, transnational, federal, state, municipal, local or
other governmental authority but excluding any Educational Agency (a "Governmental
Authority") which are necessary for the operation of the business of the
Company and the Subsidiaries as conducted, except where failure to so comply
would not individually or in the aggregate, currently have a Material Adverse
Effect. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the representations and
warranties in this Section 3.05 do
not apply to the subject matter of the representations in Sections 3.25 through
3.30. Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.05 hereto,
since the Compliance Date, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received
any written notice or, to the Knowledge of the Company, other communication from
any Governmental Authority regarding any actual, alleged, possible, or potential
violation of, or failure to comply materially with any Law by the Company or its
Subsidiaries. Neither the Company, any Subsidiary nor any of their
respective directors, officers, employees or agents has, with respect to the
businesses of the Company or the Subsidiaries, (a) used any funds for any
unlawful contribution, endorsement, gift, entertainment or other unlawful
expense relating to political activity, (b) made any direct or indirect unlawful
payment to any foreign or domestic official or employee of a Governmental
Authority,
(c) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or (d) made any bribe, rebate, payoff,
influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment to any person or
entity.
Section
3.06 Advisory and Other Fees
. Neither the
Company, nor any Subsidiary has incurred nor shall any of them become liable for
any advisory fee, broker's commission or finder's fee relating to or in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, other than
advisory fees payable to BMO Capital Markets Corp., which fees shall be paid as
provided in Section
12.04.
Section
3.07 Taxes. Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.07
hereto:
(a) i) The
Company and each Subsidiary has complied in all material respects with all Laws
related to Taxes. All income Tax Returns of or with respect to
the
22
Company
and each Subsidiary required by Law to be filed have been timely filed and all
other material Tax Returns of or with respect to the Company and each Subsidiary
required by applicable federal, foreign, state, local or other Law to be filed
have been filed and all such Tax Returns were true, correct and complete in all
material respects;
(ii) The
Company and each Subsidiary have timely paid or caused to be paid as of the date
hereof all Taxes (whether or not shown as due on the Tax Returns referred to in
Section
3.07(a)(i)), except to the extent such Taxes are being contested in
good faith by the Company or any Subsidiary or are properly reserved for on the
books or records of the Company;
(iii) There
has not been any audit of any Tax Return filed by or with respect to the Company
or any Subsidiary for which the applicable statute of limitations has not
expired, no audit of any such Tax Return of or including the Company or any
Subsidiary is in progress, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has been
notified in writing by any taxing authority that any audit is contemplated or
pending. No written claim has been made by any Governmental Authority
in a jurisdiction where the Company or any Subsidiary does not file Tax Returns
that the Company or any Subsidiary is or may be subject to taxation by that
jurisdiction; and
(iv) The
Company and each Subsidiary has provided to the Buyer (A) true, correct and
complete copies of all Tax Returns relating to income Taxes and other material
Tax Returns filed by the Company or such Subsidiary for the past three (3) years
and (B) true, correct, and complete copies of all notices of deficiencies,
notices of proposed adjustments, notices of assessments, revenue agent reports,
closing agreements, settlement agreements, information document requests,
protests, and any other similar document, notice, or correspondence, in each
such case, that the Company, any Subsidiary (or representative thereof) has
received from, sent to, or entered with the Internal Revenue Service or other
Governmental Authority in the last three years or that relates to any Taxes or
Tax Return which is not closed by the applicable statute of
limitations.
(b) Neither the Company nor
any Subsidiary is a party to, is bound by or has any obligation under, any
agreement relating to allocating or sharing the payment of, or liability for,
Taxes or has any liability for Taxes of any Person (other than members of the
affiliated group, within the meaning of Section 1504(a) of the Code, filing
consolidated federal income tax returns of which the Company is the common
parent) under Treasury Regulation § 1.1502-6 (or a similar provision of
state, local or foreign law), as a transferee or successor, by contract or
otherwise.
(c) No
closing agreement pursuant to Section 7121 of the Code or any similar
provision of any state, local or foreign law has been entered into by or with
respect to the Company or any Subsidiary. Neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary has agreed to or is required to make any adjustment for any period
after the Closing Date pursuant to Section 481(a) of the Code by reason of
any change in any accounting method, there is no application pending with any
taxing authority requesting permission for any such change in any accounting
method of the Company or any Subsidiary and the Internal Revenue Service has not
proposed in writing
23
any
such adjustment or change in accounting method. Neither the Company
nor any Subsidiary has any private letter ruling, technical advice or other
similar requests presently pending with any Governmental Authority.
(d) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.07(d)
hereto, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has waived any statute of
limitations in respect of Taxes or agreed to any extension of time with respect
to any Tax assessment or deficiency and no power of attorney granted by the
Company or any Subsidiary with respect to any Taxes is currently in
force.
(e) The
Company and each Subsidiary have (i) withheld and paid over to the relevant
Governmental Authority all Taxes required to have been withheld and paid in
connection with payments to employees, independent contractors, creditors,
stockholders or other third parties, including any Taxes denominated as
"employer contributions" or "premiums," and (ii) filed all federal, state, local
and foreign returns and reports with respect to employee income Tax withholding,
social security Taxes and premiums, and unemployment Taxes and premiums, all in
compliance with the Code (and other applicable federal, state, local or foreign
laws relating to Taxes) as in effect for the applicable year.
(f) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.07(f)
hereto, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary will be required to include any
item of income in, or exclude any item of deduction from, taxable income for any
taxable period (or portion thereof) ending after the Closing Date as a result of
any (i) intercompany transaction or any excess loss account described in
Treasury Regulations under Code § 1502 (or any corresponding or similar
provision of state, local, or foreign Tax law); (ii) installment sale or open
transaction disposition made on or prior to the Closing Date; or (iii) prepaid
amount received on or prior to the Closing Date.
(g) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary has distributed stock of another Person, or has
had its stock distributed by another Person, in a transaction that was purported
or intended to be governed in whole or in part by Code § 355 or Code §
361.
(h) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.07(h),
neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereunder, either by themselves
or in connection with any other event, will entitle any employee, officer, or
director of the Company or any Subsidiaries to any payment of any material
amount that could individually or in combination with any other such payment
constitute an "excess parachute payment" as defined in Code § 280G(b)(1) of the
Code (or any corresponding or similar provision of state, local, or foreign Tax
law).
(i) There
are no Liens for Taxes on any assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, other
than liens for Taxes not yet due and payable.
(j) None
of the Company or the Subsidiaries is or has ever been a "United States real
property holding corporation" within the meaning of Code section
897(c).
(k) Based
on the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations and other applicable guidance
as of the Closing Date, and taking into account the transition period rules and
other mitigation provisions contained therein, none of the Company's or the
Subsidiaries' "nonqualified deferred compensation plans" within the meaning of
Code section 409A is likely
24
to
result in a participant's incurring income acceleration or penalties under Code
section 409A. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any
indemnity obligation for any Taxes imposed under Code section 409A.
(l) No
asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is tax-exempt use property under Code
section 168(h). No portion of the cost of any asset of the Company or
any Subsidiary has been financed directly or indirectly from the proceeds of any
tax-exempt state or local government obligation described in Code
section103(a). None of the assets of the Company or any Subsidiary is
property that the Company or such Subsidiary is required to treat as being owned
by any other person pursuant to the safe harbor lease provision of former Code
section 168(f)(8).
(m) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary has engaged in any "listed transaction" or
"reportable transaction" within the meaning of Section 6707A of the Code or
Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder or pursuant to notices or other
guidance published by the Internal Revenue Service (irrespective of the
effective dates).
(n) The
Company does not have any "excess loss accounts" with respect to any
Subsidiary. The Company does not have any items of income, gain,
loss, expense, or deduction deferred under the intercompany transaction rules of
Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-13 (or similar provision of foreign, state,
or local laws).
Section
3.08 Litigation
. Schedule 3.08 hereto
sets forth each material claim, complaint, charge, grievance, arbitration,
condemnation, expropriation or other proceeding related to the employment of the
employees of the Company and any Subsidiary and in eminent domain, action, suit,
investigation and other proceeding pending or, to the Company's Knowledge,
threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary or the operation, conduct, use
or value of their properties or facilities, at law or in equity, or before or by
any Governmental Authority.
Section
3.09 Financial
Statements.
(a) The
Company has delivered to the Buyer the following financial statements, attached
as Schedule 3.09
hereto:
(i) audited
consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of June 30, 2006 and June 30, 2007
and audited consolidated statements of operations, shareholder's equity, and
cash flows for the fiscal year then ended (collectively, the "Audited Financial
Statements"); and
(ii) unaudited
consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of May 31, 2008 (the "Latest Balance
Sheet") and the related statements of operations and cash flows for the
eleven months then ended (collectively, the "Unaudited Financial
Statements" and, together with the Audited Financial Statements, the
"Financial
Statements").
25
In addition, the Company has delivered
to the Buyer copies of all management recommendation letters received by the
Company from its auditors in connection with the audit of the Audited Financial
Statements.
(b) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.09, the
Audited Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP applied
consistently during the periods covered thereby, and present fairly in all
material respects the financial condition of the relevant entities at the dates
of said statements and the results of their operations and cash flows for the
periods covered thereby. The Unaudited Financial Statements have been
prepared in accordance with GAAP applied consistently during the period covered
thereby, and present fairly in all material respects the financial condition of
the Company and the Subsidiaries at the date of such statements and the results
of their operations and cash flows for the period covered thereby, except that
they do not contain the materials and disclosures to be found in notes to
financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP nor do they reflect normal
year-end adjustments.
(c) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.09 hereto,
neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has any material liabilities of
any nature (whether accrued, absolute, contingent, direct, indirect, known,
unknown, or otherwise, whether due or to become due and regardless of when or by
whom asserted) that would be required to be reflected on a balance sheet
prepared in accordance with GAAP, except for (i) the liabilities reflected
or reserved against on the Latest Balance Sheet (including all notes thereto);
(ii) liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business since the date
of the Latest Balance Sheet (none of which is a liability for breach of
contract, breach of warranty, tort or infringement or a claim or lawsuit); and
(iii) liabilities incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated
hereby.
Section
3.10 Transactions with Affiliates.
Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.10
hereto and except to the extent reflected in the Financial Statements, there is
not in existence any, and since the Compliance Date, there have been no material
transactions, contracts, understandings or agreements of any kind between
the
Company or any Subsidiary and any Person (other than the Company or any
Subsidiary) who is an Affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary, or officer,
director or stockholder, or to the Knowledge of the Company, any employee of the
Company or any Subsidiary, or any individual related by marriage or adoption to
any such individual or entity in which any such individual owns a material
interest.
Section
3.11 Real Properties.
(a) The
Company or the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to the real
properties set forth on Schedule 3.11(a)
hereto (the "Owned
Real Property") free and clear of Liens, except for Permitted
Liens. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.11(a), the
Company or the Subsidiaries have not leased or otherwise granted to any Person
the right to use or occupy such Owned Real Property or any portion
thereof. No Owned Real Property is subject to any sales contract,
option, right of first refusal or similar agreement or arrangement with any
third party.
(b) Schedule 3.11(b)
hereto sets forth each lease or other agreement under which the Company or any
Subsidiary leases or has rights in any material real property (the "Real Property Leases"
and, each individually, a "Real Property
Lease"). True and complete copies of the Real Property Leases
(including all amendments, extensions, renewals, guaranties and
other
26
agreements
with respect thereto) have been made available to the Buyer and/or its agents by
the Company. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.11(b)
hereto, the Company and each Subsidiary have a valid and subsisting leasehold
interest in all the real property which is the subject of each of the respective
Real Property Leases set forth on Schedule 3.11(b)
hereto (individually, the "Leased Real Property"
and, collectively, the "Leased Real
Properties"), and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has subleased,
licensed or otherwise granted any Person the right to use or occupy such Leased
Real Property or any portion thereof.
(c) No
material permit, license or certificate of occupancy pertaining to the leasing
or operation of any Owned Real Property or Leased Real Property, other than
those which are transferable with such property, is required by any Governmental
Authority.
Section
3.12 Absence of Material Adverse
Effect.
Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.12
hereto, since the date of the Latest Balance Sheet, there has not been any
Material Adverse Effect.
Section
3.13 Absence of Certain Changes.
Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.13
hereto, or as contemplated by this Agreement, the Company and each Subsidiary
have complied in all material respects with the covenants and restrictions set
forth in Section 6.01
hereof to the same extent as if this Agreement had been executed on, and had
been in effect since, the date of the Latest Balance Sheet.
Section
3.14 Tangible Personal Property.
Except as set forth on Schedule 3.14
hereto, (a) the Company and each Subsidiary have good and marketable title
to all of the items of tangible personal property and assets used by them or
reflected on the Latest Balance Sheet, except for inventory or equipment as sold
or disposed of subsequent to the date thereof in the ordinary course of business
consistent with past practices, and (b) all such tangible personal property
is owned free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, mortgages, pledges, options,
licenses, contracts and security interests (collectively, "Liens"),
except for (i) Liens identified on Schedule 3.14
hereto and (ii) Permitted Liens.
Section
3.15 Intellectual Property.
(a) Schedule 3.15 hereto
sets forth a complete and accurate list of all: (i) patents and patent
applications, (ii) trademark and service xxxx registrations and applications for
registration thereof, and Internet domain name registrations, (iii) registered
copyrights and applications for registration of copyrights, and (iv) material
software (including, without limitation, generic descriptions of firmware,
libraries, middleware, and applications) that is embodied in any product or
service of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, in each of the foregoing
cases that are owned by the Company or any Subsidiary (collectively, "Company Scheduled
Intellectual Property").
(b) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.15, the
Company (directly or through a Subsidiary) (i) owns and possesses all right,
title and interest in and to all Company Scheduled Intellectual Property, free
and clear of all Liens other than (1) Permitted Liens or (2) any applicable
licenses set forth on Schedule 3.16, and
(ii) owns and possesses all right, title and interest in and to or possesses
valid and enforceable licenses to all (y) other Company
27
Intellectual
Property and (z) all other Intellectual Property used in the conduct of the
business of the Company and its Subsidiaries on or prior to Closing, free and
clear of all Liens other than (1) Permitted Liens or (2) any applicable licenses
set forth on Schedule
3.16.
(c) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.15, (i)
neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of infringement
or misappropriation of or conflict with any Intellectual Property of any third
party (including, without limitation, any written demands or written unsolicited
offers to license any Intellectual Property from any third party that reference
a third party patent and a Company product or service); (ii) neither the conduct
of its business nor any of the products sold or services provided by the Company
or any Subsidiary in connection therewith infringes, misappropriates or
otherwise conflicts with Intellectual Property of any third party on or prior to
Closing; (iii) to the Knowledge of the Company, no third party has infringed,
misappropriated or otherwise conflicted with any Intellectual Property owned by
the Company; and (iv) no claims are pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company,
threatened in writing, against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by any
third party regarding the use or ownership of any Company Intellectual Property,
or challenging or questioning the validity or enforceability of any Company
Intellectual Property, and to the Knowledge of the Company there are no grounds
for the same.
(d) (i)
Since the Compliance Date and to the Knowledge of the Company, no material
Company Intellectual Property has been abandoned or permitted to lapse, and (ii)
the Company and its Subsidiaries (as applicable) have used all commercially
reasonable efforts to maintain and protect the Company Intellectual Property, in
each case, except as set forth on Schedule
3.15.
(e) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.15 and
Schedule
3.04(b)(iii), (i) the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will
not have an adverse effect on the Company's or any Subsidiary's right, title or
interest in and to the Intellectual Property owned or used by the Company or
such Subsidiary, and (ii) all of such Intellectual Property shall be owned or
available for use by the Company or the applicable Subsidiary immediately after
Closing on terms and conditions identical to those under which such Intellectual
Property was owned or available for use by the Company or such Subsidiary
immediately prior to the Closing.
(f) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.15, (i)
the Company and its Subsidiaries have taken steps reasonable under the
circumstances to protect and preserve the confidentiality of all trade secrets
and material confidential information of the Company and its Subsidiaries, and
(ii) each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has instituted policies requiring
each employee, consultant and independent contractor (1) to execute proprietary
information and confidentiality agreements, and (2) to execute agreements
assigning to the Company or one of its Subsidiaries any Intellectual Property
arising out of such employee's, consultant's or independent contractor's
employment or engagement, in each case prior to or upon their employment or
engagement.
