FORM OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT dated as of [ ], 2010 among PREFERRED APARTMENT COMMUNITIES, INC. and THE SHAREHOLDERS PARTY HERETO
FORM
OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
dated as
of
[ ],
2010
among
PREFERRED
APARTMENT COMMUNITIES, INC.
and
THE
SHAREHOLDERS PARTY HERETO
1
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PAGE
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ARTICLE
1 DEFINITIONS
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Definitions.
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1
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Other
Definitional and Interpretative Provisions.
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4
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ARTICLE
2 REGISTRATION RIGHTS
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Section
2.01.
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Piggyback
Registration.
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5
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Registration
Procedures.
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6
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Participation
In Public Offering.
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9
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Rule
144 Sales; Cooperation By The Company.
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9
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Termination.
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10
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ARTICLE
3 INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION
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Indemnification
by the Company.
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10
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Indemnification
by Participating Shareholders.
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11
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Conduct of Indemnification
Proceedings.
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11
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Contribution.
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12
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Other
Indemnification.
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13
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ARTICLE
4 MISCELLANEOUS
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Section
4.01.
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Binding
Effect; Assignability
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13
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Notices.
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14
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Waiver;
Amendment; Termination.
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14
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Governing
Law.
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15
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Jurisdiction.
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15
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WAIVER
OF JURY TRIAL.
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15
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Specific
Enforcement.
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15
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Counterparts;
Effectiveness.
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15
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Entire
Agreement.
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16
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Severability.
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16
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Independent
Nature of Shareholders’ Obligations and Rights.
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16
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Exhibit
A Joinder
Agreement
2
THIS
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT dated as of
[ ],
2010 (this “Agreement”),
among Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), and the Shareholder
or Shareholders party hereto or bound hereby, including any Permitted
Transferees (collectively, the “Shareholders”).
In
consideration of the mutual promises made herein and other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which hereby are acknowledged, the
parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE
1
Definitions
Section
1.01. Definitions.
i)
The following terms, as used herein, have the following meanings:
“Affiliate” means, with respect
to any Person, any other Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled
by or under common control with such Person, provided that no
securityholder of the Company shall be deemed an Affiliate of any other
securityholder solely by reason of any investment in the Company. For
the purpose of this definition, the term “control” (including, with
correlative meanings, the terms “controlling”, “controlled by” and “under common control with”),
as used with respect to any Person, shall mean the possession, directly or
indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and
policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by
contract or otherwise.
“Board” means the board of
directors of the Company.
“Business Day” means any day
except a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York
City are authorized by law to close.
“Common Shares” means shares of
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company and any stock
into which such Common Shares may thereafter be converted or
changed.
“Company Securities” means the
Common Shares and, for purposes of the definitions of “Permitted Transferees”
and “Transfer”, also shall mean any other securities of the Company or Preferred
Apartment Communities Operating Partnership, L.P. that are convertible or
exercisable into or exchangeable for Common Shares.
“Exchange Act” means the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“FINRA” means the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority (formerly, the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc.) and any successor thereto.
3
“First Public Offering” means
the Company’s initial Public Offering.
“Permitted Transferee” means in
the case of any Shareholder, a Person to whom Registrable Securities are
Transferred by such Shareholder; provided, however, that (i) such Transfer
does not violate any agreements between such Shareholder and the Company or any
of the Company’s subsidiaries, (ii) such Transfer is not made in a registered
offering or pursuant to Rule 144, and (iii) such transferee shall only be a
Permitted Transferee if and to the extent the transferor designates the
transferee as a Permitted Transferee entitled to rights hereunder pursuant to Section
4.01(b)
“Person” means an individual,
corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, trust or other
entity or organization, including a government or political subdivision or an
agency or instrumentality thereof.
“Public Offering” means an
underwritten public offering of Registrable Securities of the Company pursuant
to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, other than
pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-4 or Form S-8 or any similar or
successor form.
“Registering Shareholder” means
a Shareholder whose Registrable Securities are to be registered by the
Company.
“Registrable Securities” means,
at any time, any Company Securities and any other securities issued or issuable
by the Company or any of its successors or assigns in respect of any such
Company Securities by way of conversion, exchange, exercise, dividend, split,
reverse split, combination, recapitalization, reclassification, merger,
amalgamation, consolidation, sale of assets, other reorganization or
otherwise.
