AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
by and among
FOUNDATION HOLDINGS, INC.,
FOUNDATION MERGER SUB, INC.
and
CERIDIAN CORPORATION
Dated as of May 30, 2007
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER, dated as of May 30, 2007 (the "Agreement"), among
Foundation Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Parent"), Foundation Merger
Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent
("Merger Sub"), and Ceridian Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company").
W I T N E S S E T H :
WHEREAS, the parties intend that Merger Sub be merged with and into the Company
(the "Merger"), with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary
of Parent.
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company has unanimously (i) determined
that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders, and declared
it advisable, to enter into this Agreement, (ii) approved the execution, delivery
and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby, including the Merger, and (iii) resolved to recommend adoption of this Agreement
by the shareholders of the Company.
WHEREAS, the Boards of Directors of Parent and Merger Sub have approved this
Agreement and declared it advisable for Parent and Merger Sub, respectively, to
enter into this Agreement.
WHEREAS, Parent, Merger Sub and the Company desire to make certain representations,
warranties, covenants and agreements specified herein in connection with this Agreement.
WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution of this Agreement, Parent and Merger
Sub have delivered to the Company the Limited Guarantee of each of the Fidelity
National Financial, Inc. and Thomas H. Lee Equity Fund VI, L.P. pursuant to which
they agree to guarantee the obligations of Parent and Merger Sub under Section 7.2(c),
subject to the terms and conditions in the Limited Guarantees.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the representations, warranties,
covenants and agreements contained herein, and intending to be legally bound hereby,
Parent, Merger Sub and the Company agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
THE MERGER
Section 1.1 The Merger. On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
in this Agreement, and in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State
of Delaware (the "DGCL"), at the Effective Time (as hereinafter defined), Merger
Sub will merge with and into the Company, the separate corporate existence of Merger
Sub will cease and the Company will continue its corporate existence under Delaware
law as the surviving corporation in the Merger (the "Surviving Corporation").
Section 1.2 Closing. The closing of the Merger (the "Closing") shall take place
at the offices of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, 51 West 52nd Street,
New York, New York at 10:00 a.m., local time, on a date to be specified by the parties
(the "Closing Date") which shall be no later than the fifth business day after the
satisfaction or waiver (to the extent permitted by applicable Law (as hereinafter
defined)) of the conditions set forth in Article VI (other than those conditions
that by their nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction
or waiver of such conditions), or at such other place, date and time as the Company
and Parent may agree in writing; provided, however, that notwithstanding the satisfaction
or waiver of the conditions set forth in Article VI hereof, Parent shall not be
required to effect the Closing until the earliest of (a) a date during the Marketing
Period specified by Parent on no less than three (3) business days written notice
to the Company, (b) the third business day following the final day of the Marketing
Period and (c) the End Date (as it may be extended). For the avoidance of doubt,
subject to the satisfaction or waiver (to the extent permitted by applicable Law)
of the conditions set forth in Article VI (other than those conditions that by their
nature are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver
of such conditions), Parent may elect upon not less than two (2) business days
written notice to the Company to cause the Closing to occur earlier than the date
determined by the proviso in the immediately preceding sentence.
Section 1.3 Effective Time. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, at the
Closing, the Company will cause a certificate of merger (the "Certificate of Merger")
to be executed, acknowledged and filed with the Secretary of State of the State
of Delaware in accordance with Section 251 of the DGCL. The Merger will become effective
at such time as the Certificate of Merger has been duly filed with the Secretary
of State of the State of Delaware or at such later date or time as may be agreed
by the Company and Merger Sub in writing and specified in the Certificate of Merger
in accordance with the DGCL (the effective time of the Merger being hereinafter
referred to as the "Effective Time").
Section 1.4 Effects of the Merger. The Merger shall have the effects set forth
in this Agreement and the applicable provisions of the DGCL. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, and subject thereto, from and after the Effective Time,
all property, rights, privileges, immunities, powers, franchises, licenses and authority
of the Company and Merger Sub shall vest in the Surviving Corporation, and all debts,
liabilities, obligations, restrictions and duties of each of the Company and Merger
Sub shall become the debts, liabilities, obligations, restrictions and duties of
the Surviving Corporation.
Section 1.5 Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws of the Surviving Corporation.
Subject to Section 5.9, at the Effective Time, (a) the Certificate of Incorporation
of the Surviving Corporation shall be amended to read in its entirety as the form
of Certificate of Incorporation attached hereto as Exhibit A, and (b) the bylaws
of the Surviving Corporation shall be amended so as to read in their entirety as
the bylaws of the Company as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time,
in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B, until thereafter amended in accordance
with applicable Law.
Section 1.6 Directors. Subject to applicable Law, the directors of Merger Sub
as of the Effective Time shall be the initial directors of the Surviving Corporation
and shall hold office until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified, or their
earlier death, resignation or removal.
Section 1.7 Officers. The officers of the Company as of the Effective Time shall
be the initial officers of the Surviving Corporation and shall hold office until
their respective successors are duly elected and qualified, or their earlier death,
resignation or removal.
ARTICLE II
CONVERSION OF SHARES; EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES
Section 2.1 Effect on Capital Stock. At the Effective Time, by virtue of the
Merger and without any action on the part of the Company, Merger Sub or the holders
of any securities of the Company or Merger Sub:
(a) Conversion of Company Common Stock. Each share of Common Stock, par value
$.01 per share, of the Company outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time
(such shares, collectively, "Company Common Stock," and each, a "Share"), other
than (i) Shares to be cancelled pursuant to Section 2.1(b) and (ii) Dissenting Shares
(as hereinafter defined), shall be converted automatically into and shall thereafter
represent the right to receive $36.00 in cash (the "Merger Consideration"). All
Shares that have been converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration
as provided in this Section 2.1 shall be automatically cancelled and shall cease
to exist, and the holders of certificates which immediately prior to the Effective
Time represented such Shares shall cease to have any rights with respect to such
Shares other than the right to receive the Merger Consideration.
(b) Cancellation of Company Common Stock. Each Share that is owned, directly
or indirectly, by Parent or Merger Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time or
held in the Companys treasury immediately prior to the Effective Time (in each
case, other than any such Shares held on behalf of third parties) (the "Cancelled
Shares") shall be cancelled and retired and shall cease to exist, and no consideration
shall be delivered in exchange for such cancellation and retirement.
(c) Conversion of Merger Sub Common Stock. Each share of common stock, par value
$.01 per share, of Merger Sub issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
Time shall be converted into and become one validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable
share of common stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Surviving Corporation with
the same rights, powers and privileges as the shares so converted and shall constitute
the only outstanding shares of capital stock of the Surviving Corporation. From
and after the Effective Time, all certificates representing the common stock of
Merger Sub shall be deemed for all purposes to represent the number of shares of
common stock of the Surviving Corporation into which they were converted in accordance
with the immediately preceding sentence.
(d) Dissenters Rights. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the
contrary, if required by the DGCL (but only to the extent required thereby), Shares
that are issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than
Cancelled Shares) and that are held by holders of such Shares who have not voted in favor of the
adoption of this Agreement or consented thereto in writing and who have properly
exercised appraisal rights with respect thereto in accordance with, and who have
complied with, Section 262 of the DGCL (the "Dissenting Shares") will not be converted
into the right to receive the Merger Consideration, and holders of such Dissenting
Shares will be entitled to receive payment of the fair value of such Dissenting
Shares in accordance with the provisions of such Section 262 unless and until any
such holder fails to perfect or effectively waives, withdraws or loses its rights
to appraisal and payment under the DGCL. If, after the Effective Time, any such
holder fails to perfect or effectively waives, withdraws or loses such right, such
Dissenting Shares will thereupon be treated as if they had been converted into and
have become exchangeable for, at the Effective Time, the right to receive the Merger
Consideration, without any interest thereon, and the Surviving Corporation shall
remain liable for payment of the Merger Consideration for such Shares. At the Effective
Time, any holder of Dissenting Shares shall cease to have any rights with respect
thereto, except the rights provided in Section 262 of the DGCL and as provided in
the previous sentence. The Company will give Parent (i) notice of any demands received
by the Company for appraisals of Shares and (ii) the opportunity to participate
in and direct all negotiations and proceedings with respect to such notices and
demands. The Company shall not, except with the prior written consent of Parent,
make any payment with respect to any demands for appraisal or settle any such demands.
(e) Adjustments. If at any time during the period between the date of this Agreement
and the Effective Time, any change in the outstanding shares of capital stock of
the Company shall occur as a result of any reclassification, recapitalization, stock
split (including a reverse stock split) or combination, exchange or readjustment
of shares, or any stock dividend or stock distribution is declared with a record
date during such period, the Merger Consideration shall be equitably adjusted to
reflect such change.
Section 2.2 Exchange of Certificates.
(a) Paying Agent. At or prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall deposit, or
shall cause to be deposited (including by requesting the Company to deposit unrestricted
cash at Closing substantially as contemplated by Parents financing plan previously
provided to the Company, which the Company hereby agrees to do to the extent legally
permitted), with a U.S. bank or trust company that shall be appointed by Parent
to act as a paying agent hereunder and approved in advance by the Company in writing,
such approval not be unreasonably withheld (and pursuant to an agreement in form
and substance reasonably acceptable to Parent and the Company) (the "Paying Agent"),
in trust for the benefit of holders of the Shares, the Company Stock Options (as
hereinafter defined) and the Company Stock-Based Awards (as hereinafter defined),
cash in U.S. dollars sufficient to pay (i) the aggregate Merger Consideration in
exchange for all of the Shares outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time
(other than the Cancelled Shares), payable upon due surrender of the certificates
that immediately prior to the Effective Time represented Shares ("Certificates")
(or effective affidavits of loss in lieu thereof) or non-certificated Shares represented
by book-entry ("Book-Entry Shares") pursuant to the provisions of this Article II,
and (ii) the Option and Stock-Based Consideration (as hereinafter defined) payable
pursuant to Section 5.5 (such cash referred to in subsections (a)(i) and (a)(ii)
being hereinafter referred to as the "Exchange Fund").
(b) Payment Procedures.