Section
3.16 Contracts. Except
for contracts, commitments, plans, agreements and licenses listed on Schedule 3.16
hereto (true and complete copies (including all amendments, exhibits,
attachments, waivers or other changes thereto) of which have been made available
to
28
the
Buyer and/or its agents) (the "Contracts"), neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary is a party to or subject to, or any assets or
properties of the Company or the Subsidiaries are bound by:
(a) any
plan, contract, commitment or agreement providing for or relating to bonuses,
stock, options, stock purchases, profit sharing, collective bargaining or the
like or any contract or agreement with any labor union (other than the plans
listed on Schedule 3.19)
or containing any severance obligations or providing for the payment of cash or
other compensation or benefits upon the sale of all or a portion of the assets
of the Company or any Subsidiary or a change of control;
(b) (i)
any employment contracts or (ii) any consulting or independent contractor
contract or any contract for services (other than for services by independent
contractors or employees pursuant to employment contracts) which requires the
payment of more than $100,000 annually in total cash compensation which is not
terminable on 60 or fewer days notice by the Company or any Subsidiary
without liability for any penalty;
(c) any
contract or agreement for the purchase of any commodity, material or equipment
in excess of $100,000 (other than purchase orders entered into in the ordinary
course of business);
(d) any
contract or agreement requiring the purchase of all or substantially all of its
requirements of a particular product from a supplier, except any contract or
agreement relating to the purchase of inventory in the ordinary course of
business;
(e) any
contract or agreement which by its terms does not terminate or is not terminable
by the Company or any Subsidiary within twelve months after the date hereof
without payment of a penalty of $100,000 or more;
(f) any
material contract containing covenants limiting the freedom of the Company or
any Subsidiary to compete in any line of business or with any
Person;
(g) any
partnership, joint venture or other similar contract or agreement;
(h) any
material contract or agreement providing for the license of patents, trademarks,
service marks, trade names or copyrights between the Company or any Subsidiary
and any third party (other than licenses of commercially available,
off-the-shelf software);
(i) any
settlement, conciliation or similar agreement, the performance of which will
involve payment after the execution date of this Agreement for consideration in
excess of $50,000 or monitoring by a Governmental Authority, consent decree or
reporting responsibilities to a Governmental Authority outside the ordinary
course of business;
(j) any
contract, agreement or arrangement under which the Company or any Subsidiary has
advanced or loaned any amount to any of its directors, officers, managers or
employees, except for advances to employees in the ordinary course of
business;
(k) any
contract, agreement or arrangement for capital expenditures or the acquisition
or construction of fixed assets in excess of $500,000;
29
(l) any
contract, agreement or arrangement that would constitute Indebtedness of the
Company or its Subsidiaries (excluding advances to employees in the ordinary
course of business);
(m) any
contract, agreement or arrangement granting any Person a Lien on all or any
material part of the assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, other than Liens
which will be released at the Closing;
(n) any
contract, agreement or arrangement under which the Company or any Subsidiary is
(i) a lessee or sublessee of any machinery, equipment, vehicle or other tangible
personal property, or (ii) a lessor of any tangible personal property owned by
the Company or any Subsidiary, in any single lease (or group of related leases
with the same party) under (i) or (ii) having an original value in excess of
$500,000;
(o) any
contract, agreement or arrangement containing releases, covenants, warranties or
indemnities concerning environmental conditions of any real property, including
any Owned Real Property or Leased Real Property; or
(p) other
than the contracts, agreements or arrangements of the type covered by Sections 3.16(a)
through 3.16(o)
(regardless of any dollar or other thresholds or limitations set forth therein)
and other than purchase orders entered into in the ordinary course of business,
any other contracts or agreements creating any obligation of the Company or any
Subsidiary of more than $250,000 annually with respect to any such contract,
agreement or arrangement.
All
Contracts are valid and in full force and effect and constitute legal, valid and
binding obligations of the Company or such Subsidiary and, to the Knowledge of
the Company, the other parties thereto, and are enforceable against the Company
or such Subsidiary in accordance with their respective terms, subject to
applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws
affecting creditors' rights generally, and subject, as to enforceability, to
general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a
proceeding at law or in equity). Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in
default in complying with any material provisions thereof, nor has the Company or any
of the Subsidiaries received written notice of any such default, and, to the
Knowledge of the Company, no condition or event or facts exist which, with
notice, lapse of time or both, would constitute a default thereof on the part of
the Company or such Subsidiary which default would reasonably be expected to
have a Material Adverse Effect.
This Section 3.16 does
not apply to any Contract relating to the subject matter covered by Sections 3.25 through
3.30,
including, without limitation, any student enrollment agreement or any Contract
with an Educational Agency or State Financial Assistance Agency.
Section
3.17 Insurance.
Other
than with respect to the welfare benefit insurance policies (which shall be
governed by Section 3.19(f))
and the fidelity bond for the 401(k) plan, the Company has made available to the
Buyer true, correct and complete copies of all policies of insurance, including
fidelity bonds, general liability policies, product liability, comprehensive
general liability and umbrella insurance policies, maintained as of the date
hereof by the Company and each Subsidiary (the "Insurance Policies"),
together with descriptions of
30
"self
insurance" programs, if any. All such Insurance Policies are in full
force and effect, and all premiums due under such Insurance Policies have been
paid, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is, or has been since the
Compliance Date, in default with respect to its payment obligations under any
such Insurance Policies.
Section
3.18 Permits. Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.18
hereto and except for the Educational Approvals and the subject matter covered
by Sections
3.25 through 3.30, (i) the
Company and each Subsidiary has obtained and currently holds and is in
compliance with all terms and conditions of all permits, registrations,
licenses, franchises, certifications, approvals, exemptions and other approvals
(collectively, the "Approvals") from
Governmental Authorities necessary for the
conduct of its business as presently conducted, except where the failure to
obtain such Approvals would not reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect, (ii) all such Approvals are valid and in full force and
effect, except where the failure to obtain such Approvals would not reasonably
be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and (iii) none of such
Approvals is subject to termination by its terms as a result of the execution of
this Agreement by the Company or by the consummation of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
Section
3.19 Employee Benefit Plans. All
Employee Benefit Plans are listed on Schedule 3.19
hereto. With respect to each Employee Benefit Plan, a true and
complete copy of each of the following documents has been provided or made
available to the Buyer and/or its agents, if applicable: (i) the current plan
document and all amendments thereto (or descriptions thereof for any unwritten
Employee Benefit Plan), (ii) each trust, insurance contract or other funding
arrangement, (iii) each summary plan description and any summary of material
modifications thereto, (or other descriptions or summaries that have been
distributed to participants and beneficiaries for any Employee Benefit Plan not
subject to ERISA), (iv) the most recently filed annual report on the Form 5500
with all attachments thereto, (v) the most recently received IRS determination
letter or opinion letter, and (vi) all current contracts and agreements with
service providers. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.19
hereto:
(a) all
Employee Benefit Plans have been maintained, funded and administered in
compliance in all material respects with their terms and all applicable Laws,
including without limitation, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974, as amended ("ERISA") and the
Code;
(b) each
Employee Benefit Plan, the Company, each Subsidiary, each employee of the
Company or a Subsidiary and, to the Knowledge of the Company, each trustee,
administrator or other fiduciary of an Employee Benefit Plan has not engaged in
any breach of fiduciary responsibility or any "prohibited transaction" (as such
term is defined in Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) to which
Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code applies and which could subject
any Employee Benefit Plan, the Company, any Subsidiary, any such trustee or
administrator thereof, or any other party dealing with any Employee Benefit Plan
to material liability or to a material tax or penalty on prohibited transactions
imposed by Section 4975 of the Code;
(c) no
Employee Benefit Plan is a defined benefit pension plan (as defined in Section
3(35) of ERISA) or has within the six (6) years preceding the date of this
Agreement
31
been
subject to the minimum funding requirements of Section 412 of the Code or to
Title IV of ERISA. The Company, each Subsidiary, and each other trade
or business, whether or not incorporated, that together with the Company or any
Subsidiary would be treated as a single employer under Section 414 of the Code
(an "ERISA
Affiliate"), do not maintain, sponsor or have liability with respect to
any "pension plan" (as defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA) that is, or within the
six years preceding the date of this Agreement has been, subject to Title IV of
ERISA or Section 412 of the Code.
(d) the
Company and each ERISA Affiliate have no obligation to contribute to, and have
no liability with respect to, any "multiemployer plan" within the meaning of
Section 3(37) of ERISA;
(e) each
Employee Benefit Plan intended to qualify under Section 401 of the Code has
received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service or
is entitled to rely on a prototype opinion letter that such Employee Benefit
Plan is a "qualified plan" under Section 401(a) of the Code, the related
trusts are exempt from tax under Section 501(a) of the Code, and, to the
Knowledge of the Company, no facts or circumstances exist that would be
reasonably likely to jeopardize the qualification of such Employee Benefit
Plan;
(f) with
respect to the Employee Benefit Plans, all required contributions, premiums or
payments required to have been made or paid have been timely made or properly
accrued on the Company's financial statements;
(g) the
Company has no liability under any Employee Benefit Plan, or otherwise, to
provide medical or death benefits with respect to current or former employees of
the Company beyond their termination of employment (other than coverage mandated
by law), and there are no reserve assets, surplus or prepaid premiums under any
such Employee Benefit Plan;
(h) neither
the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereby (either alone or in conjunction with any other
event) will (i) result in any payment of severance or other compensation to any
current or former employee of the Company or any Subsidiary, or (ii) increase
the amount of any compensation or benefits, or accelerate the time of payment or
vesting of benefits, under any Employee Benefit Plan or otherwise with respect
to any employee of the Company or any Subsidiary; and
(i) there
are no pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened claims (other
than claims for benefits in the ordinary course), lawsuits or arbitrations that
have been asserted or instituted involving any Employee Benefit
Plan. To the Knowledge of the Company, no Employee Benefit Plan is
under audit or investigation by the IRS, the U.S. Department of Labor or other
Governmental Authority.
Section
3.20 Employees; Labor Matters. No
employee of either the Company or any Subsidiary is covered by a collective
bargaining agreement or represented by a labor union, nor is there any
collective bargaining agreement currently being negotiated by the Company or any
Subsidiary. There is not now, nor has there occurred at any time
during the past five (5) years any labor dispute with any union with respect to
the employees of the Company or
32
any
Subsidiary. To the Knowledge of the Company, there is not now, nor
has there occurred at any time during the past five (5) years any union
organizational efforts or representation activities with respect to the
employees of the Company or any Subsidiary. Neither the Company nor
any Subsidiary has experienced any work stoppage or slow down within the past
five (5) years.
Section
3.21 Environmental Matters. Except as set forth on Schedule
3.21 hereto, since the Compliance Date, the Company and the Subsidiaries
have obtained and possess all material permits, licenses and other material
authorizations required under federal, state and local Laws and regulations
concerning worker safety and health or pollution or protection of the
environment, in each case as enacted and in effect on or prior to the date
hereof, including all such laws and regulations relating to the emission,
discharge, release or threatened release of any petroleum, pollutants,
environmental contaminants or hazardous or toxic materials, noise, odors,
substances or wastes into air, surface water, groundwater or lands ("Environmental
Requirements"). Except as set forth on Schedule
3.21 hereto, the Company and each Subsidiary are, and since the
Compliance Date have been, in material compliance with all terms and
conditions of such permits, licenses and authorizations and are, and since the
Compliance Date have been, in material compliance with all other Environmental
Requirements. Except as set forth on Schedule
3.21 hereto, since the Compliance Date, neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary has received any written notice from any governmental authority or
other third party asserting or alleging that the Company or any Subsidiary has
failed in any material respect to comply with any Environmental Requirements, or
that the Company or any Subsidiary is liable in any material respect for any
material injury or material damages to any Person or property because of the
release or threatened release of any petroleum, pollutants, environmental
contaminants, hazardous or toxic materials, substances or wastes except for such
notices the subject matter of which has been substantially
resolved. Except as set forth on Schedule
3.21, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor any predecessor for
which the Company is liable has treated, stored, handled, disposed of or
released or exposed any person to any hazardous substance, or owned or operated
any property or facility contaminated by a hazardous substance, so as to give
rise to any material liabilities or obligations for fines, penalties, damages,
or remedial or cleanup obligations under any Environmental Requirements,
including without limitation any obligations to conduct or fund remedial or
other response action. The Company has made available to the Buyer
all material environmental audits and reports that are in the Company's
possession and that relate to the Company's or any Subsidiary's past or current
properties, facilities or operations, which audits and reports are listed on
Schedule
3.21 hereto. Notwithstanding any implication to the contrary
contained herein, this Section
3.21 constitutes the sole
and exclusive representations and warranties of the Company with respect to
Environmental Requirements and all other environmental matters and matters
relating to hazardous substances.
Section
3.22 Employee Relations.
(a) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary is delinquent in any material payments to any of
its employees for any wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, severance,
termination pay or other direct compensation for any services performed for it
to the date hereof or amounts required to be reimbursed to such
employees.
33
(b) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.22(b), (i)
there is not pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened, any
discrimination, harassment, safety, health, wrongful termination or wage and
hour proceedings, or other claims, charges or complaints against or involving
the Company or any Subsidiary before the National Labor Relations Board, the
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Department of Labor
(DOL), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), or any other
governmental entity or arbitration proceeding and to the Knowledge of the
Company there are no facts or circumstances that would support such a claim and
(ii) there are no material actions, suits, proceedings, grievances, complaints
or charges that have been filed against the Company or any Subsidiary by any
employees, former employees or prospective employees of the Company and any
Subsidiary under any dispute resolution procedure (including, but not limited
to, any proceedings under any dispute resolution procedure under any collective
bargaining agreement) that have not been dismissed.
(c) The
Company and each Subsidiary have made all payments and withholdings of
employment-related taxes and other employment-related sums as required by
appropriate Governmental Authorities and has withheld and paid to the
appropriate Governmental Authorities, or is holding for payment not yet due to
such authorities, all amounts required to be withheld from employees of the
Company or any Subsidiary and is not liable for any arrears of wages, taxes,
penalties or other sums for failure to comply in all material respects with any
Laws relating to the foregoing.
(d) All
obligations of the Company or any Subsidiary relating to its employees, whether
arising by operation of law, by contract or past custom, for payments by the
Company or any Subsidiary to trusts or other funds or to any governmental entity
with respect to workers compensation, unemployment compensation, social security
or any other benefits for such employees with respect to employment of such
employees have been paid or accrued on the Company's financial statements in
accordance with GAAP. All obligations of the Company or any
Subsidiary with respect to such employees, whether arising by operation of law,
by contract, by past custom or otherwise, for salaries, vacation and holiday
pay, sick pay, bonuses, other forms of compensation or other benefits payable to
such employees in respect of the services rendered by any of them have been paid
or accrued on the Company's financial statements in accordance with
GAAP.
(e) To
the Knowledge of the Company, no employee of the Company or any Subsidiary is a
party to, or is otherwise bound by, any contract, including any confidentiality,
noncompetition, or proprietary rights agreement, between such employee and any
other Person that in any way adversely affects or will affect (i) the
performance of his or her duties as an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary
(or the Buyer after Closing), or (ii) the ability of the Company or any
Subsidiary (or the Buyer after Closing) to conduct its business. To
the Knowledge of the Company, no key employee has threatened to terminate his or
her employment with the Company or any Subsidiary, as a result of the
transactions contemplated hereby or otherwise.
(f) Schedule 3.22(f) sets
forth each claim or proceeding of the types referred to in the preceding clauses
(a) through (e) that was settled or otherwise resolved on or after January 1,
2005 and that involved the payment of more than Fifty Thousand Dollars
($50,000).
34
(g) The
Company has made available to Buyer a true and complete list of the names and
current salaries or compensation rates of all of the trustees, officers and
other employees
of the Company and each Subsidiary and consultants performing similar functions
as employees, and whether or not such employee is exempt or
non-exempt.
(h) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation in any material respect of any
provision of any law promulgated by any governmental authority regarding the
terms and conditions of employment or other labor-related matters, including,
without limitation, laws relating to discrimination, harassment, fair labor
standards and occupational health and safety, wrongful discharge or violation of
the personal rights of employees, former employees or prospective employees of
the Company or any Subsidiary, except where such violation would not,
individually or in the aggregate, currently have a Material Adverse
Effect.
Section
3.23 Officers and Directors.
Schedule 3.23
hereto sets forth the name and title of each officer and director of the
Company and each Subsidiary as of the date hereof.
Section
3.24 Bank Accounts. The
Company has made available to Buyer a list of each bank in which the Company or
any Subsidiary has an account, safe deposit box or lock box as of the date
hereof and the number of each such account or box and each authorized signatory
as of the date hereof.
Section
3.25 Educational
Approvals and Compliance.
(a) Since
the Compliance Date, each Company School has received and maintained without
interruption all Educational Approvals required by any Educational
Agency. Schedule 3.25(a) sets
forth a true, correct and complete list of all Educational Approvals held by
each Company School. The Company has made available to the Buyer
true, correct and complete copies of all such Educational Approvals in effect
since the Compliance Date.
(b) The
Educational Approvals that are currently in effect are in full force and effect
according to their terms and are valid, except to the extent the failure of any
such Educational Approval to be valid and in full force and effect would not
have, individually or in the aggregate, a material effect on the Company or any
Company School. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.25(b), to
the Knowledge of the Company, no event has occurred that could reasonably be
expected to result in the loss, suspension, withdrawal or limitation of any
Educational Approval, except to the extent the loss, termination, revocation,
suspension, restriction or failure to obtain renewal of any Educational Approval
or the imposition of any fine, penalty or other sanction would not have,
individually or in the aggregate, a material effect on the Company or any
Company School. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.25(b), to
the Knowledge of the Company, there is no investigation or proceeding pending or
threatened in writing that could reasonably be expected to result in the loss,
termination, revocation, suspension, restriction or failure to obtain renewal of
any Educational Approval or the imposition of any fine, penalty or other
sanctions for violation of any legal or regulatory requirements relating to any
Educational Approval. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.25(b), no
Educational Approval contains any direct prohibition on new locations or direct
limitation on enrollments at any
Company School, provided, however that there may exist Educational Laws that may
provide for and otherwise result in the imposition of such prohibitions or
limitations. Except as
35
set
forth on Schedule
3.25(b), to the Knowledge of the Company, no event has occurred that
could reasonably be expected to prevent or delay the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement or the issuance of any Educational Approvals required in
connection with the transaction, except to the extent that such prevention or
delay would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a material effect on the
Company or any Company School. The Educational Approvals currently
held by the Company Schools constitute all the licenses, accreditations, permits
or approvals necessary and material to the conduct of the business and
operations of each Company School in the manner that they are now being
conducted. Since the Compliance Date, no application made by any
Company School for any Educational Approval has been denied by final agency
action.