“Registration Expenses” means
any and all expenses incident to the Company’s performance of, or compliance
with, obligations under Section 2.01,
including all (i) registration and filing fees, and all other fees and expenses
payable in connection with the listing of securities on any securities exchange
or automated interdealer quotation system, (ii) fees and expenses of compliance
with any securities or “blue sky” laws (including reasonable fees and
disbursements of counsel in connection with “blue sky” qualifications of the
securities registered), (iii) expenses in connection with the preparation,
printing, mailing and delivery of any registration statements, prospectuses and
other documents in connection therewith and any amendments or supplements
thereto, (iv) security engraving and printing expenses, (v) internal expenses of
the Company (including all salaries and expenses of its officers and employees
performing legal or accounting duties), (vi) reasonable fees and disbursements
of counsel for the Company and customary fees and expenses for independent
certified public accountants retained by the Company (including the expenses
relating to any comfort letters or costs associated with the delivery by
independent certified public accountants of any comfort letters requested
pursuant to Section 2.02(h)),
(vii) reasonable fees and expenses of any special experts retained by the
Company in connection with such registration, (viii) reasonable fees,
out-of-pocket costs and expenses of one counsel for all the Shareholders
participating in the offering (not to exceed $25,000) selected by the
Shareholders holding the majority of the Registrable Securities to be sold for
the account of all Shareholders in the offering, (ix) fees and expenses in
connection with any review by FINRA of the underwriting arrangements or other
terms of the offering, and all fees and expenses of any “qualified independent
underwriter,” including the fees and expenses of any counsel thereto, (x) fees
and disbursements of underwriters customarily paid by issuers or sellers of
securities, but excluding any underwriting fees, discounts and commissions
attributable to the sale of Registrable Securities, (xi) costs of printing and
producing any agreements among underwriters, underwriting agreements, any “blue
sky” or legal investment memoranda and any selling agreements and other
documents in connection with the offering, sale or delivery of the Registrable
Securities, (xii) transfer agents’ and registrars’ fees and expenses and the
fees and expenses of any other agent or trustee appointed in connection with
such offering, (xiii) expenses relating to any analyst or investor presentations
undertaken in connection with the registration, marketing or selling of the
Registrable Securities, and (xiv) all out-of pocket costs and expenses incurred
by the Company or its appropriate officers in connection with their compliance
with Section
2.02(m). Except as set forth in clause (viii) above,
Registration Expenses shall not include any out-of-pocket expenses of the
Shareholders (or the agents who manage their accounts).
4
“Rule 144” means Rule 144 (or
any successor or similar provisions) under the Securities Act.
“SEC” means the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
“Securities Act” means the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Shareholder” means at any
time, any Person (other than the Company) who shall then be a party to or bound
by this Agreement, so long as such Person shall “beneficially own” (as such term
is defined in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) any Company
Securities.
“Transfer” means, with respect
to any Company Securities, (i) when used as a verb, to sell, assign, dispose of,
exchange, pledge, encumber, hypothecate or otherwise transfer such Company
Securities or any participation or interest therein, whether directly or
indirectly, or agree or commit to do any of the foregoing, and (ii) when used as
a noun, a direct or indirect sale, assignment, disposition, exchange, pledge,
encumbrance, hypothecation, or other transfer of such Company Securities or any
participation or interest therein or any agreement or commitment to do any of
the foregoing.
(b) Each
of the following terms is defined in the Section set forth opposite such
term:
5
Term
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Section
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Agreement
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Preamble
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Company
|
Preamble
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Damages
|
3.01
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Indemnified
Party
|
3.03
|
Indemnifying
Party
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3.03
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Inspectors
|
2.02(g)
|
Joinder
Agreement
|
4.01(b)
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Maximum
Offering Size
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2.01(b)
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Notice
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4.02
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Piggyback
Registration
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2.02(a)
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Records
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2.02(g)
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Rule
144A
|
2.04(b)
|
Shareholders
|
Preamble
|
Section
1.02. Other Definitional and
Interpretative Provisions. The
words “hereof”, “herein” and “hereunder” and words of like import used in this
Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular
provision of this Agreement. The captions herein are included for
convenience of reference only and shall be ignored in the construction or
interpretation hereof. References to Articles, Sections or Exhibits
are to Articles, Sections and Exhibits of this Agreement unless otherwise
specified. All Exhibits annexed hereto or referred to herein are
hereby incorporated in and made a part of this Agreement as if set forth in full
herein. Any capitalized term used in any Exhibit but not otherwise
defined therein shall have the meaning as defined in this
Agreement. Any singular term in this Agreement shall be deemed to
include the plural, and any plural term the singular. Whenever the
words “include”, “includes” or “including” are used in this Agreement, they
shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation”, whether or not
they are in fact followed by those words or words of like
import. “Writing”, “written” and comparable terms refer to printing,
typing and other means of reproducing words (including electronic media) in a
visible form. References to any agreement or contract are to that
agreement or contract as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time in
accordance with the terms hereof and thereof. References to any
Person include the successors and permitted assigns of that
Person. References from or through any date mean, unless otherwise
specified, from and including or through and including,
respectively.
