UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) November 16, 2009

 

BED BATH & BEYOND INC.

( Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

New York

 

0-20214

 

11-2250488

(State of incorporation)

 

(Commission

 

(I.R.S. Employer

 

 

File Number)

 

Identification No.)

 

650 Liberty Avenue

Union, New Jersey 07083

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

(908) 688-0888

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

o             Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

o             Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

o             Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

o             Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4 (c))

 

 

 



 

Item 1.01    Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

 

On November 16, 2009, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an amendment and restatement of its Supplemental Executive Retirement Benefit agreement, dated January 11, 2006, with Mr. Steven H. Temares, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (the “SERP”), and a related escrow agreement (with the amendment and restatement and the related escrow agreement being hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Amendment”).

 

The Amendment was entered into principally to address the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code.  Under the SERP as previously in effect, in the event of a voluntary termination of employment by Mr. Temares after the twentieth anniversary of Mr. Temares’ employment with the Company (June 12, 2012), Mr. Temares would have, in general, been entitled to receive in each year over a 10-year period an amount equal to 50% of his annual base salary, payable in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices.  Under the Amendment, the Company would instead, six months after Mr. Temares’ voluntary termination, pay to Mr. Temares an amount equal to 1/10 of the present value of the installment payments described above, and pay into escrow 9/10 of such present value, in each case, net of all taxes required to be withheld as a result of the payment (including federal and state income taxes and all other applicable withholdings), with, in general, the amount in escrow being paid to Mr. Temares in equal installments on the first 9 anniversaries of the payment into escrow.  Consistent with the SERP as previously in effect, payment of the escrow amount to Mr. Temares would be subject to acceleration upon Mr. Temares’ death or a Change of Control of the Company (as defined in the SERP).  Under a separate agreement, Mr. Temares is subject to a non-competition restrictive covenant during the period of his employment with the Company and for one year thereafter.  Under the SERP as previously in effect, if Mr. Temares breaches the restrictive covenant (or engages in activities after the one-year non-competition period that would have constituted a breach during the non-competition period), any future payments during the 10-year installment payment period would have been forfeited.  Under the Amendment, in the event of any such breach (or activities after the one-year non-competition period that would have constituted a breach during such period), any remaining amount in escrow would be forfeited by Mr. Temares and repaid to the Company.  Any such forfeiture would leave Mr. Temares in substantially the same position as he was under the SERP as previously in effect.  Because any amount deposited into escrow under the Amendment would be net of the taxes imposed on the payment into escrow (including any amounts which may be subsequently forfeited by Mr. Temares and repaid to the Company), any such forfeiture would likely not make the Company whole for the taxes previously paid with respect to the forfeited amounts.  Accordingly, under the Amendment, Mr. Temares has agreed that in the event any amount in escrow is forfeited, he will use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain a refund of applicable taxes and remit such refund to the Company and the Company has agreed to reimburse Mr. Temares, or to pay on his behalf, reasonable legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with such a refund request.

 

As noted above, the Amendment has been drafted to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code and the regulations and guidance issued thereunder; however, in light of the complexities and uncertainties surrounding Section 409A, the Amendment also provides that Mr. Temares will be protected from any impact resulting from the possible application of Section 409A to the terms of the SERP such that Mr. Temares will be entitled to a payment that places him in that same economic position he would have been in under the SERP prior to the application of Section 409A.

 

The foregoing description of the Amendment is a summary only, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to Exhibits 10.1 and 10.2, respectively, to this Current Report on Form 8-K, which are incorporated herein by reference.

 

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Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d)            Exhibits:

 

10.1                                    Supplemental Executive Retirement Benefit Agreement between the Company and Steven H. Temares, dated November 16, 2009.

 

10.2                                    Escrow Agreement with Respect to Supplemental Executive Retirement Benefit between the Company and Steven H. Temares, dated November 16, 2009.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 , the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

BED BATH & BEYOND INC.