(i) As soon as reasonably practicable after the Effective Time and in any event
not later than the second business day following the Effective Time (or, in the
case of clause (y) below, not later than the date the first payroll checks are paid
to employees of the Surviving Corporation following the Effective Time), (x) the
Paying Agent shall mail to each holder of record of Shares whose Shares were converted
into the Merger Consideration pursuant to Section 2.1, (A) a letter of transmittal
(which shall specify that delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and title
to Certificates shall pass, only upon delivery of Certificates (or effective affidavits
of loss in lieu thereof) or Book-Entry Shares to the Paying Agent and shall be in
such form and have such other customary provisions as Parent and the Company may
mutually agree), and (B) instructions for use in effecting the surrender of Certificates
(or effective affidavits of loss in lieu thereof) or Book-Entry Shares in exchange
for the Merger Consideration and (y) the Paying Agent or the Surviving Corporation
shall pay to each holder of a Company Stock Option or a Company Stock-Based Award
the amount due and payable to such holder pursuant to Section 5.5 hereof in respect
of such Company Stock Option or Company Stock-Based Award.
(ii) Upon surrender of Certificates (or effective affidavits of loss in lieu
thereof) or Book-Entry Shares to the Paying Agent together with such letter of transmittal,
duly completed and validly executed in accordance with the instructions thereto,
and such other documents as may reasonably be required by the Paying Agent, the
holder of such Certificates or Book-Entry Shares shall be entitled to receive in
exchange therefor a check in an amount equal to the product of (x) the number of
Shares represented by such holders properly surrendered Certificates (or effective
affidavits of loss in lieu thereof) or Book-Entry Shares multiplied by (y) the Merger
Consideration. No interest will be paid or accrued on any amount payable upon due
surrender of Certificates or Book-Entry Shares. In the event of a transfer of ownership
of Shares that is not registered in the transfer records of the Company, a check
for any cash to be paid upon due surrender of the Certificate may be paid to such
a transferee if the Certificate formerly representing such Shares is presented to
the Paying Agent, accompanied by all documents required to evidence and effect such
transfer and to evidence that any applicable stock transfer Taxes (as hereinafter
defined) have been paid or are not applicable.
(iii) The Paying Agent shall, at the Surviving Corporations request, deduct
and withhold from the consideration otherwise payable under this Agreement to any
holder of Shares or holder of Company Stock Options or Company Stock-Based Awards,
such amounts as are required to be withheld or deducted under the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 (the "Code") or any provision of U.S. state or local Tax Law with respect
to the making of such payment, and pay such amounts to the Surviving Corporation
for payment over to the applicable Governmental Entity (as hereinafter defined).
To the extent that amounts are so withheld or deducted and paid over to the applicable
Governmental Entity, such withheld or deducted amounts shall be treated for all
purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the holder of the Shares or holder
of the Company Stock Options or Company Stock-Based Awards, in respect of which
such deduction and withholding were made.
(c) Closing of Transfer Books. At the Effective Time, the stock transfer books
of the Company shall be closed, and there shall be no further registration of transfers
on the stock transfer books of the Surviving Corporation of the Shares that were
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time. If, after the Effective Time, Certificates
are presented to the Surviving Corporation or Parent for transfer, they shall be
cancelled and exchanged for a check in the proper amount pursuant to this Article
II.
(d) Termination of Exchange Fund. Any portion of the Exchange Fund (including
the proceeds of any investments thereof) that remains undistributed to the former
holders of Shares one year after the Effective Time shall be delivered to the Surviving
Corporation upon demand, and any former holders of Shares who have not surrendered
their Shares in accordance with this Section 2.2 shall thereafter look only to the
Surviving Corporation for payment of their claim for the Merger Consideration, without
any interest thereon, upon due surrender of their shares.
(e) No Liability. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, none of the
Company, Parent, Merger Sub, the Surviving Corporation, the Paying Agent or any
other person shall be liable to any former holder of Shares for any amount properly
delivered to a public official pursuant to any applicable abandoned property, escheat
or similar Law.
(f) Investment of Exchange Fund. The Paying Agent shall invest all cash included
in the Exchange Fund as reasonably directed by Parent; provided, however, that any
investment of such cash shall be limited to (i) securities issued or directly and
fully guaranteed or insured by the United States government or any agency or instrumentality
thereof and having maturities of not more than one month from the date of investment
or (ii) money market mutual or similar funds having assets in excess of $1,000,000,000.
Any interest and other income resulting from such investments shall be paid to the
Surviving Corporation upon demand.
(g) Lost Certificates. In the case of any Certificate that has been lost, stolen
or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming
such Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if required by the Paying
Agent, the posting by such person of a bond in customary amount as indemnity against
any claim that may be made against it with respect to such Certificate, the Paying
Agent will issue in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed Certificate a check
in the amount of the number of Shares represented by such lost, stolen or destroyed
Certificate multiplied by the Merger Consideration.
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
Except as disclosed in the Company SEC Documents (as hereinafter defined) filed
prior to the date hereof, to the extent the relevance of the disclosure is readily
apparent and excluding any disclosures included in any such SEC Document that are
predictive or cautionary in nature, or in the disclosure schedule delivered by the
Company to Parent immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement (the "Company
Disclosure Schedule"), the Company represents and warrants to Parent and Merger
Sub as follows:
Section 3.01 Qualification, Organization, Subsidiaries, etc. Each of the Company
and its Subsidiaries is a legal entity duly organized, validly existing and in good
standing under the Laws of its respective jurisdiction of organization and has all
requisite corporate or similar power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties
and assets and to carry on its business as presently conducted and is qualified
to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction
where the ownership, leasing or operation of its assets or properties or conduct
of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so organized,
validly existing, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority,
would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
As used in this Agreement, any reference to any facts, circumstances, events or
changes having a "Company Material Adverse Effect" means such facts, circumstances,
events or changes that are or are reasonably likely to be materially adverse to
(A) the business, financial condition, assets, liabilities or continuing operations
of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, but shall not include (a)
facts, circumstances, events or changes resulting from (i) changes in general economic
or political conditions or the securities, credit or financial markets in general,
(ii) general changes or developments in the industries in which the Company and
its Subsidiaries operate, including general changes in law or regulation across
such industries, (iii) the announcement of this Agreement, (iv) the identity of
Parent or any of its affiliates as the acquiror of the Company, (v) the taking of
any action required by this Agreement, (vi) any acts of terrorism or war, (vii)
changes in generally accepted accounting principles or the interpretation thereof,
or (viii) any litigation arising from allegations of a breach of fiduciary duty
or other violation of applicable Law relating to this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby, except, in the case of the foregoing clauses (i), (ii), (vi)
and (vii), to the extent such changes or developments referred to therein have a
materially disproportionate impact on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as
a whole, relative to other companies in the industries and in the geographic markets
in which the Company conducts its businesses after taking into account the size
of the Company relative to such other companies, or (b) any decline in the stock
price of the Company Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange (provided that
the underlying causes of such decline may, to the extent applicable, be considered
in determining whether there is a Company Material Adverse Effect) or (B) the Companys
ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement or consummate the Merger
prior to the End Date. For the avoidance of doubt, the Companys failure to meet
internal or published projections, forecasts or revenue or earnings predictions
for any period shall not in and of itself constitute a Company Material Adverse
Effect, but the underlying causes of such failure shall, to the extent applicable,
be considered in determining whether there is a Company Material Adverse Effect.
The Company has made available to Parent prior to the date of this Agreement a true
and complete copy of the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation
and by-laws, each as amended through the date hereof.
Section 3.02 Capital Stock.
(a) The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 500,000,000 shares
of Company Common Stock and 750,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per
share ("Company Preferred Stock"), of which 50,000 shares are designated as Series
A Junior Participating Preferred Stock. As of May 24, 2007, (i) 143,565,452 shares
of Company Common Stock were issued and outstanding, (ii) 8,012,194 shares of Company
Common Stock were held in treasury (including 35,370 shares of Company Common Stock
reserved to be distributed in connection with the Company Deferred Compensation
Plan), (iii) 10,258,070 shares of Company Common Stock were reserved for issuance
under the employee and director stock plans of the Company (the "Company Stock Plans")
and (iv) no shares of Company Preferred Stock were issued and outstanding. All outstanding shares of Company
Common Stock, and all shares of Company Common Stock reserved for issuance as noted
in clause (iii), when issued in accordance with the respective terms thereof, are
or will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free
of pre-emptive rights.
(b) Except as set forth in subsection (a) above, the Company does not have any
shares of its capital stock issued or outstanding other than shares of Company Common
Stock that have become outstanding after May 24, 2007, which were reserved for issuance
as of May 24, 2007 as set forth in subsection (a) above pursuant to Company Stock
Options and Company Stock-Based Awards (each as hereinafter defined) granted as
of May 24, 2007. Included in Section 3.2(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule is
a correct and complete list, as of May 24, 2007, of all outstanding options or other
rights to purchase or receive shares of Company Common Stock and Stock Awards granted
under the Company Stock Plans or otherwise, and, for each such option or other right,
the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject thereto, the exercise price
thereof and the name of the holder thereof. Except as disclosed in Section 3.2(b)
of the Company Disclosure Schedule, there are no outstanding subscriptions, options,
warrants, calls, convertible securities or other similar rights, agreements or commitments
relating to the issuance of capital stock to which the Company or any of the Companys
Subsidiaries is a party obligating the Company or any of the Companys Subsidiaries
to (i) issue, transfer or sell any shares of capital stock or other equity interests
of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or securities convertible into or
exchangeable for such shares or equity interests, (ii) grant, extend or enter into
any such subscription, option, warrant, call, convertible securities or other similar
right, agreement or arrangement, (iii) redeem or otherwise acquire any such shares
of capital stock or other equity interests, or (iv) provide a material amount of
funds to, or make any material investment (in the form of a loan, capital contribution
or otherwise) in, any Subsidiary. Except for the issuance of shares of Company Common
Stock that were reserved for issuance pursuant to Company Stock Options or Company
Stock-Based Awards granted as of May 24, 2007 or otherwise set forth in Section
3.2(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, from May 24, 2007 to the date hereof,
the Company has not issued, sold, repurchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired any
Company Common Stock, and its Board of Directors have not authorized any of the
foregoing. From December 31, 2006 to the date hereof, the Company has not declared
or paid any dividend or distribution in respect of the Company Common Stock.