6
ARTICLE
2
Registration
Rights
Section
2.01. Piggyback
Registration.(a) If
the Company proposes to register any Company Securities (whether for its own
account or for the account of other holders) under the Securities Act (other
than a registration on Form S-8 or S-4, or any successor or similar forms,
relating to Common Shares issuable upon exercise of employee stock options or in
connection with any employee benefit or similar plan of the Company or in
connection with a direct or indirect acquisition by the Company of another
Person), whether or not for sale for its own account or for the account of
another Person, the Company shall each such time give prompt written notice at
least 20 Business Days prior to the anticipated filing date of the registration
statement relating to such registration to each Shareholder, which written
notice shall set forth such Shareholder’s rights under this Section 2.01 and
shall offer such Shareholder the opportunity to include in such registration
statement the number of Registrable Securities of the same class or series as
those proposed to be registered as each such Shareholder may request (a “Piggyback Registration”),
subject to the provisions of Section
2.01(b). Upon the request of any such Shareholder made
within ten Business Days after the receipt of written notice from the Company
(which request shall specify the number of Registrable Securities intended to be
registered by such Shareholder), the Company shall use all reasonable best
efforts to effect the registration under the Securities Act of all Registrable
Securities that the Company has been so requested to register by all such
Shareholders, to the extent required to permit the disposition of the
Registrable Securities so to be registered; provided, however, that if, at any
time after giving notice of its intention to register any Company Securities
pursuant to this Section 2.01 and
prior to the effective date of the registration statement filed in connection
with such registration, the Company shall determine for any reason not to
register such securities, the Company shall give written notice to all such
Shareholders and, thereupon, shall be relieved of its obligation to register any
Registrable Securities in connection with such registration. The
Company shall pay all Registration Expenses in connection with each Piggyback
Registration.
(b) If
a Piggyback Registration involves an underwritten Public Offering and the
managing underwriter advises the Company that, in its view, the number of Shares
that the Company and such Shareholders intend to include in such registration
exceeds the largest number of shares that can be sold without having an adverse
effect on such offering (the “Maximum Offering Size”), the Company shall include
in such registration, in the following priority, up to the Maximum Offering
Size:
(i) first, so much of the
Company Securities proposed to be registered for the account of the Company (or,
if such registration is pursuant to a demand by a Person that is not a
Shareholder, for the account of such other Person) as would not cause the
offering to exceed the Maximum Offering Size,
7
(ii) second, all
Registrable Securities requested to be included in such registration by any
Shareholders pursuant to this Section 2.01
(allocated, if necessary for the offering not to exceed the Maximum Offering
Size, pro rata among such
Shareholders on the basis of the relative number of shares of Registrable
Securities so requested to be included in such registration by each),
and
(iii) third, any securities
proposed to be registered for the account of any other Persons with such
priorities among them as the Company shall determine.
Section
2.02. Registration
Procedures. Whenever
Shareholders request that any Registrable Securities be registered pursuant to
Section 2.01,
subject to the provisions of such Section, the Company shall use all reasonable
best efforts to effect the registration and the sale of such Registrable
Securities in accordance with the intended method of disposition thereof as
quickly as practicable, and, in connection with any such request:
(a) The
Company shall as expeditiously as possible prepare and file with the SEC a
registration statement on any form for which the Company then qualifies or that
counsel for the Company shall deem appropriate and which form shall be available
for the sale of the Registrable Securities to be registered thereunder in
accordance with the intended method of distribution thereof, but no later than
(i) 90 days after its receipt of a request for a registration in the case of a
registration on any applicable long-form registration statement, or (ii) 45 days
after its receipt of a request for registration in the case of a registration on
any applicable short-form registration statement, and use all reasonable best
efforts to cause such filed registration statement to become and remain
effective for a period of not less than 180 days, except in the case of any
registration of Registrable Securities on a short-form registration statement
which are intended to be offered on a continuous or delayed basis, such 180-day
period shall be extended until all such Registrable Securities are sold,
provided that Rule 415, or any successor rule under the Securities Act, permits
an offering on a continuous or delayed basis. Any such registration
statement shall be an automatically effective registration statement to the
extent permitted by the SEC’s rules and regulations.
(b) Prior
to filing a registration statement or prospectus or any amendment or supplement
thereto (other than any report filed pursuant to the Exchange Act that is
incorporated by reference therein), the Company shall furnish to each
participating Shareholder and each underwriter, if any, of the Registrable
Securities covered by such registration statement copies of such registration
statement as proposed to be filed, and provide each such participating
Shareholder with a reasonable period of time to comment thereon, and thereafter
the Company shall furnish to such Shareholder and underwriter, if any, such
number of copies of such registration statement, each amendment and supplement
thereto (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated
by reference therein), the prospectus included in such registration statement
(including each preliminary prospectus and any summary prospectus) and any other
prospectus filed under Rule 424, Rule 430A, Rule 430B or Rule 430C under the
Securities Act and such other documents as such Shareholder or underwriter may
reasonably request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable
Securities owned by such Shareholder.