 

(Registrant)

 

 

Date: November 19, 2009

By:

/s/ Eugene A. Castagna

 

 

By: Eugene A. Castagna

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

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Exhibit 10.1

 

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.

 

November 16, 2009

 

Mr. Steven H. Temares

Chief Executive Officer

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.

650 Liberty Avenue

Union, New Jersey 07083

 

Re:           Supplemental Executive Retirement Benefit

 

Dear Mr. Temares:

 

This letter agreement (the “Agreement”) amends and restates in its entirety, and supersedes, the prior agreement, dated January 11, 2006, which set forth the terms and conditions of the supplemental retirement benefit payable to you or on your behalf by Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (the “Company”).  This Agreement is effective as of January 11, 2006.

 

1.              If you remain employed by the Company on and through June 12, 2012 ( i.e. , the twentieth anniversary of the date of your commencement of employment with the Company) or the earlier occurrence of a Change of Control of the Company (as such term is defined in Section 2(d) below) (the earliest of such dates being herein referred to as the “Vesting Date”), you will be entitled to receive a supplemental retirement benefit (the “Retirement Benefit”) upon your retirement or other separation from service from the Company within the meaning of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and the applicable regulations thereunder (“Section 409A”) (a “Separation from Service”), subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.  The Retirement Benefit shall be payable in the form of a lump sum equal to the present value of an annual amount equal to 50% of your annual base salary rate on the date of your Separation from Service if such annual amount were paid to you for a period of 10 years following your Separation from Service in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices.  This lump sum shall be calculated using as the discount rate the monthly Applicable Federal Rate for short-term Treasury obligations as published by the Internal Revenue Service for the month in which your Separation from Service occurs.  (See example set forth in Exhibit A hereto).  You may, at any time after the Vesting Date, upon at least 90 days’ prior written notice given to the Company, elect to retire from the Company or otherwise incur a voluntary Separation from Service (except with respect to terminations under Section 2(a) hereof) and commence receipt of the Retirement Benefit.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, your Retirement Benefit shall be paid on the first business day following the six month anniversary of your Separation from Service and shall be includible in your income for tax purposes at such time (regardless of whether a portion of such Retirement Benefit is deposited into an escrow account pursuant to the following sentence).  Except in the circumstances described in the following sentence, in the event you elect to retire or incur a voluntary Separation from Service after the Vesting Date, a portion of your Retirement Benefit, net of withholdings, will be deposited into an escrow account governed by the terms of a separate escrow agreement as described in a separate letter agreement being executed simultaneously

 



 

herewith.  For the avoidance of doubt, no portion of your Retirement Benefit will be deposited into such escrow account in the event (a) you die, (b) your employment is terminated by the Company without Cause (as defined in your December 1, 1994 employment agreement with the Company, as amended from time to time (the “Employment Agreement”)), (c) you incur a Separation from Service due to Disability (as defined in Section 2(b) hereof), or (d) you incur a Separation from Service within 12 months following a Change in Control (as defined in Section 2(d) hereof).

 

2.              (a) If your employment with the Company is terminated (i) prior to the Vesting Date by reason of your voluntary Separation from Service or (ii) prior to or on or after the Vesting Date by reason of your voluntary Separation from Service where Cause exists or by the Company for Cause, you will forfeit any right or entitlement to the Retirement Benefit.

 

(b) Notwithstanding the reference to the Vesting Date in Section 1 above, if your employment with the Company is terminated (i) by the Company without Cause, or (ii) by the Company due to your Disability (as defined below) (in the case of either (i) or (ii), whether prior to or on or after the Vesting Date), your Retirement Benefit will become payable in accordance with, and subject to, Section 1 above.  For purposes of this Agreement, “Disability” shall mean your inability to substantially perform your duties and responsibilities under the Employment Agreement for a period of 180 consecutive days as a result of physical or mental disability.