(c) Schedule 3.25(c)
includes a correct and complete list of the full address of the main campus of
each Company School and any additional location at which any such Company School
offers fifty percent (50%) or more of an educational program. Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.25(c), the
Company does not offer any educational instruction at any site, building, or
facility other than (i) the addresses set forth on Schedule 3.25(c), or
(ii) at any business location at which students of a Company School perform
externships.
(d) Schedule 3.25(d) sets
forth a complete and correct list of each Company School operated by the Company
and the Subsidiaries since the Compliance Date, including the main campus and
any additional locations thereof with the applicable Office of Postsecondary
Education Identification Numbers.
(e) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.25(e),
since the Compliance Date, the Company Schools have been and are in material
compliance with all applicable Education Laws including, but not limited to,
Title IV, the binding standards of all Accrediting Bodies, and the terms of
their Educational Approvals in all material respects.
(f) The
Company and each Company School have satisfied the alternative standards of
financial responsibility in accordance with 34 C.F.R. § 668.175 for each of the
fiscal years ended June 30, 2006 and June 30, 2007, as set forth on Schedule 3.25(f).
Except as set forth on Schedule 3.25(f),
since the Compliance Date, neither the Company nor any Company School has
received written notice of a request by any Educational Agency requiring a
Company School to post a letter of credit or other form of surety for any
reason, including any request for a letter of credit based on late refunds
pursuant to 34 C.F.R. § 668.173, or received any request or requirement
that any Company School process its Title IV Program funding under the
reimbursement or heightened cash monitoring procedures, as those procedures are
set forth at 34 C.F.R. § 668.162.
(g) Schedule 3.25(g)
provides a complete and correct list of all Compliance Reviews that have been
conducted at the Company Schools since the Compliance Date or conducted in an
earlier period but remain unresolved as of the date of this
Agreement.
Section
3.26 Student
Recruiting. Except as set forth on Schedule
3.26, since the Compliance Date, no admissions representative, agent or
any other person or entity engaged, by means of contract, employment or
otherwise, in any student recruiting or admission activities or in making
decisions regarding the awarding of Title IV Program funds for or on behalf of
the
36
Company, or any Company School has been paid,
provided or contracted for any commission, bonus or other incentive payment
based directly or indirectly on success in securing enrollments or financial aid
based on a policy or practice of the Company, or any Company School that is in
material contravention of Title IV.
Section
3.27 Control
Matters. To the
Knowledge of the Company, no person who has for any period since the Compliance
Date, exercised Substantial Control over the Company or any Company School or
any member or members of that person's family, alone or together, exercised,
prior to or concurrent with their position of Substantial Control with the
Company or any Company School, Substantial Control over an institution other
than the Company or a third-party servicer that owes a material liability for a
violation of any requirement of the Title IV Programs. To the
Knowledge of the Company, since the Compliance Date, no Company School nor any
person who exercises Substantial Control over the Company or any Company
School has pled guilty to, has pled nolo contendere to, or has been
found guilty of, a crime involving the acquisition, use or expenditure of funds
under the Title IV Programs or has been judicially determined to have committed
fraud involving funds under the Title IV Programs. To the Knowledge
of the Company, since the Compliance Date, neither the Company nor any Company
School nor any Affiliate of the Company or any Company School that has the
power, by contract or ownership interest, to direct or cause the direction of
the management of policies of any Institution, has filed for relief in
bankruptcy or has entered against it an order for relief in
bankruptcy. Neither the Company nor any Company School knowingly
employs, and, since the Compliance Date has knowingly employed, any individual
or entity in a capacity that involves the administration or receipt of funds
under the Title IV Programs, or knowingly contracted with any institution or
third-party servicer, which has been terminated under the Higher Education Act
of 1965, as amended, for a reason involving the acquisition, use or expenditure
of federal, state or local government funds, or has been convicted of, or has
pled nolo contendere or guilty to, a crime involving the acquisition, use or
expenditure of federal, state or local government funds, or has been
administratively or judicially determined to have committed fraud or any other
material violation of law involving federal, state or local government
funds. No institution not then a Company School or Affiliate of the
Company (whether or not participating in the Title IV Programs) or any
third-party servicer (as that term is defined at 34 C.F.R. 668.2) is, or since
the Compliance Date has been, administered commonly, jointly or in conjunction
with the Company or any Company School, and no other institution or organization
not then a Company School or Affiliate of the Company has provided educational
services on behalf of the Company or any Company School, except for instruction
provided under clinical affiliations. Neither the Company nor any
Company School provides, or since the Compliance Date, has provided, any Title
IV eligible educational instruction on behalf of any other institution or
organization of any sort.
Section
3.28 Recruitment;
Admissions Procedures; Attendance Reports.
(a) The
Company has provided to the Buyer or will provide to the Buyer upon written
request, accurate copies of all written policy manuals and other written
material statements of procedures or instructions currently in effect relating
to (A) recruitment of students for each Company School, including procedures for
assisting in the application by prospective students for direct or indirect
funding under Student Financial Assistance Programs, (B) admissions procedures,
including any descriptions of procedures for insuring compliance
with
37
Law
or Accrediting Body requirements and standards applicable to such procedures,
(C) procedures for encouraging and verifying attendance, minimum required
attendance policies, and other relevant criteria relating to course performance
requirements and completion and (D) procedures for processing, disbursing and
returning Student Financial Assistance Program Funds (collectively, the "Policy
Guidelines"). Except as set forth on Schedule 3.28, to the
Knowledge of the Company, since the Compliance Date, the operations of the
Company and each Company School have been conducted in all material respects in
accordance with the Policy Guidelines.
(b) To
the Knowledge of the Company, since the Compliance Date, the Company, the
Subsidiaries and its Company Schools have submitted all reports, audits, and
other information, whether periodic in nature or pursuant to specific requests,
for the Company and each Company School to all Educational Agencies,
Governmental Authorities or other entities with which such filings are required
in order to be in compliance in all material respects with (A) applicable
accreditation standards and requirements, (B) legal requirements governing
programs pursuant to which such Company School or its students receive student
financial assistance, and (C) all articulation agreements between the Company or
such Company School and degree granting colleges and universities in effect as
of the date hereof.
Section
3.29 State
Financial Assistance Programs.
(a) Schedule 3.29(a)
lists each State Financial Assistance Program pursuant to which student
financial assistance, grants or loans are provided to or on behalf of any
Company School's students.
(b) Except
as set forth on Schedule 3.29(b), to
the Knowledge of the Company, since the Compliance Date, the Company and each of
the Company Schools have been and are in material compliance with any and all
Laws relating to any form of State Financial Assistance Program funds, except
where failure to so comply would not have a Material Adverse
Effect.
Section
3.30 Delivery
of Documents. The Company has
made available to the Buyer true and complete copies of all material
correspondence (excluding general correspondence routinely sent to or received
from the DOE or any Accrediting Body) received from or sent by or on behalf of
the Company or any Company School to the DOE, any Educational Agency or any
Accrediting Body to the extent such correspondence (1) was sent or received
within the past three (3) years or prior thereto if such correspondence relates
to any issue which remains pending, and (2) relates to (A) any audits, program
reviews, investigations or site visits conducted by the DOE, any state licensing
agency or any guaranty agency reviewing compliance by the Company or any Company
School with the
statutory, regulatory or other requirements of the Title IV Programs; (B) any
written notice of an intent to limit, suspend, terminate, revoke, cancel, not
renew or condition any Educational Approval of the Company or any Company
School; (C) any written notice of an intent or threatened intent to condition
the provision of Title IV Program funds to the Company or any Company School on
the posting of a letter of credit or other surety in favor of the DOE or any
documentation reflecting that such letter of credit is or was posted; (D) any
written notice of an intent to provisionally certify the eligibility of any
Company School to participate in the Title IV Programs or a copy of such a
Provisional Program Participation Agreement; (E) the placement or removal of any
School on or from the reimbursement or cash monitoring method of payment under
the Title IV Programs and
38
(F)
any matter or proceeding disclosed in Section 3.25 through
3.29 hereof,
including schedules thereto.
Section
3.31 Internal
Controls. To the Knowledge
of the Company, the Company and its Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal
accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) there
are no transactions of a material nature, individually or in the aggregate, that
have not been properly recorded in the accounting records underlying the
financial statements (other than those disclosed on Schedule 3.31 hereto)
and (ii) there are no reportable conditions, including material weaknesses, in
the design or operation of internal controls that could adversely affect the
Company's or any Subsidiary's ability to initiate, record, process, and report
financial data; provided that the Company and its Subsidiaries make no
representation or warranty that such systems or internal accounting controls
meet the standards of companies subject to the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002, and
such controls have not been audited or certified (whether for the purpose of
obtaining an SAS70 report or otherwise) for purposes of compliance with the
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002.
Section
3.32 No
Other Representations and Warranties. EXCEPT FOR THE
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE 3 (AS
QUALIFIED BY THE SCHEDULES), THE COMPANY MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, AND THE COMPANY HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY SUCH
REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY WITH RESPECT TO THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF THIS
AGREEMENT AND THE CONSUMMATION OF THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS
AGREEMENT.
ARTICLE
4
REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES OF THE SELLERS
Each
Seller (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) severally represents and
warrants to the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub, as of the date hereof and as of
the Closing to such Seller, that:
Section
4.01 Organizational Authorization. If such Seller is an
entity, the execution, delivery and performance by such Seller of this Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby are within
such Seller's organizational powers and have been duly authorized by all
necessary action on the part of such Seller, and no other organizational
proceedings on the part of such Seller, and no other vote, if any, of the
equityholders of such Seller are necessary to authorize the execution, delivery
and performance of this Agreement. This Agreement constitutes a valid
and binding agreement of such Seller, enforceable against such Seller in
accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable
equitable principles or by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium,
or similar laws from time to time in effect affecting the enforcement of
creditors' rights generally.
Section
4.02 Governmental Authorization. The execution,
delivery and performance by such Seller of this Agreement and the consummation
of the transactions contemplated hereby require no material action by or in
respect of, or material filing with, any
39
governmental
body, agency or official other than compliance with any applicable requirements
of the Antitrust Laws and federal and state securities laws.
Section
4.03 Noncontravention. The execution,
delivery and performance by such Seller of this Agreement and the consummation
of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) if such
Seller is an entity, violate its articles of incorporation or bylaws or other
equivalent governing documents, (ii) assuming compliance with the matters
referred to in Section 4.02,
violate any material law, rule, regulations, judgment, injunction, order or
decree applicable to the transactions contemplated hereby or (iii) require
any material consent, notice, authorization, approval or exemption or other
material action by any Person under, constitute a default under, or give rise to
any right of termination, cancellation or acceleration of any right or
obligation of such Seller under any provisions of any material agreement or
other material instrument binding upon such Seller.
Section
4.04 Ownership of Securities. As of the date
hereof, such Stockholder is the owner of the number of shares of Common Stock
and the number of shares of Preferred Stock, if any, set forth opposite his, her
or its name on Schedule 3.03 hereto,
free and clear of any Lien, except for Liens being released at the
Closing. Such Stockholder will be, as of the Closing, the record and
beneficial owner of such shares of Common Stock and, if any,
Preferred Stock, free and clear of any Liens, except Liens being
released at the Closing. As of the date hereof, such Optionholder is
the owner of the number of Options set forth opposite his, her or its name on
Schedule 3.03
hereto, free and clear of any Lien, except for Liens being released at the
Closing. Such Optionholder will be, as of the Closing, unless such
Options shall expire, be forfeited or cancelled, or shall be exercised, prior to
the Closing, the record and beneficial owner of such Options free and clear of
any Liens, except Liens being released at the Closing.
Section
4.05 No Other Representations and
Warranties. EXCEPT FOR THE
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE 4
(INCLUDING THE SCHEDULES), THE SELLERS MAKE NO
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, AND THE SELLERS HEREBY DISCLAIM
ANY SUCH REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY WITH RESPECT TO THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERY
OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE CONSUMMATION OF THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS
AGREEMENT.
ARTICLE
5
REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES OF THE BUYER AND THE ACQUISITION
SUB
The Buyer
and the Acquisition Sub represent and warrant to the other parties hereto, as of
the date hereof and as of the Closing that:
Section
5.01 Existence and Power. Each of the Buyer
and the Acquisition Sub is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and
in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has all corporate
powers and all material governmental licenses, authorizations, permits, consents
and approvals required to carry on its business as now conducted.
40
Section
5.02 Organizational Authorization. The execution,
delivery and performance by the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub of this Agreement
and the Other Documents are within the corporate power of the Buyer and the
Acquisition Sub and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action
on the part of the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub and no other corporate
proceedings on the part of the Buyer or the Acquisition Sub and no other vote,
if any, of the Buyer's or the Acquisition Sub's stockholders are necessary to
authorize the execution, delivery and performance of this
Agreement. This Agreement and each Other Document constitute, or will
when executed and delivered constitute, valid and binding obligations of the
Buyer and the Acquisition Sub, enforceable against each of them in accordance
with their terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable
equitable principles or by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium,
or similar laws from time to time in effect affecting the enforcement of
creditors' rights generally.
Section
5.03 Governmental Authorization. The
execution, delivery and performance by the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub of this
Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby require
no material action by or in respect of, or material filing with, any
governmental body, agency or official other than compliance with any applicable
requirements of the Antitrust Laws.
Section
5.04 Noncontravention. The execution,
delivery and performance by the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub of this Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not
(i) violate the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the Buyer or the
Acquisition Sub, (ii) assuming compliance with the matters referred to in
Section 5.03,
violate any applicable material
Law, rule, regulation, judgment, injunction, order or decree or
(iii) require any material consent, notice, authorization, approval or
exemption or other material action by any Person under, constitute a default
under, or give rise to any right of termination, cancellation or acceleration of
any right or obligation of the Buyer or the Acquisition Sub under any provisions
of any material agreement or other material instrument binding upon the Buyer or
the Acquisition Sub.
Section
5.05 Financing. The Buyer and the
Acquisition Sub have, and at the Closing shall have, sufficient cash, available
lines of credit or other sources of immediately available funds to enable them
to fulfill their obligations hereunder and to make payment of all amounts to be
paid by them hereunder (and under the Terms of Merger) on and after the Closing
Date.
Section
5.06 Purchase for Investment. The Acquisition Sub is
purchasing the Common Stock and the Preferred Stock for investment
for its own account and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, any
distribution thereof. The Buyer and the Acquisition Sub are
"accredited investors" and have sufficient knowledge and experience in financial
and business matters so as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of
its investment in the Common Stock and the Preferred Stock and is capable of
bearing the economic risks of such investment.
Section
5.07 Actions and Proceedings. There is no
litigation, action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation
pending or, to the knowledge of the Buyer, threatened in writing, against the
Buyer, the Acquisition Sub or any of their respective Affiliates,
41
and
neither the Buyer, the Acquisition Sub nor any of their respective Affiliates is
subject to any outstanding order, writ, judgment, injunction or decree of any
Governmental Authority or Educational Agency, that, in either case, would,
individually or in the aggregate, (a) prevent or materially delay the
consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (b) otherwise
prevent or materially delay performance by the Buyer or the Acquisition Sub of
any of its material obligations under this Agreement.
Section
5.08 Finder's Fees. There is no
investment banker, broker, finder or other intermediary which has been retained
by or is authorized to act on behalf of the Buyer or the Acquisition Sub who
might be entitled to any fee or commission upon the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, other than advisory fees payable to
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, which fees shall be paid by the Buyer or on
behalf of the Buyer by a pre-Closing Affiliate of Buyer.
Section
5.09 Educational Approvals. There exist no facts or circumstances
attributable to Buyer, the Acquisition Sub, any of Buyer's or Acquisition Sub's
Affiliates or any other Person that exercises Substantial Control with respect
to the Buyer, the Acquisition Sub or any of their respective Affiliates, or
any
educational institution that is under the Substantial Control of Buyer,
Acquisition Sub or any of their respective Affiliates, that would, individually
or in the aggregate, adversely affect the Buyer's, the Acquisition Sub's or
Company's ability to obtain any Pre-Closing Educational Consent, Post-Closing
Educational Consent, Educational Approval or other consent or approval that must
be obtained in order to continue the operation of any Company
School. None of the Buyer, the Acquisition Sub, any Affiliate of
Buyer or Acquisition Sub, any Person that exercises Substantial Control over the
Buyer or Acquisition Sub, or, to the Buyer's Knowledge, any member of such
Person's family (as the term "family member" is defined in 34 C.F.R. §
668.174(c)(4)), alone or together, (i) exercises or exercised Substantial
Control over another institution or third-party servicer (as that term is
defined in 34 C.F.R. § 668.2) that owes a material liability for a violation of
a Title IV Program requirement or (ii) owes a material liability for a Title IV
Program violation. None of the Buyer, the Acquisition Sub, any
Affiliate of Buyer or Acquisition Sub, any Person that exercises Substantial
Control over the Buyer or Acquisition Sub, or any member of such Person's family
(as the term "family member" is defined in 34 C.F.R. § 668.174(c)(4)), has filed
for relief in bankruptcy or had entered against it an order for relief in
bankruptcy. None of the Buyer, the Acquisition Sub, any Affiliate of
Buyer or Acquisition Sub, any Person that exercised Substantial Control over the
Buyer, the Acquisition Sub or any of Buyer's or Acquisition Sub's directors or
senior officers, or to Buyer's Knowledge, any employees of Buyer or Acquisition
Sub, have pled guilty to, pled nolo contendere to, or been found guilty of, a
crime involving the acquisition, use or expenditure of funds under the Title IV
Programs or been judicially determined to have committed fraud involving funds
under the Title IV Programs. Neither the Buyer, the Acquisition Sub
nor any Affiliate of the Buyer or the Acquisition Sub that exercises Substantial
Control over any institution that participates in the Title IV programs has
knowingly contracted with any institution or third-party servicer which has been
terminated for a reason involving the acquisition, use or expenditure of
federal, state or local government funds, or has been convicted of, or has pled
nolo contendere or guilty to a crime involving the acquisition, use or
expenditure of federal, state or local government funds, or has been
administratively or judicially determined to have committed fraud or any other
material violation of law involving federal, state or local government
funds.