8
(c) After
the filing of the registration statement, the Company shall (i) cause the
related prospectus to be supplemented by any required prospectus supplement and,
as so supplemented, to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act,
(ii) comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the
disposition of all Registrable Securities covered by such registration statement
during the applicable period in accordance with the intended methods of
disposition by the Shareholders thereof set forth in such registration statement
or supplement to such prospectus, and (iii) promptly notify each Shareholder
holding Registrable Securities covered by such registration statement of any
stop order issued or threatened by the SEC or any state securities commission
and take all reasonable actions required to prevent the entry of such stop order
or to remove it if entered.
(d) The
Company shall use all reasonable best efforts to (i) register or qualify the
Registrable Securities covered by such registration statement under such other
securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as any
Registering Shareholder holding such Registrable Securities reasonably (in light
of such Shareholder’s intended plan of distribution) requests and (ii) cause
such Registrable Securities to be registered with or approved by such other
governmental agencies or authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the
business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things
that may be reasonably necessary or advisable to enable such Shareholder to
consummate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such
Shareholder; provided,
however, that the
Company shall not be required to (A) qualify generally to do business in
any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for
this Section 2.02(d),
(B) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction, or (C) consent to
general service of process in any such jurisdiction.
(e) The
Company shall immediately notify each Shareholder holding such Registrable
Securities covered by such registration statement, at any time when a prospectus
relating thereto is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the
occurrence of an event requiring the preparation of a supplement or amendment to
such prospectus so that, as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of such
Registrable Securities, such prospectus will not contain an untrue statement of
a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and promptly prepare
and make available to each such Shareholder and file with the SEC any such
supplement or amendment.
(f) In
connection with any Public Offering, the Company shall enter into customary
agreements (including an underwriting agreement in customary form) and take such
all other actions as are reasonably required in order to expedite or facilitate
the disposition of such Registrable Securities in any such Public Offering, and
cooperate with each Registering Shareholder and the underwriters, if any, of
such Registrable Securities and their respective counsel in connection with any
filings required to be made with FINRA;
9
(g) Upon
execution of confidentiality agreements in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to the Company, the Company shall make available for inspection by
any Shareholder and any underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to
a registration statement being filed by the Company pursuant to this Section 2.02 and
any attorney, accountant or other professional retained by any such Shareholder
or underwriter (collectively, the “Inspectors”), all financial
and other records, pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company
(collectively, the “Records”) as shall be
reasonably necessary or desirable to enable any of the Inspectors to exercise
its due diligence responsibility, and cause the Company’s officers, directors
and employees to supply all information reasonably requested by any Inspectors
in connection with such registration statement. Records that the
Company determines, in good faith, to be confidential and that it notifies the
Inspectors are confidential shall not be disclosed by the Inspectors unless (i)
the disclosure of such Records is necessary to avoid or correct a misstatement
or omission in such registration statement or (ii) the release of such Records
is ordered pursuant to a subpoena or other order from a court of competent
jurisdiction. Each Shareholder further agrees that, upon learning
that disclosure of such Records is sought in a court of competent jurisdiction,
it shall give notice to the Company and allow the Company, at its expense, to
undertake appropriate action to prevent disclosure of the Records deemed
confidential.
(h) The
Company shall use reasonable best efforts to furnish to each Registering
Shareholder and to each such underwriter, if any, a signed counterpart,
addressed to such Shareholder or underwriter, of (i) an opinion or opinions of
counsel to the Company, and (ii) a comfort letter or comfort letters from the
Company’s independent public accountants, each in customary form and covering
such matters of the kind customarily covered by opinions or comfort letters, as
the case may be, as the Shareholders holding the majority of the Registrable
Securities to be sold for the account of all Shareholders in the offering or the
managing underwriter therefor reasonably requests.
(i) The
Company shall otherwise use all reasonable best efforts to comply with all
applicable rules and regulations of the SEC, and make available to its security
holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement or such other
document covering a period of 12 months, beginning within three months
after the effective date of the registration statement, which earnings statement
satisfies the requirements of Rule 158 under the Securities Act.
(j) The
Company may require each Shareholder promptly to furnish in writing to the
Company such information regarding the distribution of the Registrable
Securities as the Company may from time to time reasonably request and such
other information as may be legally required in connection with such
registration.
