AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
Exhibit
2.1
AGREEMENT
AND PLAN OF MERGER
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER (“Agreement”),
dated as of November 4, 2009, by and between Xxxxxx
Corporation, a Nevada corporation (“Parent”),
and Harbinger Group Inc., a Delaware corporation
(“Subsidiary”).
RECITALS:
Parent is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of
Nevada.
Subsidiary is a corporation organized and existing under the
laws of Delaware and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent.
Parent and its board of directors deem it advisable and in the
best interests of Parent and its stockholders to merge Parent
with and into Subsidiary pursuant to the provisions of Nevada
Revised Statutes (“NRS”) and the Delaware
General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) upon the terms
and conditions set forth in this Agreement, subject to the
approval of the Parent’s stockholders as contemplated in
Section 4.1.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, the
mutual covenants herein contained and other good and valuable
consideration the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged, the parties hereto agree that Parent shall be
merged with and into Subsidiary (the “Merger”)
upon the terms and conditions set forth below.
ARTICLE 1
PRINCIPAL
TERMS OF THE MERGER
Section 1.1 Merger. On
the Effective Date (as defined in Section 4.1 below),
Parent shall be merged with and into Subsidiary and the separate
existence of Parent shall cease. Subsidiary shall be the
surviving corporation (sometimes hereinafter referred to as the
“Surviving Corporation”) in the Merger and
shall operate under the name “Harbinger Group Inc.” by
virtue of, and shall be governed by, the laws of Delaware. The
address of the registered office of the Surviving Corporation in
Delaware will be 0000 Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000, in the
City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, and the registered
agent in charge thereof shall be Corporation Service Company.
Section 1.2 Certificate
of Incorporation of the Surviving
Corporation. The certificate of incorporation
of the Surviving Corporation shall be the certificate of
incorporation of Subsidiary as in effect on the date hereof
without change unless and until amended in accordance with
applicable law.
Section 1.3 Bylaws
of the Surviving Corporation. The bylaws of
the Surviving Corporation shall be the bylaws of Subsidiary as
in effect on the date hereof without change unless and until
amended or repealed in accordance with applicable law.
Section 1.4 Directors
and Officers. At the Effective Date of the
Merger, the directors and officers of Parent in office at the
Effective Date of the Merger shall become the directors and
officers, respectively, of the Surviving Corporation, each of
such directors and officers to hold office, subject to the
applicable provisions of the certificate of incorporation and
bylaws of the Surviving Corporation and the DGCL, until his or
her successor is duly elected or appointed and qualified. The
Surviving Corporation will have a classified board identical to
that of the Parent, with the Surviving Corporation’s
current board members remaining in their same classes, as set
forth below:
Class I — Lap Xxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx X.
Xxxxx, Xx. and Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Class II — Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx and Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Class III — Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxx, Xx.
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ARTICLE 2
CONVERSION,
CERTIFICATES AND PLANS
Section 2.1 Conversion
of Shares. At the Effective Date of the
Merger, each of the following transactions shall be deemed to
occur simultaneously:
(a) Common Stock. Each share of
Parent’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share
(“Parent Stock”), issued and outstanding
immediately before the Effective Date shall, by virtue of the
Merger and without any action on the part of the holder thereof,
be converted into and become one validly issued, fully paid and
nonassessable share of the Surviving Corporation’s common
stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Surviving
Corporation Stock” or “Subsidiary
Stock”), provided, that each share of Parent Stock held
in Parent’s treasury shall be canceled without any
consideration being issued or paid therefor.
(b) Options. Each option to
acquire shares of Parent Stock outstanding immediately before
the Effective Date shall, by virtue of the Merger and without
any action on the part of the holder thereof, be converted into
and become an equivalent option to acquire, upon the same terms
and conditions, the number of shares of Surviving Corporation
Stock that is equal to the number of shares of Parent Stock the
optionee would have received had the optionee exercised such
option in full immediately before the Effective Date (whether or
not such option was then exercisable) and the exercise price per
share under each such option shall be equal to the exercise
price per share thereunder immediately before the Effective Date.
(c) Subsidiary Stock. Each share
of Subsidiary Stock issued and outstanding immediately before
the Effective Date and held by Parent shall be canceled without
any consideration being issued or paid therefor.
Section 2.2 Stock
Certificates. After the Effective Date, each
certificate theretofore representing issued and outstanding
shares of Parent Stock will thereafter be deemed to represent
the same number of shares of the Surviving Corporation Stock.