(c) Except for awards to acquire or receive shares of Company Common Stock under
any equity incentive plan of the Company and its Subsidiaries, neither the Company
nor any of its Subsidiaries has outstanding bonds, debentures, notes or other obligations,
the holders of which have the right to vote (or which are convertible into or exercisable
for securities having the right to vote) with the shareholders of the Company on
any matter.
(d) There are no voting trusts or other agreements or understandings to which
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party with respect to the voting of
the capital stock or other equity interest of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
Section 3.3 Corporate Authority Relative to This Agreement; No Violation.
(a) The Company has requisite corporate power and authority to enter into this
Agreement and, subject to receipt of the Company Shareholder Approval (as hereinafter
defined), to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby. The Board of Directors
of the Company at a duly held meeting has unanimously (i) determined that it is
in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders (other than holders of
Shares that are affiliates of Parent), and declared it advisable, to enter into
this Agreement, (ii) approved the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement
and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, including the Merger,
and (iii) resolved, subject to Section 5.3, to recommend that the shareholders of
the Company approve the adoption of this Agreement (the "Recommendation") and directed
that such matter be submitted for consideration of the shareholders of the Company
at the Company Meeting (as hereinafter defined). Except for the Company Shareholder
Approval and the filing of the Certificate of Merger with the Secretary of State
of the State of Delaware, no other corporate proceedings on the part of the Company
are necessary to authorize the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by the Company and,
assuming this Agreement constitutes the valid and binding agreement of Parent and
Merger Sub, constitutes the valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable
against the Company in accordance with its terms, except that such enforceability
(i) may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization,
moratorium and other similar laws of general application affecting or relating to
the enforcement of creditors rights generally and (ii) is subject to general principles
of equity, whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity (the "Bankruptcy
and Equity Exception").
(b) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement
and the consummation of the Merger by the Company do not and will not require any
consent, approval, authorization or permit of, action by, filing with or notification
to any United States or foreign governmental or regulatory agency, commission, court,
body, entity or authority (each, a "Governmental Entity"), other than (i) the filing
of the Certificate of Merger, (ii) compliance with the applicable requirements of
the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (the "HSR Act") and any
other antitrust, competition or similar laws of any foreign jurisdiction, (iii)
compliance with the applicable requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the "Exchange Act"), including the filing of the Proxy Statement (as hereinafter
defined), (iv) compliance with the rules and regulations of the New York Stock Exchange,
(v) compliance with any applicable foreign or state securities or blue sky laws,
and (vi) the other consents and/or notices set forth on Section 3.3(b) of the Company
Disclosure Schedule (collectively, clauses (i) through (vi), the "Company Approvals"),
and other than any other consent, approval, authorization, permit, action, filing
or notification the failure of which to make or obtain would not (A) individually
or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect (the definition of which,
for the purposes of this Section 3.3(b) and for purposes of Section 6.3(a)(iii)
as it relates to this Section 3.3(b), shall be interpreted so that facts or changes
resulting from the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
shall not be excluded from the definition of Company Material Adverse Effect pursuant
to clause (a)(v) thereof) or (B) prevent or materially delay the consummation of
the Merger.
(c) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement
and the consummation by the Company of the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) contravene or conflict with the organizational
or governing documents of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) assuming
compliance with the matters referenced in Section 3.3(b) and the receipt of the
Company Shareholder Approval, contravene or conflict with or constitute a violation
of any provision of any Law binding upon or applicable to the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets, or (iii) assuming
compliance with the matters referenced in Section 3.3(b), result in any violation
of, or default (with or without notice or lapse of time, or both) under, or give
rise to a right of termination, cancellation or acceleration of any material obligation
or to the loss of a material benefit under any loan, guarantee of indebtedness or
credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease, agreement, contract, instrument,
permit, concession, franchise, right or license binding upon the Company or any
of the Companys Subsidiaries or result in the creation of any liens, claims, mortgages,
encumbrances, pledges, security interests, equities or charges of any kind (each,
a "Lien"), other than any such Lien (A) for Taxes or governmental assessments, charges
or claims of payment not yet due or being contested in good faith, provided adequate
accruals or reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP, (B) which is
a carriers, warehousemens, mechanics, materialmens, repairmens or other similar
lien arising in the ordinary course of business, (C) which is disclosed on the most
recent consolidated balance sheet of the Company included in the Company SEC Documents
(or notes thereto or securing liabilities reflected on such balance sheet) or (D)
which was incurred in the ordinary course of business since the date of the most
recent consolidated balance sheet of the Company (each of the foregoing, a "Permitted
Lien"), upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any of the Companys
Subsidiaries, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), any such violation,
conflict, default, termination, cancellation, acceleration, right, loss or Lien
that would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse
Effect (the definition of which, for the purposes of this Section 3.3(c) and for
purposes of Section 6.3(a)(iii) as it relates to this Section 3.3(c), shall be interpreted
so that facts or changes resulting from the consummation of the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement shall not be excluded from the definition of Company Material
Adverse Effect pursuant to clause (a)(v) thereof).
Section 3.4 Reports and Financial Statements.
(a) The Company has filed or furnished all forms, documents and reports required
to be filed or furnished prior to the date hereof by it with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "SEC") since December 31, 2005 (such documents and reports,
together with any reports filed by the Company with the SEC on a voluntary basis
on Form 8-K, the "Company SEC Documents"). As of their respective dates, or, if
amended, as of the date of the last such amendment, the Company SEC Documents complied,
and all documents and reports required to be filed or furnished after the date hereof
and prior to the Effective Date by the Company (together with any reports filed
by the Company with the SEC on a voluntary basis on Form 8-K, the "New Company SEC
Documents") with the SEC will be filed on a timely basis and will comply, in all
material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Exchange
Act, as the case may be, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder,
and none of the Company SEC Documents contained, and none of the New Company SEC
Documents will contain, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state
any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
As of the date of this Agreement, there are no outstanding or unresolved comments
received by the Company from the SEC staff with respect to the Company SEC Documents. To the knowledge of the
Company, none of the Company SEC Documents is the subject of ongoing SEC review
or investigation.
(b) The consolidated financial statements of the Company included in the Company
SEC Documents and the New Company SEC Documents (including all related notes and
schedules, where applicable) comply and will comply as to form in all material respects
with applicable accounting requirements and the published rules and regulations
of the SEC with respect thereto, fairly present in all material respects the consolidated
financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries, as at the respective
dates thereof, and the consolidated results of their operations and their consolidated
cash flows for the respective periods then ended (subject, in the case of the unaudited
statements, to normal year-end audit adjustments and to any other adjustments described
therein, including the notes thereto, none of which has been or will be, individually
or in the aggregate, material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole)
in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP")
(except, in the case of the unaudited statements, as permitted by the SEC) applied
on a consistent basis during the periods involved (except as may be indicated therein
or in the notes thereto).
Section 3.5 Internal Controls and Procedures. The Company has established and
maintains disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial
reporting (as such terms are defined in paragraphs (e) and (f), respectively, of
Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act) as required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange
Act. The Companys disclosure controls and procedures are reasonably designed to
ensure that all material information required to be disclosed by the Company in
the reports that it files or furnishes under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms
of the SEC, and that all such material information is accumulated and communicated
to the Companys management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure and to make the certifications required pursuant to Sections 302 and
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act"). The Companys
management has completed an assessment of the effectiveness of the Companys internal
control over financial reporting in compliance with the requirements of Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the year ended December 31, 2006, and such assessment
concluded that as of December 31, 2006 such controls were effective. From December
31, 2004 to the date hereof, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor
to the knowledge of the Company any of their respective directors, officers, employees,
auditors or accountants has received any material complaint, allegation, assertion
or claim, whether written or oral, regarding the accounting or auditing practices,
procedures, methodologies or methods of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or
their respective internal accounting controls, including any material complaint,
allegation, assertion or claim that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has engaged
in questionable accounting or auditing practices, and no attorney representing the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries, whether or not employed by the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries, has reported evidence of a material violation of securities
Laws, breach of fiduciary duty or similar violation by the Company or any of its
officers, directors, employees or agents to the Board of Directors of the Company
or any committee thereof or to any director or officer of the Company.
Section 3.6 No Undisclosed Liabilities. Except (a) as reflected or reserved against
in the Companys consolidated balance sheets (or the notes thereto) included in
the Company SEC Documents, (b) as expressly permitted or contemplated by this Agreement,
(c) for liabilities and obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business
since March 31, 2007 and (d) for liabilities or obligations which have been discharged
or paid in full in the ordinary course of business, as of the date hereof, neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company has any material liabilities or obligations
of any nature, whether or not accrued, contingent or otherwise, that would be required
by GAAP to be reflected on a consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries
(or in the notes thereto).
Section 3.7 Compliance with Law; Permits.
(a) The Company and each of the Companys Subsidiaries are in material compliance
with and are not in any material respect in default under or in violation of any
applicable federal, state, local or foreign law, statute, ordinance, rule, regulation,
judgment, order, injunction, decree or agency requirement or any other legal requirement
of any Governmental Entity (collectively, "Laws" and each, a "Law"). Notwithstanding
anything contained in this Section 3.7(a), no representation or warranty shall be
deemed to be made in this Section 3.7(a) in respect of the matters referenced in
Section 3.4 or 3.5, or in respect of environmental, Tax, employee benefits or labor
Law matters, each of which matters is addressed by other sections of this Agreement.
(b) The Company and the Companys Subsidiaries are in possession of all material
franchises, grants, authorizations, licenses, permits, easements, variances, exceptions,
consents, certificates, approvals and orders of any Governmental Entity necessary
for the Company and the Companys Subsidiaries to own, lease and operate their properties
and assets or to carry on their businesses as they are now being conducted (the
"Company Permits"). All Company Permits are in full force and effect, except where
the failure to be in full force and effect would not have, individually or in the
aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
Section 3.8 Environmental Laws and Regulations.
