SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT
This
Securities Purchase Agreement (this “Agreement”) is dated
as of October 4, 2010, 2010, between New Generation Biofuels Holdings, Inc., a
Florida corporation (the “Company”), and each
purchaser identified on the signature pages hereto (each, including its
successors and assigns, a “Purchaser” and
collectively the “Purchasers”).
WHEREAS,
subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and pursuant to
an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the “Securities
Act”), the Company desires to issue and sell to each Purchaser, and each
Purchaser, severally and not jointly, desires to purchase from the Company,
securities of the Company as more fully described in this
Agreement.
NOW,
THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement,
and for other good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which
are hereby acknowledged, the Company and each Purchaser agree as
follows:
ARTICLE
I.
DEFINITIONS
1.1 Definitions. In
addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, for all purposes of
this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings set forth in this Section
1.1:
“Acquiring Person”
shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.5.
“Action” shall have
the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(j).
“Affiliate” means any
Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls
or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person as such terms are
used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
“Base Prospectus”
means the prospectus in the form in which it appears in the Registration
Statement.
“Board of Directors”
means the board of directors of the Company.
“Business Day” means
any day except any Saturday, any Sunday, any day which is a federal legal
holiday in the United States or any day on which banking institutions in the
State of New York are authorized or required by law or other governmental action
to close.
“Closing” means the
closing of the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to Section
2.1.
“Closing Date” means
the Trading Day on which all of the Transaction Documents have been executed and
delivered by the applicable parties thereto, and all conditions precedent to (i)
the Purchasers’ obligations to pay the Subscription Amount and (ii) the
Company’s obligations to deliver the Securities, in each case, have been
satisfied or waived, but in no event later than the third Trading Day following
the date hereof.
“Commission” means the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common Stock” means
the common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share, and any other class
of securities into which such securities may hereafter be reclassified or
changed.
“Common Stock
Equivalents” means any securities of the Company or the Subsidiaries
which would entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Common Stock,
including, without limitation, any debt, preferred stock, right, option, warrant
or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Common
Stock.
“Company Counsel”
means Xxxxxxxxxx & Xxxxx, P.A., with offices located at 000 Xxxxx 0xx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, 00000.
“Evaluation Date”
shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(r).
“Exchange Act” means
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder.
“GAAP” shall have the
meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).
“Indebtedness” means
(x) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed in excess of $50,000
(other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business),
(y) all guaranties, endorsements and other contingent obligations in respect of
indebtedness of others, whether or not the same are or should be reflected in
the Company’s consolidated balance sheet (or the notes thereto), except
guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or
similar transactions in the ordinary course of business; and (z) the present
value of any lease payments in excess of $50,000 due under leases required to be
capitalized in accordance with GAAP..
“Intellectual Property
Rights” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section
3.1(o).
“Liens” means a lien,
charge, pledge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal,
preemptive right or other restriction.
“Material Adverse
Effect” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section
3.1(b).
“Material Permits”
shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(m).
“Per Share Purchase
Price” equals $0.13, subject to adjustment
for reverse and forward stock splits, stock dividends, stock combinations and
other similar transactions of the Common Stock that occur after the date of this
Agreement.
“Person” means an
individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated
association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company,
government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any
kind.
“Proceeding” means an
action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation,
an informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether
commenced or threatened.
“Prospectus
Supplement” means the supplement to the Base Prospectus complying with
Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act that is filed with the Commission and
delivered by the Company to each Purchaser at the Closing.
“Prospectus Disclosure
Package” means collectively the Registration Statement, Base Prospectus,
Prospectus Supplement and any preliminary or free writing
prospectus.
“Purchaser Party”
shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.8.
“Registration
Statement” means the effective registration statement with Commission
file No. 333-156449 which registers the sale of the Shares, the Warrants and the
Warrant Shares to the Purchasers.
“Required Approvals”
shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(e).
“Rule 144” means Rule
144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule
may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or
regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same
purpose and effect as such Rule.
“Rule 424” means Rule
424 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule
may be amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or
regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same
purpose and effect as such Rule.
“SEC Reports” shall
have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(h).
“Securities” means the
Shares, the Warrants and the Warrant Shares.
“Securities Act” means
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder.
“Shares” means the
shares of Common Stock issued or issuable to each Purchaser pursuant to this
Agreement.
“Short Sales” means
all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 of Regulation SHO under the Exchange
Act (but shall not be deemed to include the location and/or reservation of
borrowable shares of Common Stock).
“Subscription Amount”
means, as to each Purchaser, the aggregate amount to be paid for Shares and
Warrants purchased hereunder as specified below such Purchaser’s name on the
signature page of this Agreement and next to the heading “Subscription Amount,”
in United States dollars and in immediately available funds.
“Subsidiary” means any
subsidiary of the Company as set forth on Schedule 3.1(a), and
shall, where applicable, also include any direct or indirect subsidiary of the
Company formed or acquired after the date hereof.
“Trading Day” means a
day on which the principal Trading Market is open for trading.
“Trading Market” means
any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or
quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE AMEX, the Nasdaq Capital
Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the New York
Stock Exchange or the OTC Bulletin Board (or any successors to any of the
foregoing).
“Transaction
Documents” means this Agreement, the Warrants and any other documents or
agreements executed in connection with the transactions contemplated
hereunder.
“Transfer Agent” means
Olde Monmouth Stock Transfer Company, the current transfer agent of the Company,
with a mailing address of 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx
00000 and a facsimile number of 000-000-0000 and any successor transfer agent of
the Company.
“Warrants” means,
collectively, the Common Stock purchase warrants delivered to the Purchasers at
the Closing in accordance with Section 2.2(a) hereof, which Warrants shall be
exercisable after the six month anniversary of the date of issuance until the
fifth anniversary of the date of issuance, in the form of Exhibit A attached
hereto.
“Warrant Shares” means
the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
ARTICLE
II.
PURCHASE
AND SALE
2.1 Closing. On the
Closing Date, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein,
substantially concurrent with the execution and delivery of this Agreement by
the parties hereto, the Company agrees to sell, and the Purchasers, severally
and not jointly, agree to purchase, up to an aggregate of $600,000 of Shares and
Warrants. Each Purchaser shall deliver to the Company, via wire transfer,or a
certified check of immediately available funds equal to such Purchaser’s
Subscription Amount as set forth on the signature page hereto executed by such
Purchaser and the Company shall deliver to each Purchaser its respective Shares
and a Warrant as determined pursuant to Section 2.2(a), and the Company and each
Purchaser shall deliver the other items set forth in Section 2.2 deliverable at
the Closing. Upon satisfaction of the covenants and conditions set forth in
Sections 2.2 and 2.3, the Closing shall occur at such location as the parties
shall mutually agree.
