SEVERANCE AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.35
THIS SEVERANCE AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of the 27th day of May, 2020 by and between Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx (the “Employee”).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Employee is a senior executive of the Company and has made and is expected to continue to make major contributions to the short-term and long-term profitability, growth and financial strength of the Company and its subsidiaries; and
WHEREAS, in consideration of the Employees continued employment with the Company and its subsidiaries, the Company desires to provide the Employee with certain compensation and benefits set forth in this Agreement in order to ameliorate the financial and career impact on the Employee if the Employee's employment with the Company and its subsidiaries is terminated under certain circumstances; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board) also recognizes that, as is the case with any company, the possibility of a Change in Control (as hereinafter defined) exists and that such possibility, and the uncertainty and questions which it may raise among management, may result in the departure or distraction of key management personnel to the detriment of the Company and its subsidiaries; and
WHEREAS, the Board has determined that appropriate steps should be taken to reinforce and encourage the continued attention and dedication of, and the continued rendering of services by, members of the Company's key management personnel, including the Employee, in connection with their assigned duties without distraction, and without the Company's loss of needed key management personnel, arising from the possibility of a Change in Control; and
WHEREAS, in consideration of the Employee's continued employment with the Company and its subsidiaries, the Company also desires to provide the Employee with certain additional compensation and benefits set forth in this Agreement if the Employee's employment with the Company and its subsidiaries is terminated for a reason related to a Change in Control.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the terms contained herein, including the compensation and benefits the Company agrees to pay to the Employee upon certain events, the Employee's continued employment with the Company and its subsidiaries, the Employees covenants contained in this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Employee hereby agree as follows:
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT
1.1 | For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated: |
(a) | Annual Base Salary. Annual Base Salary shall mean the annualized base cash compensation payable by the Company and its subsidiaries to the Employee, excluding bonuses, commissions, severance payments, company contributions, qualified plan contributions or benefits, expense reimbursements, fringe benefits and all other payments; prior to reduction for any deferrals under any employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and disregarding any reduction that would give the Employee “Good Reason” to terminate the Employee’s employment under Section 1.1(f)(iii); as of (i) the termination of the Employee’s employment if the Employee’s employment is not terminated during a Change in Control Period or (ii)(A) the termination of the Employee’s employment or (B) immediately before the Change in Control Period, whichever is higher, if the Employee’s employment is terminated during a Change in Control Period. |
(b) | Change in Control. Change in Control shall mean any of the following events: |
(i) | any person, including a “group” as defined below, acquires ownership of the Common Stock that, together with the Common Stock already held by such person or group, represents more than fifty |
percent (50%) of the total fair market value or total voting power of the then outstanding Common Stock; |
(ii) | a majority of the members of the Board is replaced during a twelve (12)-month period by directors who do not qualify as Incumbent Board Members; or |
(iii) | any person, including a “group” as defined below, acquires (or has acquired during the twelve (12)-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person or persons) all or substantially all of the assets of the Company. |
The term “group” shall have the same meaning as in Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, modified as may be necessary to comply with the requirements of Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-3(i)(5)(v). This definition of “Change of Control” is intended to satisfy the requirements of Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-3(i)(5), the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference.
(c) | Change in Control Period. Change in Control Period shall mean (i) any period in which the Company or any of its subsidiaries has initiated a transaction process or is engaged in discussions with a third party about a specific transaction that, if consummated, would result in a Change in Control and before the complete abandonment of such process or discussions without the transaction being consummated, (ii) any period during which the Company or any of its subsidiaries has become a party to a definitive agreement to consummate a transaction that would result in a Change in Control and before the termination of such agreement without the transaction being consummated, and (iii) any period commencing upon the effective date of the Change in Control and ending on the twelve (12)-month anniversary of the effective date of such Change in Control; provided, however, notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event will the Change in Control Period be deemed to have commenced earlier than six (6) months prior to the Change in Control. |
(d) | Cause. “Cause” shall mean any one of the following: (A) the Employee’s gross neglect of duty to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or gross negligence or intentional misconduct in the course of Employee’s employment; (B) the Employee’s having been indicted for, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a crime that constitutes a felony or the Employee’s commission of any other act or omission involving fraud with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their customers or suppliers; (C) the Employee’s breach of any fiduciary duty owed to the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (D) the Employee being prohibited from serving as an officer of a reporting company subject to Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Securities Exchange Act”), by applicable law, as the result of any order of a court or governmental agency or other judicial or administrative proceeding or as the result of any contractual arrangements to which the Employee is bound; (E) the Employee’s willful and intentional non-performance of Employee’s duties and responsibilities with the Company or any subsidiary or willful disregard of any legal directives of the Board or the Employee’s direct report and failure, in either case, to cure such breach, if capable of being cured, within ten (10) days of receipt of written notice from the Company; and/or (F) the breach by the Employee of any confidentiality, non-competition, non-solicitation or other restrictive covenants to which the Employee is bound as related to the Company or any of its subsidiaries that results in a material adverse effect on the business or reputation of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and the failure to cure such breach, if capable of being cured, within ten (10) days of receipt of written notice from the Company. |