 

(c) Notwithstanding the reference to the Vesting Date in Section 1 above, if you die (whether prior to or on or after the Vesting Date), your Retirement Benefit will become payable in accordance with Section 1, except that the six month delay referred to in Section 1 shall not apply.  In such case, your Retirement Benefit shall be paid within 30 days following your death to the beneficiary(ies) you have designated pursuant to the beneficiary designation form provided to you by the Company or, if no beneficiary has been designated, to your estate.

 

(d) For purposes of this Agreement, a “Change of Control” shall mean the first to occur of the following:

 

(i) any “person,” as such term is used in sections 3(a)(9) and 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), becomes a “beneficial owner,” as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, of 50% or more of the outstanding common stock of the Company, excluding a person that is an affiliate (as such term is used under the Exchange Act) of the Company on the date of this Agreement, or any affiliate of any such person;

 

(ii) the majority of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) consists of individuals other than “Incumbent Directors,” which term means the members of the Board on the date of this Agreement; provided that any person becoming a director subsequent to such date whose election or nomination for election was supported by two-thirds of the directors who then comprised the Incumbent Directors shall be considered an Incumbent Director;

 

(iii) the Company adopts any plan of liquidation providing for the distribution of all or substantially all its assets;

 

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(iv) all or substantially all the assets or business of the Company are disposed of pursuant to a merger, consolidation or other transaction (unless the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or other transaction beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in substantially the same proportion as they own the common stock of the Company, all the common stock or other ownership interests of the entity or entities, if any, that succeed to the business of the Company); or

 

(v) the Company combines with another company and is the surviving corporation, but, immediately after the combination, the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to the combination hold, directly or indirectly, 50% or less of the common stock or other ownership interests of the combined company (there being excluded from the number of shares held by such shareholders, but not from the common stock or other ownership interests of the combined company, any shares or other ownership interests received by affiliates of such other company in exchange for stock of such other company).

 

3.              Any taxes required to be paid by you as a result of payments under this Agreement shall be for your account and the Company may withhold such taxes from any amounts due to you hereunder (including from any amounts to be paid into an escrow account pursuant to Section 1 above).

 

4.              Payment of the Retirement Benefit pursuant to this Agreement is contingent upon your compliance with the restrictive covenant not to compete with the Company described in Section 4 of your Employment Agreement, as modified by this Section 4 (the “Restrictive Covenant”).  In the event that you breach the terms of the Restrictive Covenant prior to payment of the Retirement Benefit under this Agreement, such Retirement Benefit shall immediately be forfeited.  In the event that you breach the terms of the Restrictive Covenant following payment of the Retirement Benefit payable under this Agreement due to your retirement or other voluntary Separation from Service during the 10 year period following such retirement or other voluntary Separation from Service, the Company’s rights shall be governed by the terms of a separate escrow agreement to be entered into between you and the Company and any portion of the Retirement Benefit remaining in the escrow account will be forfeited.  If, in accordance with the last sentence of Section 1 hereof, no portion of the Retirement Benefit is deposited into an escrow account, the Restrictive Covenant shall cease to apply solely with respect to the Retirement Benefit following your receipt of the Retirement Benefit.  Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to require compliance by you with the Restrictive Covenant beyond the period specified in Section 4 of your Employment Agreement; the only consequence of your breach of the Restrictive Covenant after the period specified in Section 4 of your Employment Agreement and before the tenth anniversary of your retirement or other voluntary Separation from Service is the forfeiture of payment in accordance with the terms of the separate escrow agreement.

 

5.              Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Retirement Benefit will not be paid or made available under the preceding provisions of this Agreement (excluding Retirement Benefits paid as a result of death or Disability) unless you return to the Company a fully effective release no later than 8 days prior to the six month anniversary of your Separation from Service.  A release will be deemed fully effective only if: (a) provided in a form

 

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reasonably prescribed by the Company; and (b) to the extent any portion of such release is subject to any revocation period prescribed by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended, or any other revocation period in effect on the date of your retirement under any federal, state or local law, such revocation period has expired without revocation of the release.