2.2 Deliveries.
(a) On
or prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered
to each Purchaser the following:
(i)
this Agreement duly executed by the Company;
(ii) a
copy of the irrevocable instructions to the Company’s transfer agent instructing
the transfer agent to deliver via The Depository Trust Company Deposit or
Withdrawal at Custodian system (“DWAC”) Shares equal
to such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount divided by the Per Share Purchase Price,
registered in the name of such Purchaser;
(iii)
a Warrant registered in the name of such Purchaser to purchase up to a number of
shares of Common Stock equal to 40% of such Purchaser’s Shares,
with an exercise price equal to $0.13, subject to adjustment
therein (such Warrant certificate may be delivered within three Trading Days of
the Closing Date); and
(iv) the
Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement (which may be delivered in accordance with
Rule 172 under the Securities Act).
(b)
On or prior to the Closing Date, each Purchaser shall deliver or cause to be
delivered to the Company the following:
(i)
this Agreement duly executed by such Purchaser;
and
(ii)
such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount by wire transfer to the account as
specified in writing by the Company or a certified check of immediately
available funds.
2.3 Closing
Conditions.
(a)
The obligations of the Company hereunder in connection with the Closing are
subject to the following conditions being met:
(i)
the accuracy in all material respects on the Closing Date of the representations
and warranties of the Purchasers contained herein (unless as of a specific date
therein in which case they shall be accurate as of such date);
(ii) all
obligations, covenants and agreements of each Purchaser required to be performed
at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed; and
(iii) the
delivery by each Purchaser of the items set forth in Section 2.2(b) of this
Agreement.
(b) The
respective obligations of the Purchasers hereunder in connection with the
Closing are subject to the following conditions being met:
(i)
the accuracy in all material respects when made and on the
Closing Date of the representations and warranties of the Company contained
herein (unless as of a specific date therein);
(ii) all
obligations, covenants and agreements of the Company required to be performed at
or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed;
(iii)
the delivery by the Company of the items set forth in Section 2.2(a) of this
Agreement;
(iv)
there shall have been no Material Adverse Effect with respect to the Company
since the date hereof; and
(v) from
the date hereof to the Closing Date, trading in the Common Stock shall not have
been suspended by the Commission or the Company’s principal Trading Market, and,
at any time prior to the Closing Date, trading in securities generally as
reported by Bloomberg L.P. shall not have been suspended or limited, or minimum
prices shall not have been established on securities whose trades are reported
by such service, or on any Trading Market, nor shall a banking moratorium have
been declared either by the United States or New York State authorities nor
shall there have occurred any material outbreak or escalation of hostilities or
other national or international calamity of such magnitude in its effect on, or
any material adverse change in, any financial market which, in each case, in the
reasonable judgment of such Purchaser, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to
purchase the Securities at the Closing.
ARTICLE
III.
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES
3.1 Representations and
Warranties of the Company. The Company hereby makes the following
representations and warranties to each Purchaser:
(a) Subsidiaries. All of
the significant direct and indirect subsidiaries of the Company are set forth in
the SEC Reports. The Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital
stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any Liens,
and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary
are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and
similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. If the Company has no
subsidiaries, all other references to the Subsidiaries or any of them in the
Transaction Documents shall be disregarded.
(b) Organization and
Qualification. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is an entity duly
incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under
the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the
requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to
carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary is in violation nor default of any of the provisions of its
respective certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other
organizational or charter documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is
duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign
corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the
business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary,
except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may
be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in: (i) a material
adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction
Document, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets,
business, or financial condition of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a
whole, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in
any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction
Document (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse
Effect”) and no Proceeding has been instituted in any such jurisdiction
revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such
power and authority or qualification, except where the revocation, limitation or
curtailment could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect.
(c) Authorization;
Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority
to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
and each of the other Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its
obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution and delivery of this
Agreement each of the other Transaction Documents by the Company and the
consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been
duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no
further action is required by the Company, the Board of Directors or the
Company’s stockholders in connection herewith or therewith other than in
connection with the Required Approvals. This Agreement and each other
Transaction Document to which it is a party has been (or upon delivery will have
been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the
terms hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of
the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except
(i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application
affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws
relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other
equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution
provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(d) No Conflicts. The
execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the
other Transaction Documents to which it is a party, the issuance and sale of the
Securities and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby
and thereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of
the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation,
bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, or (ii) result in a
material breach of, or conflict with, or constitute a material default (or an
event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a material default)
under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets
of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination,
amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time
or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument
(evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to
which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset
of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the
Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule,
regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any
court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject
(including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any
property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in
the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably
be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(e) Filings, Consents and
Approvals. The Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver,
authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or
registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other
governmental authority or other Person in connection with the execution,
delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other
than: (i) the filings required pursuant to Section 4.4 of this Agreement, (ii)
the filing with the Commission of the Prospectus Supplement, (iii)
application(s) to each applicable Trading Market for the listing of the Shares
and Warrant Shares for trading thereon in the time and manner required thereby
and (iv) such filings as are required to be made under applicable state
securities laws and the rules and regulations of FINRA (collectively, the “Required Approvals”),
and except where the failure to obtain any such consent, waiver, authorization
or order, give any such notice or make any such filing could not reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(f)
Issuance of the Securities;
Registration. The Shares and Warrants are duly authorized and, when
issued and paid for in accordance with the applicable Transaction Documents,
will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of
all Liens imposed by the Company. The Warrant Shares, when issued in accordance
with the terms of the Warrants, will be validly issued, fully paid and
nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The
Securities have been registered under the Securities Act. The Registration
Statement is effective under the Securities Act and no stop order preventing or
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or suspending or
preventing the use of the Base Prospectus has been issued by the Commission and
no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the
Company, are threatened by the Commission. The Company, if required by the rules
and regulations of the Commission, proposes to file the Prospectus Supplement,
with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b). At the time the Registration
Statement and any amendments thereto became effective, the Registration
Statement and any amendments thereto conformed in all material respects to the
requirements of the Securities Act and did not not contain any 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. The Base
Prospectus, as of its date, conformed in all material respects to the
requirements of the Securities Act and did not contain any 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. The Prospectus
Supplement, and any amendments or supplements thereto, as of its date and at the
Closing Date, conformed and will conform in all material respects to the
requirements of the Securities Act and did not and will not contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order
to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading.