(e) | Common Stock. Common Stock means the common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company. |
(f) | Good Reason. “Good Reason” shall mean the termination by the Employee of the Employee’s employment on account of the following events occurring without the Employee’s written consent: (i) the failure by the Company or any subsidiary to pay the Employee any material amounts of base salary, bonus or other amounts due the Employee or the failure to provide the Employee with any material amounts of any vested accrued benefits to which the Employee is entitled under the terms of any employee benefit plan of the Company or any subsidiary; (ii) a material reduction in the Employee’s authority, duties or responsibilities as previously in effect, which shall not include: (A) any change in the title of the Employee, in the persons or group of persons who report to the Employee, or in the scope of the Employee’s authority, duties or responsibilities, as long as, if prior to any such event the Employee is an “executive officer” of the Company within the |
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meaning of Rule 3b-7 of the Securities Exchange Act, then the Employee remains an “executive officer” in connection with such event, or (B) any change in the person or groups of person to whom the Employee reports unless the Employee reports directly to the Board, in which case any requirement that the Employee report to any person or group of persons other than the Board will constitutes such a material reduction and; (iii) a material reduction in the rate of the Employee’s annualized base salary previously in effect, or a material decrease in the Employee’s annual bonus opportunity previously in effect; or (iv) the Company requiring the Employee’s primary services to be rendered at a place other than (i) Richmond, Virginia or (ii) within a seventy-five (75)-mile radius of either, except for reasonable travel. The Employee must give the Company written notice of any event or condition that would constitute Good Reason within thirty (30) days of the event or condition which would constitute Good Reason, and upon receipt of such notice the Company shall have thirty (30) days to remedy such event or condition. If such event or condition is not remedied within such thirty (30)-day period, any termination of the Employee’s employment by the Employee for Good Reason must occur within thirty (30) days after the period for the Company to remedy the event or condition has expired. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company’s failure to renew the Term of this Agreement as set forth in Section 1.2 shall not constitute “Good Reason” for purposes of this Agreement. |
(g) | Incumbent Board Member. Incumbent Board Member means any individual who either is (i) a member of the Board as of the effective date of this Agreement or (ii) a member who becomes a member of the Board after the effective date of this Agreement whose election, or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders, was approved by a vote of at least sixty percent (60%) of the then Incumbent Board Members (either by a specific vote or by approval of the proxy statement of the Company in which such person is named as nominee for director, without objection to such nomination), but excluding, for this purpose, any individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as the result of an actual or threatened election contest (within the meaning of Rule 14a-11 of the Securities Exchange Act) with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of any person other than the Board. |
(h) | Pre-Existing Agreement. Pre-Existing Agreement means any employment, termination, change in control or other agreement, plan, policy or arrangement or offer letter or similar writing, other than this Agreement, in effect as of the date hereof, under which the Employee is entitled to receive (i) severance, salary continuation or other compensation, (ii) continued coverage under any benefit plan, policy or arrangement, and/or (iii) accelerated vesting of equity or equity-based awards, if the employment of the Employee is terminated (x) by the Company other than for Cause or (y) by the Employee for Good Reason. |
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Subject to Section 3.8 below and the receipt of the Confidential Waiver and Release Agreement as described in Section 1.8 below, upon termination of the Employee’s employment entitling the Employee to the payments set forth in this Section 1.3 above, the Company also shall maintain in full force and effect for twelve (12) months after the Employee terminates employment, for the continued benefit of the Employee, medical insurance (including coverage for the Employee’s dependents to the extent dependent coverage is provided by the Company for its employees generally) under such medical insurance plans and programs in which the Employee (and his dependents) participated immediately prior to the date of such termination of employment, and, during such period, the Company will pay each month the portion, if any, of such medical insurance premiums that the Company pays for its active Employees, and the Employee shall pay any remaining amounts.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, (a) in the event the Employee’s participation in any such medical insurance is not permitted for any reason at the time the Company is required to maintain such coverage, then the Company shall have the option to (i) arrange to provide the Employee with such benefits on the same relative basis for such period substantially similar to those which the Employee would otherwise have been entitled to receive under such plans and programs from which his continued participation is not permitted or (ii) pay to the Employee cash, in lieu of such continued coverage, in an amount equal to the same relative percentage of the medical insurance premiums for such continuing comparable coverage, with any such cash payments to be made in accordance with the ordinary payroll practice of the Company (not less frequently than monthly) as of the last day of each month for which such cash payments are to be made. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Employee’s termination of employment shall constitute a “qualifying event” under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (“COBRA”), so that the Employee shall be entitled to full rights to continued medical insurance coverage as provided under COBRA, if so eligible, immediately upon the termination of the Employee’s employment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the coverage or reimbursements for coverage provided under this Section 1.3 shall cease if the Employee and/or the Employee’s dependents become covered under an employee welfare benefit plan of another employer of the Employee that provides the same or similar type of benefits for comparable cost or the Company terminates the medical insurance entirely for all similar participants.