 

6.              This Agreement is an “unfunded” plan for purposes of providing retirement compensation.  With respect to any payments as to which you have a fixed and vested interest but that have not yet been made to you by the Company, nothing contained herein shall give you any rights that are greater than those of a general unsecured creditor of the Company.  The foregoing shall not apply to any amount deposited into an escrow account.

 

7.              Nothing contained in this Agreement shall limit your eligibility to participate in or receive benefits under any employee benefit plan sponsored or maintained by the Company; provided that the Retirement Benefit shall not be considered or included for purposes of calculating any benefit under any such employee benefit plan of the Company.

 

8.              This Agreement is not an agreement of employment.  This Agreement does not guarantee that the Company will continue to employ or retain you for any period of time, nor does it modify in any respect any of your or the Company’s rights under your Employment Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect and unchanged by this Agreement.

 

9.              No rights or obligations of the Company under this Agreement may be assigned or transferred by the Company, except pursuant to a merger or consolidation, or the sale or liquidation of all or substantially all the assets of the Company, provided that, in the case of such a sale or liquidation, the assignee or transferee assumes in writing the obligation to perform this Agreement (it being understood, however, that no such assignment or transfer shall relieve the Company of its liabilities or obligations under this Agreement).

 

10.            (a) This Agreement is intended to comply with the applicable requirements of Section 409A and shall be limited, construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent.  To the extent that the Retirement Benefit is subject to Section 409A, it shall be paid in a manner that will comply with Section 409A and any other guidance issued by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service with respect thereto.

 

(b) In the event it is determined that the Retirement Benefit is subject to the interest and additional 20% tax imposed by Section 409A (the “Section 409A Taxes”), then you will be entitled to a payment from the Company in an amount that places you in the same after-tax economic position that you would have been in had the Retirement Benefit not been subject to the Section 409A Taxes.  In the event that the Retirement Benefit is subject to the Section 409A Taxes before the Retirement Benefit is paid to you or otherwise includible in your income, this payment will also include (i) any other income and employment taxes imposed on the Retirement Benefit and (ii) any income and employment taxes imposed as a result of the payment of the amounts in clause (i) and this clause (ii), provided that, if the Retirement Benefit is subsequently paid to you or deposited into an escrow account, the Retirement Benefit will then be reduced by the amount in clause (i).  In addition, the Company shall

 

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reimburse you for or pay on your behalf all reasonable legal fees and expenses incurred by you in connection with any tax audit or proceeding involving the application of Section 409A to the Retirement Benefit.  The additional payment and any reimbursement or payment of expenses will be made to you or on your behalf promptly upon the determination that such a payment or reimbursement is due from the Company, but in no event later than 30 days following the date you remit the Section 409A Taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (or, if no amounts are remitted as a result of the tax audit or proceeding, then the expenses will be reimbursed to you or paid on your behalf no later than 30 days following the completion of the audit or reaching a final and non-appealable settlement or other resolution of the proceeding).

 

(c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) above, the Company will not be required to make any payments to you under subsection (b) above if, after the Company makes a reasonable request to you in writing, you fail to enter into an amendment to this Agreement if such amendment could reasonably be expected to result in the avoidance of the Retirement Benefit being subject to the Section 409A Taxes and such amendment has no more than an immaterial adverse affect on your rights hereunder.

 

11.            This Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and other applicable federal law.  To the extent not preempted by or inconsistent with federal law, the laws of the state of New York shall apply.  If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, the invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision of this Agreement and the Agreement shall be construed and enforced as if the provision had not been included.

 

12.            This Agreement is intended to be a plan which is unfunded and maintained primarily for the purpose of providing deferred compensation for a select group of management or highly compensated employees within the meaning of Sections 201, 301 and 401 of ERISA, and therefore to be exempt from the provisions of Parts 2, 3 and 4 of Title I of ERISA.

 

13.            For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Company” shall include any and all successors and assignees, whether direct or indirect, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise, to all or substantially all the business or assets of the Company, and such successors and assignees shall perform the Company’s obligations under this Agreement, in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession or assignment had taken place.