(a) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected
to result in the Company and its Subsidiaries incurring material liabilities under
Environmental Laws, (i) the Company and its Subsidiaries and their respective businesses
are in and have been in compliance with all applicable Environmental Laws (as hereinafter
defined), which compliance included obtaining, maintaining and complying with all
Permits required under Environmental Laws for the operation of the Company and any
of its Subsidiaries and their respective businesses, (ii) none of the properties
owned or leased by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries contains any Hazardous
Substance (as hereinafter defined) as a result of any activity of the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries in amounts exceeding the levels permitted by applicable
Environmental Laws and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the properties
owned or leased by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries contains any Hazardous
Substances in amounts exceeding the levels permitted by applicable Environmental
Laws, (iii) from December 31, 2005 to the date hereof, neither the Company nor any
of its Subsidiaries has received any notices, claims, demand letters or requests
for information or other written communication from any federal, state, local or
foreign Governmental Entity or any other person indicating that the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries may be in violation of, or liable under, any Environmental Law
in connection with the ownership or operation of its businesses or any real property currently or formerly owned or leased by the company or any of its Subsidiaries
(collectively, "Environmental Claims") and, to the knowledge of the Company, no
Environmental Claims have been threatened, (iv) to the knowledge of the Company,
no Hazardous Substance has been disposed of, released or transported in violation
of any applicable Environmental Law, or in a manner giving rise to any liability
under Environmental Law, from any properties owned by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries as a result of any activity of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
during the time such properties were owned, leased or operated by the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries, (v) neither the Company, its Subsidiaries nor any of their
respective current or former properties are subject to any liabilities relating
to any suit, settlement, court order, administrative order, regulatory requirement,
judgment or written claim asserted or arising under any Environmental Law and (vi)
the Company has made available to the Parent copies of all material environmental
assessments, audits, investigations or similar reports relating to the environment
or Hazardous Substances as well as any material correspondence related to any pending
or threatened Environmental Claim, to the extent in the possession, custody or control
of the Company. It is agreed and understood that except with respect to Section
3.6, no representation or warranty is made in respect of environmental matters in
any Section of this Agreement other than this Section 3.8.
(b) As used herein, "Environmental Law" means any Law (including common law)
relating to (x) the protection, preservation or restoration of the environment (including
air, water vapor, surface water, groundwater, drinking water supply, surface land,
subsurface land, plant and animal life or any other natural resource), or (y) the
exposure to, or the use, storage, recycling, treatment, generation, transportation,
processing, handling, labeling, production, release or disposal of Hazardous Substances,
in each case as in effect at the date hereof.
(c) As used herein, "Hazardous Substance" means any substance presently listed,
defined, designated or classified as hazardous, toxic, radioactive, or dangerous,
or as a pollutant or contaminant or otherwise regulated, under any Environmental
Law. Hazardous Substance includes any substance to which exposure is regulated by
any Governmental Entity or any Environmental Law including any toxic waste, pollutant,
contaminant, hazardous substance, toxic substance, hazardous waste, special waste,
industrial substance or petroleum or any derivative or byproduct thereof, radon,
radioactive material, asbestos, or asbestos containing material, urea formaldehyde,
foam insulation or polychlorinated biphenyls.
Section 3.9 Employee Benefit Plans.
(a) Section 3.9(a)(i) of the Company Disclosure Schedule lists all material Company
Benefit Plans. "Company Benefit Plans" means all employee or director benefit plans,
programs, policies, agreements or other arrangements, including any employee welfare
plan within the meaning of Section 3(1) of the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"), any employee pension benefit plan within the
meaning of Section 3(2) of ERISA (whether or not such plan is subject to ERISA),
any employment, individual consulting or other compensation agreements and any bonus,
incentive, equity or equity-based compensation, deferred compensation, vacation,
stock purchase, stock option, severance, employment, change of control, salary continuation,
health or life insurance or fringe benefit plan, program or agreement, in each case
that are sponsored, maintained or contributed to by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
for the benefit of current or former employees, directors or consultants of the Company or its Subsidiaries or to which the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries has any obligation or liability (contingent or otherwise); provided,
however, that Company Benefit Plans shall not include any Company Foreign Plan.
For purposes of this Agreement, the term "Company Foreign Plan" shall refer to each
material plan, program or contract that is subject to or governed by the laws of
any jurisdiction other than the United States, and which would have been treated
as a Company Benefit Plan had it been a United States plan, program or contract.
Section 3.9(a)(ii) of the Company Disclosure Schedule lists all Company Foreign
Plans with respect to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has or could
reasonably be expected to have any material liabilities.
(b) The Company has heretofore made available to Parent true and complete copies
of each of the material Company Benefit Plans and Company Foreign Plans and certain
related documents, including, but not limited to, (i) each writing constituting
a part of such Company Benefit Plan or Company Foreign Plan, including all amendments
thereto; (ii) the three most recent Annual Reports (Form 5500 Series) or other annual
report, as applicable, and accompanying schedules, if any; (iii) the most recent
determination letter from the IRS (if applicable) for such Company Benefit Plan;
(iv) the most recent actuarial report, if any; (v) the most recent summary plan
descriptions; and (vi) written summaries of all non-written Company Benefit Plans
or Company Foreign Plans.
(c) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected
to result in the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole incurring material
liabilities under applicable Law, (i) each material Company Benefit Plan has been
maintained and administered in compliance in all material respects with its terms
and with applicable Law, including ERISA and the Code to the extent applicable thereto
and (ii) each of the Company Benefit Plans intended to be "qualified" within the
meaning of Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified, and there are no existing
circumstances or any events that have occurred that could reasonably be expected
to adversely affect the qualified status of any such plan. With respect to each
Company Benefit Plan that is subject to Title IV of ERISA, the present value of
the accrued benefits under such Company Benefit Plan, based upon the actuarial assumptions
used for funding purposes in the most recent actuarial report prepared for such
Company Benefit Plans actuary with respect to such Company Benefit Plan, did not,
as of its latest valuation date, materially exceed the then current value of the
assets of such Company Benefit Plan allocable to such accrued benefits. No Company
Benefit Plan provides a material amount of health benefit coverage (whether or not
insured), with respect to current or former employees or directors of the Company
or its Subsidiaries beyond their retirement or other termination of service, other
than coverage mandated by applicable Law and at the expense of the employee or the
employees beneficiary. No material liability under Title IV of ERISA has been incurred
by the Company, its Subsidiaries or any ERISA Affiliate of the Company that has
not been satisfied in full (other than with respect to amounts not yet due), and
no condition exists that presents a risk to the Company, its Subsidiaries or any
ERISA Affiliate of the Company of incurring a material liability thereunder. No
Company Benefit Plan is a "multiemployer pension plan" (as such term is defined
in Section 3(37) of ERISA) or a plan that has two or more contributing sponsors,
at least two of whom are not under common control, within the meaning of Section
4063 of ERISA. All material contributions or other material amounts payable by the
Company or its Subsidiaries as of the date hereof with respect to each Company Benefit
Plan in respect of current or prior plan years have been timely paid or accrued
in accordance with GAAP and no material accumulated funding deficiencies exist with respect to any of the Company
Benefit Plans subject to Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code. Neither the
Company nor its Subsidiaries has engaged in a transaction in connection with which
the Company or its Subsidiaries reasonably could be subject to either a material
civil penalty assessed pursuant to Section 409 or 502(i) of ERISA or a material
tax imposed pursuant to Section 4975 or 4976 of the Code. There are no pending,
threatened or anticipated claims (other than routine claims for benefits) by, on
behalf of or against any of the Company Benefit Plans, Company Foreign Plans or
any trusts related thereto, which could reasonably be expected to result in material
liability to the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole. "ERISA Affiliate"
means, with respect to any entity, trade or business, any other entity, trade or
business (whether or not incorporated) that is a member of a group described in
Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code or Section 4001(b)(1) of ERISA that
includes the first entity, trade or business, or that is a member of the same "controlled
group" as the first entity, trade or business pursuant to Section 4001(a)(14) of
ERISA.
(d) The consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement will
not, either alone or in combination with another event, (i) entitle any current
or former employee, consultant or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
to severance pay, unemployment compensation or any other payment, except as expressly
provided in this Agreement or as required by applicable Law, or (ii) accelerate
the time of payment or vesting, or increase the amount of compensation due any such
employee, consultant or officer, except as expressly provided in this Agreement.
(e) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected
to result in the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole incurring material
liabilities under applicable Law, all Company Foreign Plans (i) have been maintained
in accordance with their terms and all applicable Laws and requirements, (ii) if
they are intended to qualify for special Tax treatment meet all material requirements
for such treatment, and (iii) if they are required to be funded and/or book-reserved
are funded and/or book-reserved, as appropriate, based upon reasonable actuarial
assumptions and in accordance with applicable Law.
Section 3.10 Absence of Certain Changes or Events.
(a) Since December 31, 2006, except as otherwise contemplated or required by
this Agreement, the businesses of the Company and its Subsidiaries have been conducted,
in all material respects, in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice, and there has not been any event, development or state of circumstances
that has had, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(b) Since December 31, 2006, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries
has taken any action described in Section 5.1(b)(i), Section 5.1(b)(iii), or Section
5.1(b)(iv) hereof that if taken after the date hereof and prior to the Effective
Time without the prior written consent of Parent would violate such provision.
Section 3.11 Investigations; Litigation. As of the date hereof, (a) there is
no investigation or review pending (or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened)
by any Governmental Entity with respect to the Company or any of the Companys Subsidiaries,
and (b) there are no material actions, suits, inquiries, investigations or proceedings
pending (or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened) against or affecting (including,
without limitation, by placing restrictions on the actions of the Company or any
of the Companys Subsidiaries) the Company or any of the Companys Subsidiaries,
or any of their respective properties at law or in equity before, and there are
no material orders, judgments or decrees of, or before, any Governmental Entity.
Section 3.12 Proxy Statement; Other Information. The proxy statement (including
the letter to shareholders, notice of meeting and form of proxy, the "Proxy Statement")
to be filed by the Company with the SEC in connection with seeking the adoption
of this Agreement by the shareholders of the Company will not, at the time it is
filed with the SEC, or at the time it is first mailed to the shareholders of the
Company or at the time of the Company Meeting, contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances
under which they are made, not misleading. The Company will cause the Proxy Statement
to comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange
Act applicable thereto as of the date of such filing. No representation is made
by the Company with respect to statements made in the Proxy Statement based on information
supplied, or required to be supplied, by Parent, Merger Sub or any of their affiliates
or advisors specifically for inclusion or incorporation by reference therein.