42
Section
5.10 Acknowledgment by the Buyer and the Acquisition
Sub.
(a) The
Buyer and the Acquisition Sub have conducted to their satisfaction an
independent investigation and verification of the financial condition, results
of operations, assets, liabilities, properties and projected operations of the
Company and the Subsidiaries and, in making their determination to proceed with
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Buyer and the Acquisition
Sub have relied on the results of their own independent investigation and
verification and the representations and warranties of the Company and/or the
Sellers expressly and specifically set forth in this Agreement. Such
representations and warranties by the Company and/or the Sellers constitute the
sole and exclusive representations and warranties of the Company, the
Subsidiaries and the Sellers to the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub in connection
with the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub
understand, acknowledge and agree that all other representations and warranties
of any kind or nature expressed or implied (including, without limitation, any
relating to the future or historical financial condition, results of operations,
assets or liabilities of the Company or the Subsidiaries or the
quality, quantity or condition of the assets of the Company or the Subsidiaries)
are specifically disclaimed by the Company, the Subsidiaries and the
Sellers. The Company, the Subsidiaries and the Sellers do not make or
provide, and the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub hereby waive, any warranty or
representation, express or implied, as to the quality, merchantability, fitness
for a particular purpose, conformity to samples, or condition of the Company's
or any of the Subsidiaries' assets or any part thereto.
(b) In
connection with the Buyer's and the Acquisition Sub's investigation of the
Company and the Subsidiaries, the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub have received
from or on behalf of the Company, the Subsidiaries or the Sellers certain
projections, including projected statements of operating revenues and income
from operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 2008 and for subsequent fiscal years and certain business plan
information for such fiscal year and succeeding fiscal years. The
Buyer and the Acquisition Sub acknowledge that there are uncertainties inherent
in attempting to make such estimates, projections and other forecasts and plans,
that the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub are familiar with such uncertainties,
that the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub are taking full responsibility for making
their own evaluation of the adequacy and accuracy of all estimates, projections
and other forecasts and plans so furnished to it (including the reasonableness
of the assumptions underlying such estimates, projections and forecasts), and
that the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub shall have no claim against the Sellers
with respect thereto. Accordingly, neither the Company, the
Subsidiaries nor the Sellers make any representations or warranties whatsoever
with respect to such estimates, projections and other forecasts and plans
(including the reasonableness of the assumptions underlying such estimates,
projections and forecasts). The Buyer and the Acquisition Sub agree
that none of the Sellers nor any other Person will have or be subject to any
liability to the Buyer, the Acquisition Sub or any other Person resulting from
the distribution to the Buyer or the Acquisition Sub, or the Buyer's or the
Acquisition Sub's use of, any information regarding the Company or any of the
Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, including the Confidential
Information Memorandum prepared by BMO Capital Markets Corp. and any
information, document or material made available to the Buyer, the Acquisition
Sub or their respective Affiliates in certain physical or on-line "data rooms,"
management presentations or any other form in expectation of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement. Nothing in this Section 5.10
shall limit the right of the Buyer Indemnified Parties to rely on
the
43
representations
and warranties set forth in this Agreement and to their rights for
indemnification under Section 8.04 or
Article 11 or to
limit a claim for fraud against the Person committing such fraud.
Section
5.11 No Reliance. The Buyer and the
Acquisition Sub acknowledge and agree that the representations and warranties
made by the Company in this Agreement (as qualified by the Schedules) supersede,
replace and nullify in every respect the data set forth in any other document,
material or statement, whether written or oral, made available to the Buyer or
the Acquisition Sub, and the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub shall each be deemed
to have not relied on any data contained in such other document, material or
statement for any purpose whatsoever, including, without limitation, as a
promise, projection, guaranty, representation, warranty or
covenant. Nothing in this Section 5.11
shall limit the right of the Buyer Indemnified Parties to rely on the
representations and warranties set forth in this Agreement and to their rights
for indemnification
under Section 8.04 or
Article 11 or to
limit a claim for fraud against the Person committing such fraud.
Section
5.12 No Other Representations and
Warranties. EXCEPT FOR THE
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE 5 (AS
MODIFIED BY THE SCHEDULES), THE BUYER AND THE ACQUISITION SUB MAKE NO EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, AND THE BUYER AND THE ACQUISITION SUB HEREBY
DISCLAIM ANY SUCH REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY WITH RESPECT TO THE EXECUTION AND
DELIVERY OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE CONSUMMATION OF THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED
BY THIS AGREEMENT.
ARTICLE
6
COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY AND THE
SELLERS
Section
6.01 Conduct of the Company and the
Subsidiaries. During the period
from the date of this Agreement and continuing until the Closing, the Company
agrees as to itself and the Subsidiaries that, except (i) as expressly
contemplated or permitted by this Agreement or the Schedules, (ii) as
required by applicable law or regulation, (iii) as set forth on Schedule 6.01 hereto,
or (iv) to the extent that the Buyer shall otherwise consent in writing,
which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or
delayed:
(a) the
Company and the Subsidiaries shall carry on their respective businesses in the
usual, regular and ordinary course in all material respects, in substantially
the same manner as heretofore conducted, and shall use reasonable efforts to
preserve intact their present lines of business, maintain their rights,
franchises, facilities and assets (including application of insurance proceeds
and repair and replacement thereof consistent with historical practice), and
preserve their relationships (contractual or otherwise) with customers,
suppliers and others having business dealings with them (including, without
limitation, through ordinary course renewals, negotiations with and amendments
to such relationships) to the end that their ongoing businesses shall not be
impaired in any material respect at the Closing; provided that no action by the
Company or the Subsidiaries with respect to matters specifically addressed by
any other provision of this Section 6.01
shall be deemed a breach of this Section 6.01(a),
unless such action would constitute a breach of one or more of such other
provisions;
44
(b) the
Company shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to
(A) declare or pay any dividends on or make other distributions in respect
of any of its or their capital stock (except for (x) dividends in Cash and (y)
dividends by the Subsidiaries to other Subsidiaries or to the Company),
(B) split, combine or reclassify any of its or their capital stock or issue
or authorize or propose the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in
lieu of or in substitution for, shares of its or their capital stock (except for
any such transaction by a direct or indirect Subsidiary which remains a direct
or indirect Subsidiary after consummation of such transaction), or
(C) repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any shares of its capital stock
or any securities convertible into or exercisable for any shares of its capital
stock (except for repurchases
and redemptions paid in Cash and repurchases from employees of the Company or
its Subsidiaries);
(c) the
Company shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to, issue,
deliver, repurchase, acquire or sell, or authorize or propose the issuance,
delivery, repurchase, acquisition or sale of, any shares of its capital stock of
any class, or any securities convertible into or exercisable for, or any rights,
warrants or options to acquire, any such shares of its capital stock, or enter
into any agreement with respect to any of the foregoing, other than issuances of
capital stock by a direct or indirect Subsidiary to such Subsidiary's parent or
another direct or indirect Subsidiary and other than issuances of Common Stock
by the Company upon exercise of Options issued and outstanding on the date
hereof;
(d) other
than to the extent required to comply with its obligations hereunder or required
by law, the Company shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to,
amend its or their certificate of incorporation, by-laws or other equivalent
governing documents;
(e) the
Company shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to, acquire or
agree to acquire by merging or consolidating with, or by purchasing a
substantial equity interest in or a substantial portion of the assets of, or by
any other manner, any business or any corporation, partnership, association or
other business organization or division thereof or sell or otherwise acquire or
agree to sell or acquire or in-license any assets or rights (other than the
acquisition or sale or in-license of assets used in the operations of the
business of the Company and the Subsidiaries in the ordinary course consistent
with past practice);
(f) other
than as may be required by or in conformance with applicable law or regulation
in order to permit or facilitate the consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby or the transactions disclosed in the Schedules, the Company
shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to, sell, encumber,
lease, sublease, license, or otherwise dispose of, or agree to sell, encumber,
lease, sublease, license, or otherwise dispose of, any of its material assets
other than in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice;
(g) the
Company shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to (x) make
any loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other
Person, other than (A) by the Company or a direct or indirect Subsidiary to
or in the Company or any other direct or indirect Subsidiary, (B) pursuant
to any contract or other legal obligation of the Company or any Subsidiary as in
effect as of the date hereof or (C) in the ordinary course of business
consistent with past practice or (y) create, incur, assume or suffer to
exist any indebtedness, issuances of debt securities, guarantees, loans or
advances to the Company or any
45
Subsidiary
not in existence as of the date of this Agreement except (1) pursuant to the
credit facilities (but not in excess of amounts authorized for issuance
thereunder as of the date of this Agreement) and other arrangements in existence
on the date of this Agreement, (2) by the Company or a direct or indirect
Subsidiary to the Company or any other direct or indirect Subsidiary, (3)
arising from the sale, factoring or discounting of receivables in the ordinary
course of business consistent with past practice or (4) trade debt and
commercial finance in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice, in each case as such credit facilities, indentures and other
arrangements and other existing indebtedness may be amended, extended, modified,
refunded, renewed or refinanced after the date of this
Agreement;
(h) other
than as required by an existing written contract or agreement as in effect on
the date hereof and other than in the ordinary course of business consistent
with past practice, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary shall
(A) increase the amount of compensation or severance pay of, or enter into
any new bonus or incentive agreement or arrangement with, or amend or accelerate
any existing agreement with, any director or employee (other than the
acceleration of vesting of any of the Shares), (B) make any material
increase in, or commitment to increase materially, any employee benefits,
(C) amend, adopt or make any commitment to amend or adopt any Employee
Benefit Plan or make any contribution, other than regularly scheduled
contributions, to any Employee Benefit Plan, or (D) enter into or amend any
retention, bonus, incentive, employment, severance, consulting, or other similar
agreement with any of its existing employees, officers or directors or hire any
new management employee;
(i) neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary shall change its fiscal year, make or change any
election with respect to any material Taxes (except as required by applicable
Law or regulation), change any Tax accounting period, adopt or change any
material method of Tax accounting (except as required by changes in GAAP or as
required by applicable law or regulation), file any amended Tax return, enter
into a closing agreement with any Tax Authority, consent to an extension of the
statute of limitations applicable to any non-income Tax claim or assessment or
take any other similar action (or omit to take any action), if such election,
change, amendment, agreement, action or omission would have the effect of
increasing the Tax liability of the Company or any Subsidiary after the Closing
Date.
(j) other
than in connection with any action expressly permitted by any other subsection
of this Section 6.01 and
except for any new contract awards, and any contract renewals, negotiations and
amendments entered into in the ordinary course of business and consistent with
past practice, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary shall (i) enter into
or become bound by, or permit any of the assets owned or used by it to become
bound by, any contract of the type required to be disclosed pursuant to Section 3.16 of
this Agreement (other than in the ordinary course of business), or
(ii) prematurely terminate (other than in the ordinary course of business),
or waive any material right or remedy under, any such contract;
(k) except
as set forth on Schedule 6.01(k), the
Company shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to, make or
commit to make any capital expenditures related to an individual project or
program in excess of $250,000;
46
(l)
the Company shall not, and shall not permit any of the Subsidiaries to, cancel,
compromise or settle any claim or any material debts owed by a third-party to
the Company or its Subsidiaries, other than in the ordinary course of business
consistent with past practice;
(m) prior
to the Closing Date, and consistent with the requirements of Section
280G(b)(5)(A)(ii) of the Code and the regulations, the Company and each
Subsidiary, as required, shall (i) use commercially reasonable efforts to take
all actions necessary (including obtaining appropriate waivers) such that a vote
of the requisite number of shareholders in accordance with Section
280G(b)(5)(A)(ii) of the Code, if affirmative, will establish the "disqualified
individual's" right to the payment, benefit, or compensation in accordance with
Section 280G(b)(5)(A)(ii) and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii)
provide adequate disclosure of all material facts to all persons required to
vote concerning all payments which would be
parachute payments in accordance with Section 280G(b)(5)(B)(ii) of the Code and
the regulations promulgated thereunder. Following the receipt of such
waivers and the completion of such actions, the Company and each Subsidiary, as
required, shall submit for a separate stockholder vote the right of any
"disqualified individual" (as defined in Section 280G(c) of the Code) to receive
any and all payments (or other benefits or compensation) that could be deemed
"parachute payments" under Section 280G(b) of the Code (the "Section 280G
Payments") in a manner that satisfies that stockholder approval
requirements of Section 280G(b)(5) of the Code and the regulations promulgated
thereunder; and
(n) the
Company shall not terminate any officer of the Company whose name is set forth
on Schedule
6.01(n) other than for cause.
Section
6.02 Regulatory Authorizations;
Consents.
(a) The
Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to (i) obtain the Educational
Approvals necessary for the performance of its obligations pursuant to this
Agreement, including, without limitation, obtaining the Pre-Closing Educational
Consents, and (ii) file pre-acquisition review applications with the DOE within
ten (10) business days after the execution of this Agreement in order to obtain
the DOE Pre-Acquisition Review Notice. The Buyer shall use
commercially reasonable efforts to secure termination of any waiting periods
under any applicable law and to obtain the approval of any Educational Agency or
Governmental Authority, as applicable, for the transactions contemplated
hereby.
(b) The
Company shall provide the Buyer with copies of all letters, applications, or
other documents to be submitted to, or received from, any Educational Agency or
Governmental Authority with respect to any consent, license or Pre-Closing
Educational Consent or in connection with the pre-acquisition review
applications to be filed with DOE, including drafts of any such letters,
applications and other documents. The Company will promptly advise
the Buyer concerning any discussions or other communications, whether oral or
written, with any Educational Agency, Governmental Authority or other third
party with respect to any such letters, applications or other
documents. The Buyer and the Company will ensure that their
appropriate officers and employees shall be available to attend, as any
Governmental Authority or Educational Agency may reasonably request, any
scheduled hearings or meetings in connection with obtaining any consent,
license, Pre-Closing Educational Consent, Post-Closing Educational Consent or
other Educational Approval. Prior to the Closing, in no event shall
the
47
Buyer
initiate or permit any of its Affiliates to initiate any correspondence or
contacts with any Educational Agency with respect to the Company or Company
School or transactions contemplated hereby without the advance consent of the
Company.
(c) The
Buyer shall use commercially reasonable efforts to assist the Company in
obtaining the Pre-Closing Educational Consents, Post-Closing Educational
Consents and any other consent, license or Educational Approval, including,
without limitation, (i) providing to any applicable Educational Agency,
Governmental Authority or third party such financial statements and other
financial information as may be reasonably requested, (ii) agreeing to any
adjustments to the terms of the agreements with any Person (provided that
neither party hereto shall be required to agree to any increase in the amount
payable with respect thereto, (iii) providing to the Company on a
timely basis any and all necessary documentation and information,
including but not limited to Buyer's financial and ownership information
necessary to obtain the Pre-Closing Educational Consents, Post-Closing
Educational Consents and any other consent, license or Educational Approval, and
(iv) executing agreements to effect the assumption of such agreements on or
before the Closing Date. The Company shall use commercially
reasonable efforts to cooperate with the Buyer's efforts to obtain the
Post-Closing Educational Consents.
Section
6.03 Access. From the date hereof until the
Closing Date, the Company and each Subsidiary will give the Buyer, its counsel,
financial advisors, auditors and other authorized representatives reasonable
access to the offices, properties, books and records, contracts and documents of
or pertaining to the Company and the Subsidiaries, and to appropriate personnel,
including legal counsel and accountants; provided that any such access
(a) shall be during normal business hours on reasonable notice,
(b) shall not, except as otherwise agreed in writing by the Sellers'
Representative and the Company, include sampling or testing of soil, sediment,
surface or ground water and/or building material, (c) shall not be required
where such access would be prohibited or otherwise limited by any applicable
Law, (d) shall not otherwise unreasonably interfere with the conduct of the
business of the Company or any Subsidiary, and (e) in the case of personnel,
shall be granted only after receipt by the chief executive officer of the
Company of prior written request from Buyer requiring access and the chief
executive officer consents to such access, such consent not to be unreasonably
withheld.
