MONITORING FEE AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT 10.16
This Monitoring Fee Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of July 31, 2002, by and among Herbalife International, Inc., a Nevada corporation, on behalf of itself and each of its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), and Whitney & Co., LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Sponsor”).
The Company, WH Holdings (Cayman Islands) Ltd., a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (“Parent”), and Parent’s subsidiary, WH Acquisition Corp., a Nevada corporation (“Merger Corp.”) are parties to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of April 10, 2002 (as the same may be amended or modified from time to time, the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which Merger Corp. will be merged with and into Herbalife International, Inc. This Agreement shall only become effective (the “Effective Date”) upon the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
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(a) activities related to the general management of the Company and its subsidiaries;
(b) identification, support, negotiation and analysis of acquisitions and dispositions by the Company or its subsidiaries;
(c) support, negotiation and analysis of financing alternatives for the Company and its subsidiaries; and
(d) other activities determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, including any activities determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion to be necessary or advisable with respect to the monitoring of the Company.
Nothing contained in this Agreement shall require Sponsor to perform any minimum level of activities pursuant to this Agreement.
(a) During the Term of this Agreement, the Company will pay Sponsor or its designee for actual activities conducted by Sponsor and/or its affiliates (charged on an hourly basis for actual activities conducted) pursuant to this Agreement, it being agreed that subject to the terms and conditions of the following sentence, such fees will not be less than $1,625,000 (the “Minimum Amount”) (regardless of the level of services performed) but will not exceed $3,250,000 on an annual basis, plus reasonable out-of-pocket expenses of Sponsor and/or its affiliates in connection with the activities rendered by Sponsor and/or its affiliates pursuant to this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to pay Sponsor the aforementioned fees (but will be obligated to pay Sponsor for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in any event) (a) if there is, or if such payment would result in, a default under the Senior Credit Agreement (as defined below), or if the Senior Credit Agreement otherwise prohibits such payment, which shall result in such fees accruing until such time as such default is cured or waived or (b) until such time as Parent and its consolidated subsidiaries achieve LTM Adjusted EBITDA (as defined below) equal to or greater than $125.8 million (it being agreed that the aforementioned LTM Adjusted EBITDA threshold need only be achieved once, and thereafter, shall not operate as a limitation on the Company’s obligation to pay the fees specified herein). “LTM Adjusted EBITDA” means, for Parent and its consolidated subsidiaries (including, for avoidance of doubt, the pre-Effective Date LTM Adjusted EBITDA of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries), for any trailing twelve month period ending on any calendar quarter following the Effective Date, “Adjusted EBITDA” calculated in a manner consistent with the calculation thereof set forth under the caption “Summary unaudited pro forma and historical consolidated financial data” set forth in that certain Offering Memorandum dated June 21, 2002 pursuant to which WH Acquisition Corp. privately placed an aggregate of $165 million of its 11.75% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2010. The Company shall pay the aforementioned fees and expenses to Sponsor or its designee on a quarterly (calendar year) basis, in arrears. “Senior Credit Agreement” means that certain Credit Agreement (as the same may be amended, restated or otherwise modified from time to time) to be dated on or about July 31, 2002, among the Company, the subsidiaries of Parent listed therein as guarantors, the lenders listed therein, UBS Warburg LLC, as arranger, UBS AG,
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Stamford Branch, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the other parties listed therein as agents.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision contained herein to the contrary, so long as there are any unpaid Obligations (as such term is defined in the Senior Credit Agreement) pursuant to the Senior Credit Agreement (other than contingent indemnity obligations), the Company shall not pay any monitoring fees pursuant to Section 3(a) of this Agreement in excess of the Minimum Amount. Any monitoring fees due and payable pursuant to Section 3(a) of this Agreement in excess of the Minimum Amount shall be accrued as a general unsecured obligation of the Company, and shall accrue interest at a rate of 12% per annum, compounded quarterly, and shall be due and payable upon the first date on which (i) all Obligations (other than contingent indemnity obligations) pursuant to the Credit Agreement have been paid in full in cash or otherwise satisfied in full and (ii) following the satisfaction of the condition in the aforementioned clause (i) of this sentence, Parent and its consolidated subsidiaries achieve LTM Adjusted EBITDA equal to or greater than $100 million (it being agreed that the aforementioned LTM Adjusted EBITDA threshold need only be achieved once, and thereafter, shall not operate as a limitation on the Company’s obligation to pay the fees specified in this Section 3(b)).
(a) The Company shall pay Sponsor or its designee upon the Effective Date a fee in the amount of $10,500,000 for activities rendered in connection with the structuring of the Company’s debt financing for the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Such fee will be payable to Sponsor or its designee by wire transfer of immediately available funds. In addition, the Company shall pay Sponsor or its designee, by wire transfer or immediately available funds, the reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Sponsor and/or its affiliates in connection with the foregoing.
(b) In addition, during the Term, the Company will pay Sponsor or its designee a transaction fee in connection with the consummation of each transaction resulting in a Change in Control (as defined below), acquisition, divestiture or financing (whether debt or equity financing) by or involving Parent or its subsidiaries in an amount equal to 1.5% of the aggregate value of each such transaction (in each case, whether such transaction is by way of merger, purchase or sale of stock, purchase or sale or other disposition of assets, recapitalization, reorganization, consolidation, tender offer, public or private offering or otherwise, and whether consummated directly by Parent or its subsidiaries or indirectly by their respective stockholders). “Change in Control” means (i) any sale or transfer by Parent or its subsidiaries of all or substantially all of their assets on a consolidated basis, (ii) any consolidation, merger or reorganization of Parent or any subsidiary with or into any other entity or entities as a result of which the holders of Parent’s or such subsidiary’s outstanding capital stock possessing the voting power (under ordinary circumstances) to elect a majority of the board or directors immediately prior to such consolidation, merger or reorganization cease to own the outstanding capital stock of the surviving corporation possessing the voting power (under ordinary circumstances) to elect a majority of the surviving corporation’s board of directors or (iii) issuance by Parent or any subsidiary or sale or transfer to any third party of shares of Parent’s or such subsidiary’s capital stock by the holders thereof as a result of which the holders of Parent’s or such subsidiary’s outstanding capital stock possessing the voting power (under ordinary circumstances) to elect a majority of the board of directors immediately prior to such sale or transfer cease to own the outstanding capital stock of Parent or such subsidiary possessing the voting power (under ordinary circumstances) to elect a majority of the board of directors.
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To Parent or the Company:
WH Holdings (Caymans Islands) Ltd.
Herbalife International, Inc.
0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxx
Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Chief Executive Officer
Telecopy No.: (000) 000-0000
To Sponsor:
Whitney & Co., LLC
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxx Xxxxxxx
Telecopy No.: (000) 000-0000
12. Entire Agreement; Modification; Governing Law. The terms and conditions hereof constitute the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement and supersede all previous communications, either oral or written, representations or warranties of any kind whatsoever, except as expressly set forth herein. No modifications of this Agreement nor waiver of the terms or conditions thereof shall be binding upon any party unless approved in writing by an authorized representative of such party. All issues concerning this agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the law of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
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HERBALIFE INTERNATIONAL, INC. |
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WHITNEY & CO., LLC |
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WH HOLDINGS (CAYMAN ISLANDS) LTD. |
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