Section 3.13 Rights Plan. The Board of Directors of the Company has resolved
to, and the Company after the execution of this Agreement will, take all action
necessary to (a) render the rights to purchase shares of Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock of the Company, issued pursuant to the terms of the Rights Agreement,
dated as of November 6, 2001, as amended, between the Company and The Bank of New
York, as Rights Agent (the "Rights Agreement"), inapplicable to the Merger and the
execution and operation of this Agreement and (b) provide that the Expiration Date
(as defined in said Rights Agreement) shall occur immediately prior to the Effective
Time.
Section 3.14 Tax Matters.
(a) Except as would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material
Adverse Effect, (i) except to the extent reflected as deferred taxes in the Company's
financial statements, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have prepared and
timely filed (taking into account any extension of time within which to file) all
Tax Returns required to be filed by any of them and all such filed Tax Returns are
complete and accurate, (ii) the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have paid all
Taxes that are required to be paid by any of them, except with respect to matters
contested in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been established in
accordance with GAAP, (iii) all Tax Returns of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries
for all periods ending on or before December 31 2001 have been examined by the relevant
taxing authority (or the period for assessment of the Taxes in respect of which
such Tax Returns were required to be filed has expired), (iv) there are no pending
or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened in writing, any audits, examinations,
investigations or other proceedings in respect of Tax matters, (v) there are no
Liens for Taxes on any of the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries other
than Permitted Liens, (vi) none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has been a "controlled corporation" or a "distributing corporation"
in any distribution occurring during the two-year period ending on the date hereof
that was purported or intended to be governed by Section 355 of the Code (or any
similar provision of state, local or foreign Law), (vii) the Company and each of
its Subsidiaries have withheld and paid all amounts of Taxes required to have been
withheld and paid in connection with any amounts paid or owing to any employee,
independent contractor, creditor, stockholder or other third party, (viii) neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or has any obligation under
any Tax sharing, Tax indemnity or Tax allocation agreement or similar contract or
arrangement, (ix) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has participated
in any "listed transaction" within the meaning of Treasury Regulation 1.6011-4(b)(2),
and (x) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries will be required to include
any item of income in, or exclude any item of deduction from, taxable income for
any taxable period (or portion thereof) beginning after the Closing Date as a result
of any (A) change in method of accounting for a taxable period ending on or prior
to the Closing Date, (B) closing agreement as described in Section 7121 of the Code
(or any corresponding or similar provision of state, local or foreign Law) executed
on or prior to the Closing Date, (C) intercompany transactions or any excess loss
account described in Treasury Regulations under Section 1502 of the Code (or any
corresponding or similar provision of state, local or foreign Law), (D) installment
sale or open transaction disposition made on or prior to the Closing Date, or (E)
prepaid amount received on or prior to the Closing Date.
(b) For purposes of Section 3.14(a), any reference to the Company or a Subsidiary
shall be deemed to include any person which merged or was liquidated into such entity.
(c) As used in this Agreement, (i) "Taxes" means any and all domestic or foreign,
federal, state, local or other taxes of any kind (together with any and all interest,
penalties, additions to tax and additional amounts imposed with respect thereto)
imposed by any Governmental Entity, including taxes on or with respect to income,
franchises, windfall or other profits, gross receipts, property, sales, use, capital
stock, payroll, employment, unemployment, social security, workers compensation,
or net worth, and taxes in the nature of excise, withholding, ad valorem or value
added, and any liability for the foregoing payable by reason of contract, assumption,
operation of Law, Treasury Regulation Section 1.1502-6 (or any predecessor or successor
thereof of any analogous or similar provision under Law) or otherwise, and (ii)
"Tax Return" means any return, report or similar filing (including the attached
schedules) required to be filed with respect to Taxes, including any information
return, claim for refund, amended return or declaration of estimated Taxes. It is
agreed and understood that no representation or warranty is made in respect of Tax
matters in any Section of this Agreement other than this Section 3.14 and Section
3.9.
Section 3.15 Labor Matters. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is
a party to, or bound by, any collective bargaining agreement, contract or other
agreement or understanding with a labor union or labor organization. Neither the
Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to a material strike or work stoppage
nor to any labor dispute except, in the case of a labor dispute, as would not, individually
or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect.
To the knowledge of the Company, there are no material organizational efforts with
respect to the formation of a collective bargaining unit presently being made or threatened involving employees of the Company or any
of its Subsidiaries.
Section 3.16 Intellectual Property. Except as would not have, individually or
in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect, either the Company or a Subsidiary
of the Company solely owns, or is validly licensed or otherwise possesses legally
enforceable rights to use, all material trademarks (including call signs), trade
names, service marks, service names, assumed names, registered and unregistered
copyrights, patents or applications and registrations used in their respective businesses
as currently conducted (collectively, the "Intellectual Property"). All of the material
Intellectual Property is valid and enforceable in all material respects. As of the
date hereof, (a) there are no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened
material claims by any person alleging infringement by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries for their use of the Intellectual Property of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries, (b) to the knowledge of the Company, the conduct of the business
of the Company and its Subsidiaries does not infringe any intellectual property
rights of any person in any material respect, (c) neither the Company nor any of
its Subsidiaries has made any material claim of a violation or infringement by others
of its rights to or in connection with the Intellectual Property of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries, and (d) to the knowledge of the Company, no person is
infringing any Intellectual Property of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in
any material respect. The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable
measures to protect the confidentiality of all trade secrets owned by the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries that are material to their respective businesses. The
information technology systems of the Company and its Subsidiaries, including the
relevant software and hardware, are adequate for their respective businesses.
Section 3.17 Opinion of Financial Advisor. The Board of Directors of the Company
has received the opinion of Greenhill & Co., LLC, dated the date of this Agreement,
substantially to the effect that, as of such date, and subject to the limitations
and assumptions set forth therein, the Merger Consideration to be received by the
holders of shares of Company Common Stock (other than affiliates of, or holders
of beneficial interests in, Parent or Merger Sub) pursuant to this Agreement is
fair, from a financial point of view, to such holders.
Section 3.18 Required Vote of the Company Shareholders. Subject to the accuracy
of the representations and warranties of Parent and Merger Sub in Section 4.9, the
affirmative vote of the holders of outstanding shares of Company Common Stock representing
at least a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast thereupon by holders of
Company Common Stock is the only vote of holders of securities of the Company which
is required to approve this Agreement and the Merger (the "Company Shareholder Approval").
No "fair price", "moratorium", "control share acquisition" or other similar antitakeover
statute or regulation enacted under state or federal laws in the United States (with
the exception of Section 203 of the DGCL) applicable to the Company is applicable
to the Merger or the other transactions contemplated hereby. The action of the Board
of Directors of the Company in approving this Agreement is sufficient to render
inapplicable to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby the restrictions
on "business combinations" (as defined in Section 203 of the DGCL) as set forth
in Section 203 of the DGCL.
Section 3.19 Material Contracts.
(a) Except for this Agreement, the Company Benefit Plans, as filed with the SEC
or as listed on Section 3.19(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule, as of the date
hereof, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to or bound by
(i) any "material contract" (as such term is defined in Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation
S-K of the SEC) or (ii) any of the following: (A) contract that purports to limit,
curtail or restrict the ability of the Company or any of its existing or future
Subsidiaries or affiliates to compete in any geographic area or line of business
or restrict the persons to whom the Company or any of its existing or future Subsidiaries
or affiliates may sell products or deliver services, (B) loan or credit agreement,
mortgage, indenture, note or other contract or instrument evidencing indebtedness
for borrowed money by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any contract or
instrument pursuant to which indebtedness for borrowed money may be incurred or
is guaranteed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (C) mortgage, pledge, security
agreement, deed of trust or other contract granting a Lien on any material property
or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (D) customer, client or supply
contract that involves consideration in fiscal year 2006 in excess of $5 million
or, in the case of customer contracts, $3 million or that is reasonably likely to
involve consideration in fiscal year 2007 or fiscal year 2008 in excess of $5 million
or, in the case of customer contracts, $3 million, (E) contract (other than customer,
client or supply contracts) that involve consideration (whether or not measured
in cash) of greater than $5 million, (F) contract that restricts or otherwise limits
the payment of dividends or other distributions on equity securities, (G) to the
extent material to the business or financial condition of the Company and its Subsidiaries,
taken as a whole, (1) product or intellectual property design or development contract,
(2) license or royalty contract or (3) contract granting a right of first refusal
or first negotiation or "most favored nation" status, (H) investment banker engagement
or similar agreement pursuant to which any person would be entitled to payment in
connection with the Merger, and (I) commitment or agreement to enter into any of
the foregoing (all contracts of the type described in this Section 3.19(a) being
referred to herein as "Company Material Contracts"). The Company has made available
to Parent correct and complete copies of each Material Contract in existence as
of the date hereof, together with any and all amendments and supplements thereto
and material "side letters" and similar documentation relating thereto.
(b) Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company is in breach of or
default under the terms of any Company Material Contract where such breach or default
would have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.
To the knowledge of the Company, no other party to any Company Material Contract
is in breach of or default under the terms of any Company Material Contract where
such breach or default would have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material
Adverse Effect. Except as would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company
Material Adverse Effect, each Company Material Contract is a valid and binding obligation
of the Company or the Subsidiary of the Company which is party thereto and, to the
knowledge of the Company, of each other party thereto, and is in full force and
effect, except that (i) such enforcement may be subject to applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar Laws, now or hereafter in
effect, relating to creditors rights generally and (ii) equitable remedies of specific
performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to
equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding
therefor may be brought. Section 3.19(b) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets
forth a correct and complete list, as of the date hereof, of each current customer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
(A) which accounted for revenue of $500,000 or more in 2005 or 2006 and (B) which
has provided notice of an intention (x) to terminate its contract(s) with the Company
and/or a Company Subsidiary or (y) not to renew its contract(s) with the Company
and/or a Company Subsidiary at the end of the current contract term(s).