Section
6.04 Subsequent
Actions
. Prior to the
Closing, the Company and the Sellers may supplement or amend the Schedules to
this Agreement if the Company or the Sellers become aware of any matter
hereafter arising which, if existing, occurring or known at the date of this
Agreement, would have been required to be set forth or described in such
Schedules or which is otherwise necessary to correct any information in such
Schedules which has been rendered inaccurate thereby. In the event
that the Company or the Sellers supplement or amends the Schedules pursuant to
this Section 6.04 and
the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub remain obligated to consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby despite such supplements or amendments, then
the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub will not be deemed to have waived any breaches
of representations and warranties of this Agreement disclosed pursuant to such
supplements or amendments and accordingly shall be entitled to indemnification
pursuant to Article 11 for
any such matters. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of
determining the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company
and the Sellers contained in Article 3 and Article 4 for
purposes of determining satisfaction of the conditions set forth in
48
Section 9.01(a),
except as agreed in writing by the Buyer, the Schedules delivered by the Company
and the Sellers shall be deemed to include only that information contained
therein on the date of this Agreement and shall be deemed to exclude any
information contained in any subsequent supplement or amendment
thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, should Buyer and the
Acquisition Sub consummate the transactions contemplated hereby despite any
supplement or amendment to the Schedules to this Agreement which discloses the
occurrence or existence of a Material Adverse Effect, then Buyer and the
Acquisition Sub will be deemed to have waived any claim for breaches of
representations and warranties of this Agreement disclosed pursuant to such
supplements or amendments
relating to the matters or events giving rise to such Material Adverse Effect
and accordingly shall not be entitled to indemnification pursuant to Article 11 for
such matters or events.
Section
6.05 Exclusivity.
Until
the Closing Date, neither the Company and its Subsidiaries nor any Seller shall
(or permit any other Person on their behalf to) directly or indirectly, solicit
or engage in discussion with third parties, initiate, entertain, engage in or
respond to offers, inquiries, proposals or discussions, or enter into any
agreement involving any transaction that has as its purpose a business
combination involving or disposing of the whole or part of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries or any other transaction that would prevent the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement (each a "Proposal"). The
Sellers' Representative will notify the Buyer as soon as practicable if any
Person makes any proposal, offer, inquiry to or contact with the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries or any Seller with respect to any Proposal and shall
describe in reasonable detail the identity of any such Person and the substance
and material terms of any such contact and the material terms of any such
proposal, offer or inquiry. For purposes of this Agreement, "Proposal" shall
include any proposed or actual (a) sale, merger, consolidation or similar
transaction involving the Company or its Subsidiaries, (b) sale, lease or other
disposition, directly or indirectly, by merger, consolidation, share exchange or
otherwise, of any assets or properties of the Company or its Subsidiaries
representing more than 10% of the consolidated assets, revenues, earnings before
interest, tax, depreciation and amortization or profits of the Company or such
Subsidiaries, or (c) sale or other disposition by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries (including by way of merger, consolidation or share exchange) of
any interest or securities (or options, rights or warrants to purchase, or
securities convertible into, such securities) representing 10% or more of the
votes associated with the Shares.
Section
6.06 Confidentiality.
(a) From
and after the Closing until the fifth anniversary of the Closing, on a several
and not joint basis, each of the Sellers that is not employed by the Company or
its Subsidiaries immediately following the Closing (in its capacity as a Seller
and, if applicable, not as a lender (or agent therefor) prior to the Closing)
and the Sellers' Representative shall, and shall direct those of its directors,
officers, members, stockholders, partners, employees, attorneys, accountants,
consultants, trustees, Affiliates and other advisors ("Seller Parties") who
have Confidential Information to, keep strictly confidential and not disclose
any Confidential Information (except to or among its Seller Parties) without the
prior written consent of the Buyer, unless such disclosure (i) is required by
applicable Law, governmental rule or regulation or court order, (ii) is required
in any legal, administrative or arbitral process or proceeding, including in
connection with any tax audit involving such Person, (iii) is required to be
made in connection with the enforcement or defense of any right, remedy or claim
relating to this Agreement or (iv)
49
is
made to such Seller's direct or indirect current or prospective limited partners
or investors of Confidential Information that is not commercially
sensitive. In the event that any Seller Party is required to disclose
any of the Confidential Information, such Person will use commercially
reasonable efforts to provide the Company and the Buyer with prompt written
notice so that the Company or Buyer may seek a protective order or other
appropriate remedy and/or waive compliance with the provisions of this
Agreement, and such Person will use commercially reasonable
efforts to cooperate with the Company and Buyer, as the case may be, in any
effort the Company or the Buyer undertakes to obtain a protective order or other
remedy. In the event that such protective order or other remedy is not obtained,
or that the Company (after the Closing) or the Buyer waives compliance with the
provisions of this Section 6.06,
such Person will furnish only that portion of the Confidential Information that
is legally required and will exercise all commercially reasonable efforts to
obtain reasonably reliable assurance that the Confidential Information will be
accorded confidential treatment. "Confidential Information" shall
mean any non-public information related to the activities, business or affairs
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the transactions contemplated
hereby, other than information (i) that is or becomes available through publicly
available sources of information (other than as a result of disclosure by such
Seller or any Seller Party), (ii) that was already in the possession of such
Seller or its Seller Parties on a non-confidential basis before being disclosed
to such Seller or its Seller Parties by the Company or its Subsidiaries or any
other Seller Party, (iii) becomes available to such Seller or its Seller Parties
on a non-confidential basis from a source (other than the Company, its
Subsidiaries or their respective representatives or any Seller Party) that is
not and was not prohibited from disclosing such information to such Stockholder
or its Seller Parties by a legal obligation or other obligation of
confidentiality with respect to such information or (iv) was or is developed by
such Seller or its Seller Parties without the use of the Confidential
Information.
(b) The
Buyer shall be entitled to specific performance through injunctive relief,
without the necessity of posting a bond, to prevent breaches of this Section 6.06 and
to enforce specifically the provisions of this Section 6.06 in
addition to any other remedy to which the Buyer may be entitled, at law or in
equity.
Section
6.07 Financial
Statements. Beginning with
the month ended July 31, 2008, the Company shall deliver to the Buyer within
thirty (30) days after the end of the month, an unaudited statement of
income of the Company and a statement of cash flows each for such month and a
consolidated balance sheet as of the end of such month, each prepared in form
and substance consistent with the past practice of the Company on a monthly
basis.
ARTICLE
7
COVENANTS OF THE
BUYER AND THE
ACQUISITION SUB
Section
7.01 Confidentiality. Prior to the
Closing Date and after any termination of this Agreement, the Buyer shall hold
and shall cause the Acquisition Sub and their respective Affiliates, officers,
directors, employees, accountants, counsel, consultants, advisors and agents
(collectively, the "Buyer's
Representatives") to hold, in confidence, all confidential documents and
information concerning the Company or any Subsidiary furnished to the Buyer or
the Buyer's Representatives in connection with the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement
50
in
the manner specified in the letter agreement, dated as of October 19, 2007,
between the Buyer and the Company, and as further amended from time to time (the
"Confidentiality
Agreement").
Section
7.02 Access. From and after
the Closing, the Buyer, the Company and each Subsidiary shall afford promptly to
the Sellers' Representative and its designees and representatives reasonable
access to the books, records (including accountants' work papers) and employees
of the Buyer, the Company and the Subsidiaries to the extent necessary to permit
the Sellers' Representative to determine any matter relating to the Sellers'
respective rights and obligations hereunder or to any period ending on or before
the Closing Date; provided that any such access by Sellers' Representative shall
be during normal business hours on reasonable notice and shall not otherwise
unreasonably interfere with the conduct of the business of the Buyer, the
Company or the Subsidiaries. Unless otherwise consented to in writing
by the Sellers' Representative, neither the Buyer, the Company nor any
Subsidiary shall, for a period of seven years after the Closing Date, destroy,
alter or otherwise dispose of any of the books and records of the Company and
the Subsidiaries for any period prior to the Closing Date without first offering
to surrender to the Sellers' Representative such books and records or any
portion thereof which the Buyer, the Company or any Subsidiary may intend to
destroy, alter or otherwise dispose of.
Section
7.03 Notification. Prior to the
Closing, upon discovery of any variances from the representations and warranties
contained in this Agreement, the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub shall promptly
notify the Company and the Sellers' Representative of such
variances.
Section
7.04 Director and Officer Liability, Indemnification and
Insurance. For a period of
six years after the Closing Date, the Buyer shall not, and shall not permit the
Company or any Subsidiary to amend, repeal or modify any provision in the
Company's or any Subsidiary's articles of incorporation or bylaws or equivalent
governing documents relating to the exculpation or indemnification of any
current or former officer, director or similar functionary (unless required by
law), it being the intent of the parties that the officers, directors and or
similar functionaries of the Company and the Subsidiaries shall continue to be
entitled to such exculpation and indemnification to the full extent of the
law. The Buyer shall cause the Company to maintain its existing
officers' and directors' liability insurance (which shall include, without
limitation, the Directors & Officers Liability Policy and Employment
Practices Liability and Educators E&O Policy #004020451 and Fiduciary
Liability Policy #6801158), or other liability insurance that covers events
occurring prior to the Closing on terms and in amounts no less favorable to its
officers, directors and similar functionaries than its existing officers' and
director's liability insurance for a period of six years after the
Closing. If the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of their respective
successors or assigns (a) shall consolidate with or merge into any other
Person and shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation or entity of
such consolidation or merger or (b) shall transfer all or substantially all
of its properties and assets to any Person, then, and in each such case, proper
provisions shall be made so that the successors and assigns of the Company and
the Subsidiaries shall assume all of the obligations set forth in this
Section. The provisions of this Section 7.04 are
intended for the benefit of, and will be enforceable by, each current and former
officer, director or similar functionary of the Company or the Subsidiaries and
his or her heirs and representatives, and are in addition to, and not
in
51
substitution
for, any other rights to indemnification or contribution that any such person
may have had by contract or otherwise.
Section
7.05 Employment and Benefit Arrangements. From and after
the Closing Date, the Buyer shall cause the Company and the Subsidiaries to
honor all employment, severance, termination, consulting, retirement, paid time
off and other compensation and benefit plans, arrangements and agreements to
which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party, as such plans, arrangements and
agreements are in effect on the Closing Date, provided, that nothing in this
Agreement shall prevent the Buyer or the Company from amending or terminating
such plans, arrangements or agreements at any time after the Closing as the
Buyer or the Company deems appropriate. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, the Buyer shall make all required payments,
pursuant to, and in accordance with, the Sale Bonus Agreements in accordance
with Section
2.03(b)(ix). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary,
Buyer will also pay bonuses under the 2008 fiscal year management bonus plan to
current employees of the Company in an amount that is no less than the related
accrual taken into account in determining the Net Working Capital
Amount. With respect to any employee benefit plans of the Buyer (the
"Buyer Benefit
Plans") in which any employees of the Company and the Subsidiaries (the
"Company
Employees") participate on or after the Closing, the Buyer shall or shall
cause the Company and the Subsidiaries to: (i) waive all pre-existing
conditions, exclusions and waiting periods with respect to participation and
coverage requirements applicable to each Company Employee, except to the extent
such pre-existing conditions, exclusions or waiting periods applied or were not
satisfied under the similar Employee Benefit Plan in which such Company Employee
was participating immediately prior to the Closing; and (ii) recognize under the
Buyer Benefit Plans all continuous service of each Company Employee with the
Company or any of the Subsidiaries, as applicable, for purposes of eligibility
to participate, vesting credit, entitlement to benefits and for the purpose of
determining severance and future vacation accruals, but not for purposes of
benefit accrual under a defined benefit pension plan; provided that the
foregoing shall not apply to the extent it could reasonably be expected to in a
duplication of benefits. On and after the Closing Date, the Company
Employees shall continue to participate in the Employee Benefit Plans that are
group health plans in which they participated immediately before the Closing
Date until at least December 31, 2008. If administratively feasible,
the Buyer will make the Company Employees eligible to participate in the Buyer
Benefit Plans that are group health plans effective January 1, 2009, subject to
the same terms and conditions that are applicable to other similarly situated
employees of the Buyer. If it is not administratively feasible for
the Buyer to make the Company Employees eligible to participate in the Buyer
Benefit Plans that are group health plans effective January 1, 2009, the Company
Employees will continue participating in the Employee Benefit Plans that are
group health plans until the end of the plan year of each such Employee Benefit
Plan and will then become eligible to participate in such Buyer Benefit Plans,
subject to the same terms and conditions that are applicable to other similarly
situated employees of the Buyer.
Section
7.06 Regulatory Filings. The Buyer and the
Acquisition Sub shall, within five business days after the date hereof, make or
cause to be made all filings and submissions required of the Buyer or the
Acquisition
Sub under the Xxxx-Xxxxx-Xxxxxx Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended,
Antitrust Laws or any other laws or regulations applicable to the Buyer for the
consummation of the transactions contemplated
herein. The
52
Buyer
and the Acquisition Sub shall comply with any additional requests for
information, including requests for production of documents and production of
witnesses for interviews or depositions by any Antitrust
Authorities. In addition, the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub shall
cooperate in good faith with the Antitrust Authorities and undertake promptly
any and all action required to complete lawfully the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement; provided that the Buyer need not divest or hold separate
assets, terminate or modify existing business relationships, or take any other
such steps to the extent that such actions would have a Material Adverse Effect
on the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries or an equivalent (rather
than proportionate) level of impact on the business of the Buyer. The
Buyer shall be responsible for all filing fees under the Antitrust Laws and
under any such other laws or regulations applicable to the Buyer.
Section
7.07 Letter
of Credit. In the event
that, from and after the Closing Date, the existence of a letter of credit for
purposes substantially similar to that of the XxXxxxx XX is required by the DOE
or otherwise, at Closing Buyer shall, at Buyer's expense, replace (or, if
necessary, backstop with an equivalent letter of credit) the XxXxxxx XX (and any
related guarantee) provided by LaSalle Bank N.A. and/or any Seller and/or to
take any other action reasonably necessary to satisfy the requirements of the
DOE as it relates to this Section
7.07.
Section
7.08 Claim
Proceeds. In the event
that, following the Closing Date, the Company or one of its Subsidiaries
receives any reimbursement, payment or other proceeds ("Claim Proceeds") from
any third party (including from any insurance provider) in respect of the
claim(s) set forth on Schedule 6.01(l)
attached hereto, the Buyer shall promptly (and in any event within 2 business
days) following receipt thereof (net of any out of pocket expenses incurred
after the Closing to collect such Claim Proceeds) (a) pay to the Sellers'
Representative (on behalf of the Stockholders) an amount, by wire transfer or
delivery of other immediately available funds, equal to the product of (i) the
amount of such Claim Proceeds, multiplied by (ii)
the sum of all Stockholders' Allocation Percentages, and (b) cause the Company
to pay to each Optionholder, an amount, by wire transfer or delivery of other
immediately available funds, equal to the product of (i) the amount of such
Claim Proceeds, multiplied by (ii)
such Optionholder's Allocation Percentage, net of all applicable withholding
taxes. Buyer shall cause the Company and it Subsidiaries to use
commercially reasonable efforts to collect such Claim Proceeds.
ARTICLE
8
ADDITIONAL COVENANTS OF THE
PARTIES
Section
8.01 Commercially Reasonable Efforts; Further
Assurances. Subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, the Buyer, the Acquisition Sub and the Sellers shall use their
commercially reasonable efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions
necessary or desirable to cause the conditions set forth in Article
9 to be satisfied and the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement to be consummated, in each case as
promptly after the date hereof as practicable. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, the parties hereto shall give all notices to and
make all required filings with or applications to Governmental
53
Authorities, and use their commercially reasonable
efforts to obtain all consents and approvals of all third parties, including
Governmental Authorities, required for them to consummate, or as a result of
their consummation of, the transactions contemplated hereby. Except
as otherwise expressly set forth in this Agreement, neither the Sellers nor the
Company on the one hand, nor the Buyer nor the Acquisition Sub on the other hand
shall have any obligation to pay any material amounts or incur any material
liability or obligation to any third party as a condition or inducement for
obtaining any consents described on Schedule
9.01(c). Each of the Sellers, the Company, the Buyer and the
Acquisition Sub agree to execute and deliver such other documents, certificates,
agreements and other writings and to take such other actions as may be necessary
or desirable in order to consummate or implement expeditiously the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement. From time to time, as and when
requested by any party hereto and at such party's expense, any other party shall
execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, all such documents
and instruments and shall take, or cause to be taken, all such further or other
actions as such other party may reasonably deem necessary or desirable to
evidence and effectuate the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement.
Section
8.02 Further Cooperation. Each of the
Sellers, the Buyer and Acquisition Sub shall cooperate with each other
(a) in determining whether any action by or in respect of, or filing with,
any governmental body, agency, official or authority is required, or any
actions, consents, approvals or waivers are required to be obtained under any
material contracts, in each case in connection with the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and (b) in taking such actions
or making any such filings, in furnishing information required in connection
therewith and in seeking timely to obtain any such actions, consents, approvals
or waivers.
Section
8.03 Public Announcements. No press release
or other public announcement related to this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated herein shall be issued or made without the joint approval of the
Buyer and the Sellers' Representative, unless required by law (in the reasonable
opinion of counsel), in which case the Buyer and the Sellers' Representative
shall have the right to review and comment on such public announcement prior to
publication.