(g) Capitalization. The
capitalization of the Company is as set forth in the Prospectus Disclosure
Package. Except as otherwise described in the Prospectus Disclosure Package, the
Company has not issued any capital stock since its most recently filed periodic
report under the Exchange Act, other than pursuant to the exercise of employee
stock options under the Company’s stock option plans, and pursuant to the
conversion and/or exercise of Common Stock Equivalents (including the mandatory
conversion of Series A preferred stock) outstanding as of the date of the most
recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act. No Person has any right
of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar right
to participate in the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents
except that has otherwise waived such right. Except as set forth in the
Prospectus Disclosure Package, there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip
rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever
relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into or
exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for
or acquire, any shares of Common Stock, or contracts, commitments,
understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may
become bound to issue additional shares of Common Stock or Common Stock
Equivalents. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the issuance and sale of
the Securities will not obligate the Company to issue shares of Common Stock or
other securities to any Person (other than the Purchasers) and will not result
in a right of any holder of Company securities to adjust the exercise,
conversion, exchange or reset price under any of such securities. All of the
outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are duly authorized, validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all
federal and state securities laws, and none of such outstanding shares was
issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for
or purchase securities. No further approval or authorization of any stockholder,
the Board of Directors or others is required for the issuance and sale of the
Securities. There are no stockholders agreements, voting agreements or other
similar agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the
Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of
the Company’s stockholders.
(h) SEC Reports; Financial
Statements. Except for a Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 13, 2009,
the Company has filed all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other
documents required to be filed by the Company under the Securities Act and the
Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the two
years preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was
required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials,
including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein,
together with the Base Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, being
collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”) on a
timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has
filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of
their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with
the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and
none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company has never
been an issuer subject to Rule 144(i) under the Securities Act. The financial
statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material
respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations
of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States
generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during
the periods involved (“GAAP”), except as may
be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and
except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes
required by GAAP, and fairly present in all material respects the financial
position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the
dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then
ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial,
year-end audit adjustments.
(i)
Material Changes;
Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments. Since the date of the
latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, except as
contemplated by this Agreement or disclosed in a subsequent SEC Report filed
prior to the date hereof, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development
that has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or
otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities
not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to
GAAP or disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not
altered its method of accounting, and (iv) the Company has not declared or made
any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or
purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of
its capital stock. The Company does not have pending before the Commission any
request for confidential treatment of information. Except for the issuance of
the Securities contemplated by this Agreement, the Company has publicly
disclosed all information required to be disclosed under applicable securities
laws at the time this representation is made or deemed made that has not been
publicly disclosed at least 1 Trading Day prior to the date that this
representation is made.
(j)
Litigation. There is
no action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding or investigation
pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the
Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any
court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority
(federal, state, county, local or foreign) (collectively, an “Action”) which (i)
adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of any
of the Transaction Documents or the Securities or (ii) could, if there were an
unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director or
officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim of
violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of
breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the
Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the
Commission involving the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any
current or former director or officer of the Company that is required to be
disclosed in the SEC Reports. The Commission has not issued any stop order or
other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by
the Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange Act or the Securities
Act.
(k) Labor Relations. No
labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent with
respect to any of the employees of the Company, which could reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company’s or its
Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s
relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor
any of its Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the
Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their
employees are good. To the knowledge of the Company, no executive officer of the
Company or any Subsidiary, is, or is now expected to be, in violation of any
material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or
proprietary information agreement or non-competition agreement, or any other
contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party,
and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect to any of the
foregoing matters. The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all
U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to
employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and
wages and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance could not,
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect.
(l)
Compliance.
Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary: (i) is in default under or in violation
of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or
lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any
Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a
claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture,
loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a
party or by which it or any of its properties is bound, (ii) is in violation of
any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or other governmental
authority or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance
or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all
foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to taxes, environmental
protection, occupational health and safety, product quality and safety and
employment and labor matters, except in each case as could not have or
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(m)
Regulatory
Permits. The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates,
authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or
foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses
as described in the SEC Reports, except where the failure to possess such
permits could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect
(“Material
Permits”), and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any
notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Material
Permit.
(n) Title to Assets. The
Company owns no real property. Other than liens on personal or other property
securing indebtedness of the Company in the ordinary course of business or as
described in the Prospectus Disclosure Package, the Company has good and
marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to the
business of the Company and the Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all
Liens, except for (i) Liens as do not materially affect the value of such
property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be
made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries and (ii) Liens for the
payment of federal, state or other taxes, for which appropriate reserves have
been made therefore in accordance with GAAP and, the payment of which is neither
delinquent nor subject to penalties. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports or
not required to be disclosed in the SEC Reports, any real property and
facilities held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them
under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company and the
Subsidiaries are in compliance.
(o) Intellectual
Property. The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use,
all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service
marks, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, licenses and other
intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary or required for use in
connection with their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports and
which the failure to so have could have a Material Adverse Effect (collectively,
the “Intellectual
Property Rights”). None of, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary
has received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of, the Intellectual
Property Rights has expired, terminated or been abandoned, or is expected to
expire or terminate or be abandoned, within two (2) years from the date of this
Agreement. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received, since the date
of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, a
written notice of a claim or otherwise has any knowledge that the Intellectual
Property Rights violate or infringe upon the rights of any Person, except as
could not have or reasonably be expected to not have a Material Adverse Effect.
To the knowledge of the Company, all such Intellectual Property Rights are
enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of any of
the Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken
reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value
of all of their intellectual properties, except where failure to do so could
not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect.
(p) Insurance. The
Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial
responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts, to the
Company’s knowledge, as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which the
Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged, including, but not limited to,
directors and officers insurance coverage at least equal to the aggregate
Subscription Amount. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to
believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and
when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers
as may be necessary to continue its business without a significant increase in
cost.
(q) Transactions With Affiliates
and Employees. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, none of the
officers or directors of the Company or any Subsidiary and, to the knowledge of
the Company, none of the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary is presently
a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for
services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract,
agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or
by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, providing for
the borrowing of money from or lending of money to or otherwise requiring
payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge
of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee
has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee, stockholder,
member or partner, in each case in excess of $120,000 other than for (i) payment
of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for
expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits,
including stock option agreements under any stock option plan of the
Company.
(r)
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx; Internal
Accounting Controls. The Company and the Subsidiaries is in material
compliance with any and all applicable requirements of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of
2002 that are effective as of the date hereof, and any and all applicable rules
and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder that are effective as
of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date. The Company and the Subsidiaries
maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide
reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with
management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded
as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with
GAAP and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted
only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv)
the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at
reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any
differences. The Company and the Subsidiaries have established disclosure
controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and
15d-15(e)) for the Company and the Subsidiaries and designed such disclosure
controls and procedures to ensure that information required to be disclosed by
the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified
in the Commission’s rules and forms. The Company’s certifying officers have
evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures of the
Company and the Subsidiaries as of the end of the period covered by the most
recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act (such date, the “Evaluation Date”).
The Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the
Exchange Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness
of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the
Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no changes in the
internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in the
Exchange Act) of the Company and its Subsidiaries that have materially affected,
or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the internal control over
financial reporting of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
(s) Certain Fees. Except
as set forth in the Prospectus Supplement, no brokerage or finder’s fees or
commissions are or will be payable by the Company or any Subsidiary to any
broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment
banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by
the Transaction Documents. The Purchasers shall have no obligation with respect
to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons
for fees of a type contemplated in this Section that may be due in connection
with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.
(t)
Investment Company.
The Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately after receipt of
payment for the Securities, will not be or be an Affiliate of, an “investment
company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
The Company shall conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become an
“investment company” subject to registration under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended.
(u) Registration Rights.
Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, no Person has any right to cause the
Company to effect the registration under the Securities Act of any securities of
the Company.
(v) Listing and Maintenance
Requirements. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or
12(g) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or
which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the
registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act nor has the Company
received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such
registration. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company has not, in
the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received notice from any Trading Market
on which the Common Stock is or has been listed or quoted to the effect that the
Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of
such Trading Market. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company is, and
has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to
be, in compliance with all such listing and maintenance
requirements.
(w) Application of Takeover
Protections. The Company and the Board of Directors have taken all
necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share
acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under
a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s
certificate of incorporation (or similar charter documents) or the laws of its
state of incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Purchasers as a
result of the Purchasers and the Company fulfilling their obligations or
exercising their rights under the Transaction Documents, including without
limitation as a result of the Company’s issuance of the Securities and the
Purchasers’ ownership of the Securities.
(x) Disclosure. Except
with respect to the material terms and conditions of the transactions
contemplated by the Transaction Documents, the Company confirms that neither it
nor any other Person acting on its behalf has provided any of the Purchasers or
their agents or counsel with any information that it believes constitutes or
might constitute material, non-public information which is not otherwise
disclosed in the Prospectus Disclosure Package. The Company understands and
confirms that the Purchasers will rely on the foregoing representation in
effecting transactions in securities of the Company. All of the disclosure
furnished by or on behalf of the Company to the Purchasers regarding the Company
and its Subsidiaries, their respective businesses and the transactions
contemplated hereby, is true and correct and does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in
order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading. The press releases disseminated by the
Company during the twelve months preceding the date of this Agreement taken as a
whole, together with other public disclosure included in the SEC Reports, do not
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made and when made,
not misleading. The Company acknowledges and agrees that no Purchaser makes or
has made any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions
contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in Section 3.2
hereof.
(y) No Integrated
Offering. Assuming the accuracy of the Purchasers’ representations and
warranties set forth in Section 3.2, neither the Company, nor any of its
Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf has, directly or
indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to
buy any security, under circumstances that would cause this offering of the
Securities to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of
any applicable shareholder approval provisions of any Trading Market on which
any of the securities of the Company are listed or designated.
(aa)
Tax Status. Except
for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably
be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its
Subsidiaries each (i) has made or filed all United States federal, state and
local income and all foreign income and franchise tax returns, reports and
declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject, (ii) has paid
all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in
amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations
and (iii) has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the
payment of all material taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which
such returns, reports or declarations apply. There are no unpaid taxes in any
material amount claimed to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction,
and the officers of the Company or of any Subsidiary know of no basis for any
such claim.
(bb) Foreign Corrupt
Practices. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor to the knowledge
of the Company or any Subsidiary, any agent or other person acting on behalf of
the Company or any Subsidiary, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds
for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses
related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful
payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any
foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii)
failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company or any Subsidiary
(or made by any person acting on its behalf of which the Company is aware) which
is in violation of law, or (iv) violated in any material respect any provision
of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
(cc)
Accountants. The
Company’s accounting firm is named in the Prospectus Supplement. To the
knowledge and belief of the Company, such accounting firm (i) is a registered
public accounting firm as required by the Exchange Act and (ii) shall express
its opinion with respect to the financial statements to be included in the
Company’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2010.
(dd) Acknowledgment Regarding
Purchasers’ Purchase of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees
that each of the Purchasers is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length
purchaser with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions
contemplated thereby. The Company further acknowledges that no Purchaser is
acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar
capacity) with respect to the Transaction Documents and the transactions
contemplated thereby and any advice given by any Purchaser or any of their
respective representatives or agents in connection with the Transaction
Documents and the transactions contemplated thereby is merely incidental to the
Purchasers’ purchase of the Securities. The Company further represents to each
Purchaser that the Company’s decision to enter into this Agreement and the other
Transaction Documents has been based solely on the independent evaluation of the
transactions contemplated hereby by the Company and its
representatives.
(ee)
Acknowledgement Regarding
Purchaser’s Trading Activity. Anything in this Agreement or elsewhere
herein to the contrary notwithstanding (except for Sections 3.2(e) and 4.14
hereof), it is understood and acknowledged by the Company that: (i) none of the
Purchasers has been asked by the Company to agree, nor has any Purchaser agreed,
to desist from purchasing or selling, long and/or short, securities of the
Company, or “derivative” securities based on securities issued by the Company or
to hold the Securities for any specified term; (ii) past or future open market
or other transactions by any Purchaser, specifically including, without
limitation, Short Sales or “derivative” transactions, before or after the
closing of this or future private placement transactions, may negatively impact
the market price of the Company’s publicly-traded securities; (iii) any
Purchaser, and counter-parties in “derivative” transactions to which any such
Purchaser is a party, directly or indirectly, presently may have a “short”
position in the Common Stock, and (iv) each Purchaser shall not be deemed to
have any affiliation with or control over any arm’s length counter-party in any
“derivative” transaction. The Company further understands and acknowledges that
(y) one or more Purchasers may engage in hedging activities at various times
during the period that the Securities are outstanding, including, without
limitation, during the periods that the value of the Warrant Shares deliverable
with respect to Securities are being determined, and (z) such hedging activities
(if any) could reduce the value of the existing stockholders' equity interests
in the Company at and after the time that the hedging activities are being
conducted. The Company acknowledges that such aforementioned hedging activities
do not constitute a breach of any of the Transaction Documents.
(ff)
Regulation M
Compliance. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on
its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause
or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security
of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii)
sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of,
any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any
compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the
Company, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to
the Company’s placement agent in connection with the placement of the
Securities.