Section 3.20 Insurance. Section 3.20(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets
forth a correct and complete list of all insurance policies (including information
on the premiums payable in connection therewith and the scope and amount of the
coverage provided thereunder) maintained by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
(the "Policies"). The material Policies (i) have been issued by insurers which,
to the knowledge of the Company, are reputable and financially sound and (ii) are
in full force and effect. Except as would not have, individually or in the aggregate,
a Company Material Adverse Effect, the Policies provide coverage for the operations
conducted by the Company and its Subsidiaries of a scope and coverage consistent
with customary practice in the industries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries
operate. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in material breach or
default, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries have taken any action
or failed to take any action which, with notice or the lapse of time, would constitute
such a material breach or default, or permit termination or material modification,
of any of the material Policies. No notice of cancellation or termination has been
received by the Company with respect to any of the Policies. The consummation of
the Merger will not, in and of itself, cause the revocation, cancellation or termination
of any material Policy.
Section 3.21 Finders or Brokers. Except for Greenhill & Co., L.L.C., neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has employed any investment banker, broker
or finder in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement who
might be entitled to any fee or any commission in connection with or upon consummation
of the Merger.
ARTICLE IV
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND MERGER SUB
Except as disclosed in the disclosure schedule delivered by Parent to the Company
immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement (the "Parent Disclosure Schedule"),
Parent and Merger Sub jointly and severally represent and warrant to the Company
as follows:
Section 4.01 Qualification; Organization, Subsidiaries, etc. Each of Parent and
Merger Sub is a legal entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing
under the Laws of its respective jurisdiction of organization and has all requisite
corporate or similar power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties
and assets and to carry on its business as presently conducted and is qualified
to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction
where the ownership, leasing or operation of its assets or properties or conduct
of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so organized,
validly existing, qualified or in good standing, or to have such power or authority,
would not, individually or in the aggregate, prevent or materially delay or materially
impair the ability of Parent or Merger Sub to consummate the Merger and the other
transactions contemplated by this Agreement (a "Parent Material Adverse Effect"). Parent has
made available to the Company prior to the date of this Agreement a true and complete
copy of the certificate of incorporation and by-laws or other equivalent organizational
documents of Parent and Merger Sub, each as amended through the date hereof.
Section 4.2 Corporate Authority Relative to This Agreement; No Violation.
(a) Each of Parent and Merger Sub has all requisite corporate power and authority
to enter into this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.
The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby have been duly and validly authorized by the Boards of Directors
of Parent and Merger Sub and by Parent, as the sole shareholder of Merger Sub, and,
except for the filing of the Certificate of Merger with the Secretary of State of
the State of Delaware, no other corporate proceedings on the part of Parent or Merger
Sub are necessary to authorize the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby. This Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by Parent
and Merger Sub and, assuming this Agreement constitutes the valid and binding agreement
of the Company, this Agreement constitutes the valid and binding agreement of Parent
and Merger Sub, enforceable against each of Parent and Merger Sub in accordance
with its terms, subject to the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception.
(b) The execution, delivery and performance by Parent and Merger Sub of this
Agreement and the consummation of the Merger by Parent and Merger Sub do not and
will not require any consent, approval, authorization or permit of, action by, filing
with or notification to any Governmental Entity, other than (i) the filing of the
Certificate of Merger, (ii) compliance with the applicable requirements of the HSR
Act and any other antitrust, competition or similar laws of any foreign jurisdiction,
(iii) compliance with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act, (iv) compliance
with any applicable foreign or state securities or blue sky laws, and (v) the other
consents and/or notices set forth on Section 4.2(b) of the Parent Disclosure Schedule
(collectively, clauses (i) through (v), collectively, the "Parent Approvals"), and
other than any other consent, approval, authorization, permit, action, filing or
notification the failure of which to make or obtain would not, individually or in
the aggregate, have a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
(c) The execution, delivery and performance by Parent and Merger Sub of this
Agreement and the consummation by Parent and Merger Sub of the Merger and the other
transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) contravene or conflict
with the organizational or governing documents of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries,
(ii) assuming compliance with the matters referenced in Section 4.2(b), contravene
or conflict with or constitute a violation of any provision of any Law binding upon
or applicable to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties
or assets, or (iii) result in any violation of, or default (with or without notice
or lapse of time, or both) under, or give rise to a right of termination, cancellation
or acceleration of any material obligation or to the loss of a material benefit
under any loan, guarantee of indebtedness or credit agreement, note, bond, mortgage,
indenture, lease, agreement, contract, instrument, permit, concession, franchise,
right or license binding upon Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or result in the
creation of any Lien (other than Permitted Liens) upon any of the properties or
assets of Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, other than, in the case of clauses
(ii) and (iii), any such violation, conflict, default, termination, cancellation, acceleration, right, loss or Lien that would not have, individually
or in the aggregate, a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
Section 4.3 Investigations; Litigation. There is no investigation or review pending
(or, to the knowledge of Parent, threatened) by any Governmental Entity with respect
to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries which would have, individually or in the aggregate,
a Parent Material Adverse Effect, and there are no actions, suits, inquiries, investigations
or proceedings pending (or, to Parents knowledge, threatened) against or affecting
Parent or its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective properties at law or in equity
before, and there are no orders, judgments or decrees of, or before, any Governmental
Entity, in each case which would have, individually or in the aggregate, a Parent
Material Adverse Effect.
Section 4.4 Proxy Statement; Other Information. None of the information provided
by Parent or its Subsidiaries to be included in the Proxy Statement will, at the
time it is filed with the SEC, or at the time it is first mailed to the shareholders
of the Company or at the time of the Company Meeting, contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state any 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, not misleading.
Section 4.5 Financing. Section 4.5 of the Parent Disclosure Schedule sets forth
true, accurate and complete copies of (a) executed equity commitment letters to
provide equity financing to Parent and/or Merger Sub (the "Equity Commitment Letters"),
and (b) an executed debt commitment letter and related term sheets (the "Debt Commitment
Letter" and together with the Equity Commitment Letters, the "Financing Commitments")
pursuant to which, and subject to the terms and conditions thereof, certain lenders
have committed to provide Merger Sub with loans in the amounts described therein,
the proceeds of which may be used to consummate the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated hereby (the "Debt Financing" and together with the equity financing
pursuant to the Equity Commitment Letters, the "Financing"). Each of the Financing
Commitments, in the form so delivered, is a legal, valid and binding obligation
of Parent or Merger Sub and, to Parents knowledge, the other parties thereto, subject
to the Bankruptcy and Equity Exception. The Financing Commitments are in full force
and effect and have not been withdrawn or terminated or otherwise amended or modified
in any respect, and neither Parent nor Merger Sub is in breach of any of the terms
or conditions set forth therein and no event has occurred which, with or without
notice, lapse of time or both, could reasonably be expected to constitute a breach
or failure to satisfy a condition precedent set forth therein. The proceeds from
the Financing will be sufficient to consummate the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated hereby, including the payment by Parent and Merger Sub of the Merger
Consideration, the Option and Stock-Based Consideration, any fees and expenses of
or payable by Parent, Merger Sub or the Surviving Corporation, and any related refinancing
of indebtedness of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. Parent or Merger Sub
has paid any and all commitment or other fees required by the Financing Commitments
that are due as of the date hereof, and will pay, after the date hereof, all such
commitments and fees as they become due, if at all, prior to the Effective Time.
There are no side letters or other agreements or arrangements (other than arrangements
expressly set forth in the Financing Commitments) relating to the Financing to which
Parent, Merger Sub or any of their affiliates are a party that would permit the
lenders specified in the Debt Commitment Letter or the parties providing the Equity
Commitment Letters to reduce their commitments or that would adversely affect the
availability or timing of the Financing. The Debt Commitment Letter contains all of the conditions
precedent to the obligations of the lenders thereunder to make the Debt Financing
available to Parent on the terms therein, the Equity Commitment Letters contain
all of the conditions precedent to the obligations of the funding party to make
the equity financing thereunder available to the Parent on the terms therein, and,
as of the date of this Agreement, neither Parent nor Merger Sub has knowledge that
it will be unable to satisfy on a timely basis any conditions precedent to the Equity
Commitment Letters or the Debt Commitment Letter.
Section 4.6 Capitalization of Merger Sub. As of the date of this Agreement, the
authorized capital stock of Merger Sub consists of one hundred thousand (100,000)
shares of common stock, par value $.01 per share, fifty thousand (50,000) of which
are validly issued and outstanding. All of the issued and outstanding capital stock
of Merger Sub is, and at the Effective Time will be, owned by Parent or a direct
or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent. Merger Sub has outstanding no option,
warrant, right, or any other agreement pursuant to which any person other than Parent
may acquire any equity security of Merger Sub. Merger Sub has not conducted any
business prior to the date hereof and has, and prior to the Effective Time will
have, no assets, liabilities or obligations of any nature other than those incident
to its formation and pursuant to this Agreement and the Merger and the other transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
Section 4.7 No Vote of Parent Shareholders. No vote of the shareholders of Parent
or the holders of any other securities of Parent (equity or otherwise) is required
by any applicable Law, the certificate of incorporation or by-laws or other equivalent
organizational documents of Parent or the applicable rules of any exchange on which
securities of Parent are traded, in order for Parent to consummate the transactions
contemplated hereby.
Section 4.8 Finders or Brokers. Neither Parent nor any of its Subsidiaries has
employed any investment banker, broker or finder in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement who might be entitled to any fee or any commission
in connection with or upon consummation of the Merger.
Section 4.9 Lack of Ownership of Company Common Stock. As of the date of this
Agreement, neither Parent nor any of its Subsidiaries beneficially owns, directly
or indirectly, any shares of Company Common Stock or other securities convertible
into, exchangeable into or exercisable for shares of Company Common Stock. There
are no voting trusts or other agreements or understandings to which Parent or any
of its Subsidiaries is a party with respect to the voting of the capital stock or
other equity interest of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
Section 4.10 No Additional Representations.
(a) Parent acknowledges that it and its Representatives (as hereinafter defined)
have received access to such books and records, facilities, equipment, contracts
and other assets of the Company which it and its Representatives have desired or
requested to review, and that it and its Representatives have had full opportunity
to meet with the management of the Company and to discuss the business and assets
of the Company.