Section
8.04 Tax Matters.
(a)
(i) Subject
to Section 8.04(a)(ii), the Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating
Stockholder), pro rata on a several basis based on their relative Indemnity
Allocation Percentages, shall indemnify the Buyer, the Company, each Subsidiary
and any Affiliate of the foregoing for (i) all Taxes of the Company and each
Subsidiary for any taxable period ending on or before the Closing Date (or the
portion of any period beginning before and ending after the Closing Date (a
"Straddle Period") that ends on the Closing Date); (ii) all Taxes of any other
Person that the Company or any Subsidiary is liable for as a result of joint and
several liability (including under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6 or any
comparable provision of state, local or foreign Tax law) or as a result of
successor liability, or a contractual obligation, in each case, that is
attributable to any taxable period ending on or before the Closing Date (or the
portion of
54
any
Straddle Period that ends on the Closing Date), and (iii) all Taxes resulting
from a breach of a representation or warranty contained in Section 3.07(h)
(which shall be determined without regard to the exception stated therein) or a
covenant contained in Section 6.01(m) (which shall be determined without regard
to the "commercially reasonable efforts" limitation contained therein),
excluding, in each case, any Taxes attributable to any action that occurs during
the period between the Closing and the end of the day on the Closing Date and
that is outside the ordinary course of business and not expressly contemplated
by this Agreement, and, in each case, only to the extent such amounts exceed an
amount equal to (i) the Tax liabilities taken into account in the determination
of the Net Working Capital Amount less (ii) any amount paid to the Sellers as a
result of the application of Section 8.04(e)(C).
(ii) Except
where the applicable statute of limitations has been extended as a result of
fraud, the indemnification obligations of Section 8.04(a)(i) shall expire
with respect to Taxes other than Income Taxes on the seventh anniversary of the
Closing Date, or, if the applicable statute of limitations has been extended as
a result of the failure to file a Tax Return, on the seventh anniversary of the
later of the date the relevant Tax Return is filed (provided that if a Tax
Return is not filed, the date of assessment by the relevant Governmental
Authority shall be treated as the date the relevant Tax Return is filed) and the
Closing Date, provided, however, the indemnification obligation shall continue
with respect to any Tax Contest for which the Company or any Subsidiary has
received notice from any Governmental Authority on or prior to the seventh
anniversary of the Closing Date and for which the Company has provided notice to
the Sellers' Representative within the time period provided in Section 8.04(g) and
after such time shall survive only with respect to Income Taxes. For
purposes of this Section 8.04(a)(ii), "Income
Taxes" shall mean any Tax imposed on, or measured by, net or gross income
(including any penalties or interest or other additional amounts imposed
thereon).
(b) For
purposes of determining the Taxes that relate to periods ending on or before the
Closing Date (or the portions of any Straddle Period ending on the Closing Date)
for purposes of determining the Sellers' requirement to indemnify for Taxes
under Section 8.04(a):
(i) Taxes
in the form of interest, penalties, additions to tax or other additional amounts
that relate to Taxes for any period ending on the Closing Date (or portion of
any Straddle Period ending on the Closing Date) shall be treated as occurring in
a period ending on the Closing Date (or the portion of the Straddle Period
ending on
the
Closing Date) whether such items are incurred, accrued, assessed or similarly
charged on, before or after the Closing Date;
(ii) In
the case of Taxes (other than transfer Taxes) that are payable with respect to
any Straddle Period, the portion of any such Tax that is attributable to the
portion of the Straddle Period ending on the Closing Date shall be (A) in the
case of income Taxes or any other Taxes resulting from, or imposed on, sales,
receipts, uses, transfers or assignments of property or other assets, payments
or accruals to other persons (including, without limitation, wages), or any
other similar transaction or transactions, the amount that would be
payable for the portion of the Straddle Period ending on the
55
Closing
Date if the Company or Subsidiary filed a separate Tax Return with respect to
such Tax or Taxes solely for the portion of the Straddle Period ending on the
Closing Date (and for such purpose, the taxable period of any partnership
or other pass-through entity in which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
holds a beneficial interest shall be deemed to terminate at such time); and (B)
in the case of all other Taxes, an amount equal to the amount of Taxes for the
entire Straddle Period multiplied by a fraction the numerator of which is the
number of calendar days in the portion of the period ending on the Closing Date
and the denominator of which is the number of calendar days in the entire
Straddle Period. For purposes of clause (A), any item determined on
an annual or periodic basis (including amortization and depreciation deductions
and the affects of graduated rates) shall be allocated to the portion of the
Straddle Period ending on the Closing Date based on the relative number of days
in such portion of the Straddle Period as compared to the number of days in the
entire Straddle Period.
(iii) The
Sellers shall cause the Company and each Subsidiary to prepare and timely file
all Tax Returns of the Company or such Subsidiary due on or prior to the Closing
Date, in accordance with existing procedures and practices with respect to the
treatment of specific items on the returns.
(c) All
transfer, documentary, sales, use, stamp, registration, value added and other
such Taxes and fees (including any penalties and interest) incurred in
connection with this Agreement shall be borne and paid fifty percent (50%) by
the Buyer and (50%) by the Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder)
when due, and the Buyer and Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating
Stockholder) will, at their own expense, file all necessary Tax returns and
other documentation with respect to all such Taxes and fees, and, if required by
applicable law or regulation, the Buyer or Sellers, as applicable, will execute
and deliver, and will cause their respective Affiliates to join in the execution
and delivery of, any such Tax Returns and other documentation.
(d) The
Buyer shall prepare or cause to be prepared, in accordance with past practice
(unless such treatment does not have sufficient legal support to avoid the
imposition of penalties, fines, or similar amounts), and file or cause to be
filed all Tax Returns for the Company and the Subsidiaries for all periods
ending prior to or including the Closing Date which are filed after the Closing
Date. At least 30 days prior to the date on which each such Tax
Return is filed, the Buyer shall submit such Tax Return to the Sellers'
Representative for its review and approval and shall consider in good faith any
changes reasonably requested by Sellers' Representative, provided that the Buyer
shall not be required to make any changes to the extent
such changes result in treatment which does not have sufficient legal support to
avoid the imposition of penalties or fines or is not consistent with past
practice. In the event that the Buyer objects to any change requested
by the Sellers' Representative, the Firm shall determine whether the requested
change is reasonable (consistent with the standard described in the preceding
sentence) and if the requested change is so determined, then the Buyer shall
make the requested change. The consent of the Sellers' Representative
shall not be withheld if such Tax Return, as prepared by the Buyer, is not
reasonably expected by the Sellers' Representative to adversely affect any
Seller. In the event Sellers are liable under Section 8.04(a) hereof for
Taxes due in connection with any Tax Return filed after the Closing Date,
Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) shall pay the amount of
such liability to the Company or the
56
Subsidiary
immediately upon request or at least three business days prior to the filing of
such returns, whichever is later.
(e) As
and to the extent that the Buyer, the Company or any Affiliate thereof (A)
recognizes a Tax Benefit for any period or portion thereof after the Closing
Date attributable to (i) any compensation deduction attributable to the
exercise, payment in cancellation or other termination of any Option pursuant to
Section 2.02(d) hereof or the payment of any
transaction bonus pursuant to the Sale Bonus Agreements, including as a result
of any payroll tax attributable to the foregoing, (ii) any deduction of deferred
financing costs or prepayment premiums in connection with the repayment of any
Indebtedness hereunder, (iii) any deduction for transaction fees or expenses, in
each case in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and
to the extent such amounts were accrued for purposes of the Net Working Capital,
(B) receives any refunds or credits for Taxes for any taxable period ending on
or before the Closing Date (or the portion of any Straddle Period that ends on
the Closing Date), along with any interest paid by the relevant Taxing Authority
with respect thereto (provided that any federal, state or local income tax
refunds payable to the Buyer, the Company, or any Affiliate thereof with respect
to the carryback of any net operating loss of the Buyer, the Company or any
Affiliate thereof for any taxable period that begins on or after the Closing
Date and ends after the Closing Date (a "Post-Closing NOL") to
any taxable period ending on or before the Closing Date shall be for the account
of Buyer), or (C) after filing the last Tax Return that includes any period
prior to the Closing, has paid aggregate Tax liability for the pre-Closing
period less than the amount accrued for purposes of the Net Working Capital, the
Sellers shall be entitled to such Tax Benefit, refund, credit or excess and the
Buyer shall promptly, in each case within 2 business days of recognizing any
such Tax Benefit, receiving any such refund or utilizing any such credit, (X)
pay to the Sellers' Representative (on behalf of the Stockholders) an amount
equal to the product of (I) the amount of such Tax Benefit, refund, credit or
excess at such time or times (except that in the case of any amount accrued for
purposes of the Net Working Capital as a reserve for a doubtful Tax position,
such amount shall be paid upon expiration of the applicable statute of
limitations (including extensions) for the underlying Tax liability to which the
doubtful position relates, and only to the extent such reserve is not paid to
the relevant Tax authority) multiplied by (II)
the sum of all Stockholders' Allocation Percentages, and (Y) cause the Company
to pay to each Optionholder, by wire transfer or delivery of other immediately
available funds, an amount equal to the product of (I) the amount of such Tax
Benefit, refund, credit or excess at such time or times multiplied by (II)
such Optionholder's Allocation Percentage, net of all (i.e. employer and
employee) applicable withholding taxes. The Sellers (other than any
Nonparticipating Stockholder) (pro-rata based on their Indemnification
Allocation Percentage) shall agree to repay such Tax Benefit to the extent there
is any loss, disallowance,
recapture or reduction in such Tax Benefit. All payments under this
Section 8.04(e) shall be
deemed adjustments to the Purchase Price. For purposes of this Section 8.04(e), "Tax Benefit" shall
mean the amount that a Person actually realizes through a refund of Tax or
reduction in the actual amount of Taxes which such Person would otherwise have
had to pay if the relevant Tax attribute had not been incurred, calculated by
computing the amount of Taxes before and after inclusion of such Tax attribute
and treating such Tax attribute as the last items claimed for any taxable
year. It is understood that in no event shall the Sellers be entitled
to a benefit hereunder, if and to the extent, the amount constituting a Tax
Benefit is reflected in the determination of Net Working Capital.
57
(f) To
the extent permitted under applicable Law, the relevant party shall elect to
close the period for the applicable period that includes the Closing Date as of
the Closing Date such that the Company or relevant Subsidiary files a Tax Return
for a period that ends on the Closing Date.
(g) The
Buyer, the Company, each Subsidiary, the Sellers' Representative, and the
Sellers shall provide each other with such assistances as may reasonably be
requested by the others in connection with the preparation of any return or
report of Taxes, any audit or other examination by any Governmental Authority,
or any judicial or administrative proceedings relating to liabilities for
Taxes. Such assistance shall include making employees available on a
mutually convenient basis to provide additional information or explanation of
material provided hereunder and shall include providing copies of relevant tax
returns and supporting material. The party requesting assistance
hereunder shall reimburse the assisting party for reasonable out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in providing assistance. The Buyer, the Company,
each Subsidiary, the Sellers' Representative, and the Sellers will retain for
the full period of any statute of limitations and provide the others with any
records or information which may be relevant to such preparation, audit,
examination, proceeding or determination.
(h) If
any Governmental Authority issues to the Company or any Subsidiary (i) a written
notice of its intent to audit, examine or conduct another proceeding with
respect to Taxes or Tax Returns of the Company or such Subsidiary for periods
ending prior to the Closing Date or (ii) a written notice of deficiency, a
written notice of reassessment, a written proposed adjustment, a written
assertion of claim or written demand concerning Taxes or Tax Returns for periods
beginning on or prior to the Closing Date, the Buyer, the Company, or such
Subsidiary shall notify the Sellers' Representative of its receipt of such
communication from the Governmental Authority within thirty (30) business days
after receiving such notice of deficiency, reassessment, adjustment or assertion
of claim or demand. No failure or delay of the Buyer, the Company, or
any Subsidiary in the performance of the foregoing shall reduce or otherwise
affect the obligations or liabilities of Sellers pursuant to this Agreement,
except to the extent that such failure or delay shall preclude the Company or
such Subsidiary from defending against any liability or claim for Taxes that the
Sellers are obligated to pay hereunder. The Sellers' Representative
shall control any examination, investigation, audit or other proceeding in
respect of any Tax Return or Taxes of the Company or any Subsidiary (a "Tax Contest") to the
extent that it relates to a Tax Return for a period ending on or prior to the
Closing Date, provided that (i) Buyer, the Company or any Subsidiary shall have
the right to participate in any such Tax Contest and (ii) the Sellers'
Representative shall not settle or otherwise resolve any Tax Contest (or any
issue raised in such Tax Contest) unless (A) the Buyer or the Company has
consented to such
settlement or resolution, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld; (B) the
Sellers shall have paid to the Buyer or the Company prior to entering into the
settlement or other resolution, all Taxes (and other amounts) that the Sellers
are liable for under this Agreement as a result of such settlement or other
resolution and (C) the settlement or other resolution could not result in the
Buyer, the Company, its Subsidiaries, or any of their Affiliates paying any
Taxes (or other amounts) that the Sellers are not required to fully indemnify
the Buyer, the Company, or the Subsidiaries for under the
Agreement. The Buyer shall control all other Tax Contests, but in the
case of any Tax Contest that could result in an indemnification obligation by
the Sellers, the Buyer shall act in good faith with respect to, and the Sellers'
Representative shall have the right to participate in any such Tax
Contest.
58
(i) If
there is any adjustment to any return or report of Taxes for the Company or any
Subsidiary which creates a deficiency in any Taxes for which the Sellers are
liable under the provisions of Section 8.04(a) hereof, the
Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) shall pay to Buyer the
amount of such deficiency in Taxes. No liability of Sellers under
this Section 8.04(i) shall be
payable until the occurrence of any action by any Tax authority that is final,
or, if not final, is acquiesced in by Sellers during the course of any audit or
proceeding relating to Taxes. All payments required to be made by
Sellers pursuant to this Section 8.04(i) shall be made
within ten business days of this occurrence of the event described in the
immediately preceding sentence.
(j) The
provisions of this Section 8.04
shall not be governed by limitations contained in Sections 11.01 and
11.02 and to
the extent of any inconsistency between this Section 8.04 and
Sections 11.01
and 11.02, the
provisions of this Section 8.04
shall control.
Section
8.05 Disclosure Generally. The Schedules
have been arranged, for purposes of convenience only, as separately titled
Schedules corresponding to the Sections of Article
3. Any information set forth in any Schedule or
incorporated in any Section of this Agreement shall be considered to have been
set forth in each other Schedule solely to the extent the relevance of such
information to such Schedule is reasonably apparent on the face of such Schedule
and shall be deemed to modify the representations and warranties in Article 3 whether
or not such representations and warranties refer to such Schedule to the extent
its relevance to such representations or warranties is reasonably apparent on
its face. The specification of any dollar amount in the
representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or the inclusion of
any specific item in the Schedules is not intended to imply that such amounts,
or higher or lower amounts, or the items so included or other items, are or are
not required to be disclosed or are within or outside of the ordinary course of
business, and neither party shall use the fact of the setting of such amounts or
the fact of the inclusion of any such item in the Schedules in any dispute or
controversy with any party as to whether any obligation, item or matter not
described herein or included in a Schedule is or is not required to be disclosed
(including, without limitation, whether such amounts are required to be
disclosed as material) or in the ordinary course of business for the purposes of
this Agreement. The information contained in the Schedules is
disclosed solely for the purposes of this Agreement, and no information
contained therein shall be deemed to be an admission by any party hereto to any
third party of any matter whatsoever, including of any violation of law or
breach of any agreement.
Section
8.06 Stockholder
Waiver; Termination of Certain Agreements. Effective as of
the Closing, each Seller (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) hereby
irrevocably and unconditionally waives any and all claims and rights such Seller
may have against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any other Seller
(other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) (in its capacity as a stockholder
of the Company and not, if applicable, as a lender (or agent therefor) prior to
the Closing) pursuant to any Contract required to be set forth on Schedule
8.06. Effective as of the Closing, (a) each of the agreements
set forth on Schedule
8.06 and designated with an asterisk "*" shall be terminated in its
entirety and shall no longer have any force or effect, (b) neither the Company
nor any other party to such agreements will have any obligations to any other
party with respect to the such agreement, and (c) upon the Closing, neither the
Buyer nor any other Buyer Indemnified Party will incur any
59
claim,
liability or obligation (absolute, accrued, asserted or unasserted, contingent
or otherwise) under any such agreement following the Closing Date.
Section
8.07 Conflicts
and Privilege. It is
acknowledged by each of the parties hereto that the Company, WBCP QP and Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx Capital Partners VII, LP (together with WBCP QP, "WBCP") have retained
K&E to act as its counsel in connection with the transactions contemplated
hereby and that K&E has not acted as counsel for any other party in
connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and that none of the other
parties has the status of a client of K&E for conflict of interest or any
other purposes as a result thereof. The Buyer hereby agrees that, in
the event that a dispute arises after the Closing between the Buyer and WBCP
(including WBCP QP, in its capacity as the Sellers' Representative), K&E may
represent WBCP (including WBCP QP, in its capacity as the Sellers'
Representative) in such dispute even though the interests of WBCP (including
WBCP QP, in its capacity as the Sellers' Representative) may be directly adverse
to the Buyer, the Company or the Subsidiaries, and even though K&E may have
represented the Company or the Subsidiaries in a matter substantially related to
such dispute, or may be handling ongoing matters for the Buyer, the Company or
the Subsidiaries. Buyer further agrees that, as to all communications
among K&E, the Company, the Subsidiaries and WBCP (including WBCP QP, in its
capacity as the Sellers' Representative) that relate in any way to the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the attorney-client privilege and
the expectation of client confidence belongs to WBCP (including WBCP QP, in its
capacity as the Sellers' Representative) and may be controlled by WBCP and shall
not pass to or be claimed by the Buyer, the Company or the
Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that a
dispute arises between the Buyer, the Company or the Subsidiaries and a third
party other than a party to this Agreement after the Closing, the Company and
the Subsidiaries may assert the attorney-client privilege to prevent disclosure
of confidential communications by K&E to such third party; provided,
however, that neither the Company nor the Subsidiaries may waive such privilege
without the prior written consent of WBCP.