The holders of outstanding certificates theretofore representing
Parent Stock will not be required to surrender such certificate
to Parent or the Surviving Corporation.
Section 2.3 Reorganization. For
United States federal income tax purposes, the Merger is
intended to constitute a tax-free reorganization within the
meaning of section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended. The parties to this Agreement hereby adopt
this Agreement as a “plan of reorganization” within
the meaning of
sections 1.368-2(g)
and 1.368-3(a) of the United States Treasury Regulations.
ARTICLE 3
TRANSFER AND
CONVEYANCE OF ASSETS AND ASSUMPTION OF LIABILITIES
Section 3.1 Effects
of the Merger. At the Effective Date, the
Merger shall have the effects specified in the NRS, the DGCL and
this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, and subject thereto, at the Effective Date the
Surviving Corporation shall possess all the rights, privileges,
powers and franchises, of a public as well as a private nature,
and shall be subject to all the restrictions, disabilities and
duties of each of the parties to this Agreement; the rights,
privileges, powers and franchises of Parent and Subsidiary, and
all property, real, personal and mixed, and all debts due to
each of them on whatever account, shall be vested in the
Surviving Corporation; and all property, rights, privileges,
powers and franchises, and all and every other interest shall be
thereafter the property of the Surviving Corporation, as they
were of the respective constituent entities, and the title to
any real estate, whether by deed or otherwise vested in Parent
and Subsidiary or either of them, shall not revert or be in any
way impaired by reason of the Merger; but all rights of
creditors and all liens upon any property of the parties hereto
shall be preserved unimpaired, and all debts, liabilities and
duties of the respective constituent entities shall thenceforth
attach to the Surviving Corporation and may be enforced against
it to the same extent as if such debts, liabilities and duties
had been incurred or contracted by it.
Section 3.2 Additional
Actions. If, at any time after the Effective
Date of the Merger, the Surviving Corporation shall consider or
be advised that any further assignments or assurances in law or
any other acts are necessary or desirable (a) to vest,
perfect or confirm, of record or otherwise, in the Surviving
Corporation, title to and possession of any property or right of
Parent acquired or to be acquired by reason of, or as a result
of, the
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Merger, or (b) otherwise to carry out the purposes of this
Agreement, the Surviving Corporation may execute and deliver all
such proper deeds, assignments and assurances in law and to do
all acts necessary or proper to vest, perfect or confirm title
to and possession of such property or rights in the Surviving
Corporation and otherwise to carry out the purposes of this
Agreement. The Surviving Corporation is fully authorized in the
name of Parent or otherwise to take any and all such action
pursuant to the irrevocable Power of Attorney granted by the
Parent to the Subsidiary, attached hereto as
Exhibit A.
ARTICLE 4
APPROVAL BY
STOCKHOLDERS; AMENDMENT; EFFECTIVE DATE
Section 4.1 Approval. This
Agreement and the Merger contemplated hereby are subject to
approval by the requisite vote, or a written consent in lieu of
vote, of the Parent’s stockholders in accordance with the
NRS and compliance with the requirements of law, including the
securities laws of the United States. As promptly as practicable
after the later of (a) approval of this Agreement by the
Parent’s stockholders in accordance with applicable law and
(b) compliance with applicable securities laws, including,
but not limited to, the filing of a Schedule 14C with the
Securities and Exchange Commission and the mailing of a
definitive Schedule 14C to the Parent’s stockholders,
duly authorized officers of the respective parties shall make
and execute Articles of Merger and a Certificate of Ownership
and Merger and shall cause such documents to be filed with the
Secretary of State of Nevada and the Secretary of State of
Delaware, respectively, in accordance with the laws of Nevada
and Delaware and applicable U.S. federal securities laws.
The effective date of the Merger (“Effective
Date”) shall be the date and time on and at which the
Merger becomes effective under the laws of Nevada or the date
and time on and at which the Merger becomes effective under the
laws of Delaware, whichever occurs later. The execution and
delivery hereof by the Parent shall constitute the approval and
adoption of, and consent to, the Merger Agreement and the
transactions contemplated thereby in Parent’s capacity as
the sole stockholder of the Subsidiary.