(b) Parent acknowledges that neither the Company nor any person has made any
representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness
of any information regarding the Company furnished or made available to Parent and
its Representatives except as expressly set forth in Article III (which includes
the Company Disclosure Schedule), and neither the Company nor any other person shall
be subject to any liability to Parent or any other person resulting from the Companys
making available to Parent or Parents use of such information, including the presentation
materials delivered to Parent, as subsequently updated, supplemented or amended
(the "Company Information"), or any information, documents or material made available
to Parent in the due diligence materials provided to Parent, including in the "data
room," other management presentations (formal or informal) or in any other form
in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Without limiting
the foregoing, except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the Company makes
no representation or warranty to Parent with respect to (i) the information set
forth in the Company Information or (ii) any financial projection or forecast relating
to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, whether or not included in the Company
Information or any management presentation.
Section 4.11 Solvency. Immediately after giving effect to the transactions contemplated
by this Agreement (including any financing in connection with the transactions contemplated
hereby), assuming (x) the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the
Company set forth in Article III hereof in all material respects without giving
effect to any "knowledge," materiality or "Company Material Adverse Effect" qualification
or exceptions and (y) that the estimates, projections and forecasts provided by
the Company to Parent prior to the date hereof have been prepared in good faith
on assumptions that were and continue to be reasonable, (i) none of the Surviving
Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries will have incurred debts beyond its ability
to pay such debts as they mature or become due, the then present fair salable value
of the assets of each of the Surviving Corporation and each of its Subsidiaries
will exceed the amount that will be required to pay its respective probable liabilities
(including the probable amount of all contingent liabilities) and its respective
debts as they become absolute and matured, (ii) the assets of each of the Surviving
Corporation and each of its Subsidiaries, in each case at a fair valuation, will
exceed its respective debts (including the probable amount of all contingent liabilities)
and (iii) none of the Surviving Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries will have
unreasonably small capital to carry on its business as presently conducted or as
proposed to be conducted. No transfer of property is being made and no obligation
is being incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby with the
intent to hinder, delay or defraud either present or future creditors of Parent,
Merger Sub, the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company.
Section 4.12 Absence of Arrangements with Management. Other than this Agreement
and the arrangements described in Section 4.12 of the Parent Disclosure Schedule,
as of the date hereof, there are no contracts, undertakings, commitments, agreements
or obligations or understandings between Parent or Merger Sub or any of their affiliates,
on the one hand, and any member of the Companys management or Board of Directors,
on the other hand, relating to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or
the operations of the Company after the Effective Time.
ARTICLE V
COVENANTS AND AGREEMENTS
Section 5.01 Conduct of Business by the Company and Parent.
(a) From and after the date hereof and prior to the Effective Time or the date,
if any, on which this Agreement is earlier terminated pursuant to Section 7.1 (the
"Termination Date"), and except (i) as may be required by applicable Law, (ii) as
may be agreed in writing by Parent, (iii) as may be contemplated or required by
this Agreement, or (iv) as set forth in Section 5.1 of the Company Disclosure Schedule,
the Company covenants and agrees with Parent that the business of the Company and
its Subsidiaries shall be conducted in, and such entities shall not take any action
except in, the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and, to
the extent consistent therewith, the Company and its Subsidiaries shall use commercially
reasonable efforts to (i) preserve intact their current business organization and
(ii) preserve their relationships with customers, suppliers and others having business
dealings with them; provided, however, that no action by the Company or its Subsidiaries
with respect to matters specifically addressed by any provision of Section 5.1(b)
shall be deemed a breach of this sentence unless such action would constitute a
breach of such other provision.
(b) Subject to the exceptions contained in clauses (i) through (iv) of Section
5.1(a), the Company agrees with Parent, on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries,
that between the date hereof and the Effective Time, without the prior written consent
of Parent, the Company:
(i) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries that is not wholly
owned to, authorize or pay any dividends on or make any distribution with respect
to its outstanding shares of capital stock (whether in cash, assets, stock or other
securities of the Company or its Subsidiaries);
(ii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, split, combine
or reclassify any of its capital stock or issue or authorize or propose the issuance
of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for shares
of its capital stock, except for any such transaction by a wholly owned Subsidiary
of the Company which remains a wholly owned Subsidiary after consummation of such
transaction;
(iii) except as required by Company Benefit Plans or Company Foreign Plans, shall
not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to (A) (1) increase the compensation
or other benefits payable or provided to directors or executive officers of the
Company or, (2) except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice
or with respect to establishing cash compensation and benefits for any new hire,
increase the compensation or other benefits payable or provided to employees who
are not directors or executive officers of the Company, (B) enter into any employment,
change of control, severance or retention agreement with any employee of the Company
(except (1) for employment agreements terminable on less than 30 days notice without
severance payment obligations or other penalty or (2) for severance agreements entered
into with employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice
in connection with terminations of employment, provided no such agreement increases
the amount that the Company or its Subsidiaries would be contractually obligated
to pay to such employee absent such severance agreement), or (C) except as permitted pursuant
to clause (B) above, establish, adopt, enter into or amend any collective bargaining
agreement, plan, trust, fund, policy or arrangement for the benefit of any current
or former directors, officers or employees or any of their beneficiaries, except
as would not result in a material increase in cost to the Company;
(iv) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, change any of
its financial accounting policies or procedures or any of its methods of reporting
income, deductions or other material items for financial accounting purposes, except
as required by GAAP, SEC rule or policy or applicable Law;
(v) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, adopt any amendments
to its certificate of incorporation or by-laws or similar applicable charter documents;
(vi) except for transactions among the Company and its wholly owned Subsidiaries
or among the Companys wholly owned Subsidiaries, shall not, and shall not permit
any of its Subsidiaries to, issue, sell, pledge, dispose of or encumber, or authorize
the issuance, sale, pledge, disposition or encumbrance of, any shares of its capital
stock or other ownership interest in the Company or any Subsidiaries or any securities
convertible into or exchangeable for any such shares or ownership interest, or any
rights, warrants or options to acquire or with respect to any such shares of capital
stock, ownership interest or convertible or exchangeable securities or take any
action to cause to be exercisable any otherwise unexercisable option under any existing
stock option plan (except as otherwise provided by the terms of this Agreement or
the express terms of any unexercisable options outstanding on the date hereof),
other than (A) issuances of shares of Company Common Stock in respect of any exercise
of Company Stock Options and settlement of any Company Stock-Based Awards outstanding
on the date hereof, and (B) the sale of shares of Company Common Stock pursuant
to the exercise of options to purchase Company Common Stock if necessary to effectuate
an optionee direction upon exercise or for withholding of Taxes;
(vii) except for transactions among the Company and its wholly owned Subsidiaries
or among the Companys wholly owned Subsidiaries, shall not, and shall not permit
any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, purchase, redeem or otherwise
acquire any shares of its capital stock or any rights, warrants or options to acquire
any such shares;
(viii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, incur, assume,
guarantee, prepay or otherwise become liable for any indebtedness for borrowed money
(directly, contingently or otherwise), except for any (A) indebtedness for borrowed
money among the Company and its wholly owned Subsidiaries or among the Companys
wholly owned Subsidiaries, (B) indebtedness for borrowed money incurred to replace,
renew, extend, refinance or refund any existing indebtedness for borrowed money
on materially no less favorable terms, (C) guarantees by the Company of indebtedness
for borrowed money of Subsidiaries of the Company, which indebtedness is incurred
in compliance with this Section 5.1(b), (D) indebtedness for borrowed money incurred
pursuant to agreements in effect prior to the execution of this Agreement or the
issuance of new commercial paper by the Company, in each case in the ordinary course
of business consistent with past practice and (E) indebtedness for borrowed money not to exceed $5 million, plus any amounts needed by the Company
to consummate the transactions set forth on Schedule 5.1 in aggregate principal
amount outstanding at any time incurred by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
other than in accordance with clauses (A)-(D), inclusive;
(ix) except for transactions among the Company and its wholly owned Subsidiaries
or among the Companys wholly owned Subsidiaries, shall not sell, lease, license,
transfer, exchange or swap, mortgage or otherwise encumber (including securitizations),
or subject to any Lien (other than Permitted Liens) or otherwise dispose of any
material properties or assets, including any capital stock of Subsidiaries, except
(A) pursuant to existing agreements in effect prior to the execution of this Agreement
or (B) as may be required by applicable Law or any Governmental Entity in order
to permit or facilitate the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby,
subject to the limitations of Section 5.6(b);
(x) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, modify, amend,
terminate or waive any rights under any Company Material Contract in any material
respect in a manner which is adverse to the Company;
(xi) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, enter into any
Company Material Contracts other than in the ordinary course of business consistent
with past practice or enter into any collective bargaining agreement;
(xii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, (A) make, change
or revoke any material Tax election, (B) file any material amended Tax Return, (C)
settle or compromise any material liability for Taxes or surrender any material
claim for a refund of Taxes, other than in the case of clauses (B) and (C) hereof
in respect of any Taxes that have been identified in the reserves for Taxes in the
Companys GAAP financial statements included in the Companys SEC Documents, (D)
change any accounting method, practice or policy in respect of a material amount
of Taxes except as required by applicable Law, (E) prepare any Tax Returns in a
manner which is not consistent in all material respects with the past practice of
the Company and its Subsidiaries with respect to the treatment of items on such
Tax Returns, or (F) incur any material liability for Taxes other than in the ordinary
course of business (including as a result of the operation of the business in the
ordinary course);
(xiii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, make any capital
expenditure or expenditures which (i) involves the purchase of material real property
or (ii) is in excess of $500,000 individually or $5 million in the aggregate, except
for any such capital expenditures provided for in the Companys 2007 Capital Expenditure
Plan previously made available to Parent;
(xiv) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or
indirectly acquire (i) by merging or consolidating with, or by purchasing all of
or a substantial equity interest in, or by any other manner, any person or division,
business or equity interest of any person or (ii) except in the ordinary course
of business consistent with past practice, any assets that, individually, have a
purchase price in excess of $500,000 or, in the aggregate, have a purchase price
in excess of $5 million;
(xv) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, make any investment
(by contribution to capital, property transfers, purchase of securities or otherwise)
in, or loan or advance (other than travel and similar advances to its employees
in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice) to, any person,
other than a direct or indirect wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company in the ordinary
course of business;
(xvi) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, pay, discharge,
settle or satisfy any material claims, liabilities or obligations (absolute, accrued,
asserted or unasserted, contingent or otherwise), other than, subject to Section
5.13, the payment, discharge, settlement or satisfaction in accordance with the
terms of such material liabilities, claims or obligations reflected or reserved
against in the most recent consolidated financial statements (or the notes thereto)
of the Company included in the Company SEC Documents or incurred since the date
of such financial statements in the ordinary course of business consistent with
past practice;
(xvii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, settle or
compromise any litigation, proceeding or investigation material to the Company and
its Subsidiaries taken as a whole (this covenant being in addition to the Companys
agreement set forth in Section 5.13 hereof); and
(xviii) shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, agree, in
writing or otherwise, to take any of the foregoing actions.