10
(k) Each
Shareholder agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the
happening of any event of the kind described in Section 2.02(e),
such Shareholder shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable
Securities pursuant to the registration statement covering such Registrable
Securities until such Shareholder’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or
amended prospectus contemplated by Section 2.02(e),
and, if so directed by the Company, such Shareholder shall deliver to the
Company all copies, other than any permanent file copies then in such
Shareholder’s possession, of the most recent prospectus covering such
Registrable Securities at the time of receipt of such notice. If the
Company shall give such notice, the Company shall extend the period during which
such registration statement shall be maintained effective (including the period
referred to in Section 2.02(a))
by the number of days during the period from and including the date of the
giving of notice pursuant to Section 2.02(e)
to the date when the Company shall make available to such Shareholder a
prospectus supplemented or amended to conform with the requirements of Section
2.02(e).
(l) The
Company shall use all reasonable best efforts to list all Registrable Securities
covered by such registration statement on any securities exchange or quotation
system on which the Common Shares are then listed or traded.
(m) The
Company shall have appropriate senior executive officers of the Company
(i) prepare and make presentations at any “road shows” and before analysts,
and (ii) otherwise use their reasonable efforts to cooperate as reasonably
requested by the underwriters in the offering, marketing or selling of the
Registrable Securities.
Section
2.03. Participation In Public
Offering. No
Shareholder may participate in any Public Offering hereunder unless such
Shareholder (a) agrees to sell such Shareholder’s Registrable Securities on the
basis provided in any underwriting arrangements approved by the Persons entitled
hereunder to approve such arrangements, and (b) completes and executes all
questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, underwriting agreements and
other documents reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting
arrangements and the provisions of this Agreement in respect of registration
rights.
Section
2.04. Rule 144 Sales; Cooperation By The
Company. If
any Shareholder shall transfer any Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 144
or Rule 144A, the Company shall cooperate, to the extent commercially
reasonable, with such Shareholder and shall provide to such Shareholder such
information as such Shareholder shall reasonably request. Without
limiting the foregoing, the Company shall:
(a) at
any time after any of the Company’s shares of capital stock are registered under
the Securities Act or the Exchange Act: (i) make and keep available
public information, as those terms are contemplated by Rule 144;
(ii) timely file with the SEC all reports and other documents required to
be filed under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act; and (iii) furnish to
each Shareholder forthwith upon request a written statement by the Company as to
its compliance with the reporting requirements of the Securities Act and the
Exchange Act, a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the
Company, and such other information as such Shareholder may reasonably request
in order to avail itself of any rule or regulation of the SEC allowing such
Shareholder to sell any Registrable Securities without registration;
and
11
(b) each
Shareholder of Registrable Securities and each prospective Shareholder of
Registrable Securities who may consider acquiring Registrable Securities in
reliance upon Rule 144A under the Securities Act (or any successor or
similar rule then in force) (“Rule 144A”) shall have
the right to request from the Company, and the Company will provide upon such
request, such information regarding the Company and its business, assets and
properties, if any, as is at the time required to be made available by the
Company under Rule 144A so as to enable such Shareholder to transfer Registrable
Securities to such prospective Shareholder in reliance upon Rule
144A.
Section
2.05. Termination. The
registration rights set forth in ARTICLE 2 shall
not be available (i) as to any Shareholder that beneficially owns less than 5%
of the Company’s outstanding securities if, in the written opinion of counsel to
the Company, all of the Registrable Securities then owned by such Shareholder
could be sold in any 90-day period pursuant to Rule 144, or (ii) as to any
Shareholder, if all of the Registrable Securities held by such Shareholder have
been sold in a registration pursuant to the Securities Act or an exemption
therefrom. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Sections 3 and 4 shall survive any
termination of this Agreement.
ARTICLE
3
Indemnification
and Contribution
Section
3.01. Indemnification by the
Company. With
respect to each registration effected pursuant to Article 2 hereof, the
Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, to the fullest extent permitted
by law, (i) each of the Registering Shareholders in such registration and each
of its officers, directors, limited or general partners and members
thereof, and (ii) each of their respective Affiliates, officers,
directors, members, partners, shareholders, employees, advisors, and agents and
each Person who controls (within the meaning of the Securities Act or the
Exchange Act) such Persons, against any and all losses, claims, damages,
liabilities, fines, penalties, judgments, suits, costs and expenses (including
reasonable expenses of investigation and reasonable attorneys’ fees and
expenses) (collectively, “Damages”) caused by or
relating to any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in any registration statement or prospectus (including any exhibits,
financial information and material incorporated by reference therein) relating
to the Registrable Securities (as amended or supplemented if the Company shall
have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto) or any preliminary
prospectus or free-writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the
Securities Act), or caused by or relating to any omission or alleged omission to
state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such Damages are caused
by or related to any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue
statement or omission so made based upon information furnished in writing to the
Company by such Shareholder or on such Shareholder’s behalf expressly for use
therein. The Company also agrees to indemnify any underwriters of the
Registrable Securities, their officers and directors and each Person who
controls such underwriters within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities
Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act on substantially the same basis as that of
the indemnification of the Shareholders provided in this Section
3.01.