Subject to Section 3.8 below and the receipt of the Confidential Waiver and Release Agreement as described in Section 1.8 below, upon termination of the Employee’s employment entitling the Employee to the payments set forth in Section 1.4 above, the Company also shall maintain in full force and effect for no less than the twelve (12) months beginning twelve (12) months after the date of termination of the Employee’s employment, for the continued benefit of the Employee, medical insurance (including coverage for the Employee’s dependents to the extent dependent coverage is provided by the Company for its employees generally) under such medical insurance plans and programs in which the Employee (and his dependents) participated immediately prior to the date of such termination of employment, and, during such period, the Company will pay each month the portion, if any, of such medical insurance premiums that the Company pays for its active Employees, and the Employee shall pay any remaining amounts.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, (a) in the event the Employee’s participation in any such medical insurance is not permitted for any reason at the time the Company is required to maintain such coverage, then the Company shall have the option to (i) arrange to provide the Employee with such benefits on the same relative basis for such period substantially similar to those which the Employee would otherwise have been entitled to receive under such plans and programs from which
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his continued participation is not permitted or (ii) pay to the Employee cash, in lieu of such continued coverage, in an amount equal to the same relative percentage of the medical insurance premiums for such continuing comparable coverage, with any such cash payments to be made in accordance with the ordinary payroll practice of the Company (not less frequently than monthly) as of the last day of each month for which such cash payments are to be made. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Employee’s termination of employment shall constitute a “qualifying event” under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (“COBRA”), so that the Employee shall be entitled to full rights to continued medical insurance coverage as provided under COBRA, if so eligible, immediately upon the termination of the Employee’s employment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the coverage or reimbursements for coverage provided under this Section 1.4 shall cease if the Employee and/or the Employee’s dependents become covered under an employee welfare benefit plan of another employer of the Employee that provides the same or similar type of benefits for comparable cost or the Company terminates the medical insurance entirely for all similar participants.
Upon termination of the Employee’s employment entitling the Employee to the payments set forth in Section 1.4 above, the Employee will become vested in any and all unvested stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units and other equity awards previously granted to the Employee by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (at target to the extent vesting but for this provision would be based on the achievement of performance conditions other than continued employment or service), as of the later of (a) the date of the Change in Control or (b) the date the Confidential Waiver and Release Agreement as described in Section 1.8 below becomes effective and irrevocable. The Employee may exercise such equity awards only at the times and in the methods described in such equity awards, except that the Employee’s stock options and stock appreciation rights, if any, shall remain outstanding and may be exercised, to the extent vested, until the earlier of (i) the original expiration date of such options or stock appreciation rights (disregarding any earlier termination provided in the award agreement or otherwise based on the termination of the Employee’s employment) or (ii) the one-year anniversary of the later of (A) the date the Employee terminates employment or (B) the date the option or stock appreciation right becomes vested and exercisable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this portion of Section 1.4 shall not apply to any of the Employee’s stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units or other equity awards if the terms of the particular plan or agreement under which such award is granted specifically provides that this provision shall not apply to such award.