Section 4.2 Amendments. The
Board of Directors of Parent may amend this Agreement at any
time before the Effective Date, provided, however, that an
amendment made subsequent to the approval of the Merger by the
stockholders of Parent shall not (a) alter or change the
amount or kind of shares to be received in exchange for or on
conversion of all or any of the shares of Parent Stock,
(b) alter or change any term of the certificate of
incorporation of Subsidiary, except to cure any ambiguity,
defect or inconsistency or (c) alter or change any of the
terms and conditions of this Agreement if such alteration or
change would adversely affect the holders of Parent Stock.
ARTICLE 5
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 5.1 Termination. This
Agreement may be terminated and the Merger abandoned at any time
before the filing of this Agreement with the Secretary of State
of Nevada and the Secretary of State of Delaware, whether before
or after stockholder approval of this Agreement, by the consent
of the Boards of Directors of Parent and Subsidiary.
Section 5.2 Captions
and Section Headings. As used herein,
captions and section headings are for convenience only and are
not a part of this Agreement and shall not be used in
construing it.
Section 5.3 Entire
Agreement. This Agreement and the other
documents delivered pursuant hereto and thereto, or incorporated
by reference herein, contain the entire agreement between the
parties hereto concerning the transactions contemplated herein
and supersede all prior agreements or understandings between the
parties hereto relating to the subject matter hereof.
Section 5.4 Counterparts. This
Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of
which shall be considered to be an original instrument.
Section 5.5 Severability. If
any one or more of the provisions of this Agreement shall be
held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity,
legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions of this
Agreement shall
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not be affected thereby. To the extent permitted by applicable
law, each party waives any provision of law which renders any
provision of this Agreement invalid, illegal or unenforceable in
any respect.
Section 5.6 Successors
and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding
upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their
respective successors and assigns.
Section 5.7 No
Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is
not intended to confer upon any person other than the parties
hereto any rights or remedies hereunder.
Section 5.8 Governing
Law. This Agreement shall be construed in
accordance with the laws of Delaware, except to the extent the
laws of Nevada shall apply to the Merger where mandated by the
NRS.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Parent and Subsidiary have duly
executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
By: |
/s/ Xxxxx
Xxxxxx
|
Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Title: | Secretary |
By: |
/s/ Xxxxx
Xxxxxx
|
Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Title: | Secretary |
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Exhibit A
Irrevocable Power of Attorney
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Power of
Attorney
(a) CAUTION TO
THE
PRINCIPAL: Your
Power of Attorney is an important document. As the
“principal,” you give the person whom you choose (your
“agent”) authority to spend your money and sell or
dispose of your property during your lifetime without telling
you. You do not lose your authority to act even though you have
given your agent similar authority.
When your agent exercises
this authority, he or she must act according to any instructions
you have provided or, where there are no specific instructions,
in your best interest. “Important Information for the
Agent” at the end of this document describes your
agent’s responsibilities.
Your agent can act on
your behalf only after signing the Power of Attorney before a
notary public.
You can request
information from your agent at any time. If you are revoking a
prior Power of Attorney by executing this Power of Attorney, you
should provide written notice of the revocation to your prior
agent(s) and to the financial institutions where your accounts
are located.
You can revoke or
terminate your Power of Attorney at any time for any reason as
long as you are of sound mind. If you are no longer of sound
mind, a court can remove an agent for acting improperly.
Your agent cannot make
health care decisions for you. You may execute a “Health
Care Proxy” to do this.
The law governing Powers
of Attorney is contained in the New York General Obligations
Law, Article 5, Title 15. This law is available at a
law library, or online through the New York State Senate or
Assembly websites, xxx.xxxxxx.xxxxx.xx.xx or
xxx.xxxxxxxx.xxxxx.xx.xx.
If there is anything about this document that you do not
understand, you should ask a lawyer of your own choosing to
explain it to you.
(b) DESIGNATION OF AGENT(S):
I, Xxxxxx Corporation, 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000, hereby appoint:
Harbinger Group Inc., 000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000, as my agent(s)
If you designate more
than one agent above, they must act together unless you initial
the statement below.
( )
My agents may act SEPARATELY.
(c) DESIGNATION OF SUCCESSOR AGENT(S): (OPTIONAL)
If every agent designated above is unable or unwilling to serve,
I appoint as my successor agent(s):
[name(s) and address(es) of successor agent(s)]
Successor agents designated above must act together unless you
initial the statement below.