(gg) Office of Foreign Assets
Control. Neither the Company or any Subsidiary nor, to the Company's
knowledge, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or
any Subsidiary is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the
Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”).
(hh) U.S. Real Property Holding
Corporation. The Company is not and has never been a U.S. real property
holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended, and the Company shall so certify upon Purchaser’s
request.
(ii)
Bank Holding Company
Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates is
subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to
regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”).
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates owns or controls,
directly or indirectly, five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of
any class of voting securities or twenty-five percent or more of the total
equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by
the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or
Affiliates exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of
a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the
Federal Reserve.
(jj)
Money Laundering. The
operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at
all times in compliance with applicable financial record-keeping and reporting
requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as
amended, applicable money laundering statutes and applicable rules and
regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Money Laundering
Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or
governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company
or any Subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to
the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, threatened.
3.2
Representations and
Warranties of the Purchasers. Each Purchaser, for itself and for no other
Purchaser, hereby represents and warrants as of the date hereof and as of the
Closing Date to the Company as follows (unless as of a specific date
therein):
(a) Organization;
Authority. Such Purchaser is either an individual or an entity duly
incorporated or formed, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of
the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation with full right, corporate,
partnership, limited liability company or similar power and authority to enter
into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and
otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder. The execution
and delivery of this Agreement and performance by such Purchaser of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement have been duly authorized by all
necessary corporate, partnership, limited liability company or similar action,
as applicable, on the part of such Purchaser. Each Transaction Document to which
it is a party has been duly executed by such Purchaser, and when delivered by
such Purchaser in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid
and legally binding obligation of such Purchaser, enforceable against it in
accordance with its terms, except: (i) as limited by general equitable
principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and
other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights
generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific
performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as
indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable
law.
(b) Understandings or
Arrangements. Such Purchaser is acquiring the Securities as principal for
its own account and has no direct or indirect arrangement or understandings with
any other persons to distribute or regarding the distribution of such Securities
(this representation and warranty not limiting such Purchaser’s right to sell
the Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise in compliance
with applicable federal and state securities laws). Such Purchaser is acquiring
the Securities hereunder in the ordinary course of its business.
(c) Purchaser Status. At
the time such Purchaser was offered the Securities, it was, and as of the date
hereof it is, and on each date on which it exercises any Warrants, it will be
either: (i) an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2),
(a)(3), (a)(7) or (a)(8) under the Securities Act or (ii) a “qualified
institutional buyer” as defined in Rule 144A(a) under the Securities Act. Such
Purchaser is not required to be registered as a broker-dealer under Section 15
of the Exchange Act.
(d) Experience of Such
Purchaser. Such Purchaser, either alone or together with its
representatives, has such knowledge, sophistication and experience in business
and financial matters so as to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of
the prospective investment in the Securities, and has so evaluated the merits
and risks of such investment. Such Purchaser is able to bear the economic risk
of an investment in the Securities and, at the present time, is able to afford a
complete loss of such investment. The Purchaser understands that nothing in this
Agreement, the Prospectus Disclosure Package or any other materials presented to
the Purchaser in connection with the purchase and sale of the Securities
constitutes legal, tax or investment advice. The Purchaser has consulted such
legal, tax and investment advisors and made such investigation as it, in its
sole discretion, has deemed necessary or appropriate in connection with its
purchase of Securities.
(e) Certain Transactions and
Confidentiality. Other than consummating the transactions contemplated
hereunder, such Purchaser has not, nor has any Person acting on behalf of or
pursuant to any understanding with such Purchaser, directly or indirectly
executed any purchases or sales, including Short Sales, of the securities of the
Company during the period commencing as of the time that such Purchaser first
received a term sheet (written or oral) from the Company or any other Person
representing the Company setting forth the material terms of the transactions
contemplated hereunder and ending immediately prior to the execution hereof.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of a Purchaser that is a
multi-managed investment vehicle whereby separate portfolio managers manage
separate portions of such Purchaser’s assets and the portfolio managers have no
direct knowledge of the investment decisions made by the portfolio managers
managing other portions of such Purchaser’s assets, the representation set forth
above shall only apply with respect to the portion of assets managed by the
portfolio manager that made the investment decision to purchase the Securities
covered by this Agreement. Other than to other Persons party to this Agreement,
such Purchaser has maintained the confidentiality of all disclosures made to it
in connection with this transaction (including the existence and terms of this
transaction).
(f)
No Trading Market for
Warrants. The Purchaser understands that there is no established public
trading market for the Warrants and that the Company does not expect such a
market to develop. In addition, the Company does not intend to apply for listing
the Warrants on any securities exchange. Without an active market, the liquidity
of the Warrants will be limited.
The
Company acknowledges and agrees that the representations contained in Section
3.2 shall not modify, amend or affect such Purchaser’s right to rely on the
Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement or any
representations and warranties contained in any other Transaction Document or
any other document or instrument executed and/or delivered in connection with
this Agreement or the consummation of the transaction contemplated
hereby.
ARTICLE
IV.
OTHER
AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES
4.1 Warrant Shares. If
all or any portion of a Warrant is exercised at a time when there is an
effective registration statement to cover the issuance or resale of the Warrant
Shares or if the Warrant is exercised via cashless exercise, the Warrant Shares
issued pursuant to any such exercise shall be issued free of all legends. If at
any time following the date hereof the Registration Statement (or any subsequent
registration statement registering the sale or resale of the Warrant Shares) is
not effective or is not otherwise available for the sale or resale of the
Warrant Shares, the Company shall immediately notify the holders of the Warrants
in writing that such registration statement is not then effective and thereafter
shall promptly notify such holders when the registration statement is effective
again and available for the sale or resale of the Warrant Shares (it being
understood and agreed that the foregoing shall not limit the ability of the
Company to issue, or any Purchaser to sell, any of the Warrant Shares in
compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws). The Company shall
use best efforts to keep a registration statement (including the Registration
Statement) registering the issuance or resale of the Warrant Shares effective
during the term of the Warrants.
4.2 Furnishing of
Information. Until the earliest of the time that (i) no Purchaser owns
Securities or (ii) the Warrants have expired, the Company covenants use all
reasonable efforts to timely file (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and
file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the
Company after the date hereof pursuant to the Exchange Act, if the Company is
subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act.
4.3 Integration. The
Company shall not sell, offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise
negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in Section 2 of the Securities
Act) that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Securities for
purposes of the rules and regulations of any Trading Market such that it would
require shareholder approval prior to the closing of such other transaction
unless shareholder approval is obtained before the closing of such subsequent
transaction.