12
Section
3.02. Indemnification by Participating
Shareholders. Each
Shareholder holding Registrable Securities included in any registration
statement agrees, severally but not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless, to
the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company, its officers, directors and
agents and each Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of
Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, to the same
extent as the indemnity from the Company to such Shareholder provided in Section 3.01, but
only with respect to information furnished in writing by such Shareholder or on
such Shareholder’s behalf expressly for use in any registration statement or
prospectus (including any exhibits, financial information and material
incorporated by reference therein) relating to the Registrable Securities, or
any amendment or supplement thereto, or any preliminary prospectus or
free-writing prospectus. Each such Shareholder also agrees to
indemnify and hold harmless underwriters of the Registrable Securities, their
officers and directors and each Person who controls such underwriters within the
meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act on
substantially the same basis as that of the indemnification of the Company
provided in this Section
3.02. As a condition to including Registrable Securities
in any registration statement filed in accordance with ARTICLE 2, the
Company may require that it shall have received an undertaking reasonably
satisfactory to it from any underwriter to indemnify and hold it harmless to the
extent customarily provided by underwriters with respect to similar
securities. No Shareholder shall be liable under this Section 3.02 for
any Damages in excess of the net proceeds realized by such Shareholder in the
sale of Registrable Securities of such Shareholder to which such Damages
relate.
Section
3.03. Conduct of Indemnification
Proceedings. If
any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted
involving any Person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to
this ARTICLE 3, such
Person (an “Indemnified
Party”) shall promptly notify the Person against whom such indemnity may
be sought (the “Indemnifying
Party”) in writing and the Indemnifying Party shall assume the defense
thereof, including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such
Indemnified Party, and shall assume the payment of all fees and expenses, provided that the failure of
any Indemnified Party so to notify the Indemnifying Party shall not relieve the
Indemnifying Party of its obligations hereunder except to the extent that the
Indemnifying Party is materially prejudiced by such failure to
notify. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Party shall have the
right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall
be at the expense of such Indemnified Party unless (a) the Indemnifying Party
and the Indemnified Party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such
counsel, (b) in the reasonable judgment of such Indemnified Party representation
of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or
potential differing interests between them, including one or more defenses or
counterclaims that are different from or in addition to those available to the
Indemnifying Party, or (c) the Indemnifying Party shall have failed to assume
the defense within 30 days of notice pursuant to this Section
3.03. It is understood that, in connection with any
proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, the Indemnifying
Party shall not be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one
separate firm of attorneys (in addition to any local counsel) at any time for
all such Indemnified Parties, and that all such fees and expenses shall be
reimbursed as they are incurred. In the case of any such separate
firm for the Indemnified Parties, such firm shall be designated in writing by
the Indemnified Parties. The Indemnifying Party shall not be liable
for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but
if settled with such consent, or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff,
the Indemnifying Party shall indemnify and hold harmless such Indemnified
Parties from and against any loss or liability (to the extent stated above) by
reason of such settlement or judgment. Without the prior written
consent of the Indemnified Party, no Indemnifying Party shall effect any
settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any
Indemnified Party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been
sought hereunder by such Indemnified Party, unless such settlement (A) includes
an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability arising
out of such proceeding, and (B) does not include any injunctive or other
equitable or non-monetary relief applicable to or affecting such Indemnified
Person.
13
Section
3.04. Contribution. If
the indemnification provided for in this ARTICLE 3 is
unavailable to the Indemnified Parties in respect of any Damages, then each
Indemnifying Party, in lieu of indemnifying the Indemnified Parties, shall
contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party, in such
proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnifying
Party and Indemnified Party in connection with the actions, statements or
omissions that resulted in such Damages as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. The relative fault of such Indemnifying Party and
Indemnified Party shall be determined by reference to, among other things,
whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact or omission or alleged omission of a material fact, has been
taken or made by, or relates to information supplied by, such Indemnifying Party
or Indemnified Party, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to
information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action, statement or
omission. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of any
Damages shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in this
Agreement, any reasonable attorneys’ or other reasonable fees or expenses
incurred by such party in connection with any proceeding to the extent such
party would have been indemnified for such fees or expenses if the
indemnification provided for in this ARTICLE 3 was
available to such party in accordance with its terms.