( )
My successor agents may act SEPARATELY.
(d) This POWER OF ATTORNEY shall not be affected by my
subsequent incapacity unless I have stated otherwise below,
under “Modifications”.
(e) This POWER OF ATTORNEY REVOKES any and all prior Powers
of Attorney executed by me unless I have stated otherwise below,
under “Modifications”.
If you are NOT
revoking your prior Powers of Attorney, and if you are granting
the same authority in two or more Powers of Attorney, you must
also indicate under “Modifications” whether the agents
given these powers are to act together or separately.
(f) GRANT OF AUTHORITY:
To grant your agent
some or all of the authority below, either (1) Initial the
bracket at each authority you grant, or (2) Write or type
the letters for each authority you grant on the blank line at
(P), and initial the bracket at (P). If you initial (P), you do
not need to initial the other lines.
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I grant authority to my agent(s) with respect to the following
subjects as defined in
sections 5-1502A
through 5-1502N of the New York General Obligations Law:
( )
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(A) | real estate transactions; | ||
( )
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(B) | chattel and goods transactions; | ||
( )
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(C) | bond, share, and commodity transactions; | ||
( )
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(D) | banking transactions; | ||
( )
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(E) | business operating transactions; | ||
( )
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(F) | insurance transactions; | ||
( )
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(G) | estate transactions; | ||
( )
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(H) | claims and litigation; | ||
( )
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(I) | personal and family maintenance; | ||
( )
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(J) | benefits from governmental programs or civil or military service; | ||
( )
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(K) | health care billing and payment matters; records, reports, and statements; | ||
( )
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(L) | retirement benefit transactions; | ||
( )
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(M) | tax matters; | ||
( )
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(N) | all other matters; | ||
( )
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(O) | full and unqualified authority to my agent(s) to delegate any or all of the foregoing powers to any person or persons whom my agent(s) select; | ||
( )
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(P) | EACH of the matters identified by the following letters | ||
A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O You need not initial the other lines if you initial line (P). |
(g) MODIFICATIONS: (OPTIONAL)
In this section, you
may make additional provisions, including language to limit or
supplement authority granted to your agent. However, you cannot
use this Modifications section to grant your agent authority to
make major gifts or changes to interests in your property. If
you wish to grant your agent such authority, you MUST
complete the Statutory Major Gifts Rider.
1. Although this document revokes all powers of attorney I
have previously executed, this document shall not revoke any
powers of attorney previously executed by me for a specific or
limited purpose, unless I have specified otherwise herein. It
shall not revoke any power executed as part of a contract I
signed or for the management of any bank or securities account.
In order to revoke a prior power of attorney for a specific or
limited purpose, I will execute a revocation specifically
referring to the power to be revoked.
2. This power of attorney shall not be revoked by any
subsequent power of attorney I may execute, unless such
subsequent power specifically provides that it revokes this
power by referring to the date of my execution of this document.
3. Whenever two or more powers of attorney are valid at the
same time, the agents appointed on each shall act separately,
unless specified differently in the documents.
(h) MAJOR GIFTS AND OTHER TRANSFERS: STATUTORY MAJOR
GIFTS RIDER (OPTIONAL)
In order to authorize
your agent to make major gifts and other transfers of your
property, you must initial the statement below and execute a
Statutory Major Gifts Rider at the same time as this instrument.
Initialing the statement below by itself does not authorize your
agent to make major gifts and other transfers. The preparation
of the Statutory Major Gifts Rider should be supervised by a
lawyer.
( )
(SMGR) I grant my agent authority to make major gifts and other
transfers of my property, in accordance with the terms and
conditions of the Statutory Major Gifts Rider that supplements
this Power of Attorney.
(i) DESIGNATION OF MONITOR(S): (OPTIONAL)
I wish to
designate
,
whose address(es) is
(are)
,
as monitor(s).
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Upon the request of the monitor(s), my agent(s) must provide the
monitor(s) with a copy of the Power of Attorney and a record of
all transactions done or made on my behalf. Third parties
holding records of such transactions shall provide the records
to the monitor(s) upon request.
(j) COMPENSATION OF AGENT(S): (OPTIONAL)
Your agent is entitled to be reimbursed from your assets for
reasonable expenses incurred on your behalf. If you ALSO wish
your agent(s) to be compensated from your assets for services
rendered on your behalf, initial the statement below. If you
wish to define “reasonable compensation”, you may do
so above, under “Modifications”.