 

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14.            This Agreement sets forth all understandings with regard to your Retirement Benefit payable by the Company.  This Agreement has been presented to, and duly authorized by, the Compensation Committee of the Board.  It may not be amended or terminated without the written agreement of both parties hereto.

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Warren Eisenberg

 

 

Warren Eisenberg

 

 

Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors

 

 

 

Acknowledged and Agreed by:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Steven H. Temares

 

 

Steven H. Temares

 

 

 

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EXHIBIT A

 

Illustration of Calculation of Lump Sum Value of Retirement Benefit

 

The Retirement Benefit is payable in the form of a lump sum equal to the present value of an annual amount equal to 50% of annual base salary rate on Separation from Service if paid over a period of 10 years in accordance with payroll practices, discounted using the Applicable Federal Rate for short-term Treasury obligations for the month in which the Separation from Service occurs.

 

Assumptions for Purposes of this Illustration Only :

 

Annual Base Salary Rate - $1,500,000

Applicable Federal Rate for short-term Treasury obligations (as published by the IRS) - .82%

Frequency of Payments –semi-monthly

Termination Date - July 1, 2013

 

50% of $1,500,000 x 10 years = $7,500,000

$7,500,000/240 (paid in semi-monthly installments) = $31,250 per installment

 

Lump Sum Present Value

 

Stream of payments of $31,250

Over 240 periods

Discounted based on rate of .03417% per period (.82%/24)

Lump Sum Present Value = $7,199,612

 

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Exhibit 10.2

 

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.

 

November 16, 2009

 

Mr. Steven H. Temares

Chief Executive Officer

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.

650 Liberty Avenue

Union, New Jersey 07083

 

Re:           Escrow Account with Respect to Supplemental Executive Retirement Benefit

 

Dear Mr. Temares:

 

As you know, the letter agreement between you and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (the “Company”), originally effective as of January 11, 2006, which set forth the terms and conditions of your supplemental executive retirement benefit, is being amended and restated in its entirely effective as of January 11, 2006, as memorialized in the letter agreement dated November 16, 2009 (the “SERP”).  Capitalized terms used in this letter will have the meanings set forth in the SERP.

 

In connection with the amendment and restatement of the SERP, your execution of this letter will evidence your agreement that should you become eligible to receive a distribution from the SERP due to your retirement or voluntary Separation from Service (a “Triggering Event”), your lump sum SERP distribution, less all applicable withholding taxes, will be paid on the first business day following the six month anniversary of the Triggering Event (the “First Payment Date”) as follows: (a) 1/10 of the lump sum SERP distribution (net of applicable withholding taxes) will be distributed to you; and (b) 9/10 of the lump sum SERP distribution (net of applicable withholding taxes) will be deposited into an escrow account to be held by an escrow agent, which escrow agent will be mutually agreed upon by you and the Company (but which, in any event, shall be a bank or other financial institution having assets of at least $10 billion).  In the event of a distribution from the SERP due to your death, Disability, termination by the Company without Cause or Separation from Service within 12 months following a Change in Control, no escrow account will be established and you will be entitled to receive the SERP distribution in accordance with the terms of the SERP.

 

You agree that, no later than 120 days following a Triggering Event, you will enter into an escrow agreement by and among you, the Company and the escrow agent which will set forth the terms and conditions with respect to amounts held in the escrow account.  You further agree that the escrow agreement will contain the following terms:

 

1.              Amounts deposited and held in the escrow account will be distributed in 9 equal annual installments to be distributed on each of the 9 annual anniversaries of the First Payment Date.

 

2.              You will have the right to direct the investment of the funds in the escrow account from among the permitted investments which will be: (i) debt obligations of the U.S. government, (ii) short-term investment grade obligations of U.S. and foreign corporations, including commercial paper, certificates of deposit, notes, bonds, debentures, and (iii) pooled, commingled or mutual funds which invest solely in the above.