The
parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution
pursuant to this Section 3.04 were
determined by pro rata allocation or by
any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable
considerations referred to in the immediately preceding
paragraph. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 3.04, no
Shareholder shall be required to contribute, in the aggregate, any amount in
excess of the amount by which the proceeds actually received by such Shareholder
from the sale of the Registrable Securities subject to the proceeding exceeds
the amount of any damages that such Shareholder has otherwise been required to
pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission, except in the case of fraud by such Shareholder. Each
Shareholder’s obligation to contribute pursuant to this Section 3.04 is
several in the proportion that the proceeds of the offering received by such
Shareholder bears to the total proceeds of the offering received by all such
Shareholders and not joint.
14
No Person
guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of
the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any Person who was
not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The indemnity and
contribution agreements contained in this ARTICLE 3 are in
addition to any liability that the Indemnifying Parties may have to the
Indemnified Parties.
Section
3.05. Other
Indemnification. Indemnification
similar to that provided in this ARTICLE 3 (with
appropriate modifications) shall be given by the Company and each Shareholder
participating therein with respect to any required registration or other
qualification of securities under any foreign, federal or state law or
regulation or governmental authority other than the Securities Act.
ARTICLE
4
Miscellaneous
Section
4.01. Binding Effect;
Assignability
(a) This
Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto
and their respective heirs, successors, legal representatives and permitted
assigns. Any Shareholder that ceases to own beneficially any Company
Securities shall cease to be bound by the terms hereof (other than (i) the
provisions of ARTICLE 3
applicable to such Shareholder with respect to any offering of Registrable
Securities completed before the date such Shareholder ceased to own any Company
Securities, and (ii) this ARTICLE
4).
(b) Neither
this Agreement nor any right, remedy, obligation or liability arising hereunder
or by reason hereof shall be assignable by any party hereto pursuant to any
Transfer of Registrable Securities or otherwise, except that each Shareholder
may assign rights hereunder to any Permitted Transferee of such
Shareholder. Any such Permitted Transferee shall (unless already
bound hereby) execute and deliver to the Company an agreement to be bound by
this Agreement in the form of Exhibit A hereto (a
“Joinder Agreement”) and
shall thenceforth be a Shareholder.
(c) Nothing
in this Agreement, expressed or implied, is intended to confer on any Person
other than the parties hereto, and their respective heirs, successors, legal
representatives and permitted assigns, any rights, remedies, obligations or
liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement.
15
Section
4.02. Notices.
All
notices, demands, approvals, consents and other communications provided for or
permitted hereunder (each a “Notice”) shall be in writing
and shall be sent by (a) registered or certified first-class mail (return
receipt requested), (b) courier service, (c) personal delivery, or (d)
telecopier (provided that, in the case of this clause (d), such Notice also is
sent concurrently by another means specified above) as follows:
if to the
Company to:
Preferred
Apartment Communities, Inc.
0000
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Phone:
(000) 000-0000
Facsimile:
(000) 000-0000
Attention: Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxxxxx, Esq.
with a
copy (which shall not constitute Notice) to:
Proskauer
Rose LLP
0000
Xxxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx,
XX 00000
Facsimile: (000)
000-0000
Attention:
Xxxxx X.
Xxxx, Esq.
Xxxxx X.
Gerkis, Esq.
if to any
Shareholder, at the address for such Shareholder listed on the signature pages
below or otherwise provided to the Company as set forth below.
Each
Notice shall be deemed to have been duly given and effective upon actual receipt
(or refusal of receipt). Any party may by Notice to the other parties
given in accordance with this Section 4.02
designate another address or person for receipt of Notices
hereunder. If the address of a party has changed, then such party
promptly shall by Notice to the other parties given in accordance with this Section 4.02
designate a new address for receipt of Notices hereunder. For the
avoidance of doubt, if a Notice given in accordance with this Section 4.02 to a
party is returned to the sender as being refused or undeliverable (or having a
similar status), then such Notice to such party shall be deemed to have been
duly given and effective on the date that such Notice was originally
sent.
16
Any
Person that becomes a Shareholder after the date hereof shall provide its
address and fax number to the Company.
Section
4.03. Waiver; Amendment;
Termination.
No
provision of this Agreement may be waived except by an instrument in writing
executed by the party against whom the waiver is to be effective. No
provision of this Agreement may be amended or otherwise modified except (i)
prior to the First Public Offering, by an instrument in writing executed by all
the parties hereto, and (ii) after the First Public Offering, by an
instrument in writing executed by the Company and the holders of at least 75% of
the Registrable Securities held by the parties hereto at the time of such
proposed amendment or modification.
Section
4.04. Governing Law.
This
Agreement shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with,
the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflicts of laws rules
of such state.