4.4 Securities Laws Disclosure;
Publicity. The Company shall (a) by 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the
Trading Day immediately following the date hereof, issue a press release
disclosing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby, and (b)
file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including the Transaction Documents as
exhibits thereto, with the Commission within the time required by the Exchange
Act. From and after the issuance of such press release, the Company represents
to the Purchasers that it shall have publicly disclosed all material, non-public
information delivered to any of the Purchasers by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors, employees or
agents in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction
Documents. The Company and each Purchaser shall consult with each other in
issuing any other press releases with respect to the transactions contemplated
hereby, and neither the Company nor any Purchaser shall issue any such press
release nor otherwise make any such public statement without the prior consent
of the Company, with respect to any press release of any Purchaser, or without
the prior consent of each Purchaser, with respect to any press release of the
Company, which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld or delayed, except if
such disclosure is required by law, in which case the disclosing party shall
promptly provide the other party with prior notice of such public statement or
communication. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not publicly
disclose the name of any Purchaser, or include the name of any Purchaser in any
filing with the Commission or any regulatory agency or Trading Market, without
the prior written consent of such Purchaser, except (a) as required by federal
securities law in connection with the filing of final Transaction Documents
(including signature pages thereto) with the Commission and (b) to the extent
such disclosure is required by law or Trading Market regulations.
4.5
Shareholder Rights
Plan. No claim will be made or enforced by the Company or, with the
consent of the Company, any other Person, that any Purchaser is an “Acquiring
Person” under any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill
(including any distribution under a rights agreement) or similar anti-takeover
plan or arrangement in effect or hereafter adopted by the Company, or that any
Purchaser could be deemed to trigger the provisions of any such plan or
arrangement, by virtue of receiving Securities under the Transaction Documents
or under any other agreement between the Company and the
Purchasers.
4.6 Non-Public
Information. Except with respect to the material terms and conditions of
the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, the Company
covenants and agrees that neither it, nor any other Person acting on its behalf
will provide any Purchaser or its agents or counsel with any information that
the Company believes constitutes material non-public information, unless prior
thereto such Purchaser shall have entered into a written agreement with the
Company regarding the confidentiality and use of such information. The Company
understands and confirms that each Purchaser shall be relying on the foregoing
covenant in effecting transactions in securities of the Company.
4.7 Use of Proceeds. The
Company shall use the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder for
working capital purposes or as otherwise described in the Prospectus Supplement
and shall not use such proceeds: (a) for the redemption of any Common Stock or
Common Stock Equivalents, (b) for the settlement of any outstanding litigation
or (c) in violation of the “FCPA” (means the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) or
OFAC regulations.
4.8 Indemnification of
Purchasers. Subject to the provisions of this Section 4.8, the Company
will indemnify and hold each Purchaser and its directors, officers,
shareholders, members, partners, employees and agents (and any other Persons
with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles
notwithstanding a lack of such title or any other title), each Person who
controls such Purchaser (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act
and Section 20 of the Exchange Act), and the directors, officers, shareholders,
agents, members, partners or employees (and any other Persons with a
functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding a
lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling persons (each, a
“Purchaser
Party”) harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, obligations,
claims, contingencies, damages, costs and expenses, including all judgments,
amounts paid in settlements, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees and
costs of investigation that any such Purchaser Party may suffer or incur as a
result of or relating to (a) any breach of any of the representations,
warranties, covenants or agreements made by the Company in this Agreement or in
the other Transaction Documents or (b) any action instituted against the
Purchaser Parties in any capacity, or any of them or their respective
Affiliates, by any stockholder of the Company who is not an Affiliate of such
Purchaser Party, with respect to any of the transactions contemplated by the
Transaction Documents (unless such action is based upon a breach of such
Purchaser Party’s representations, warranties or covenants under the Transaction
Documents or any agreements or understandings such Purchaser Party may have with
any such stockholder or any violations by such Purchaser Party of state or
federal securities laws or any conduct by such Purchaser Party which constitutes
fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or malfeasance). If any action shall
be brought against any Purchaser Party in respect of which indemnity may be
sought pursuant to this Agreement, such Purchaser Party shall promptly notify
the Company in writing, and the Company shall have the right to assume the
defense thereof with counsel of its own choosing reasonably acceptable to the
Purchaser Party. Any Purchaser Party shall have the right to employ separate
counsel in any such action and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees
and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Purchaser Party
except to the extent that (i) the employment thereof has been specifically
authorized by the Company in writing, (ii) the Company has failed after a
reasonable period of time to assume such defense and to employ counsel or (iii)
in such action there is, in the reasonable opinion of counsel, a material
conflict on any material issue between the position of the Company and the
position of such Purchaser Party, in which case the Company shall be responsible
for the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one such separate counsel.
The Company will not be liable to any Purchaser Party under this Agreement (y)
for any settlement by a Purchaser Party effected without the Company’s prior
written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed; or (z) to
the extent, but only to the extent that a loss, claim, damage or liability is
attributable to any Purchaser Party’s breach of any of the representations,
warranties, covenants or agreements made by such Purchaser Party in this
Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents. The indemnification required by
this Section 4.8 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during
the course of the investigation or defense, as and when bills are received or
are incurred. The indemnity agreements contained herein shall be in addition to
any cause of action or similar right of any Purchaser Party against the Company
or others, and (y) any liabilities the Company may be subject to pursuant to
law.
4.9 Listing of Common
Stock. The Company hereby agrees to use best efforts (but shall not be
obliged to conduct a reverse stock split) to maintain the listing or quotation
of the Common Stock on the Trading Market on which it is currently listed, and
concurrently with the Closing, the Company shall apply to list or quote all of
the Shares and Warrant Shares on such Trading Market and promptly secure the
listing of all of the Shares and Warrant Shares on such Trading Market, if
required by the rules of the Trading Market. The Company further agrees, if the
Company applies to have the Common Stock traded on any other Trading Market, it
will then include in such application all of the Shares and Warrant Shares, and
will take such other action as is necessary to cause all of the Shares and
Warrant Shares to be listed or quoted on such other Trading Market as promptly
as possible. The Company will then take all action reasonably necessary to
continue the listing and trading of its Common Stock on a Trading Market and
will comply in all respects with the Company’s reporting, filing and other
obligations under the bylaws or rules of the Trading Market.
4.10 Equal Treatment of
Purchasers. No consideration (including any modification of any
Transaction Document) shall be offered or paid to any Person to amend or consent
to a waiver or modification of any provision of any of the Transaction Documents
unless the same consideration is also offered to all of the parties to the
Transaction Documents. For clarification purposes, this provision constitutes a
separate right granted to each Purchaser by the Company and negotiated
separately by each Purchaser, and is intended for the Company to treat the
Purchasers as a class and shall not in any way be construed as the Purchasers
acting in concert or as a group with respect to the purchase, disposition or
voting of Securities or otherwise.