 



 

3.              Interest, dividends and other earnings on escrow account funds during the 12-month period between distribution dates will be distributed to you annually with each annual installment.  You will be responsible for the payment of any income or other taxes arising as a result of such distributions.  A net loss incurred by the escrow account during any such 12-month period will reduce the annual installment to be paid immediately following the conclusion of such 12-month period (and, if necessary, any subsequent installments).

 

4.              In the event of your death prior to payment of all 9 installments, the Company will direct the escrow agent to pay the remaining amount in the escrow account, including accrued investment earnings (such total amount the “Remaining Amount”) to the beneficiary(ies) you have designated pursuant to the SERP (or, if you have not designated a beneficiary, to your estate) no later than 30 days after your death.

 

5.              In the event of a Change of Control of the Company that occurs on or after the deposit of the Retirement Benefit into the escrow account and prior to payment of all 9 installments, the Company will direct the escrow agent to pay the Remaining Amount to you simultaneously with the Change of Control, or as soon as possible thereafter, but in no event later than 30 days following the Change in Control.

 

6.              In the event you do not comply with the restrictive covenant not to compete with the Company (as described in Section 4 of your Employment Agreement, but for the term of the escrow agreement) (the “Restrictive Covenant”) prior to the payment of the entire Remaining Amount from the escrow account, the Company will have the right (subject to the provisions of the escrow agreement) to direct the escrow agent to pay the Remaining Amount to the Company no later than 15 days after notice to the escrow agent and to you, and you will forfeit any and all rights to the Remaining Amount.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is specifically understood and agreed that following a Change in Control that occurs on or after the deposit of the Retirement Benefit into the escrow account, no forfeiture due to a violation of Restrictive Covenant shall occur, and the provisions of the Restrictive Covenant shall no longer be applicable solely with respect to the Retirement Benefit.  Nothing in the SERP or this letter shall be deemed to require compliance by you with the Restrictive Covenant beyond the period specified in Section 4 of your Employment Agreement; the only consequence of your breach of the Restrictive Covenant after the period specified in Section 4 of your Employment Agreement and before the payment to you of the entire Remaining Amount from the escrow account is the forfeiture of the Remaining Amount in accordance with the terms of the SERP and this letter.

 

7.              The Company will be responsible for payment of the escrow agent’s annual fees.

 

You further agree that in the event you violate the Restrictive Covenant following the Triggering Event and prior to the payment of the entire Remaining Amount, you will use commercially reasonable efforts (taking into account applicable costs, fees and tax ramifications) to obtain a refund from the appropriate taxing authorities of the withholding taxes previously remitted on the portion of the Retirement Benefit forfeited by you under Section 6 above and, in the event any such amounts are refunded to you, you will promptly remit such refunded amounts to the Company (less any other income or other taxes, penalties or interest incurred by you solely as a result of any such refund).  Upon written notice given to you by the Company, you will, to the maximum extent permitted by law, assign to the Company the right to obtain such refund.  The Company shall promptly reimburse you for or pay on your behalf all reasonable legal fees and expenses incurred by

 

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you in connection with any filings or proceedings to the extent attributable to such refund request within 60 days after such fees or expenses are incurred.  Such reimbursement right shall continue for your lifetime and the lifetime of your spouse as contemplated pursuant to the objectively and specifically prescribed period requirement of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(iv)(A)(2), and will not be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit.  The amount of such expenses reimbursed to you or paid on your behalf in any one calendar year will not affect the amount of such expenses eligible for reimbursement or payment in any other calendar year.

 

This Agreement sets forth all understandings with regard to the escrow account to be established to hold your SERP distribution in the event you retire or voluntarily incur a Separation from Service with the Company.  This Agreement may not be amended or terminated without the written agreement of both parties hereto.  This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to its conflict of laws principles.

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Warren Eisenberg

 

 

Warren Eisenberg

 

 

Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors

 

 

 

Acknowledged and Agreed by:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/s/ Steven H. Temares

 

 

Steven H. Temares

 

 

 

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