Section
8.08 Assignment
of Claims. If there is any
Remaining Common Stock, then effective at the Closing, the Company hereby
assigns and transfers to the Sellers' Representative, for the benefit of all
Sellers other than any Nonparticipating Stockholders, all rights of the Company
to assert any claims against
any Nonparticipating Stockholder, including without limitation any claims for
breach of Section 4 of the Stockholders Agreement, dated as of October 19, 2001,
as amended on June 11, 2002, to which any Nonparticipating Stockholder is
party.
ARTICLE
9
CONDITIONS TO
CLOSING
Section
9.01 Conditions to the Buyer's and the Acquisition Sub's
Obligations. The obligations
of the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub to consummate the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement are subject to the satisfaction (or the Buyer's written waiver
at its option) of the following conditions as of the Closing Date:
(a) the
representations and warranties of the Company and the Sellers contained in Article 3 and Article 4 hereof
will be true and correct at and as of the time of the Closing (without taking
into account any supplements or amendments delivered in accordance
with
60
Section 6.04
hereof), as if made on the Closing Date and the Closing Date were substituted
for the date of this Agreement throughout such representations and warranties,
except (i) to the extent that the failure of such representations and warranties
to be true and correct does not constitute, individually or in the aggregate, a
Material Adverse Effect, (ii) for changes contemplated by this Agreement, and
(iii) for those representations and warranties that address matters as of any
other particular date (in which case such representations and warranties shall
have been true and correct as of such particular date, subject to clause (i) of
this Section 9.01(a)), it being
understood that, for purposes of determining the accuracy of such
representations and warranties, all "Material Adverse Effect" qualifications and
other qualifications based on the word "material" or similar phrases contained
in such representations and warranties shall be disregarded;
(b) the
Company, the Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) and the
Sellers' Representative shall have performed in all material respects all of the
covenants and agreements required to be performed by them under this Agreement
at or prior to the Closing;
(c) all
consents which are set forth on Schedule 9.01(c)
attached hereto shall have been obtained;
(d) the
applicable waiting periods, if any, under the Antitrust Laws shall have expired
or been terminated, and all other material governmental filings, consents,
authorizations and approvals that are required for the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereby and set forth on Schedule 9.01(d)
attached hereto shall have been made and obtained;
(e) no
Law, judgment, decree, or order shall be in effect that would, and no action or
proceeding before any court or government body shall be pending wherein an
unfavorable judgment, decree or order would prevent the performance of this
Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby,
declare unlawful the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or cause such
transactions to be rescinded;
(f) the
Company shall have delivered to the Buyer a certificate, dated the Closing Date,
stating that the preconditions specified in Section 9.01(a) and Section 9.01(b), as they
relate to the Company and the Subsidiaries, have been satisfied;
(g) the
Pre-Closing Educational Consents and the DOE Pre-Acquisition Review notices set
forth on Schedule
9.01(g) hereto that are expressly marked with asterisks shall have been
obtained;
(h) (i)
WASC shall have taken no action to place any Company School on warning,
probation or show-cause status, and ACICS shall have taken no action to place
any Company School on suspension, revocation or show-cause status, in all cases
where such action could reasonably be expected to result in a change in the
institutional accreditation status of such Company School, (ii) no Educational
Agency shall have taken any action that could reasonably be expected to result
in a loss of any Educational Approval held by a Company School other than a loss
that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect
on the Company or any Company School, and (iii) no Educational Agency shall have
taken any action that could reasonably be expected to result in a change in the
status of any Educational Approval
61
held
by a Company School other than a change in status that would not, individually
or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect;
(i) neither
the Buyer nor the Company shall have received any communication (in the case of
an Educational Agency that customarily communicates its positions on regulatory
matters in written or electronic form, in such customary form, or in the case of
any other Educational Agency, in oral, written or electronic form) from an
employee, agent or representative of any Educational Agency (which communication
has not been superseded or negated by later communication) with respect to any
required regulatory approval required to be obtained post-Closing and set forth
on Schedule
9.01(i) that shall not have been required to be secured prior to Closing
(including approval of the change of ownership by the DOE) to the effect that
such approval (i) will not be granted, (ii) will be unreasonably delayed
(unless, in the case of a communication of the type described in clause (ii),
the effect of such delay is not reasonably likely to result in a material
adverse impact on the future earnings and revenues of the Company) or (iii) will
be granted with conditions that are materially adverse to Buyer or the Company
(if any such communication of the kind described in this Section 9.01(i) is received,
the Buyer shall promptly inform the Company and the Company shall have an
opportunity to respond to such communication), provided, however, that this Section 9.01(i)) shall not apply to
any conditions that do not constitute material impediments as set forth in the
definition of DOE Pre-Acquisition Review Notice or to any other conditions
customarily imposed by any Educational Agency;
(j) the
Company shall have delivered payoff letters in respect of Indebtedness for
borrowed money;
(k) the
Sellers' Representatives and the Escrow Agent shall have executed and delivered
the Escrow Agreement; and
(l) the
Shares acquired by Acquisition Sub pursuant to this Agreement shall represent at
least ninety-eight percent (98%) of all of the issued and outstanding Shares of
the Company (on a fully diluted basis).
Section
9.02 Conditions to the Sellers'
Obligations. The obligations
of the Sellers to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are
subject to the satisfaction (or the written waiver by the Sellers'
Representative on behalf of the Sellers) of the following conditions as of the
Closing Date:
(a) The
representations and warranties of the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub contained in
Article 5 hereof
shall have been true and correct in all material respects as of the date of this
Agreement and as of the Closing Date, except (i) for changes contemplated by
this Agreement, and (ii) for those representations and warranties that address
matters only as of the date of this Agreement or any other particular date (in
which case such representations and warranties shall have been true and correct
in all material respects as of such particular date), it being understood that,
for purposes of determining the accuracy of such representations and warranties,
all qualifications based on the word "material" or similar phrases contained in
such representations and warranties shall be disregarded;
62
(b) the
Buyer and the Acquisition Sub shall have performed in all material respects all
of the covenants and agreements required to be performed by it under this
Agreement at or prior to the Closing,
(c) all
consents which are set forth on Schedule 9.01(c)
attached hereto shall have been obtained;
(d) the
applicable waiting periods, if any, under the Antitrust Laws shall have expired
or been terminated, and all other material governmental filings, consents,
authorizations and approvals that are required for the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereby and set forth on Schedule 9.01(d)
attached hereto shall have been made and obtained;
(e) no
Law, judgment, decree, or order shall be in effect that would, and no action or
proceeding before any court or government body shall be pending wherein an
unfavorable judgment, decree or order would prevent the performance of this
Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby,
declare unlawful the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or cause such
transactions to be rescinded;
(f) the
Buyer shall have delivered to the Sellers' Representative a certificate of the
Buyer and the Acquisition Sub, each dated the Closing Date, stating that the
preconditions specified in Section 9.02(a) and Section 9.02(b), as they
relate to the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub, as the case may be, have been
satisfied; and
(g) the
Pre-Closing Educational Consents and the DOE Pre-Acquisition Review notices set
forth on Schedule
9.01(g) hereto that are expressly marked with asterisks shall have been
obtained.
Article
10
TERMINATION
Section
10.01 Termination. This Agreement
may be terminated at any time prior to the Closing:
(a) by
the mutual written consent of the Buyer and the Sellers'
Representative;
(b) by
the Buyer, if there has been a material breach by the Company or any Seller
(other than any Nonparticipating Stockholder) of any representation or warranty
(after taking into account the modification of such representations and
warranties by any supplements or amendments to the Schedules in accordance with
Section 6.04
hereof) covenant or other agreement contained herein which has prevented the
satisfaction of any condition to the obligations of the Buyer at the Closing and
such breach has not been waived by the Buyer or cured by the Company or such
Seller within ten business days after the Company's or the Sellers'
Representative's receipt of written notice thereof from the Buyer;
(c) by
the Sellers' Representative, if there has been a material breach by the Buyer or
the Acquisition Sub of any representation, warranty, covenant or other agreement
contained herein which has prevented the satisfaction of any condition to the
obligations of the Sellers at the Closing and such breach has not been waived by
the Sellers' Representative or cured by the
63
Buyer
or the Acquisition Sub within ten business days after the Buyer's receipt of
written notice thereof from the Sellers' Representative; or
(d) by
the Buyer or the Sellers' Representative, if the transactions contemplated
hereby have not been consummated on or before October 31, 2008.
The party
desiring to terminate this Agreement pursuant to clauses (b), (c) or (d) of this
Section 10.01
shall give written notice of such termination to the other parties hereto and
shall only be entitled to so terminate if such terminating party is at the time
of termination (after taking into account the modification of such
representations and warranties by any supplements or amendments to the Schedules
in accordance with Section 6.04
hereof) not in material default of any representation, warranty, covenant or
other agreement contained herein.
Section
10.02 Effect of Termination. In the event this
Agreement is terminated by either the Buyer or the Sellers' Representative as
provided in Section 10.01,
the provisions of this Agreement shall immediately become void and of no further
force and effect (other than Section 2.05
(Sellers' Representative), Section 7.01
(Confidentiality), Section 8.03
(Public Announcements), this Section 10.02 and
Article 12, each
of which shall survive the termination of this Agreement), and there shall be no
liability on the part of the Buyer, the Company, the Sellers' Representative or
any of the Sellers to any other party hereto, except for willful breaches of
this Agreement prior to the time of such termination.
ARTICLE 11
ADDITIONAL
COVENANTS
.
Section
11.01 Survival Period. The
representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth in this
Agreement and in any certificates delivered at the Closing in connection with
this Agreement shall survive for a period beginning on the Closing Date and
ending on the date that is 18 months following the Closing Date (the "Survival Period") and
shall thereafter be of no further force or effect (subject to Section 11.02(c)
below); provided that with respect to any covenant or agreement contained herein
that expressly contemplates performance after the end of the Survival
Period, the Survival Period for such covenant or agreement shall continue
through the period of such contemplated performance, and further provided that
the representations and warranties contained in Section 3.07 shall
survive until sixty (60) days after the expiration of the applicable statute of
limitations (including extensions).
Section
11.02 Indemnification.
(a) Subject
to the provisions of this Section 11.02 and
Section 11.03
below, after the Closing, the Sellers (other than any Nonparticipating
Stockholder), pro rata on a several basis based on their relative Indemnity
Allocation Percentages shall indemnify the Buyer, the Acquisition Sub, their
respective Affiliates (including after the Closing, the Company and its
Subsidiaries) and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents and
representatives (the "Buyer Indemnified
Parties") and hold it harmless against any and all actual loss,
liability, damage or expense (including reasonable legal fees and expenses
incurred in connection with the investigation, defense, and/or settlement of any
claim) (collectively, "Losses" and
individually, a "Loss") which any
Buyer Indemnified Party suffers as a result of (i) any breach of
the
64
representations,
warranties, covenants and agreements of the Company or the Sellers (other than
any Nonparticipating Stockholder) set forth herein and as restated in any
certificates delivered by or on behalf of the Company or the Sellers at the
Closing (but, in each case, excluding for breach by the Company after the
Closing of its covenants or agreements to be performed by the Company after the
Closing), (ii) payments, if any, to any Nonparticipating Stockholder as a
dissenting stockholder (if applicable) in excess of the payments to the other
Stockholders pursuant to this Agreement and the net costs of determining such
amount, and (iii) claims or litigation filed, brought or threatened by any
Nonparticipating Stockholder; provided that the Buyer's right to seek
indemnification for such breaches hereunder (other than for Losses described in
clauses (ii) and (iii) above of this Section 11.02)
shall be limited to an amount of Losses (over and above any limitations in the
next proviso) not to exceed $35,000,000 (the "Cap"); and provided
further that no Buyer Indemnified Party shall be entitled to seek
indemnification with respect to any individual Loss (other than for Losses
described in clauses (ii) and (iii) above of this Section 11.02)
from a breach of representation or warranty (other than the first sentence of Section 3.01
(Organization), Section 3.03
(Capitalization), Section 3.04(a)
(Authority), Section 3.06
(Advisory and Other Fees), Section 3.10
(Transactions with Affiliates) Section 4.01
(Organization; Authorization) and Section 4.04
(Ownership of Securities) (collectively, the "Fundamental
Representations"), or Section 3.12
(Absence of Material Adverse Effect),
unless (i) such Loss (together with all Losses arising out of the same facts and
circumstances) is greater than $25,000, in which case any Buyer Indemnified
Party shall be entitled to indemnification for the entire amount of such Loss,
subject to clause (ii) in this sentence and the Cap, and unless (ii) such Loss,
together with all other Losses that are not excluded under clause (i) in this
sentence or otherwise excluded from the Basket (e.g., Fundamental
Representations), exceeds $2,000,000 (the "Basket"), in which
case the Buyer Indemnified Parties shall be entitled to indemnification only for
the amount of such excess, subject to the Cap.
(b) Subject
to the provisions of this Section 11.02 and
Section 11.03
below, after the Closing the Buyer and the Acquisition Sub shall jointly and
severally indemnify the Sellers' Representative and each Seller (other than any
Nonparticipating Stockholder) and hold him, her or it harmless against any Loss
which such Sellers' Representative or such Seller (as the case may be) suffers
as a result of (i) any breach by the Buyer of its covenants, agreements,
representations and warranties set forth herein and as restated in any
certificates delivered by the Buyer at the Closing or (ii) the operations
of the Company and the Subsidiaries following the Closing.
(c) No
Person shall be liable for any claim for indemnification under subsections (a)
or (b) above unless written notice (an "Indemnification
Claim") specifying in reasonable detail the nature of the claim for
indemnification is delivered by the Person seeking indemnification to the Person
from whom indemnification is sought prior to the expiration of the Survival
Period, in which case the representation, warranty, covenant or agreement which
is the subject of such claim and all indemnity obligations under this Article 11
related thereto shall survive, to the extent of such claim only, until such
claim is resolved, whether or not the amount of the Losses resulting from such
breach has been finally determined at the time the notice is
given. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Article 11, if an
Indemnitee or Indemnitor, as the case may be, in accordance with this Article 11, (i)
prevails in any suit, action or proceeding relating to or arising out of any
Third Party Claim, or (ii) settles any Third Party
65
Claim
(including a settlement without admission of fault), any such outcome shall not,
of itself, create a presumption that the Indemnitee in connection therewith did
not pay, incur or suffer a Loss as a result of or in connection with such suit,
action or proceeding or such Third Party Claim, as the case may be, that would
be indemnifiable pursuant to this Article
11.
(d) Promptly
after the assertion by any third party of any claim (a "Third Party Claim")
against any Person entitled to indemnification under this Section 11.02
(the "Indemnitee") that
results or may result in the incurrence by such Indemnitee of any Loss for which
such Indemnitee would be entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Agreement,
such Indemnitee shall promptly provide notice of such Third Party Claim to the
parties from whom such indemnification could be sought (the "Indemnitors") and the
Sellers' Representative; provided that the failure to so notify an Indemnifying
Party shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party of its obligations hereunder
except and only to the extent the Indemnifying Party is actually prejudiced
thereby. The Sellers' Representative shall act on behalf of all
Indemnitors in the case of all Third Party Claims with respect to which the
Buyer is seeking indemnification under subsection (a) above and may, at its
option, assume the defense of the Indemnitee against such Third Party Claim
(including the employment of counsel and the payment of reasonable expenses), so
long as (i) the Indemnitor shall acknowledge in writing that, if any such Third
Party
Claim results in a Loss for which an Indemnitee is entitled to receive
indemnification hereunder, the Indemnitor shall be responsible for the aggregate
amount of such Loss (subject to the limitations set forth in this Agreement) or
(ii) the claim or demand does not seek to impose on the Indemnitee any
injunctive relief or other equitable relief (except where injunctive relief is
merely incidental to a primary claim or claims for monetary
damages). Any Indemnitee shall have the right to employ separate
counsel in any such Third Party Claim and to participate in the defense thereof,
but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall not be an expense of the
Indemnitor unless (i) the Indemnitor shall have failed, within a reasonable
time after having been notified by the Indemnitee of the existence of such Third
Party Claim as provided in the preceding sentence, to assume the defense of such
Third Party Claim or (ii) the employment of such counsel has been
specifically authorized by the Indemnitor and/or the Sellers' Representative in
the case of all Third Party Claims with respect to which the Buyer is entitled
to indemnification under subsection (a) above. In no event will an
Indemnitee consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement
with respect to any Third Party Claim without the prior written consent of the
Indemnitor, and in no event will an Indemnitor consent to the entry of any
judgment or enter into any settlement with respect to any Third Party Claim
without the prior written consent of the Indemnitee unless such settlement
involves only the payment of money damages, without admission of fault, and
expressly and unconditionally releases the Indemnitee from all liabilities and
obligations with respect to such claim. If any Seller, any group of
Sellers or the Sellers' Representative (on behalf of the Sellers) is conducting
any defense against a Third Party Claim for which the Buyer has sought
indemnification pursuant to Section 11.02(a), expenses
incurred by such Sellers in connection therewith, including legal costs and
expenses, shall constitute Losses for purposes of determining the maximum
aggregate amount to be paid by the Sellers pursuant to Section 11.02(a).