4.11 Certain Transactions and
Confidentiality. Each Purchaser, severally and not jointly with the other
Purchasers, covenants that neither it nor any Affiliate acting on its behalf or
pursuant to any understanding with it will execute any purchases or sales,
including Short Sales of any of the Company’s securities during the period
commencing with the execution of this Agreement and ending at such time that the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first publicly announced
pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section 4.4. Each
Purchaser, severally and not jointly with the other Purchasers, covenants that
until such time as the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are publicly
disclosed by the Company pursuant to the initial press release as described in
Section 4.4, such Purchaser will maintain the confidentiality of the existence
and terms of this transaction and the information included in the Disclosure
Schedules. Notwithstanding the foregoing and notwithstanding anything contained
in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company expressly acknowledges and agrees
that (i) no Purchaser makes any representation, warranty or covenant hereby that
it will not engage in effecting transactions in any securities of the Company
after the time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are first
publicly announced pursuant to the initial press release as described in Section
4.4, (ii) no Purchaser shall be restricted or prohibited from effecting any
transactions in any securities of the Company in accordance with applicable
securities laws from and after the time that the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement are first publicly announced pursuant to the initial press
release as described in Section 4.4 and (iii) no Purchaser shall have any duty
of confidentiality to the Company or its Subsidiaries after the issuance of the
initial press release as described in Section 4.4. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, in the case of a Purchaser that is a multi-managed investment vehicle
whereby separate portfolio managers manage separate portions of such Purchaser’s
assets and the portfolio managers have no direct knowledge of the investment
decisions made by the portfolio managers managing other portions of such
Purchaser’s assets, the covenant set forth above shall only apply with respect
to the portion of assets managed by the portfolio manager that made the
investment decision to purchase the Securities covered by this
Agreement.
4.14 Delivery of Warrants After
Closing. The Company shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, the
respective Warrant certificates purchased by each Purchaser to such Purchaser
within 3 Trading Days of the Closing Date.
4.15 Capital Changes.
Until the one year anniversary of the Closing Date, the Company shall not
undertake a reverse or forward stock split or reclassification of the Common
Stock without the prior written consent of the Purchasers holding a majority in
interest of the Shares or unless required by the rule of the Trading Market to
maintain a listing on such Trading Market.
ARTICLE
V.
MISCELLANEOUS
5.1 Termination. This
Agreement may be terminated by any Purchaser, as to such Purchaser’s obligations
hereunder only and without any effect whatsoever on the obligations between the
Company and the other Purchasers, by written notice to the other parties, if the
Closing has not been consummated on or before September 22, 2010; provided, however, that no such
termination will affect the right of any party to xxx for any breach by any
other party (or parties).
5.2 Fees and Expenses.
Except as expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents to the contrary, each
party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers, counsel, accountants and
other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred by such party incident to
the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of this
Agreement. The Company shall pay all Transfer Agent fees, stamp taxes and other
taxes and duties levied in connection with the delivery of any Securities to the
Purchasers.
5.3 Entire Agreement. The
Transaction Documents, together with the exhibits and schedules thereto, contain
the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter
hereof and thereof and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, oral
or written, with respect to such matters, which the parties acknowledge have
been merged into such documents, exhibits and schedules.
5.4
Notices. Any
and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to
be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and
effective on the earliest of: (a) the date of transmission, if such notice or
communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number set forth on
the signature pages attached hereto at or prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City
time) on a Trading Day, (b) the next Trading Day after the date of transmission,
if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile
number set forth on the signature pages attached hereto on a day that is not a
Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (c)
the second (2nd)
Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized
overnight courier service or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such
notice is required to be given. The address for such notices and communications
shall be as set forth on the signature pages attached hereto.
5.5 Amendments; Waivers.
No provision of this Agreement may be waived, modified, supplemented or amended
except in a written instrument signed, in the case of an amendment, by the
Company and the Purchasers holding at least 67% in interest of the Shares based
on the initial Subscription Amounts hereunder or, in the case of a waiver, by
the party against whom enforcement of any such waived provision is sought. No
waiver of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of
this Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a
waiver of any subsequent default or a waiver of any other provision, condition
or requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise
any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such
right.
5.6
Headings. The
headings herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this
Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions
hereof.
5.7 Successors and
Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of
the parties and their successors and permitted assigns. The Company may not
assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior
written consent of each Purchaser (other than by merger). Any Purchaser may
assign any or all of its rights under this Agreement to any Person to whom such
Purchaser assigns or transfers any Securities, provided that such transferee
agrees in writing to be bound, with respect to the transferred Securities, by
the provisions of the Transaction Documents that apply to the
“Purchasers.”
5.8 No Third-Party
Beneficiaries. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties
hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns and is not for the
benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person,
except as otherwise set forth in Section 4.8.
5.9 Governing Law. All
questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation
of the Transaction Documents shall be governed by and construed and enforced in
accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to
the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all legal
proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement and any other Transaction Documents
(whether brought against a party hereto or its respective affiliates, directors,
officers, shareholders, partners, members, employees or agents) shall be
commenced exclusively in the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New
York. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the
state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan
for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with
any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect
to the enforcement of any of the Transaction Documents), and hereby irrevocably
waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim
that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that
such suit, action or proceeding is improper or is an inconvenient venue for such
proceeding. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and
consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by
mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery
(with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices
to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good
and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein
shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any other
manner permitted by law. If either party shall commence an action, suit or
proceeding to enforce any provisions of the Transaction Documents, then, in
addition to the obligations of the Company under Section 4.8, the prevailing
party in such action, suit or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party
for its reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred with
the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or
proceeding.
5.10
Survival. The
representations and warranties contained herein shall survive the Closing and
the delivery of the Securities.
5.11 Execution. This
Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken
together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become
effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to each
other party, it being understood that the parties need not sign the same
counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile
transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, such signature
shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose
behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such
facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.
5.12 Severability. If any
term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of
competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the
remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein
shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired
or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their commercially reasonable
efforts to find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same or
substantially the same result as that contemplated by such term, provision,
covenant or restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the
intention of the parties that they would have executed the remaining terms,
provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such that may be
hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.