( )
My agent(s) shall be entitled to reasonable compensation for
services rendered.
(k) ACCEPTANCE BY THIRD PARTIES: I agree
to indemnify the third party for any claims that may arise
against the third party because of reliance on this Power of
Attorney. I understand that any termination of this Power of
Attorney, whether the result of my revocation of the Power of
Attorney or otherwise, is not effective as to a third party
until the third party has actual notice or knowledge of the
termination.
(l) TERMINATION: This Power of Attorney
continues until I revoke it or it is terminated by my death or
other event described in
section 5-1511
of the General Obligations Law.
Section 5-1511
of the General Obligations Law describes the manner in which you
may revoke your Power of Attorney, and the events which
terminate the Power of Attorney.
(m) SIGNATURE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
In Witness Whereof I have hereunto signed my name on November
4th,
2009.
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PRINCIPAL signs here: = => /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxx
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Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Secretary of Xxxxxx Corporation | ||
STATE OF NEW YORK
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) | |
) ss.: | ||
COUNTY OF New York)
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On the
4th
day of November , in the year
2009, before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and
for said state, personally appeared Xxxxx Xxxxxx,
personally known to me or proved to me on the basis of
satisfactory evidence to be the person whose name is subscribed
to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that
he/she
executed the same in
his/her
capacity, and that by
his/her
signature on the instrument, the person or the entity upon
behalf of which the person acted, executed the instrument.
/s/ Xxxx
Xxxx Xxxxxx
Notary Public
(n) IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE AGENT:
When you accept the authority granted under this Power of
Attorney, a special legal relationship is created between you
and the principal. This relationship imposes on you legal
responsibilities that continue until you resign or the Power of
Attorney is terminated or revoked. You must:
(1) act according to any instructions from the principal,
or, where there are no instructions, in the principal’s
best interest;
(2) avoid conflicts that would impair your ability to act
in the principal’s best interest;
(3) keep the principal’s property separate and
distinct from any assets you own or control, unless otherwise
permitted by law;
(4) keep a record or all receipts, payments, and
transactions conducted for the principal; and
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(5) disclose your identity as an agent whenever you act for
the principal by writing or printing the principal’s name
and signing your own name as “agent” in either of the
following manner: (Principal’s Name) by (Your Signature) as
Agent, or (your signature) as Agent for (Principal’s Name).
You may not use the principal’s assets to benefit yourself
or give major gifts to yourself or anyone else unless the
principal has specifically granted you that authority in this
Power of Attorney or in a Statutory Major Gifts Rider attached
to this Power of Attorney. If you have that authority, you must
act according to any instructions of the principal or, where
there are no such instructions, in the principal’s best
interest. You may resign by giving written notice to the
principal and to any co-agent, successor agent, monitor if one
has been named in this document, or the principal’s
guardian if one has been appointed. If there is anything about
this document or your responsibilities that you do not
understand, you should seek legal advice.
Liability of agent:
The meaning of the authority given to you is defined in New
York’s General Obligations Law, Article 5,
Title 15. If it is found that you have violated the law or
acted outside the authority granted to you in the Power of
Attorney, you may be liable under the law for your violation.
(o) AGENT’S SIGNATURE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF
APPOINTMENT: It is not required that the
principal and the agent(s) sign at the same time, nor that
multiple agents sign at the same time.
I/we Harbinger Group Inc., have read the foregoing Power
of Attorney. I am/we are the person(s) identified therein as
agent(s) for the principal named therein.
I/we acknowledge my/our legal responsibilities.
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Agent(s) sign(s) here:=> /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxx
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Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Secretary of Harbinger Group Inc. | ||
STATE OF NEW YORK
|
) | |
) ss.: | ||
COUNTY OF New York)
|
On the
4th
day of November , in the year 2009,
before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said
state, personally appeared Xxxxx Xxxxxx, personally known
to me or proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to
be the person whose name is subscribed to the within instrument
and acknowledged to me that
he/she
executed the same in
his/her
capacity, and that by
his/her
signature on the instrument, the person or the entity upon
behalf of which the person acted, executed the instrument.
/s/ Xxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx
Notary Public
2008 N.Y. Laws ch. 644, § 19, 5-1513; 2009 N.Y.
Laws ch. 4 (amending effective date from March 1, 2009 to
September 1, 2009).
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