Section
4.05. Jurisdiction.
The
parties hereby agree that 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 any state
or federal court in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, so long as one
of such courts shall have subject matter jurisdiction over such suit, action or
proceeding, and that any cause of action arising out of this Agreement shall be
deemed to have arisen from a transaction of business in the State of New York,
and each of the parties hereby irrevocably 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 that 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 4.02
shall be deemed effective service of process on such party.
Section
4.06. 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.
Section
4.07. Specific
Enforcement.
Each
party hereto acknowledges that the remedies at law of the other parties for a
breach or threatened breach of this Agreement would be inadequate and, in
recognition of this fact, any party to this Agreement, without posting any bond
or furnishing other security, and in addition to all other remedies that may be
available, shall be entitled to obtain equitable relief in the form of specific
performance, a temporary restraining order, a temporary or permanent injunction
or any other equitable remedy that may then be available.
Section
4.08. Counterparts;
Effectiveness.
This
Agreement may be executed (including by facsimile transmission) with counterpart
signature pages or in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed
to be an original, and all of which shall, taken together, be considered one and
the same agreement, it being understood that each party need not sign the same
counterpart. This Agreement shall become effective when each party
hereto shall have executed and delivered this Agreement. Until and
unless each party has executed and delivered this Agreement, this Agreement
shall have no effect and no party shall have any right or obligation hereunder
(whether by virtue of any other oral or written agreement or other
communication).
17
Section
4.09. Entire
Agreement.
This
Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding among the parties
hereto and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements and
understandings, both oral and written, among the parties hereto with respect to
the subject matter hereof.
Section
4.10. Severability.
If
any provision of this Agreement, or the application thereof, is for any reason
declared by any court or other judicial or administrative body of competent
jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this Agreement
shall remain in full force and effect.
Section
4.11. Independent Nature of Shareholders’
Obligations and Rights.
The
obligations of each Shareholder hereunder are several and not joint with the
obligations of any other Shareholder hereunder, and no Shareholder shall be
responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other
Shareholder hereunder. Nothing contained herein or in any other
agreement or document delivered at any closing, and no action taken by any
Shareholder pursuant hereto or thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the
Shareholders as a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind
of entity, or create a presumption that the Shareholders are in any way acting
in concert with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement. Each Shareholder shall be entitled to protect and
enforce its rights, including the rights arising out of this Agreement, and it
shall not be necessary for any other Shareholder to be joined as an additional
party in any proceeding for such purpose.
[Signature
pages follow.]
18
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement or have
caused this Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized
officers as of the day and year first above written.
Company:
PREFERRED
APARTMENT COMMUNITIES, INC.
|
|||
|
By:
|
||
Xxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
|
|||
President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
|||
Address for
Notices:
0000
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Facsimile: (000)
000-0000
Attention: Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxxxxx, Esq.
|
|||
with a copy (which
shall not constitute Notice)
to:
Proskauer
Rose LLP
0000
Xxxxxxxx
Xxx
Xxxx, XX 00000
Attention:
Xxxxx
X. Xxxx, Esq.
Xxxxx
X. Gerkis, Esq.
|
19
Stockholder:
XXXXXXXX
OPPORTUNITY FUND, LLC
|
|||
|
By:
|
Xxxxxxxx Opportunity Fund Manager, LLC, Its Manager | |
By: Xxxxxxxx
Realty Advisors, LLC,
|
|||
Its
Manager
|
|||
By:
|
|||
Xxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
|
|||
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|||
Address for
Notices:
0000
Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Facsimile: (000)
000-0000
Attention: Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxxxxx, Esq.
|
|||
20
EXHIBIT
A
JOINDER TO REGISTRATION
RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This
Joinder Agreement (this “Joinder Agreement”) is made as
of the date written below by the undersigned (the “Joining Party”) in accordance
with the Registration Rights Agreement dated as of
[ ], 2010 (as
the same may be amended from time to time, the “Registration Rights
Agreement”), among Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. and the
Shareholders party thereto. Capitalized terms used, but not defined,
herein shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in the
Registration Rights Agreement.
The
Joining Party hereby acknowledges, agrees and confirms that, by its execution of
this Joinder Agreement, the Joining Party shall be deemed to be a party to the
Registration Rights Agreement as of the date hereof as a “Permitted Transferee” of a
Shareholder thereto, and shall have all the rights and obligations of a “Shareholder” thereunder as if
it had executed the Registration Rights Agreement. The Joining Party
hereby ratifies, as of the date hereof, and agrees to be bound by, all the
terms, provisions and conditions contained in the Registration Rights Agreement
(including, without limitation, Section 4.01 thereof).
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Joinder Agreement as of the
date written below.
Date:
___________ ___, ______
[NAME
OF JOINING PARTY]
|
|||
|
By:
|
||
Name | |||
Title | |||
Address for
Notices:
|
|||
[_______________]
|
21