If the Company and the Employee cannot agree on the calculations necessary to execute the terms set forth in this Section 1.6, then such calculations will be made by an Accounting Firm (as defined below). In such event, the Accounting
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Firm will first determine the amount of any Parachute Payments (as defined below) that are payable to the Employee. The Accounting Firm also will determine the Net After Tax Amount attributable to the Employee’s total Parachute Payments. The Accounting Firm will next determine the largest amount of payments that may be made to the Employee without subjecting the Employee to the Excise Tax (the “Capped Payments”). Thereafter, the Accounting Firm will determine the Net After Tax Amount attributable to the Capped Payments. The Employee then will receive the total Parachute Payments or the total Capped Payments, whichever provides the Employee with the higher Net After Tax Amount; however, if the reductions imposed under this Section 1.6 are in excess of the amount of payments or benefits to be provided, then the total Parachute Payments will be adjusted by first reducing, on a pro rata basis, the amount of any noncash benefits under this Agreement, then any noncash benefits under any other plan, agreement or arrangement, then any cash payments under this Agreement and finally any cash payments under any other plan, agreement or arrangement. The Accounting Firm will notify the Employee and the Company if it determines that the Parachute Payments must be reduced and will send the Employee and the Company a copy of its detailed calculations supporting that determination.
As a result of the uncertainty in the application of Code Sections 280G and 4999 at the time that determinations under this Section 1.6 are made, it is possible that the Employee will have received Parachute Payments or Capped Payments in excess of the amount that should have been paid or provided (“Overpayments”), or that additional Parachute Payments or Capped Payments should be paid or provided to the Employee (“Underpayments”). If the parties agree on an Overpayment or, in the absence of such agreement, the Accounting Firm determines, based on either the assertion of a deficiency by the Internal Revenue Service against the Company or the Employee, which assertion the parties or the Accounting Firm, as the case may be, believes has a high probability of success, or controlling precedent or substantial authority, that an Overpayment has been made, that Overpayment will be treated for all purposes as a loan ab initio that the Employee must repay to the Company immediately together with interest at the applicable Federal rate under Code Section 7872; provided, however, that no loan will be deemed to have been made and no amount will be payable by the Employee to the Company unless, and then only to the extent that, the deemed loan and payment would either reduce the amount on which the Employee is subject to tax under Code Section 4999 or generate a refund of tax imposed under Code Section 4999 and the Employee will receive a greater Net After Tax Amount than such Employee would otherwise receive. If the parties agree on an Underpayment or, in the absence of such agreement, the Accounting Firm determines, based upon controlling precedent or substantial authority, that an Underpayment has occurred, upon which event the Accounting Firm will notify the Employee and the Company of that determination, the amount of that Underpayment will be paid to the Employee by the Company promptly after such determination.
For purposes of this Section 1.6, the following terms shall have their respective meanings:
(a) | “Accounting Firm” means the independent accounting firm currently engaged by the Company, or a mutually agreed upon independent accounting firm if requested by the Employee; and |
(b) | “Net After Tax Amount” means the amount of any Parachute Payments or Capped Payments, as applicable, net of taxes imposed under Code Sections 1, 3101(b) and 4999 and any State or local income taxes applicable to the Employee on the date of payment. The determination of the Net After Tax Amount shall be made using the highest combined effective rate imposed by the foregoing taxes on income of the same character as the Parachute Payments or Capped Payments, as applicable, in effect on the date of payment. |
(c) | “Parachute Payment” means a payment that is described in Code Section 280G(b)(2), determined in accordance with Code Section 280G and the regulations promulgated or proposed thereunder. |
The fees and expenses of the Accounting Firm for its services in connection with the determinations and calculations contemplated by the preceding subsections shall be borne by the Company. The Company and the Employee shall each provide the Accounting Firm access to and copies of any books, records and documents in the possession of the Company or the Employee, as the case may be, reasonably requested by the Accounting Firm, and otherwise cooperate with the Accounting Firm in connection with the preparation and issuance of the determinations and calculations contemplated by the preceding subsections. Any determination by the Accounting Firm shall be binding upon the Company and the Employee.
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If to the Company:
Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc.
0000 Xxxxxx Xxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attn: Chief Legal Officer
If to Employee:
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
[SIGNATURES CONTINUED NEXT PAGE]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed by the parties hereto effective as of the day and year first above stated.
LUMBER LIQUIDATORS HOLDINGS, INC.
By:/s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Title: Chairman of the Board
EMPLOYEE:
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx
/s/ C Tyson
5/27/2020
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Appendix A
Confidential Waiver and Release Agreement
CONFIDENTIAL WAIVER AND RELEASE AGREEMENT
RELEASE AGREEMENT (this “Release Agreement”), dated as of [DATE], between Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”), and Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxx (the “Employee”).
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and the Employee have executed this Release Agreement, on the date and year set forth below.
LUMBER LIQUIDATORS HOLDINGS, INC.
By:____________________________
Its:____________________________
EMPLOYEE:
EMPLOYEE – DO NOT SIGN AT THIS TIME
Date: _____________________________
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