(e) The
amount of any Loss subject to indemnification hereunder or of any claim therefor
shall be calculated net of (i) any Tax Benefit (as defined below) inuring to the
Buyer, the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of their Affiliates on account of
such Loss and (ii) any
insurance or other third party proceeds (net of direct collection expenses)
received or receivable
66
by
the Buyer, the Company and the Subsidiaries on account of such
Loss. If the Buyer, the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of their
Affiliates receives a Tax Benefit after an indemnification payment is made, the
Buyer shall promptly pay to the Sellers' Representative (on behalf of the
Stockholders in accordance with their respective Allocation Percentages) and
cause the Company to pay to the Optionholders in accordance with their
respective Allocation Percentages the amount of such Tax Benefit at such time or
times as and to the extent that such Tax Benefit is realized. For purposes
hereof, "Tax
Benefit" shall mean the amount that a Person actually realizes through a
refund of Tax or reduction in the actual amount of Taxes which such Person would
otherwise have had to pay if the relevant Tax attribute had not been incurred,
calculated by computing the amount of Taxes before and after inclusion of such
Tax attribute and treating such Tax attribute as the last items claimed for any
taxable year provided, that any loss, disallowance, recapture or reduction in
any Tax Benefit paid to the Sellers' Representative (or taken into account in
calculating the amount of an indemnity payment) shall be treated as a Loss
subject to indemnification hereunder without regard to any limitations set forth
herein. For purposes of this paragraph, the Buyer, the Company, the
Subsidiaries, or any of their Affiliates shall be deemed to have lost a Tax
Benefit if, and to the extent that, the amount of such Tax Benefit previously
paid to the Sellers' Representative (or taken into account in calculating the
amount of an indemnity payment) exceeds the difference between (A) any of the
Buyer's, the Company's,
a Subsidiary's or any Affiliate's cumulative liability for Taxes for the period
from the day immediately following the Closing Date through the end of the
current taxable year, calculated by excluding any Tax attributes attributable to
the Loss (which shall include Tax attributes, if any, attributable to the
related indemnity payment) that were previously taken into account in
calculating the Tax Benefit from all taxable years, minus (B) such entity's
actual cumulative liability for Taxes for the period from the day immediately
following the Closing Date through the end of the current taxable year,
calculated by taking into account any Tax attributes attributable to such Loss
(which shall include Tax attributes, if any, attributable to the related
indemnity payment) for all taxable years (to the extent permitted by relevant
Tax law and treating such Tax attributes as the last items claimed). The
Buyer, the Company and the Subsidiaries shall seek full recovery under all
insurance policies covering any Loss to the same extent as they would if such
Loss were not subject to indemnification hereunder, and the Buyer, the Company
and the Subsidiaries shall not terminate or cancel any insurance policies in
effect for periods prior to the Closing. In the event that an
insurance recovery is made by the Buyer, the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of
their Affiliates with respect to any Loss for which any such Person has been
indemnified hereunder, then a refund equal to the aggregate amount of the
recovery (net of all direct collection expenses) shall be made promptly to the
Sellers' Representative (on behalf of the Stockholders in accordance with their
respective Allocation Percentages) and by the Company to the Optionholders in
accordance with their respective Allocation Percentages. The
Indemnitors shall be subrogated to all rights of the Indemnitees in respect of
any Losses indemnified by the Indemnitors.
(f) Each
Person entitled to indemnification hereunder shall take all reasonable steps to
mitigate all losses, costs, expenses and damages after becoming aware of any
event which could reasonably be expected to give rise to any losses, costs,
expenses and damages that are indemnifiable or recoverable hereunder or in
connection herewith.
(g) All
indemnification payments made hereunder shall be treated by all parties as
adjustments to the Actual Common Purchase Price.
67
(h) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in this Section 11.02,
there shall be no recovery for any Loss or alleged Loss by the Buyer under this
Section 11.02,
and the Loss shall not be included in meeting the stated thresholds hereunder,
solely to the extent of the amount of any liability or reserve for such item has
been included in the calculation of the Net Working Capital Amount or the
Indebtedness Payoff Amount as determined pursuant to Section 2.04
hereof.
(i) For
purposes of this Section 11.02,
breaches of representations and warranties of the Company or the Sellers (other
than the representations and warranties contained in Section 3.12)
will be determined without giving effect to any "material", "in all material
respects", "Material Adverse Effect" or similar qualifications.
Section
11.03 Limitation
of Recourse.
(a) The
indemnification provided by Section 11.02(a)
shall be the sole and exclusive remedy for any Losses or other loss, liability,
damage or expense of the Buyer, the Company or the Subsidiaries with respect to
any misrepresentation or inaccuracy in, or breach of, any
representations or warranties or any breach or failure in performance of any
covenants or agreements made by the Company, the Sellers' Representative or any
Seller in this Agreement or in any exhibit or schedules hereto or any
certificate delivered hereunder, other than for claims of fraud against such
Person committing such fraud and other than, for the avoidance of doubt, made by
any Nonparticipating Stockholder in a letter of transmittal delivered in
accordance with the Terms of Merger.
(b) No
claim shall be brought or maintained by the Buyer, the Company or any of the
Subsidiaries or their respective successors or permitted assigns against any
officer, director, employee (present or former) or Affiliate of any party hereto
which is not otherwise expressly identified as a party hereto, and no recourse
shall be brought or granted against any of them, by virtue of or based upon any
alleged misrepresentation or inaccuracy in or breach of any of the
representations, warranties or covenants of any party hereto set forth or
contained in this Agreement or any exhibit or schedule hereto or any certificate
delivered hereunder.
Section
11.04 Manner
of Payment.
(a) Any
indemnification of the Buyer Indemnified Parties pursuant to Section 11.02
shall be paid on a several and not joint basis and shall be effected as
follows: (i) first, so long as funds remain in the Escrow Account,
payment shall be made from the Escrow Account on behalf of the Sellers in
accordance with the Escrow Agreement, and, (ii) thereafter, by wire transfer of
immediately available funds from the applicable individual Seller to an account
designated by the Buyer within 15 days after the determination
thereof. Any indemnification of the Sellers' Representative and the
Sellers pursuant to Section 11.02
shall be effected by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account
designated by the Sellers' Representative within 15 days after the determination
thereof (to be promptly distributed to the Sellers based on their Stockholder's
Allocation Percentage and Optionholder's Allocation Percentage).
68
ARTICLE
12
MISCELLANEOUS
Section
12.01 Notices. All notices,
requests and other communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing
(including facsimile transmission) and shall be given,
if to the
Company (after the Closing) or to the Buyer, then to:
Xxx Xxxxx
Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attention: Xxxx
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Fax: (000)
000-0000
with a copy to (which
shall not constitute notice):
Winston
& Xxxxxx LLP
00 X. Xxxxxx
Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx, XX
00000
Attention: Xxxxxxxx
X. Xxxxx
Fax: (000)
000-0000
or, if to
the Company (before the Closing), the Sellers' Representative or the Sellers,
then to:
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx Capital Partners VII QP, L.P.
c/o
Chicago Growth Partners, LP
000 Xxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxx
Fax: (000)
000-0000
ClearLight
Partners, LLC
000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxx
Fax: (000)
000-0000
with a
copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Xxxxxxxx
& Xxxxx LLP
000 Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxxx
X. Perl, P.C.
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
Fax: (000)
000-0000
69
All such
notices, requests and other communications shall be deemed received on the date
of receipt by the recipient thereof if received on a business day in the place
of receipt prior to 5:00 p.m. in the place of receipt. Otherwise, any
such notice, request or communication shall be deemed not to have been received
until the next succeeding business day in the place of receipt.
Section
12.02 Amendments and Waivers.
(a) Except
as otherwise provided herein, any provision of this Agreement may be amended or
waived if, but only if, such amendment or waiver is in writing and is signed, in
the case of an amendment, by the Buyer and the Sellers' Representative, or in
the case of a waiver, by the party against whom the waiver is to be
effective.
(b) No
failure or delay by any party in exercising any right, power or privilege
hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial
exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise
of any other right, power or privilege.
Section
12.03 Construction; Severability. The
language used in this Agreement shall be deemed to be the language chosen by the
parties hereto to express their mutual intent, and no rule of strict
construction shall be applied against any Person. The headings of the
sections and paragraphs of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of
reference only and shall in no way restrict or otherwise modify any of the terms
or provisions hereof. In the event a subject matter is addressed in
more than one representation and warranty in Article 3, the
Buyer shall be entitled to rely only on the most specific representation and
warranty addressing such subject matter. Whenever possible, each
provision of this Agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be
effective and valid under applicable law or regulation, but if any provision of
this Agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law or
regulation, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such
prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of such provision
or the remaining provisions of this Agreement. Unless otherwise
indicated, references in this Agreement to $ or dollars are to U.S. dollars, the
words "include," "includes" or "including" shall be by way of example and not
limitation, and references to any Law or agreement or as the same may be
amended, modified or supplemented from time to time. Whenever the
phrase "made available" is used is this Agreement to signify that certain
information, documentation or material was made available to the Buyer or its
representatives, it shall be understood that such information, documentation or
material was actually provided to the Buyer or its representatives, as
applicable, including by the provision of such information, documentation or
material in certain on-line "data rooms."
Section
12.04 Expenses. Except as
otherwise provided herein, each party shall pay all of its own fees, costs and
expenses (including, without limitation, fees, costs and expenses of legal
counsel, investment bankers, brokers or other representatives and consultants
and appraisal fees, costs and expenses) incurred in connection with the
negotiation of this Agreement and the other agreements contemplated hereby, the
performance of its obligations hereunder and thereunder, and the consummation of
the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby; provided that the Buyer shall
pay any and all expenses relating to surveys, title insurance, filings under the
Antitrust Laws and any other governmental filings and consents required in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided
further
70
that
the Buyer and the Sellers shall each pay one half of any and all expenses
relating to transfer or similar Taxes. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
to the extent the Sellers' Representative requests that the Company pay at or
after the Closing any fees, costs or expenses for which the Sellers are liable
pursuant to this Section 12.04
("Seller Transaction
Expenses"), then such Seller Transaction Expenses shall be paid by the
Company when due and there shall be a downward adjustment to the Net Working
Capital Amount equal to the amount of such Seller Transaction Expenses to be
paid by the Company at or after the Closing.
Section
12.05 Successors
and Assigns. The provisions of
this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto and their respective successors and assigns; provided that no party may
assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations under
this Agreement without the consent of each other party hereto, except that the
Buyer may assign, in whole or in part, its rights and obligations pursuant to
this Agreement (i) to one or more of its Affiliates, (ii) for collateral
security purposes to any lender providing financing to Buyer and/or its
Affiliates, or (iii) to a purchaser of assets or stock of the Company or its
Subsidiaries; provided that no such assignment under (i) through (iii) above,
inclusive, shall in any manner relieve, limit or affect Buyer's obligations
hereunder and Buyer shall remain bound hereby.
Section
12.06 Governing Law. All issues and
questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and
enforceability of this Agreement and the exhibits and schedules hereto shall be
governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois,
without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or
provisions (whether of the State of Illinois or any other jurisdiction) that
would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State
of Illinois.
Section
12.07 Jurisdiction. Except as
otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, any suit, action or proceeding
seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of or in
connection with, this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be
brought in the United States District Court for the Northern District of
Illinois or any Illinois State court sitting in Chicago, Illinois, and each of
the parties hereby consents to the jurisdiction of such courts (and of the
appropriate appellate courts therefrom) in any such suit, action or proceeding
and irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection
which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of the venue of any such suit,
action or proceeding in any such court or that any such suit, action or
proceeding which is brought in any such court has been brought in an
inconvenient form. Process in any such suit, action or proceeding may
be served on any party anywhere in the world, whether within or without the
jurisdiction of any such court. Without limiting the foregoing, each
party agrees that service of process on such party as provided in Section 12.01
shall be deemed effective service of process on such party.
Section
12.08 Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH OF THE
PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN
ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE
TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
71
Section
12.09 Prevailing
Party. If any litigation
or other court action, arbitration or similar adjudicatory proceeding is
commenced by any party hereto to enforce its rights under this Agreement against
any other
party, all fees, costs and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable
attorneys fees and court costs, incurred by the prevailing party in such
litigation, action, arbitration or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the losing
party; provided, that if a party to such litigation, action, arbitration or
proceeding prevails in part, and loses in part, the court, arbitrator or other
adjudicator presiding over such litigation, action, arbitration or proceeding
shall award a reimbursement of the fees, costs and expenses incurred by such
party on an equitable basis.
Section
12.10 Specific Performance. Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the parties hereby acknowledge and
agree that the failure of any party to perform its agreements and covenants
hereunder, including its failure to take all actions as are necessary on its
part to the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, will cause
irreparable injury to the other parties, for which damages, even if available,
will not be an adequate remedy. Accordingly, each party hereby
consents to the issuance of injunctive relief by any court of competent
jurisdiction to compel performance of such party's obligations and to the
granting by any court of the remedy of specific performance of its obligations
hereunder, without bond or other security being required, this being in addition
to any other remedy to which they are entitled at law or in equity.
Section
12.11 Counterparts;
Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement
may be signed in any number of counterparts (including by facsimile or .pdf
signature pages), each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if
the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This
Agreement shall become effective when each party hereto shall have received a
counterpart hereof signed by the other party hereto. Except as
otherwise specifically set forth herein, no provision of this Agreement is
intended to confer upon any Person other than the parties hereto any rights or
remedies hereunder.
Section
12.12 Buyer and Acquisition Sub. The Buyer agrees
to cause the Acquisition Sub to take all actions (and make all payments)
required by Acquisition Sub hereunder and pursuant to the Terms of Merger and to
otherwise fulfill each of Acquisition Sub's obligations hereunder and
thereunder.
Section
12.13 Entire Agreement. This Agreement
and the documents referred to herein (including the Confidentiality Agreement)
contain the complete agreement between the parties hereto and supersede any
other prior understandings, agreements or representations by or between the
parties, written or oral, which may have related to the subject matter hereof in
any way.
* * *
72
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Stock Purchase Agreement to
be duly executed either individually or by their respective authorized officers
as of the day and year first above written.
COMPANY:
U.S.
EDUCATION CORPORATION
By: /s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx
Name:
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx
Title:
President
SELLERS'
REPRESENTATIVE:
XXXXXXX
XXXXX CAPITAL
PARTNERS
VII QP, L.P.
By:
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Capital Management VII, L.P.
Its:
General Partner
By:
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Capital Management VII, L.L.C.
Its:
General Partner
By: /s/Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx
Name:
Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx
Title: Managing
Director
CLEARLIGHT
PARTNERS, LLC, as Sellers' Representative
By: /s/Xxx
Xxxxxxx
Name: Xxx
Xxxxxxx
Title:
Partner
BUYER:
By: /s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Name:
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Title: President and
CEO
ACQUISITION
SUB:
|
|
USEC
ACQUISITION INC.
By: /s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Name:
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Title: President and
CEO
STOCKHOLDERS:
CLEARLIGHT
PARTNERS, LLC
By: /s/Xxx
Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxx
Xxxxxxxx
Title:
Partner
XXXXXXX
XXXXX CAPITAL
PARTNERS
VII, L.P.
By:
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Capital Management VII, L.P.
Its:
General Partner
By:
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Capital Management VII, L.L.C.
Its:
General Partner
By: /s/Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx
Name:
Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx
Title:
Managing
Director
XXXXXXX
XXXXX CAPITAL
PARTNERS
VII QP, L.P.
By:
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Capital Management VII, L.P.
Its:
General Partner
By:
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Capital Management VII, L.L.C.
Its:
General Partner
By: /s/Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx
Title: Managing
Director
/s/Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
THE
XXXXXX XXXXXXX AND XXXXXXXXX
XXXX-XXXX
FAMILY TRUST DATED 9/12/00
By: /s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx
Name:
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx
Title: Trustee
By: /s/Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx-Xxxx
Name:
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx-Xxxx
Title:
Trustee
/s/Xxxxx
Xxxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
/s/Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX TRUSTEE,
XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX 1998 GRANTOR
TRUST UA
DECEMBER 31, 1999
By: /s/Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Title: Trustee
XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX 1998 GRANTOR
TRUST -
EXEMPT
By: /s/Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Title: Trustee
/s/M.D. “Xxxxx”
Xxxxxxxxx
M.D. "Xxxxx" Xxxxxxxxx
/s/Xxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxx Xxxxxxxxx
THE
XXXXXXXX X. XXXXX III AND
XXXXXXX
X. XXXXX TRUST (ESTABLISHED JULY 17, 1997)
By: /s/Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
III
Name: Xxxxxxxx W. Price
III
Title: Trustee
By: /s/Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxx
Title: Trustee
XXXXX
FARGO BANK, CUSTODIAN,
XXXXXXXX
W. PRICE III XXX
By: /s/Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
III
Name: Xxxxxxxx W. Price
III
/s/Xxxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
/s/Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx
XXXXX
XXXXXX, CUSTODIAN, XXXXXX X. XXXXXXXXX XXX
By: /s/Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxxx
/s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx
XXXXXXX
XXXXXX, CUSTODIAN,
XXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX XXX ACCOUNT #5170-3613
By: /s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx
/s/Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
/s/Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxx
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx
/s/Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
XXXXX
FARGO BANK, CUSTODIAN,
XXXXXXX
X. XXXXXX XXX
By: /s/Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxx
/s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
XXXXXX
XXXXXXXX XXX ROLLOVER
ACCOUNT
W43389844, XXXXX FARGO BANK, CUSTODIAN
By: /s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx
__________________________
Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxx
OPTIONHOLDERS:
/s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
/s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxxx
/s/Xxxxx
XxXxxxxx
Xxxxx XxXxxxxx
/s/Xxxxxx
Xxxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxxx
/s/Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx
EXHIBIT
A
TERMS OF
MERGER
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF ESCROW
AGREEMENT