5.13 Rescission and Withdrawal
Right. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in (and without
limiting any similar provisions of) any of the other Transaction Documents,
whenever any Purchaser exercises a right, election, demand or option under a
Transaction Document and the Company does not timely perform its related
obligations within the periods therein provided, then such Purchaser may rescind
or withdraw, in its sole discretion from time to time upon written notice to the
Company, any relevant notice, demand or election in whole or in part without
prejudice to its future actions and rights; provided, however, that in the
case of a rescission of an exercise of a Warrant, the applicable Purchaser shall
be required to return any shares of Common Stock subject to any such rescinded
exercise notice concurrently with the return to such Purchaser of the aggregate
exercise price paid to the Company for such shares and the restoration of such
Purchaser’s right to acquire such shares pursuant to such Purchaser’s Warrant
(including, issuance of a replacement warrant certificate evidencing such
restored right).
5.14 Replacement of
Securities. If any certificate or instrument evidencing any Securities is
mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company shall issue or cause to be
issued in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation thereof (in the
case of mutilation), or in lieu of and substitution therefor, a new certificate
or instrument, but only upon receipt of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the
Company of such loss, theft or destruction. The applicant for a new certificate
or instrument under such circumstances shall also pay any reasonable third-party
costs (including customary indemnity) associated with the issuance of such
replacement Securities.
5.15 Remedies. In addition
to being entitled to exercise all rights provided herein or granted by law,
including recovery of damages, each of the Purchasers and the Company will be
entitled to specific performance under the Transaction Documents. The parties
agree that monetary damages may not be adequate compensation for any loss
incurred by reason of any breach of obligations contained in the Transaction
Documents and hereby agree to waive and not to assert in any action for specific
performance of any such obligation the defense that a remedy at law would be
adequate.
5.16
Payment Set
Aside. To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to any
Purchaser pursuant to any Transaction Document or a Purchaser enforces or
exercises its rights thereunder, and such payment or payments or the proceeds of
such enforcement or exercise or any part thereof are subsequently invalidated,
declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside, recovered from, disgorged
by or are required to be refunded, repaid or otherwise restored to the Company,
a trustee, receiver or any other Person under any law (including, without
limitation, any bankruptcy law, state or federal law, common law or equitable
cause of action), then to the extent of any such restoration the obligation or
part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued
in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such
enforcement or setoff had not occurred.
5.17 Independent Nature of
Purchasers’ Obligations and Rights. The obligations of each Purchaser
under any Transaction Document are several and not joint with the obligations of
any other Purchaser, and no Purchaser shall be responsible in any way for the
performance or non-performance of the obligations of any other Purchaser under
any Transaction Document. Nothing contained herein or in any other Transaction
Document, and no action taken by any Purchaser pursuant hereto or thereto, shall
be deemed to constitute the Purchasers as a partnership, an association, a joint
venture or any other kind of entity, or create a presumption that the Purchasers
are in any way acting in concert or as a group with respect to such obligations
or the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. Each Purchaser
shall be entitled to independently protect and enforce its rights including,
without limitation, the rights arising out of this Agreement or out of the other
Transaction Documents, and it shall not be necessary for any other Purchaser to
be joined as an additional party in any proceeding for such purpose. Each
Purchaser has been represented by its own separate legal counsel in its review
and negotiation of the Transaction Documents. The Company has elected to provide
all Purchasers with the same terms and Transaction Documents for the convenience
of the Company and not because it was required or requested to do so by any of
the Purchasers. It is expressly understood and agreed that each provision
contained in this Agreement and in each other Transaction Document is between
the Company and a Purchaser, solely, and not between the Company and the
Purchasers collectively and not between and among the Purchasers.
5.18
Saturdays, Sundays,
Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action
or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a
Business Day, then such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on
the next succeeding Business Day.
5.19 Construction. The
parties agree that each of them and/or their respective counsel have reviewed
and had an opportunity to revise the Transaction Documents and, therefore, the
normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be
resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation
of the Transaction Documents or any amendments thereto. In addition, each and
every reference to share prices and shares of Common Stock in any Transaction
Document shall be subject to adjustment for reverse and forward stock splits,
stock dividends, stock combinations and other similar transactions of the Common
Stock that occur after the date of this Agreement.
5.20 WAIVER OF
JURY TRIAL. IN ANY
ACTION, SUIT, OR PROCEEDING IN ANY JURISDICTION BROUGHT BY ANY PARTY AGAINST ANY
OTHER PARTY, THE PARTIES EACH KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY, TO THE GREATEST
EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, HEREBY ABSOLUTELY, UNCONDITIONALLY,
IRREVOCABLY AND EXPRESSLY WAIVES FOREVER TRIAL BY JURY.
(Signature
Pages Follow)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto
have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their
respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated
above.
NEW
GENERATION BIOFUELS
HOLDINGS,
INC.
|
Address
for Notice:
|
|
0000
Xxxx Xxxxx Xx., Xxxxx 000
|
||
Xxxx
Xxxxx, XX 00000
|
||
Name: Xxxx
X. Xxxxxx
|
||
Title: Chief
Financial Officer
|
Fax: 000-000-0000
|
|
With
a copy to (which shall not constitute
notice):
|
[REMAINDER
OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
SIGNATURE
PAGE FOR PURCHASER FOLLOWS]
[PURCHASER
SIGNATURE PAGES TO NGBF SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT]
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement
to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date
first indicated above.
Name of
Purchaser: ________________________________________________________
Signature of Authorized Signatory of
Purchaser:
_________________________________
Name of
Authorized Signatory:
_______________________________________________
Title of
Authorized Signatory:
________________________________________________
Email
Address of Authorized
Signatory:_________________________________________
Facsimile
Number of Authorized Signatory:
__________________________________________
Address
for Notice to Purchaser:
Address
for Delivery of Securities to Purchaser (if not same as address for
notice):
Subscription
Amount: $_________________
Shares:
_________________
Warrant
Shares: __________________
EIN
Number: [PROVIDE THIS
UNDER SEPARATE COVER]
¨ Notwithstanding
anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, by checking this box (i)
the obligations of the above-signed to purchase the securities set forth in this
Agreement to be purchased from the Company by the above-signed, and the
obligations of the Company to sell such securities to the above-signed, shall be
unconditional and all conditions to Closing shall be disregarded, (ii) the
Closing shall occur on the third (3rd)
Trading Day following the date of this Agreement and (iii) any condition to
Closing contemplated by this Agreement (but prior to being disregarded by clause
(i) above) that required delivery by the Company or the above-signed of any
agreement, instrument, certificate or the like or purchase price (as applicable)
shall no longer be a condition and shall instead be an unconditional obligation
of the Company or the above-signed (as applicable) to deliver such agreement,
instrument, certificate or the like or purchase price (as applicable) to such
other party on the Closing Date.
EXHIBIT
A
FORM
OF WARRANT