(c) Parent agrees with the Company, on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries,
that, between the date hereof and the Effective Time, Parent shall not, and shall
not permit any of its Subsidiaries to take or agree to take any action (including
entering into agreements with respect to any acquisitions, mergers, consolidations
or business combinations) which would reasonably be expected to result in, individually
or in the aggregate, a Parent Material Adverse Effect.
Section 5.2 Investigation.
(a) The Company shall afford to Parent and to its officers, employees, accountants,
consultants, legal counsel, financial advisors and agents and other representatives
(collectively, "Representatives") reasonable access, throughout the period prior
to the earlier of the Effective Time and the Termination Date, to its and its Subsidiaries
management employees, properties, contracts, commitments, books and records and
any report, schedule or other document filed or received by it pursuant to the requirements
of applicable Laws. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required
to afford such access if it would unreasonably disrupt the operations of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries, would cause a violation of any agreement to which the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, would cause a material risk of a
loss of privilege to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or would constitute
a violation of any applicable Law, nor shall Parent or any of its Representatives
be permitted to perform any invasive onsite procedure (including any invasive onsite
environmental study involving soil or groundwater testing) with respect to any property
of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
(b) Parent hereby agrees that all information provided to it or its Representatives
in connection with this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby shall be deemed to be Evaluation Material, as such term is used in, and shall
be treated in accordance with, the Confidentiality Agreements, dated as of March
9, 2007 and April 3, 2007, between the Company and certain affiliates of Parent
(the "Confidentiality Agreement").
Section 5.3 No Solicitation.
(a) The Company shall and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, and shall use its
reasonable best efforts to cause its and their respective Representatives to, (x)
immediately cease and cause to be terminated any discussions or negotiations with
any person conducted heretofore with respect to an Alternative Proposal or potential
Alternative Proposal and (y) promptly (and in any event within two (2) business
days after the date hereof) request the prompt return from all such persons, or
the destruction by such persons, of all copies of confidential information previously
provided to such persons by the Company, its Subsidiaries or their respective Representatives
and shall deny access to any virtual data room containing any such information to
any person (other than Parent and its Representatives). The Company agrees that
neither it nor any Subsidiary of the Company shall, and that it shall use its reasonable
best efforts to cause its and their respective Representatives not to, directly
or indirectly, (i) solicit, initiate, cause or knowingly encourage directly or indirectly
(including by way of furnishing information) any inquiry with respect to, or the
making, submission or announcement of, any Alternative Proposal (as hereinafter
defined), (ii) subject to the provisions of Section 5.3(b) set forth below, participate
in any negotiations regarding an Alternative Proposal with, or furnish any information
regarding the Company or any Alternative Proposal to, any person that has made or,
to the Companys knowledge, is considering making an Alternative Proposal, or (iii)
subject to the provisions of Section 5.3(b) set forth below, engage in discussions
regarding an Alternative Proposal with any person that has made or, to the Companys
knowledge, is considering making an Alternative Proposal, except to notify such
person as to the existence of the provisions of this Section 5.3. Without limiting
the foregoing, it is understood that any action taken by Representatives of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries that would be a violation of the restrictions
set forth in Section 5.3 if taken by the Company shall be deemed to be a breach
of Section 5.3 by the Company.
(b) Notwithstanding the limitations set forth in this Section 5.3, prior to obtaining
the Company Shareholder Approval (but in no event after obtaining the Company Shareholder
Approval), if (A) the Company receives a bona fide written Alternative Proposal
made after the date hereof which the Board of Directors of the Company determines
in good faith, by resolution duly adopted (i) constitutes a Superior Proposal or
(ii) is reasonably likely to result in a Superior Proposal, and (B) the Board of
Directors of the Company determines in good faith, after consultation with its outside
counsel, that the failure to do so would be reasonably likely to be inconsistent
with the directors fiduciary duties under applicable Law, the Company may take
the following actions (only after providing Parent concurrent notice of its intention
to take such actions and after receiving from the third party an executed agreement
containing confidentiality provisions that are no less favorable to the Company
than those contained in the Confidentiality Agreement): (x) furnish information
to the person (including such persons Representatives) making such Alternative
Proposal, and (y) engage in discussions or negotiations with such person (including such persons Representatives) with respect to the
Alternative Proposal. The Company shall provide Parent with a correct and complete
copy of any confidentiality agreement entered into pursuant to this paragraph within
24 hours after the execution thereof and shall provide or make available to Parent
a correct and complete copy of any information provided or made available to any
person pursuant to this paragraph at the same time such information is provided
or made available to such other person.
(c) The Company will promptly notify Parent (within 24 hours) of the receipt
of any Alternative Proposal and shall, in any such notice to Parent, indicate the
identity of the person making such proposal and the material terms and conditions
of such proposal, shall include with such notice a copy of such proposal, and thereafter
shall promptly keep Parent reasonably informed of all material developments affecting
the status and terms of such proposal (and the Company shall provide Parent promptly
(within 24 hours) with copies of any additional written materials received that
relate to such proposal).
(d) Except as expressly permitted by this Section 5.3(d), neither the Board of
Directors of the Company nor any committee thereof shall (i)(A) withdraw or modify,
or propose publicly to withdraw or modify, in a manner adverse to Parent, the adoption
of this Agreement or the recommendation by such Board of Directors or committee
that shareholders of the Company approve this Agreement, (B) approve or recommend,
or propose publicly to approve or recommend, any Alternative Proposal or (C) in
the event of a tender offer or exchange offer for any outstanding shares of Common
Stock, fail to recommend against acceptance of such tender offer or exchange offer
by the Companys shareholders within fifteen (15) business days of the commencement
thereof (for the avoidance of doubt, the taking of no position or a neutral position
by the Board of Directors of the Company in respect of the acceptance of any tender
offer or exchange offer by its shareholders shall constitute a failure to recommend
against any such offer) (any action described in this clause (i) being referred
to as a "Change of Recommendation") or (ii) approve or recommend, or propose publicly
to approve or recommend, or cause or authorize the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
to enter into, any letter of intent, agreement in principle, memorandum of understanding,
merger, acquisition, purchase or joint venture agreement or other agreement related
to any Alternative Proposal (other than a confidentiality agreement in accordance
with Section 5.3(b)) (each a "Company Acquisition Agreement"). Notwithstanding the
foregoing, at any time prior to obtaining the Company Shareholder Approval and subject
to this Section 5.3(d), the Board of Directors of the Company may (1) make a Change
of Recommendation if the Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith,
after consultation with its outside counsel, that the failure to do so would be
reasonably like to be inconsistent with the directors fiduciary duties under applicable
Law or (2) in response to a Superior Proposal, cause the Company to terminate this
Agreement and concurrently with such termination enter into a Company Acquisition
Agreement, subject to satisfaction of its obligations under Section 7.2(a); provided,
however, that the Board of Directors of the Company shall not be entitled to exercise
its right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 7.1(g) until immediately
after the third business day following Parents receipt of written notice (a "Superior
Proposal Termination Notice") from the Company advising Parent that the Board of
Directors of the Company intends to take such action and specifying the reasons
therefor, including a description of the material terms of the Superior Proposal
that is the basis for the proposed action of the Board of Directors of the Company
(it being understood and agreed that, in the event of an amendment to the financial
terms or other material terms of such Superior Proposal, the Board of Directors of the Company shall not be entitled
to exercise such right based on such Superior Proposal, as so amended, until immediately
after the third business day following Parents receipt of a Superior Proposal Termination
Notice with respect to such Superior Proposal as so amended). In connection with
any Superior Proposal Termination Notice, the Company agrees that, until immediately
after the third business day following Parents receipt of such Superior Proposal
Termination Notice, the Company and its Representatives shall (if Parent so requests)
negotiate in good faith with Parent and its Representatives regarding any revisions
to the terms of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement proposed by Parent.
In determining whether to make a Change of Recommendation or terminate this Agreement
in response to a Superior Proposal, the Board of Directors of the Company shall
take into account any amendment to this Agreement entered into, or to which Parent
irrevocably covenants to enter into and for which all internal approvals of Parent
have been obtained, since receipt of the applicable Superior Proposal Termination
Notice, and shall not make a Change of Recommendation or terminate this Agreement
unless, prior to the effectiveness of such Change of Recommendation or termination,
the Board of Directors of the Company shall have determined in good faith, after
considering the results of any such negotiations and any revised proposals made
by Parent, that the Superior Proposal giving rise to such notice continues to be
a Superior Proposal.
(e) Nothing contained in this Agreement shall prohibit the Company or its Board
of Directors from issuing a "stop, look and listen" statement pending disclosure
of its position, in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.3(d), contemplated
by Rules 14d-9 and 14e-2(a) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
(f) As used in this Agreement, "Alternative Proposal" shall mean any bona fide
inquiry, proposal or offer made by any person or "group" (as defined in Section
13(d) of the Exchange Act) prior to the receipt of the Company Shareholder Approval
(other than a proposal or offer by Parent or any of its Subsidiaries) regarding
(i) a merger, reorganization, share exchange, consolidation, business combination,
recapitalization, dissolution, liquidation or similar transaction involving the
Company, (ii) the acquisition by any person or group of fifteen percent (15%) or
more of the fair market value of the assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries,
taken as a whole, or (iii) the acquisition by any person or group of fifteen percent
(15%) or more of the outstanding shares of Company Common Stock.
(g) As used in this Agreement "Superior Proposal" shall mean a bona fide, written
offer made by a third party to acquire, directly or indirectly, more than 66 2/3%
of the equity securities of the Company or of the fair market value of the assets
of the Company and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, which the Board of
Directors of the Company determines in good faith, after consultation with the Companys
financial and legal advisors, and considering such factors as the Companys Board
of Directors considers to be appropriate (including the timing and likelihood of
consummation of such proposal), are more favorable to the Company |